WASHINGTON - Former Georgetown University women’s soccer player Crystal Thomas (Elgin, Ill./Wheaton Academy/Notre Dame) is taking her talents overseas after signing a contract to play in the top division in Norway.

Thomas, who made her professional debut in early May with the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), signed a contract over the weekend with Medkila Il, which plays in the Toppserien, the first tier of Norwegian soccer.

“The coaches saw me and were interested and sent me an offer,” Thomas said. “It’s a great opportunity at this time because it comes during the transfer window. I’ve never been there but it looks like a beautiful town and is a tourist destination. The stadium looks really nice and it just looks like a great community.”

Medkila Il is located in Harstad in the northern part of the country, and Thomas will join the team in late July, near midseason as the schedule started in April and closes in November. She will be one of four Americans on the squad, which has reached the quarterfinals in each of the last four years and won the Norwegian Cup. “They want me to come in and help them win games and that’s my goal,” Thomas said. “They play in Norway’s top division and it’s a great level of soccer and the league is full of a lot of great players. It’s a great competitive level and I’m eager for the opportunity to learn a lot from them and to continue to develop.

"Norway was attractive because the level of play is so high. I really like the idea of how they play and how they train and I’m really looking forward to this opportunity.”

Thomas had a tremendous final season on the Hilltop, earning All-BIG EAST Second Team honors and All-Northeast Region First Team kudos from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). During the 2016 season, she finished fourth on the team in scoring with 23 points (11 goals, one assist). She scored the game-winning goal in Georgetown’s 1-0 NCAA Quarterfinal win over Santa Clara.

In two years at Georgetown after transferring from Notre Dame, she scored 19 goals and had eight assists for 46 points. She spent two seasons at Notre Dame, including 2012, when she scored 22 points (10 goals, two assists), earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team and was a BIG EAST All-Rookie selection.

“I’m really thankful to Dave (Nolan), Lyndse (Hokanson) and Kristen (Meier) and the staff here at Georgetown,” Thomas said. “I had a tremendous experience here and learned so much while playing at one of the best programs in the country. Georgetown will always be a big part of my life.”

Thomas finished her collegiate career with 31 goals and 17 assists for 79 points. She was a three-time All-BIG EAST Second Team pick, earned first team all-region honors from the NSCAA the last two years and has participated in multiple United States U-20 and U-23 national team camps.

Georgetown advanced to the NCAA College Cup for the first time in program history and lost to eventual national champion Southern California. The Hoyas, seeded No. 2 in their region in the NCAA Tournament, finished the season with a 20-3-3 overall record and won the BIG EAST Tournament Championship for the first time in program history. Georgetown set program records for wins (20), shutouts (17) and goals scored (61).