Racing Louisville defender Elli Pikkujamsa underwent season-ending knee surgery on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old Finnish international tore her left patellar tendon in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Portland.

“We are heartbroken for Elli but have full belief she will come back stronger,” Racing coach Bev Yanez said in a news release Thursday. “We want to support her as much as possible as she works on her recovery from this injury. She means so much to this group, and I know I speak for us all when I say we are here for her and hopeful for a healthy and quick recovery.”

Pikkujamsa has started 18 of her 21 NWSL regular-season matches since signing with Racing ahead of the 2023 NWSL campaign.

“It’s obviously a bummer for myself and something that you can’t really predict,” Pikkujamsa said. “Unfortunately this is part of the game sometimes, but all the support I’ve received during these few days has helped so much.”

–Field Level Media