Post by Monika on Jan 11, 2023 19:45:47 GMT -8
1/12/23 --
The NWSL Draft was held today at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia featuring the league's 12 teams collectively began selecting 48 players from the college pool. Two of the last three number one picks have been products of Stanford University; Sophia Smith was taken first overall in the 2020 Draft and Naomi Was taken first overall by the expansion San Diego Wave FC. Smith's selection has paid off for the Thorns, the United States National Team and for Smith herself. Just in 2022, the Colorado native won honors as the NWSL Player of the Year, Championship Game MVP and U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.
Portland, the defending 2022 NWSL champions, had the final pick of each round. The Thorns also acquired the fifth pick of the first round via a trade.
Angel City FC took Alyssa Thompson with the first overall pick. Thompson is a forward out of Harvard-Westlake Prep in Los Angeles, who is already a member of the United States Women's team. She's a homegrown product which Angel City anticipates will make an immediate impact.
The Thorns selected Reyna Reyes, a midfielder and defender out of the University of Alabama, with the fifth pick of the first round. Reyes, 5'7", started all 79 games she appeared in over her career with the Crimson Tide. She scored 16 and tallied five assists over her four-year career and logged a total of 6,821 minutes. Half of those goals came during her senior hear in which she played 2,345 minutes. She was named SEC Defender of the Year following the 2022 season. Reyes hails from Garland, Texas.
Portland's next selection came seven picks later when they nabbed Isabella "Izzy" D'Aquila, a midfielder from Santa Clara University. D'Aquila, 5'7", played in 78 games over her four-year college career; starting in 73 of them. She scored 50 goals and registered 16 assists over that career with 19 of those goals coming during her senior season Her career included 17 game winning goals. Additionally, she was a perfect five-of-five on penalty kicks with six game winners her senior year. D'Aquila is from Mission Viejo, California.
Thorns first round draftees Reyna Reyes (left) and Isabella D'Aquila.
With the 24th overall pick, the Thorns selected forward Lauren DeBeau of Michigan State. LeBeau, 5'4", started 40 games for the Spartans in two years. She accumulated 13 goals and six assists during that span while playing 2,691 minutes. Her college statistics include seven game winners. In particular, she scored a career-high three goals against the University of Illinois on September 18, 2022. She is from Shelby Township, Michigan.
UPDATE: The Thorns have acquired the eighth pick of the third round (32nd overall) via a trade with the Houston Dash in exchange for the Thorns' 36th overall pick and $20,000 in allocation money.
Following the above-referenced trade, with the 32nd overall pick, the Thorns selected goalkeeper Lauren Kozal of Michigan State. Kozal played 70 games for the Spartans; allowing just 79 goals (a 1.1 per game average). She tallied 277 saves in exactly 2,000 minutes played. She had a 77.8 percent save percentage and compiled a 33-27-8 record under her watch. Her best season came in 2022 when she posted a 17-3-3 record while allowing just 0.68 saves per game. Kozal, 5'10", hails from Ada, Michigan.
Thorns Second round pick Lauren DeBeau (left) and third round pick Lauren Kozal.
UPDATE: The Thorns traded the 48th overall pick to the Houston Dash in exchange for a 2023 natural pick and $10,000 in allocation money.
The following are the entire NWSL Draft results.
ROUND 1
1. Angel City FC - Alyssa Thompson, F, Harvard-Westlake School (CA)
2. Kansas City Current - Michelle Cooper, F, Duke
3. Orlando Pride - Emily Madril, D, Florida State
4. NJ/NJ Gotham FC - Jenna Nighswonger, F/M, Florida State
5. Portland Thorns FC - Reyna Reyes, M/D, Alabama
6. North Carolina Courage - Olivia Wingate, F, Notre Dame
7. Chicago Red Stars - Penelope Hocking, F, Penn State
8. Houston Dash - Sydney Collins, M, California
9. North Carolina Courage - Clara Robbins, M, Florida State
10. Kansas City Current - Alexa Spaanstra, F, Virginia
11. North Carolina Courage - Haley Hopkins, F, Virginia
12. Portland Thorns FC - Isabella D'Aquila, M, Santa Clara
ROUND 2
13. NJ/NY Gotham FC - Sierra Enge, M, Stanford
14. Chicago Red Stars - Grace Yochum, M, Oklahoma State
15. Kansas City Current - Gabrielle Robinson, D/M, West Virginia
16. Racing Louisville FC - Kayla Fisher, F, Ohio State
17. Racing Louisville FC - Brianna Martinez, D, Notre Dame
18. Kansas City Current - Jordan Silkowitz, GK, Iowa State
19. Chicago Red Stars - Shae Holmes, D, Washington
20. Houston Dash - Sophie Hirst, M/F, Harvard
21. Orlando Pride - Messiah Bright, F, Texas Christian
22. Houston Dash - Jylissa Harris, D, South Carolina
23. OL Reign - Allison Schlegel, F, Penn State
24. Portland Thorns FC - Lauren DeBeau, F, Michigan State
ROUND 3
25. Orlando Pride - Tori Hansen, D, North Carolina
26. Washington Spirit - Nicole Douglas, F, Arizona State
27. Angel City FC - Angelina Anderson, GK, California
28. Racing Louisville FC - Lyza Bosselmann, GK, Gonzaga
29. Orlando Pride - Jadyn Edwards, F, New Mexico
30. Houston Dash - Riley Tanner, F, Alabama
31. Racing Louisville FC - Riley Parker, F, Alabama
32. Portland Thorns FC - Lauren Kozal, GK, Michigan State
33. San Diego Wave FC - Lauren Brykcy, GK, UCLA
34. Washington Spirit - Lena Silano, F, Long Beach State
35. Kansas City Current - Mykiaa Miniss, D, Washington State
36. Houston Dash - Lindsi Jennings, D, LSU
ROUND 4
37. Washington Spirit - Civana Kuhlmann, F, Colorado
38. Kansas City Current - Ella Shamburder, D, Vanderbilt
39. Orlando Pride - Summer Yates, F, Washington
40. Racing Louisville FC - Delaney Graham, M, Duke
41. Orlando Pride - Kristen Scott, F, Central Florida
42. Kansas City Current - Rylan Childers, M, Kansas
43. Chicago Red Stars - Sophie Jones, M, Duke
44. NJ/NY Gotham FC - Iliana Hocking, M, Arizona
45. San Diego Wave FC - Giovanna DeMarco, M, Wake Forest
46. OL Reign - Natalie Viggiano, M, Wisconsin-Madison
47. Kansas City Current - Ashley Orkus, GK, Mississippi
48. Houston Dash - Madelyn Desiano, D, Michigan
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Graphic courtesy of David.