Croix Bethune (born March 14, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League. She played college soccer for the USC Trojans and the Georgia Bulldogs. She was selected by the Spirit third overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft.

Early life

Bethune was born to Richard and Jean Bethune, both members of the United States Air Force, and has a brother. ^{[2] [3]} She started playing soccer at age three or four. ^[4] At age four, her family moved to England for three and a half years, where she originally played with boys because there was no girls' team. ^{[3] [5]}

Bethune played club soccer for Concorde Fire Soccer Club in Atlanta and was named to the national Best XI in 2017 and 2018. ^[1] She played one season of high school soccer at Alpharetta High School. ^[2] She also played basketball into high school, but focused on soccer after tearing her ACL while training with the national under-17 team. ^{[3] [6]}

College career

Bethune played three seasons at the University of Southern California (USC). She missed her freshman season due to a second ACL tear. ^[3] On her debut for the Trojans, she recorded two assists in a 4–3 overtime win against BYU in February 2021. ^{[3] [7]} She scored 16 goals in the 2021 season, the third most in a season in program history, including a nine-minute hat trick in the first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament. ^{[2] [8]} In both 2021 and 2022, as captain of the Trojans, she was named first-team All-Pac-12, first-team All-American, and the Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year. ^{[1] [3]} Highlights of her "flashy playing style" at USC included backheel passes, chip shots, and once balancing the ball on her head to keep control on offense. ^[3]

Bethune transferred to the University of Georgia for the 2023 season, reuniting with former USC coach Keidane McAlpine, though she tore her ACL for a third time while still at USC finishing her undergraduate degree. ^{[5] [9]} She led Georgia to its first postseason title in program history at the 2023 SEC tournament, where she scored an equalizer against Kentucky in the quarterfinals and the last-minute game winner against Texas A&M in the semifinals, and was named the tournament's most valuable player. ^[5] She was named second-team All-SEC and second-team All-American. ^[1]

Club career

The Washington Spirit selected Bethune third overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft; the Spirit acquired the pick by trading Sam Staab to the Chicago Red Stars. ^[10] She signed a three-year contract with the team in March 2024 with an option for another year. ^[11] She scored her first professional goal late in stoppage time to beat Bay FC 2–1 on March 23. ^{[12] [13]} The next month, she scored in consecutive wins against the Houston Dash and NJ/NY Gotham FC. ^[12]

International career

Bethune was first called up to a youth national team training camp with the United States national under-15 team at age 13 in March 2015. ^{[2] [14]} She helped win the 2016 CONCACAF Girls' U-15 Championship and was named to the tournament's Best XI team. ^[15] She was the youngest player on the under-17 team in November 2016. ^[16] She competed at the 2018 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship, a tournament the United States won, and played at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. ^{[17] [18]} She played friendlies for the under-23 team in 2022. ^[19]

References

External links

• Croix Bethune at Soccerway