South Raleigh News

Former NC State women's soccer defender Jenna Butler has signed a national team replacement (NTR) contract with the Washington Spirit, as announced by the club on Thursday afternoon.

Butler is one of three players to join the Spirit for the 2024 NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup while the club's senior international players are away for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. All three contracts will expire upon the conclusion of this summer's FIFA international window.

Butler, a native of Gainesville, Virginia, was a five-year starter for the Wolfpack on the back line. Butler finished her career with 86 career matches started, which ranks tied for ninth in program history.

The former Wolfpack defender earned United Soccer Coaches Atlantic All-Region Third Team honors as a second-year junior in 2021 after starting all 20 matches. Butler scored four goals, including two game-winners and an equalizer. She was named to TopDrawerSoccer's Team of the Week on Aug. 24, 2021, after scoring the tying goal in the team's 2-2 draw at No. 9 Georgetown as well as the game-winner at Old Dominion on opening weekend.

In 2022, her final season with the Pack, she netted two goals and tallied two assists for six points. She scored both her goals in back-to-back games, netting a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw against No. 11 Georgetown on Aug. 28, 2022, and the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win at Elon on Sept. 1, 2022. She helped contribute to four shutouts as the Wolfpack made its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Butler helped lead the Wolfpack to four NCAA Tournament berths, highlighted by back-to-back NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2018 and 2019.