ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Following outstanding careers at UCF, four members of the 2017 women's soccer team have gone on to sign contracts at the professional level.
Former Knights Bridget Callahan, Saga Fredriksson, Christine Creighton and Kathellen Sousa all inked deals to play at the next level, on both the local and international scene. All four played important roles in helping UCF clinch the 2017 American Athletic Conference regular season championship.
Bridget Callahan joined the Orlando Pride as a non-roster invitee during the squad's preseason training in the spring. She was signed as a national team replacement player in March. The four-year letterwinner appeared in 73 matches for the Knights and tallied three of her nine career goals during the 2017 campaign.
Swedish native Saga Fredriksson returned to her home turf to join the LB07 squad in Malmo. The 2016 American Co-Defender of the Year started 60 of 68 matches during her four-year career with the Knights. She logged over 5400 minutes as a key member of UCF's backline, and served as team captain in 2017.
In Austria, Christine Creighton will suit up for the SKN St. Pölten squad. A native of Haverhill, Fla., she netted the game-winning goal against then-No. 4 UNC to give the Knights a 2-1 double overtime victory at the UCF Soccer Complex in 2017.
FC Girondins de Bordeau now boasts a pair of UCF alums, as Kathellen Sousa joins former Knight forward Carol Rodrigues on the squad. The duo were teammates at Monroe College before Rodrigues joined the Black and Gold in 2015. Sousa, the 2017 American Defensive Player of the Year, appeared in all 18 matches for the Knights last season. She registered two assists while holding down the backline for the Black and Gold.
Sousa was also invited to the Brazil Senior National Team training camp earlier this summer.