Washington Spirit rookie Croix Bethune suffers season-ending knee injury throwing out Nats first pitch

Croix Bethune’s head-turning rookie season came to an abrupt end when she suffered a torn meniscus while throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game last week.

The injury will require surgery and will land Bethune on the season-ending injury list, the Washington Spirit said Wednesday.

Spirit coach Jonatan Giráldez said the injury occurred during the ceremonial first pitch.

“She had a problem making the first pitch in the baseball game,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “She is not going to be available this season. It is part of life. You have to keep going.”

The 23-year-old packed more accomplishments in her first half-year as a professional than many players squeeze into a full career. Bethune was selected third in the 2023 NWSL Draft, with Washington trading defensive anchor Sam Staab to obtain the pick. It paid off swiftly as she became an instant starter in the wake of Ashley Sanchez’s departure via a trade on the same day. Bethune took home NWSL Rookie of the Month honors in March/April, May and June; no other player had previously won the award in back-to-back months, much less three in a row.

The strong form for her club helped her land on the United States women’s national team, first as a training player for Emma Hayes’ first camp in June and making her debut in a July tune-up friendly before being named as an alternate for the 2024 Olympics. An injury to Jaedyn Shaw saw Bethune get promoted to the 18-player squad, where she made one appearance from the bench as the USWNT returned to gold-medal standing.

Despite this knee injury, Bethune still projects as the favorite to take home NWSL Rookie of the Year — if the litany of monthly honors wasn’t enough evidence toward that point — and challenge for a Best XI honor.

In 1,389 regular season minutes, she scored five goals and logged 10 assists. Her 15 goal contributions is tied for 5th in the league as of Sept. 4, 2024. Those 10 assists are far ahead of joint second-ranked Sophia Smith and Temwa Chawinga’s six, and had her tied with USWNT icon Tobin Heath for the NWSL’s single-season record, which Heath set in 2016.

The Spirit will understandably take a cautious approach to Bethune’s rehabilitation. The midfielder suffered three ACL tears during her time in high school and college, a fact that may explain why two teams passed on her in the 2024 Draft. In announcing her injury, Washington clarified that she will remain with the team throughout her recovery, working closely with the Spirit Performance, Medical and Innovation department.

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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)