Post by Monika on Jan 13, 2024 0:17:42 GMT -8
1/13/23 --
The Portland Thorns addressed every position as they selected five picks in the 2024 National Women's Soccer League Draft which was held today at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
Portland selected forward Payton Linnehan with the 11th pick of the first round; midfielder Olivia Wade-Katoa and defender Kelsey Kaufusi in the second round; goalkeeper Katherine ("Kat") Asman in the third round; and midfielder Katie Duong in the fourth and final round. The Utah Royals and Bay FC had the first two selections in the draft and chose a pair of North Carolina standouts with those picks; midfielder Ally Sentnor and defender Savy King, respectively.
The draft was held in Anaheim for the first time in league history and was televised on the ION network. The Royals and Washington Spirit had the most selections with six apiece, while defending champion NJ/NY Gotham FC had the least with just one. All 14 teams selected 56 players over four rounds in the essential start date for the 2024 season, though free agency had previously begun. Four of the Spirit's six picks came in the first round.
The Thorns had their four natural picks in addition to pick number 23 of the second round which they acquired as part of the trade which sent Yazmeen Ryan to Angel City FC last year.
Linnehan, picked with the 11th overall selection in the first round, was the first of two Penn State Nittany Lions selected. A native of Millford, Massachusetts, the 5'6" forward started 77 of the 90 games in which she appeared, tallying 34 goals and 24 assists. She had 175 shots and 106 shots on goal to go along with 13 game winners.
A 5'8" midfielder from Kaysville, Utah, Wade-Katoa was selected with the 23rd overall pick. She appeared in 120 games for Brigham Young, starting in 97. She scored 25 goals and had 20 assists with 218 shots and 84 shots on goal with the Cougars. She joins her former college teammate, Sam Coffey, who was drafted by the Thorns in 2021.
Kaufusi, a 5'9" defender, was taken with the 25th overall selection of the draft out of Utah State. She was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Mountain West last year. She hails from Syracuse, Utah and anchored the conference's top defense in 2023.
Asman was the second Penn State player taken by the Thorns. Selected with the 39th overall pick, the 5'10" goalkeeper is from Roswell, Georgia. She appeared in 87 games over her college career, recording a 55-19-10 record with 323 saves and save percentage of .794. She allowed just 84 goals over her five years there.
It's a homecoming for Duong, a 5'4" midfielder selected with the 53rd overall pick out of Stanford. The Portland native appeared in 38 games, making four starts. She scored four goals and added seven assists. She previously Played for the University of Minnesota prior to transferring to Stanford.
(Photos - Top l-r: Payton Linnehan, Olivia Wade-Katoa. Bottom l-r: Kelsey Kaufusi, Katherine Asman, Katie Duong.)
ROUND 1
1. Utah Royals - Ally Sentnor, M, North Carolina
2. Bay FC - Savy King, D, North Carolina
3. Washington Spirit - Croix Bethune, M, Georgia
4. Utah Royals - Brecken Mozingo, F, Brigham Young
5. Washington Spirit - Hal Hershfelt, M, Clemson
6. Racing Louisville FC - Reilyn Turner, F, UCLA
7. Washington Spirit - Kate Wiesner, D, Penn State
8. Bay FC - Maya Doms, M, Stanford
9. Orlando Pride - Ally Lemos, M, UCLA
10. Chicago Red Stars - LeiLannio Nesbeth, M, Florida State
11. Portland Thorns FC - Payton Linnehan, F, Penn State
12. San Diego Wave FC - Kennedy Wesley, D, Stanford
13. Washington Spirit - Makenna Morris, D, Clemson
14. NJ/NY Gotham FC - Maycee Bell, D, North Carolina
ROUND 2
15. Chicago Red Stars - Jameese Joseph, F, NC State
16. Utah Royals - Lauren Flynn, D, Florida State
17. Seattle Reign FC - Sam Meza, M, North Carolina
18. Kansas City Current - Ellie Wheeler, D, Penn State
19. Houston Dash - Avery Patterson, F, North Carolina
20. Utah Royals - Olivia Smith-Griffitts, D, Brigham Young
21. Houston Dash - Kiki Van Zantan, F, Notre Dame
22. Orlando Pride - Cori Dyke, M, Penn State
23. Portland Thorns FC - Olivia Wade-Katoa, F, Brigham Young
24. North Carolina Courage - Natalia Staude, D, Virginia
25. Portland Thorns FC - Kelsey Kaufusi, D, Utah State
26. Utah Royals - Emma Jaskaniec, M, Wisconsin
27. Seattle Reign FC - Maddie Mercado, F, Notre Dame
28. Racing Louisville FC - Emma Sears, F, Ohio State
ROUND 3
29. Utah Royals - Zoe Burns, D, USC
30. Bay FC - Jamie Shepherd, M, BYU
31. Chicago Red Stars - Hannah Anderson, D, Texas Tech
32. Kansas City Current - Halle Mackiewicz, GK, Clemson
33. Utah Royals - Cristina Roque, GK, Florida State
34. Bay FC - Caroline Conti, M, Clemson
35. Washington Spirit - Anna Podojil, F, Arkansas
36. Houston Dash - Amanda West, F, Pittsburgh
37. Angel City FC - Felicia Knox, M, Alabama
38. Houston Dash - Heather Hinz, GK, South Carolina
39. Portland Thorns Fc - Katherine Asman, GK, Penn State
40. North Carolina Courage - Julia Dorsey, D, North Carolina
41. Chicago Red Stars - Bea Franklin, M, Arkansas
42. San Diego Wave FC - Mya Jones, F, Memphis
ROUND 4
43. Seattle Reign FC - Makena Carr, M, St. Mary's
44. Angel City FC - Jessica Garziano, M, St. John's
45. Chicago Red Stars - Celia Gaynor, M, Michigan State
46. Kansas City Current - Hope Hisey, GK, Arizona
47. Houston Dash - Alyssa Bourgeois, D, Santa Clara
48. Racing Louisville FC - Sam Cary, D, Iowa
49. Washington Spirit - Courtney Brown, M, Utah
50. Orlando Pride - Alex Kerr, F, Texas Tech
51. Angel City FC - Madi Curry, D, Princeton
52. North Carolina Courage - Landy Mertz, F, Pittsburgh
53. Portland Thorns FC - Katie Duong, M, Stanford
54. Racing Louisville FC - Madison White, GK, Texas Tech
55. Bay FC - Laveni Vaka, D, Brigham Young
56. Orlando Pride - Talia Gabarra, M, Central Florida
NUMBER OF PICKS BY SCHOOL
6) North Carolina
5) Brigham Young, Penn State
4) Clemson
3) Florida State, Stanford, Texas Tech
2) Arkansas, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, UCLA
1) Alabama, Arizona, Central Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Memphis, Michigan State, NC State, Ohio State, Princeton, Santa Clara, St. Johns, St. Mary's, South Carolina, USC, Utah, Utah State, Virginia, Wisconsin
-MMM
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