CHICAGO  – The Chicago Red Stars announced today that defender Samantha Johnson has been loaned to Sydney FC of the Australian W-League. She will be spending the 2014-15 NWSL offseason in Australia.

Johnson, 23, appeared in 12 games for the Red Stars this season, earning eleven starts on the year. She suffered a facial injury during the Red Stars match against Western NY Flash on June 18, and was unable to return to play during the Red Stars regular season. In her 956 minutes played, the California-native earned one assist.

Johnson, who had a breakout season after being identified during the Red Stars Open Tryouts, was signed by the Red Stars as a free agent at the start of the 2014 season.

Johnson will return to Chicago before the start of the 2015 NWSL season.