Kyra Carusa aims to make history as tiny HB Koge seek first-ever Danish title

This piece is adapted from an interview on the Scoreless Thriller Podcast, available on all Podcast apps and YouTube

Saturday has the potential to be an historic game in the history of Danish women’s football as a small seaside town look to break up the dominance of capital’s two big clubs.

A team from the town of Køge, about 40 minutes on the train from central Copenhagen, could become the first club outside of Brøndby or Fortuna Hjorring to win the title in 20 years.

If they are to be successful, and claim their first ever top-flight title, they will owe a lot to Georgetown graduate and Irish international striker Kyra Carusa.

HB Køge lie two points ahead of Brøndby IF, a powerhouse of the men’s and women’s football in the country, going into the final game.

If they can win or draw against their illustrious opponents, they will claim their first ever top--flight title.

The club has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the leagues in recent years, and is testament to what can be achieved when clubs take their women’s programmes seriously.

Remarkably, since the team was created, they have won promotion in every season in which it’s been possible.

With some people predicting that the club would be relegated this season, proving the doubters wrong and being an underdog has served in the team’s favour.

As Carusa explains, it is “definitely something that gives us our extra gritty bite over other teams.”



The club has proven what can be achieved through investing in women’s football.

Their achievements owe partly to opening up the same resources and facilities to the women’s team as the men’s, and a partnership which has allowed them to attract players from the United States.

“A major pull for this programme, to pull the players that they have, which is sad to say in 2021, this is a revolutionary thought of saying that when we recruit a player and we say facilities that you as a team are equal to that of the men’s it really draws in players.”

Going into the final week of season, Carusa is the league’s top scorer, on 17 goals.

“I’m proud to be representing my club on that kind of scale. It’s one thing for us to be at the top of the league, beating teams that have been successful, that have gone to the Champions League for the last 20 years.

“But on top of that, to have the top scorer of the league, it represents our club really well and I’m proud of that.”



Carusa is capable of creating a goal out of nothing and has been a driving force throughout the campaign.

Her all-action style of play has proven the difference in a crucial, otherwise tight, encounter with KoldingQ on the May 22nd, creating two own goals and netting a third.

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Kyra has now extended her contract in Denmark for a further two seasons, and her excitement about the potential of the project shines through.

As she told the Scoreless Thriller Podcast, their success is: “the perfect manifestation of the values that the club looks to uphold every day through their teams.

“That they are always looking to improve and be better, and that no level of success is unattainable.”

What’s more, the town has embraced the rapid rise of the women’s team: they won ‘citizen of the year’ last year, and tickets for the ‘Guldbraget’ (title decider) sold out within a few hours.

Carusa has made her home here: “I think it’s very ‘hygge’ – it’s comfortable, it’s cozy, it really provides you with so much.”

With the Irish national team, Carusa will be looking to take the lessons taken from life in Køge

“With the Irish national team, it's always a mentality of kind of having a chip on your shoulder. You’re a gritty, hard-working, dig-in kind of team.

“So, for me, coming from a team in Denmark who is really trying to embody those kind of characteristics as well, it's exciting to go and talk to my teammates and see so much of the success that those kind of characteristics have brought us.”

HB Køge will play for the first time in the Champions League next year but first, will play for an historic title on Saturday.