Cortnee Vine

The entire nation held its breath. Cortnee Vine did not. She placed the ball on the spot in Brisbane, stepped back, and drove a penalty past the French goalkeeper that sent Australia into the semi-finals of a home World Cup — a single kick that rewrote her life and seared itself into the collective memory of a country. That moment during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup defined something about Vine that is impossible to coach: a fearlessness under pressure so total that it resembles calm. With approximately 25 caps to her name, the versatile forward has proven her belonging at the highest level through pace, directness, and a willingness to accept responsibility when the stakes could not be higher. Her move to North Carolina Courage in the NWSL has continued an upward trajectory that shows no sign of levelling off.

Career Statistics

Player Profile

Vine with the ball at her feet is a defender’s puzzle with no clean solution — the pace to burn past markers, the dribbling skill to navigate tight spaces, the directness that turns transitions into genuine scoring opportunities. She operates comfortably across the forward line, equally effective on the wing or tucked in as a second striker, and her confidence in front of goal has blossomed since those World Cup heroics into something more sustained and dangerous. Goals and assists now arrive with regularity rather than novelty.

At North Carolina Courage, the physical intensity and athleticism of the NWSL have sharpened her game further, adding muscle to the skill that was already there. At twenty-eight, Vine is entering the peak years of her career, a regular member of the Matildas squad whose best football may still be ahead of her. The penalty against France will forever belong to Australian sporting history — a moment preserved in amber, replayed endlessly, cherished forever. But Cortnee Vine is building something larger than a single kick. She is building a career that demands to be remembered on its own terms.

EC — Senior features writer, australiafootball.com