Elyse Bennett
Elyse Morgan Bennett is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward. She played college soccer for the Washington State Cougars before being selected seventh overall in the 2022 NWSL Draft by the Kansas City Current.
After playing one season in Kansas City, Bennett spent time with fellow NWSL teams OL Reign, San Diego Wave FC, and the Orlando Pride. She has also played for Spanish Liga F club Deportivo de La Coruña.
Early life
Born in Lake Forest, Illinois, Bennett was raised in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area and played several youth sports through middle school before taking up soccer in high school.Bennett played one season for De Pere High School in De Pere, Wisconsin before joining the FC Wisconsin Eclipse youth program, where she became a top scorer in the Elite Clubs National League for the 2015–16 season. She suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during her senior year of high school.
College career
Bennett graduated from high school early and enrolled in Washington State University as an early recruit to its women's soccer team.After playing as a substitute and starter in her freshman season, Bennett became a regular starter at forward in her sophomore season before suffering a second ACL injury. She returned to start 23 of 24 matches in her junior year, 12 matches in the COVID-19-shortened 2020–21 spring season, and 21 matches in her fifth year in 2021.
Her fifth season featured career highs in goals, points, shots, shots on goal, and minutes played, and she was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and United Soccer Coaches All-American second team. Bennett was also the second Washington State player to play in more than 90 career matches, finishing with a second-most tally of 93 appearances.
Club career
Kansas City Current
The Kansas City Current selected Bennett with the club's first pick and the seventh pick overall of the 2022 NWSL Draft. After playing in both and scoring in one of Kansas City's preseason matches, Bennett signed her first professional contract with the Current. During the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, Bennett recorded four assists in her first six professional matches, including a two-assist match against the Chicago Red Stars that earned her an NWSL Player of the Week award. She scored her first professional goal on May 14, 2022, in a 2–2 draw with the Orlando Pride.OL Reign
On January 11, 2023, OL Reign traded $150,000 in allocation money to the Kansas City Current in exchange for Bennett. She made her debut for the Reign during the club's first match of the season, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat to the Washington Spirit. Bennett tallied her first goal with the Reign in a 4–1 victory over Angel City FC on May 27. In July 2023, Bennett was nominated for NWSL Player of the Week honors after scoring a goal and recording an assist against Racing Louisville FC.Midway through the year, the Reign extended Bennett's contract through the 2024 season, with an additional year option for the 2025 season. Bennett and the Reign eventually advanced to the NWSL playoffs, vanquishing Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC before facing off against NJ/NY Gotham FC in the final. Bennett came on as a substitute in the game and was involved in a sequence resulting in opposing goalkeeper Mandy Haught receiving a red card. The Reign failed to score off of the ensuing free kick, and Gotham FC secured the title with a 2–1 win.