Once A Metro - Sky Blue FC's 2017 NWSL College DraftAccept no substituteshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/21683/metro-fave.jpg2017-01-12T20:00:02-05:00http://www.onceametro.com/rss/stream/140233352017-01-12T20:00:02-05:002017-01-12T20:00:02-05:00Sky Blue FC select McKenzie Meehan with No. 34 pick
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<figcaption>McKenzie Meehan, Sky Blue FC’s final pick of the 2017 NWSL draft, led Boston College’s attack. | photo courtesy Sky Blue FC</figcaption>
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<p>With their final pick of the 2017 NWSL Draft, Sky Blue brings home Boston College’s leading scorer. </p> <p id="ueNuHx">With their final pick of the 2017 NWSL College Draft, Sky Blue FC selected Boston College forward McKenzie Meehan. </p>
<p id="JtHc5K">Meehan, a Glocester, R.I. native, comes to Sky Blue FC after a redshirt senior season at Boston College in which she led the team in goals (12), points (24), shots (88) and shots on goal (45). She is a two-time All-ACC First Teamselection (2015 & 2016), was named to the MAC Hermann preseason watch list before the 2015 season and was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team in 2012. </p>
<p id="VSTAWa">In her four seasons at Boston, Meehan—who sat out the 2014 season with an Achilles injury—played in 88 games over the course of which she scored 58 goals and recorded 8 assists for a total of 124 points. That’s even more impressive considering Boston College is in the ACC, a conference known for some of the strongest defensive teams in the country. </p>
<p id="3HTjNW">Meehan also has experience at the youth national level, playing with the U.S. U-20 women’s national team at the 2013 CONCACAF Championship. During that tournament Meehan netted six goals, earning her the co-Golden Boot Winner honors for most goals scored. </p>
<p id="HGK7uL">Before her Boston College days, Meehan was the Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year in both 2010 and 2011. She helped LaSalle Academy win four straight Rhode Island state championships. Meehan led the nation with 80 goals in her senior season and tallied 28 assists that year, finishing out her high school career with 181 total goals. </p>
<p id="T53ZNc">With those kinds of numbers, Meehan could certainly be the answer to some of Sky Blue’s attacking woes. </p>
https://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/12/14259304/sky-blue-fc-select-mckenzie-meehan-with-no-34-pick-nwsl-draft-boston-college-accAllison Lee2017-01-12T19:42:53-05:002017-01-12T19:42:53-05:00Sky Blue FC Select Catrina Atanda with No. 30 pick
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<figcaption>Catrina Atanda of Clemson was selected by Sky Blue FC in the third round of the 2017 NWSL Draft. </figcaption>
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<p>The New Jersey native will look to add her talents to the SBFC midfield.</p> <p id="4N5ZUD">With the No. 30 overall pick in the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft, Sky Blue FC selected New Jersey native Catrina Atanda of the Clemson Tigers.</p>
<p id="6Bin7h">“First, I would like to thank Sky Blue FC, of course, and the NWSL for selecting me,” Atanda said after being drafted. “I’m super excited to continue playing at the next level in my home state, New Jersey.”</p>
<p id="TtPo16">Atanda led the Clemson women’s soccer team with 12 goals and four assists during the 2016 campaign, and helped the Tigers achieve one of its most successful seasons since the early 2000s. Clemson’s 12th overall ranking in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll was the highest final national ranking for the program in 15 years. The Tigers also advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2006, and earned the program’s second Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Regular Season Championship in school history.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" align="center">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">From <a href="https://twitter.com/clemsonwsoccer">@clemsonwsoccer</a> ↪ Sky Blue FC. <a href="https://t.co/qzV6EaaVXc">pic.twitter.com/qzV6EaaVXc</a></p>— Sky Blue FC (@SkyBlueFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyBlueFC/status/819691158523682816">January 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="vow9Kj">The Belle Mead, N.J. native earned her first career All-American accolade her senior season when she was named to the NSCAA All-America Third Team. Atanda also earned ALL-ACC First Team honors and was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Women’s Division I Best XI Team as a member of the association’s third team. </p>
<p id="ywRPIG">The Tiger midfielder finished her collegiate career scoring 30 goals (eighth all-time in Clemson’s record books) in 80 games played.</p>
<p id="PDwyeR">Prior to attending Clemson, Atanda was a member of the U-17 U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) pool in 2012 and was selected to attend the U-17 USWNT Camp in 2011. She earned four varsity letters from Montgomery High School and won the NJ Group 4 County and Sectional Championship in 2011. She also won four NJ Sate Championships with her club team, the Player Development Academy (PDA). </p>
https://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/12/14259176/sky-blue-fc-select-catrina-atanda-with-no-30-draft-pick-nwsl-clemson-tigers-ncaaDanielle D'Avanzo2017-01-12T19:17:24-05:002017-01-12T19:17:24-05:00Sky Blue select Madison Tiernan with No. 24 draft pick
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<figcaption>Madison Tiernan was selected by Sky Blue FC in the third round of the 2017 NWSL Draft. | photo courtesy Sky Blue FC</figcaption>
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<p>The Rutgers forward was the fourth player selected by the club</p> <p id="xVpM24">Sky Blue drafted forward Madison Tiernan as their fourth pick in the third round at the 2017 NWSL Draft held at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles, CA.</p>
<p id="qSsgCb">Tiernan, a Rutgers forward, will help Sky Blue’s offense in the upcoming season. Having played 88 games for the Scarlet Knights, in which she scored 25 goals and recorded 16 assists, Tiernan might be exactly the player Sky Blue needs. For the 2016 season, Tiernan was named South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association (SJSCA) College Player of the Year, as well as coming in second for Rutger’s all-time shots with 275. </p>
<p id="Qu3gJ8">Growing up in Voorhees, NJ, Tiernan accumulated an impressive amount of awards and honors including being ranked as the number one Girl’s Soccer Player in New Jersey and Region 1, making the All-Olympic Conference First Team from 2009-2012, and being named the NSCAA NJ Girl’s Soccer Player of the Year.</p>
<p id="vVIj6J">The Rutgers player will join former teammate Erika Skroski at Yurcak, having last competed together in the 2015 season where the Scarlet Knights played in their first ever NCAA College Cup. It’s safe to say that Tiernan will bring the home field advantage to head coach Holly’s promising second season. </p>
https://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/12/14258548/sky-blue-select-madison-tiernan-with-no-24-draft-pick-nwsl-rutgers-university-erica-skroskiSilla Berg2017-01-12T19:16:45-05:002017-01-12T19:16:45-05:00Sky Blue FC select Kailen Sheridan with No. 23 draft pick
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<figcaption>Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was taken by Sky Blue FC in the third round of the 2017 NWSL draft. | photo courtesy of Sky Blue FC</figcaption>
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<p>The Clemson and Canadian WNT goalkeeper comes to Sky Blue FC in the third round. </p> <p id="aWbJUg">In the third round of the 2017 NWSL draft, Sky Blue FC selected goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan from Clemson University with the No. 23 overall pick. Sheridan brings a wealth of experience both internationally and collegiately and will help fill a need at goalkeeper for Sky Blue.</p>
<p id="RxRWJU">In 76 games played for the Clemson Tigers, Sheridan posted 229 saves, 63 goals allowed, 28 shutouts, and 2 career assists. Sheridan posted .828 goal allowed/game over the course of her NCAA career. She has a long list of awards and accolades including being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watchlist in 2016, being named an NSCAA All-American in 2015 and being named to the All-ACC team all four years of her career. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Another Draft Day selfie! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NWSLDraft?src=hash">#NWSLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/0AJjQMRwhR">pic.twitter.com/0AJjQMRwhR</a></p>— Sky Blue FC (@SkyBlueFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyBlueFC/status/819679676356403200">January 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="4FDPLz">On the international level, Sheridan has been part of the Canadian national team system both on the youth and senior levels. She first entered the youth national team pool at the age of 15, and was part of the U-17, U-20, and U-23 teams. Her first cap with the senior national team came in the Algarve Cup in 2016. Sheridan earned the shutout in the team’s semifinal game against Iceland, which led to their win in the final to become Algarve Cup champions.</p>
<p id="6iwgN9">Sheridan was named an alternate for Canada in the 2016 Olympic Games. While she did not make the official 18 player roster, she traveled and trained with the team throughout their bronze medal run in Rio.</p>
<p id="fY8TiU">Sheridan was on hand at the draft to thank her family, coaches, Sky Blue FC, and the NWSL for the opportunity and expressed her excitement for the season to get started. </p>
https://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/12/14258982/sky-blue-fc-select-kailen-sheridan-with-no-23-draft-pick-nwsl-clemson-tigers-canada-wntMariah King2017-01-12T16:51:02-05:002017-01-12T16:51:02-05:00Sky Blue FC select Mandy Freeman with No. 10 draft pick
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<figcaption>Mandy Freeman (left) and Kayla Mills (right) talk to reporters following being drafted by Sky Blue FC. | Dan Lauletta</figcaption>
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<p>The USC defender was the second player selected by the New Jersey club </p> <p id="vXl0i3">Sky Blue FC drafted defender Miranda “Mandy” Freeman as their second pick in the first round at the 2017 NWSL Draft held at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles, CA.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">With the no. 10 overall pick in the 2017 NWSL Draft, Sky Blue FC has selected Southern California defender Miranda Freeman. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NWSLDraft?src=hash">#NWSLDraft</a></p>— Sky Blue FC (@SkyBlueFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyBlueFC/status/819649800333205506">January 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="eLdUCY">Freeman, a University of Southern California center back, will help strengthen Sky Blue’s defense in the upcoming 2017 season. Freeman is strong pick given she helped USC earn 17 shutouts and win the NCAA Championship in 2016. For her performance with USC, she was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.</p>
<p id="eLRjiG">The Trojan played 89 games for USC and scored two goals, both during her junior season in 2015. Her goals both came when she played as a holding midfielder during the 2015 season. Since then she has enhanced her skills as a center back.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congrats <a href="https://twitter.com/x_Mandii">@x_Mandii</a>! 10th overall pick in the <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSL">@NWSL</a> Draft! Joins teammate Kayla Mills in New Jersey with <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyBlueFC">@SkyBlueFC</a>! 3 Trojans in 1st Rd! <a href="https://t.co/RF3wZ8fKDR">pic.twitter.com/RF3wZ8fKDR</a></p>— USC Women's Soccer (@USC_WSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/USC_WSoccer/status/819650431680790530">January 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="aZh0VN">Freeman was recently called up to the USWNT U-23s which does not come as a surprise as she has been involved with the youth national teams since joining the U-14. Freeman will join fellow Trojan Kayla Mills at Yurcak this season as Mills was Sky Blue’s first pick and number four overall. With the Sky Blue’s first two pick being defender leaves speculation around Christie Rampone and her future with the team. </p>
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https://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/12/14257414/sky-blue-fc-select-miranda-mandy-freeman-with-no-10-draft-pick-nwsl-college-usc-trojansSilla Berg2017-01-12T16:30:28-05:002017-01-12T16:30:28-05:00Sky Blue FC select Kayla Mills with No. 4 overall pick
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<figcaption>Kayla Mills was Sky Blue FC’s first pick of the 2017 NWSL College Draft | Dan Lauletta</figcaption>
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<p>The midfielder/defender comes to Sky Blue FC from USC</p> <p id="vXA9y8">With the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft, Sky Blue FC selected defender/midfielder Kayla Mills from the University of Southern California. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome to New Jersey, <a href="https://twitter.com/KayMilly15">@KayMilly15</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NWSLDraft?src=hash">#NWSLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/wJ1U59tQzd">pic.twitter.com/wJ1U59tQzd</a></p>— Sky Blue FC (@SkyBlueFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyBlueFC/status/819648510102380544">January 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="HLWSQU">Mills is a versatile player who can fill multiple roles when called upon. Listed as a defender/midfielder, she could prove an asset for Sky Blue FC at outside back, a position that has been lacking depth since Caitlin Foord left the team prior to the 2016 season, and defensive midfielder. She played defensive midfielder for the 2016 USC team that won the NCAA Championship. In 89 games played at USC, she posted 2 career goals, 8 career assists, and 12 career points. </p>
<p id="3UlcqO">Mills’ versatility and experience at USC, in ODP and within the youth national team system makes her a valuable asset for Sky Blue FC. </p>
<p id="fJXGwI">In 2015 she was named NSCAA All American and PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Mills capped off her senior season by being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watchlist. TopDrawerSoccer also named her the top defensive player in a deep youth national team pool in 2016. Mills has been in the youth national team pool since U-17s and was just recently called into the January training camp with the U.S. U-23 WNT.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trojans go back-to-back! <a href="https://twitter.com/KayMilly15">@KayMilly15</a> taken 4th overall by <a href="https://twitter.com/SkyBlueFC">@SkyBlueFC</a>! Congrats, Kayla! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FightOn?src=hash">#FightOn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCtotheNWSL?src=hash">#USCtotheNWSL</a> <a href="https://t.co/LN6Rk1evOt">pic.twitter.com/LN6Rk1evOt</a></p>— USC Women's Soccer (@USC_WSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/USC_WSoccer/status/819645636601475072">January 12, 2017</a>
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<p id="zZqIMZ">Mills is an alum of Slammers FC on the club level, which features notable alumni such as Christen Press, Shannon Boxx, and Whitney Engen. She also won the ODP national championship in 2012.</p>
https://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/12/14256872/sky-blue-fc-select-kayla-mills-with-no-4-overall-pick-nwsl-college-draft-usc-trojansMariah King2017-01-07T17:55:26-05:002017-01-07T17:55:26-05:00NWSL live stream returns for the 2017 College Draft
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<figcaption>photo courtesy of NWSL</figcaption>
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<p>Draft Show to be hosted by Mark Rogondino with analysts Aly Wagner and Jen Cooper, and reporter Ashleigh Ignelzi</p> <p id="lhZ3zt">The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) will live stream the 2017 NWSL College Draft via Facebook and YouTube on Thursday, Jan. 12 at the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) Convention in Los Angeles.</p>
<p id="cVNgKd">This marks the second consecutive year the NWSL draft will be live streamed. Selections begin at 3 p.m. EST, and fans can watch live by visiting <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NWSL">Facebook.com/NWSL</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/NWSL">YouTube.com/NWSL</a>.</p>
<p id="9cNil4">The broadcast crew will consist of host Mark Rogondino, analysts Aly Wagner and Jen Cooper and reporter Ashleigh Ignelzi. They will also be joined throughout the live stream by draft picks, NWSL head coaches, NWSL general managers and several special guests. </p>
<p id="RwbwsH">Rogondino is a well-known sports broadcaster with over 15 years of experience in various sports leagues such as the NBA, NHL and MLS. He was previously a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy broadcast team and called both the 2011 and 2012 Galaxy Championship seasons as the lead play-by-play announcer. Rogondino also has experience covering the NWSL, the U.S. Men and Women’s National Teams and numerous international and college games for FOX Sports 1 & 2, Pac-12 Network, CBS Sports and other various networks.</p>
<aside id="0wCUxV"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"NWSL announces list of 2017 College Draft early registrants","url":"http://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/4/14167228/nwsl-announces-2017-college-draft-early-registrants-list-jane-campbell-morgan-andrews-rose-lavelle"}]}'></div></aside><p id="YHpMU8">Former USWNT player and two-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Wagner is currently a soccer analyst with FOX Sports. While playing for the USWNT, Wagner won gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and was a member of the 2003 and 2007 World Cup squads. Her international career included 131 caps, 21 goals and 42 assists. During her collegiate career at Santa Clara University, she helped the Broncos win the 2001 Division I NCAA National Championship and was named the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy winner the following season. Wagner was the first overall pick for the 2003 Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) Draft, and she played several years professionally in both the WUSA and the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league. </p>
<p id="QVTdou">Cooper joins the NWSL Draft broadcast team for the second year in a row. She is the host of the Mixxed Zone, a weekly women’s soccer podcast hosted by Whatahowler.com and has been the color commentator for the Houston Dash broadcasts since the club joined the league in 2014. Cooper is also the founder and publisher of Keeper Notes, a Houston-based soccer newsletter and website. </p>
<p id="8eOtdh">Ignelzi has experience covering national and international soccer for FOX Sports, Sky Sports and FOX Sports Ohio. She served as a sideline reporter for the Guinness International Champions Cup, the USWNT and is currently the sideline reporter for the Columbus Crew of MLS. Ignelzi also has experience reporting for other sports such as college football, basketball and golf, and has won two Emmy’s during her career. </p>
<p id="35Ntat">The 2017 NWSL College Draft will be held at the JW Marriott and will be open to the public and media.</p>
https://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/7/14201480/nwsl-sky-blue-fc-live-stream-returns-for-2017-college-draft-aly-wagner-jen-cooper-ashleigh-ignelziDanielle D'Avanzo2017-01-04T17:35:25-05:002017-01-04T17:35:25-05:00NWSL announces early registrants for 2017 Draft
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<figcaption>Last year’s draft saw Sky Blue FC take Raquel Rodriguez, Caroline Casey, Erica Skroski and Leah Galton | photo courtesy of Sky Blue FC</figcaption>
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<p><strong>The NWSL released a preliminary list of over 140 collegiate players who have declared for the 2017 College Draft.</strong></p> <p id="Kw0HTc">With just over one week before the 2017 NWSL Draft, the <a href="http://nwslsoccer.com/nwsl-reveals-preliminary-list-of-eligible-players-for-2017-draft">NWSL has released a list of over 140 collegiate players</a> who have already completed registration for this year’s draft.</p>
<p id="esbcwX">The 2017 NWSL College Draft will be held at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 12.</p>
<p id="eXabqj">Sky Blue FC currently has six draft picks in this year’s draft, include the no. 4 and no. 10 overall picks. Last year Sky Blue traded Nadia Nadim to Portland for the second overall pick, which they used to select <a href="http://www.onceametro.com/2016/5/24/11760346/raquel-rodriguezs-journey-to-the-nwsl-anything-but-typical-sky-blue-fc-sbfc">Raquel Rodriguez</a>, who would go on to be named the <a href="http://www.onceametro.com/2016/10/3/13146846/sky-blue-raquel-rodriguez-nwsl-rookie-of-the-year-sky-blue-fc-emily-sonnett-rachel-daly-costa-rica">NWSL Rookie of the Year</a>. Goalkeeper <a href="http://www.onceametro.com/2016/6/9/11894090/caroline-casey-proves-it-is-never-too-late-to-dream">Caroline Casey</a>, midfielder <a href="http://www.onceametro.com/2016/7/5/12099096/nwsl-sky-blue-fc-living-her-american-dreams-leah-galton-excels-with-sbfc">Leah Galton</a> and defender <a href="http://www.onceametro.com/2016/5/9/11635416/erica-skroski-continues-to-shine-on-yurcak-field-Sky-Blue-Kelley-OHara-Christie-Rampone-NWSL">Erica Skroski</a> were also taken in last year’s draft and proved an essential part of the 2016 starting lineup.</p>
<p id="F4gfw4">This year’s list currently includes Rose Lavelle (Wisconsin), Jane Campbell (Stanford), Ashley Hatch (BYU), and Christina Gibbons (Duke). Lavelle, Campbell and Gibbons were named to the January USWNT camp list also released today, and Hatch was capped with the national team back in October 2016.</p>
<p id="9lddo9">Lavelle, or "Sweet Baby Rose" as she is often referred by players and fans alike, is predicted to be the first overall draft pick. Lavelle has been a staple in the U.S. youth national system, and helped lead Wisconsin to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Not only is Lavelle an exemplary talent on the soccer field, she is also well-versed in the art of social media, endearing her to many fans of the USWNT.</p>
<p id="7xHg8Z">Two other noteworthy names on the list are Morgan Andrews and Savannah Jordan. Andrews recently won the 2016 NCAA College Cup, scoring one of the three goals to help win USC’s second national title. She is also a Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann trophy finalist, meaning she is one of the three best collegiate players in the nation. The MAC Hermann trophy has previously been won by Sky Blue FC players Kelley O’Hara (Stanford, 2009) and Raquel Rodriguez (Penn State, 2016).</p>
<p id="sUIlTz">Jordan was invited to USWNT camp during the fall but turned the invitation down, presumably to focus on post-season play with Florida. Jordan played in 94 games for Florida, scoring 81 career goals. That puts her second in both Florida and Southeastern Conference (SEC) history for most goals scored, behind only USWNT legend Abby Wambach.</p>
<p id="4KMcpB">The deadline for registration is not until Wednesday, January 11, so any other players left off the list still have time to declare for the draft. The 2017 NWSL College Draft is Thursday, January 12 at 3 p.m. EST and will streamed live on the NWSL Soccer YouTube channel.</p>
https://www.onceametro.com/2017/1/4/14167228/nwsl-announces-2017-college-draft-early-registrants-list-jane-campbell-morgan-andrews-rose-lavelleAllison Lee