Parcell Kicks for Fortuna

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Pro soccer player Kaitlyn Parcell is tearing it up on the pitch for her Fortuna Hjorring team, which sits in second place in the Denmark Women’s Premier League (Gjensidige Kvindeliga Division 1) and has also advanced to the quarterfinals of the Denmark Cup (analogous to England’s FA Cup).

Two weeks ago, Parcell played all 90 minutes in a 6-0 victory in a Cup contest and another full 90 three days later in a league match in which she contributed two assists from her left outside back position. Fortuna last played on Sunday, winning 4-0, and after an International Team break this weekend, will play the first place team in the league (FC Nordsjaelland) in what will likely determine the league championship.

“We’ve only had three goals scored against us so we’ve done a good job defensively and that starts from the front line to the midfield to the back line so I think we’ve worked well together as a team and hopefully we can keep that going,” Parcell said when interviewed last week. “We’re all just excited for an an opportunity to hopefully get another win.”   

After two seasons with MSV Duisburg in the German Bundesliga, the Palisades High alum wanted to explore other opportunities and signed with Fortuna Hjorring in the Danish Women’s League (Kvindeliga) last year, playing in all but one game and making 12 starts on defense. She reported back to the squad over the summer for preseason training and league play began in August. Parcell, who turned 27 in September, grew up in the El Medio Bluffs, excelled in cross country and track at Corpus Christi School and is the only player in the history of the Palisades High girls soccer program to tally 50+ goals and 50+ assists in her career. She won the Palisadian-Post Cup Award in 2016 as the school’s outstanding senior athlete.