LTA’s Italian National Team Goalkeeper, Anna Maria Picarelli, has just completed a highly successful three-weeks loan spell with Kristianstads DFF (KDFF) in Sweden’s Top League.

American born Picarelli who will now return to California powerhouse Ajax America in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) was contracted to step in when KDFF was left with no experienced keepers for almost a month due to injuries. The unorthodox keeper proved an instant hit by saving a penalty from Sweden’s best player and a perennial WPS target Therese Sjögran albeit KDFF narrowly lost to the League leading LdB FC from Malmo. Picarelli went on to feature in two more games with KDFF (who also boast LTA’s New Zealand international Kirsty Yallop in their ranks), both of which were wins, and she left the Sweden’s south coast outfit in the highest ever third place in the Damallsvenskan table behind LdB FC and Göteborg FC.

“Sweden was a fantastic experience,” Picarelli said. “The soccer there is treated as it should be, very professional and very competitive.  KDFF is a great club that suited me as a player because it is not the team everyone expects to be at the top but is making its mark in the Swedish League, and I am grateful to have been a part of that.”

Picarelli, who has been capped 18 times by Italy will next feature for Le Azzurre on June 19th and June 23rd in crucial FIFA Germany 2011 Women’s World Cup qualifiers at home to Slovenia and away to Finland.