CARY, N.C. (June 14, 2024) — The North Carolina Courage has signed Australian National Team forward Cortnee Vine to a three-year contract. The Matildas star joins the Courage on a guaranteed deal through the 2026 NWSL season. Vine will join the team upon receipt of her P-1 Visa. She will be eligible to roster when the secondary transfer window opens on August 1.

Vine spent the last four seasons with Sydney FC of the Australian A-League Women. She scored 30 goals with four assists to lead the club to three straight Premierships from 2020-21 through 2022-23 and back-to-back Grand Final championships in 2022-23 and 2023-24. On the international stage, Vine has 28 caps for the Matildas including seven appearances during the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Her shining moment came with the clinching penalty kick on home soil over France in the quarterfinals. The forward has already been announced to represent Australia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. “The biggest reason I’m excited to join the Courage is their style of play. They play beautiful, possession-based football. And I’m excited to be part of the culture. I know some of the players and used to play with Denise O’Sullivan. She’s a humble person and a fantastic player and I can’t wait to be a part of the culture she’s spread with the Courage,” said Vine. “We are thrilled to add Cortnee to our club. She has great international experience and can come in and instantly help us day in and day out. In my conversations with her, she is eager to learn and help in any way she can, both on and off the field. She has a very high soccer IQ and always looks to threaten in the final third. She’s an explosive player both on and off the ball and will fit in perfectly with our style of play. We cannot wait to welcome her here to Courage Country,” said Head Coach Sean Nahas. Vine has spent her whole professional career in Australia, starting out with the Brisbane Roar before spending time with the Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers before joining Sydney FC in 2020. Across eight seasons, Vine scored 36 goals and added 19 assists in 105 appearances.

ABOUT THE NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE: The North Carolina Courage are in their eighth season of competition in 2024 since beginning play in the National Women’s Soccer League (USSF Division I) in 2017. The Courage were formed after Steve Malik purchased the Western New York Flash and relocated the franchise to Cary, North Carolina, and play their home games at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Courage are the winningest club in NWSL history, claiming seven league trophies as three-time NWSL Shield winners (2017, 2018, 2019), two-time NWSL Champions (2018, 2019), and two-time UKG NWSL Challenge Cup champions (2022, 2023). The Courage also won the 2018 ICC Championship. Follow the Courage on the web at www.nccourage.com and on social media @TheNCCourage.