Ice Ice baby
by George Diaz
Ellie proudly wearing the #4 jersey for Thor/KA, a women’s soccer team in Iceland
Life always has unexpected twists and turns. Ellie Moreno’s detour came while she was enjoying her senior season on the UCF women’s soccer team, hoping for a next-level opportunity as a professional.
But during the 2023-2024 school year, those plans changed after a season-ending ACL injury. What would come next, Ellie wondered? Amid the uncertainty, she found her answer 3,534 miles away from Central Florida – professional soccer set in the beautiful landscape of Iceland.
“I was just excited to play again and be part of a team,” says the 25-year-old Ellie, “so I literally had no expectations.”
A very cool experience
Ellie’s Icelandic adventure was set in motion when she resumed training after completing rehab for her injury. She had traveled to Tampa for a training camp for played in Iceland gave Ellie the names and numbers of contacts who could help her do the same thing.
Karen Moreno, Ellie’s mother, says her daughter wasted no time reaching out to agents when she returned from the camp.
“Her commitment, persistence, and resilience are definitely admirable,” says Karen. “It’s nice when you switch from that parent role to looking up to your child and admiring her tenacity and determination.”
Ellie’s efforts paid off. A midfielder, she was offered a roster spot for Thor/KA, a women’s soccer team based in Akureyri, on the north end of Iceland. It happened quickly, mere days before the signing window for new players closed.
“I basically found out I was going and left four days after,” says Ellie of the whirlwind experience. “I didn’t really have time to think much about it.”
Chilling out on and off the field
Ellie takes in the beauty of the country during one of her sightseeing trips in between soccer matches.
After signing a six-month contract, she traveled to Iceland in April to join the team for the final 17 games of the season, which ended in October. Highlights of Ellie’s Arctic experience included meeting new people, traveling, and visiting the geothermal spas of Sky Lagoon and Blue Lagood, with their milky-blue, silica-rich waters.
“It’s a beautiful country, so I always was just amazed when we would travel to the games because I got the best views on the drive,” says Ellie.
“The people of Iceland were nothing short of amazing,” she adds. “They were so welcoming and made me really feel part of the team. It felt like I was meant to be there. I loved every part of my journey.”
Ellie is now back home in the familiar surroundings of Central Florida, where she grew up attending The Roth Family JCC’s preschool and the Gotlib Jewish Academy. A graduate of Winter Park High School, she was a varsity soccer player there.
Her family (dad Tony, mom Karen, and siblings Carli and Tony) is well-respected in the Winter Park community. Karen, who owns a fitness studio, received an award this year from the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce as the 2025 Woman of Influence. Brother Tony is an actor on Broadway, where he is currently the understudy for the lead role in The Book of Mormon.
“It felt like I was meant to be there. I loved every part of my journey.”
Ellie, who studied communications and sports business at UCF, is now forging a new path. Wherever the next detour leads, she has a perfect road map for success – her family.
“My dad and mom have always supported me,” she says. “They told me, ‘You’re not going to give up. You’re going to keep going and you’ll find a team.’ They really believed in me, so then I believed in myself.”