Thorns hit big in 2020 NWSL Draft

[Yeseeka]

(l-r) Sophia Smith, Morgan Weaver and Meaghan Nally.


January 16, 2020 --

The 2020 National Women's Soccer League Draft was held today, with 36 college players being selected by the nine teams around the league. The draft began at 8 a.m. from Baltimore. Portland Thorns FC moved up twice via a series of trades, gaining them the first two selections in the draft, They also held the seventh pick in the third round (25th overall).

The Thorns made their splash right off the bat with the first overall selection of Stanford forward Sophia Smith. They followed that up with another player from the Pac-12 when they selected forward Morgan Weaver from Washington St. Portland did not have another selection until the third round. They used that selection to pick defender Meaghan Nally of Georgetown.

Smith, 5'6", leaves Stanford after her sophomore season. She is a native of Windsor, Colorado who helped lead the Cardinal to the 2019 Pac-12 season. She scored 17 goals with 106 shots, 55 shots on goal, and nine assists last season. Over her two seasons at Stanford, she tallied 24 goals, 164 shots, 81 shots on goal and 11 assists.

Weaver, 5'10", started in each of the 85 games in which she appeared over her four-year career for the Cougars. She finished with 15 goals, 126 shots, 58 shots on goal and five assists -- all career highs -- in her 2019 senior season. She finished her career in Pullman with 43 goals, 363 shots, 156 shots on goal and 12 assists. She hails from University Place, Washington.

Nally is a 5'7" native of Herndon, Virginia. In a four-year career for the Hoyas, she started 66 of 88 games in which she appeared, only missing two starts from her sophomore through senior seasons. As a defender, she concluded her career with eight goals, 72 shots, 15 shots on goal and six assists.

Below is the complete results of the four rounds of the NWSL Draft.

ROUND 1
1. Portland Thorns FC – Sophia Smith, Stanford University
2. Portland Thorns FC – Morgan Weaver, Washington State University
3. Orlando Pride – Taylor Kornieck, University of Colorado, Boulder
4. Washington Spirit – Ashley Sanchez, UCLA
5. Sky Blue FC – Evelyne Viens, University of South Florida
6. North Carolina Courage – Alleandra Watt, Texas A&M University
7. Orlando Pride – Courtney Peterson, University of Virginia
8. Utah Royals FC – Tziarra King, North Carolina State University
9. Reign FC – Kelcie Hedge, Santa Clara University

ROUND 2
10. Orlando Pride – Konya Plummer, University of Central Florida
11. Sky Blue FC – Kaleigh Riehl, Pennsylvania State University
12. Utah Royals FC – Kate Del Fava, Illinois State University
13, Washington Spirit – Natalie Jacobs, University of Southern California
14. Orlando Pride – Phoebe McClernon, University of Virginia
15. Chicago Red Stars – Julia Bingham, University of Southern California
16. Chicago Red Stars – Camryn Biegalski, University of Wisconsin, Madison
17. Washington Spirit – Averie Collins, Washington State University
18. Houston Dash – Bridgette Andrzejewski, University of North Carolina

ROUND 3
19. Chicago Red Stars – Zoe Morse, University of Virginia
20. Sky Blue FC – Amanda McGlynn, Virginia Tech
21. Orlando Pride – Cheyenne Shorts, University of Denver
22. Houston Dash – Chloe Castaneda, University of California, Los Angeles
23. Washington Spirit – Katie McClure, University of Kansas
24. Chicago Red Stars – Ella Stevens, Duke University
25. Portland Thorns FC – Meaghan Nally, Georgetown University
26. Orlando Pride – Abi Kim, University of California, Berkeley
27. North Carolina Courage – Sinclaire Miramontez, University of Nebraska

ROUND 4
28. North Carolina Courage – Addisyn Merrick, University of Kansas
29. Sky Blue FC – Chantelle Swaby, Rutgers University
30. Orlando Pride – Chelsee Washington, Bowling Green State University
31. Utah Royals FC – Cyera Hintzen, University of Texas, Austin
32. Washington Spirit – Kaiya McCullough, UCLA
33. Reign FC – Samantha Hiatt, Stanford University
34. Reign FC – Meg Brandt, University of Nebraska
35. Chicago Red Stars – Aerial Chavarin, Yale University
36. North Carolina Courage – Brianne Folds, Auburn University


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[DiamondThief]

Three really great picks by the Thorns. All three could step in and contribute right away.

[Monika]

I like these selections. A couple of Pac-12 forwards who can attack and a tough defender. It's going to be great seeing them play for the Thorns this year.