Adelaide United’s goal is to win a Liberty A-League Championship and the Reds believe they have taken a step in the right direction with the arrivals of Mariah Lee and Jenna Holtz.
The American pair – who grew up playing together for Washington Premier FC in the United States – make the move to Adelaide for the 2023-24 season, which for the Reds begins against Canberra United on October 15.
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Former Celtic star forward Lee arrives having recently spent pre-season with National Women’s Soccer League giants OL Reign, having played for Spain’s Liga F outfit Sporting Huelva prior to that.
A defender, Holtz joins the Reds from Cacereno Femenino in Spain’s Segunda Federacion, where the team fell just short of promotion.
“We welcome Jenna and Mariah to Australia and know they will fit in seamlessly here, as so many of our College affiliated players do,” said head coach Adrian Stenta, whose team missed out on the finals last season having reached their first ever semi-final in 2021-22.
“They have played throughout the world in different conditions and in front of passionate crowds, so we expect them to thrive in our fantastic environment here in Adelaide and across the A-Leagues.
“It takes a squad to win a Championship which remains our goal, and we believe Jenna and Mariah boost our depth immensely.”
Lee brings European experience to Adelaide, having scored six goals in 11 appearances for Celtic in 2021 while she also played alongside Australian Jacynta Galabadaarachchi in Glasgow.
She scored the winning goal against Rangers as Celtic pipped their bitter rivals in the hunt for UEFA Women’s Champions League football.
As for Holtz, she previously captained Seattle Sounders to their first Regional Championship and WPSL National Championship in 2018 following an undefeated campaign while she also spent time in Portugal with Valadares Gaia FC Futebol Feminino.
Lee and Holtz join Alana Jancevski (Perth Glory), Hannah Blake (Perth Glory), Rosetta Taylor (Nottingham Forest) and Sarah Morgan as new signings at Adelaide.
Dylan Holmes (until 2025), Emily Condon, Emilia Murray, Katie Bowler, Emily Hodgson and Maruschka Waldus have also re-signed.
