By: Meagan Mulvany
STATESBORO, Ga. – Former South Georgia Tormenta FC defender Peyton Chick has signed with Austrian football club FC Pinzgau, which plays in the second tier of Austrian football, for the 2023-24 season, while former Tormenta FC goalkeeper Makenna Gottschalk has signed with SCU Torreense of the Campeonato Nacional Feminino, the top tier of women’s soccer in Portugal, for the 2023-24 season.
“Peyton came to Tormenta FC with three years of professional experience and was searching for a serious training environment at the USL W League level to help her achieve her next professional contract. As an attacking outside back in our system, her ability to get forward and take players on and provide wide service was key to how we like to play. She immediately established herself as a key member and major contributor in our 2023 team. We wish her all the best in this next stage of her professional career.”
Jim Robbins, Tormenta FC’s USL W League Head Coach
Chick knows the professional setting well, already having a four-year career with Hapoel Ra’anana A.F.C. in the second division of the Israeli Football Association. During her time there, she appeared in 93 matches.
During her time at Western Washington University, she had an impressive showing in the 4,832 minutes she played, earning seven goals and 22 assists, which is the seventh-highest in WWU’s history.
“Makenna came to Tormenta FC with the goal of playing professionally after graduation. She played behind Sydney Martinez, the USL W League Golden Glove winner in our 2022 USL W Championship season, but that did not deter her. Makenna is an excellent goalkeeper, and she fully deserves this opportunity. Her attitude, work ethic, and team-first attitude will prove valuable as a professional player. I am proud of her and look forward to watching her play at this level.”
Jim Robbins, Tormenta FC’s USL W League Head Coach
In 2022, Gottschalk finished off the season first in conference for her goalkeeping prowess at New Mexico State University and topped individual standings at seventh in the nation.
Gottschalk started all 21 matches for NMSU and made an impressive 91 saves on the season. She continues to hold the third all-time record with 235 saves amassed throughout her time at New Mexico State.
Just like Chick and Gottschalk, many more TFC Academy talents will rise through the ranks and follow in their footsteps. The foundation is set for Tormenta FC to continue providing opportunities to young talent around South Georgia and the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
In June of 2021, Tormenta FC was named a founding member of the USL W League, an elite pre-professional pathway for women looking to build their careers on and off the pitch. Tormenta FC won its first-ever USL W League title in 2022 after defeating the Minnesota Aurora in front of 6,500 fans in Eagan, Minnesota.
Tormenta FC provides opportunities to local and national players to develop and start their professional careers in Statesboro, Georgia. In two years, Tormenta FC’s W League team has produced eight professional players with Peyton Chick and Makenna Gottschalk joining Sydney Martinez, Jenae Packard, Emily Burke, Kelly Giddes, Abigail Wolf and Jodi Medina.
