The 2023 NWSL Draft offered sure bets, surprises and several interesting trades Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Angel City FC telegraphed its choice for the No. 1 overall pick last week when it orchestrated a blockbuster four-team trade for the prime spot. But the draft class runs much deeper than presumptive top choice Alyssa Thompson.
Just Women’s Sports tracked every pick from every team, while staff writer Claire Watkins provided live coverage from the draft floor.
1. Angel City FC: Alyssa Thompson, F, Harvard-Westlake Prep
The 18-year-old California native made her debut for the U.S. women’s senior national team in 2022 in front of a near-sellout crowd at London’s Wembley Stadium.
2. Kansas City Current: Michelle Cooper, F, Duke
The Current swapped star forward Lynn Williams for the opportunity to take Cooper with the second overall pick. After a season in which she led the Blue Devils with 19 goals and 11 assists, the 20-year-old won the MAC Hermann Trophy, which recognizes the best player in college soccer.
3. Orlando Pride: Emily Madril, D, Florida State
The 23-year-old starred for Florida State during its 2021 title run, then signed a contract with the NWSL to maintain her draft eligibility while she played for Swedish club BK Häcken FF in 2022.
4. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Jenna Nighswonger, M, Florida State
In her senior season, the 22-year-old started all 22 games for the Seminoles, notching six goals and 16 assists.
5. Portland Thorns FC: Reyna Reyes, D, Alabama
Reyes scored a career-high eight goals in 2022. The 21-year-old also led the Crimson Tide defense to 12 shutouts in 2022 en route to the SEC Defender of the Year award.
6. North Carolina Courage: Olivia Wingate, F, Notre Dame
In her fifth year with the Irish, Wingate more than doubled her career goals total, notching 14 in the 2022 season. She finished her career at Notre Dame with 26 goals and 11 assists.
7. Chicago Red Stars: Penelope Hocking, F, Penn State
Before she scored seven goals and recorded 11 assists for the Nittany Lions in 2022, she starred for four years at USC.
8. North Carolina Courage: Sydney Collins, D, California
The team captain for the Bears in 2022 anchored the team’s backline for four seasons.
9. North Carolina Courage: Clara Robbins, M, Florida State
The redshirt senior played 110 games in college, the second most in women’s college soccer history, and she won the ACC tournament MVP award in 2020 and 2021.
10. Kansas City Current: Alexa Spaanstra, F, Virginia
A versatile winger, Spaanstra made a name for herself as a pass-first player but contributed eight goals and five assists for the Cavaliers in 2022.
11. North Carolina Courage: Haley Hopkins, F, Virginia
Hopkins joined the Cavaliers from Vanderbilt as a graduate transfer in 2021, and she stuck around in 2022. Across two seasons with Virginia, she had 22 goals and 14 assists.
12. Portland Thorns FC: Izzy D’Aquila, F, Santa Clara
D’Aquila finished second in scoring in the NCAA with 19 goals in 2022. She posted 50 career goals in 78 games across three seasons for the Broncos.
13. San Diego Wave: Sierra Enge, M, Stanford 14. Chicago Red Stars: Grace Yochum, M, Oklahoma State 15. Kansas City Current: Gabby Robinson, D, West Virginia 16. Racing Louisville FC: Kayla Fischer, F, Ohio State 17. Racing Louisville FC: Brianna Martinez, D, Notre Dame 18. Kansas City Current: Jordan Silkowitz, G, Iowa State 19. OL Reign: Shae Holmes, D, Washington 20. Houston Dash: Sophie Hirst, M, Harvard 21. Orlando Pride: Messiah Bright, F, TCU 22. Houston Dash: Jyllissa Harris, D, South Carolina 23. Chicago Red Stars: Ally Schlegel, F, Penn State 24. Portland Thorns FC: Lauren DeBeau, F, Michigan State
25. Orlando Pride: Tori Hansen, D, North Carolina 26. Washington Spirit: Nicole Douglas, F, Arizona State 27. Angel City FC: Angelina Anderson, G, California 28. Washington Spirit: Lyza Bosselmann, G, Gonzaga 29. Racing Louisville: Jadyn Edwards, M, New Mexico 30. Washington Spirit: Riley Tanner, F, Alabama 31. Racing Louisville FC: Riley Mattingly Parker, F, Alabama 32. Portland Thorns: Lauren Kozal, G, Michigan State 33. San Diego Wave: Lauren Brzykcy, G, UCLA 34. Washington Spirit: Lena Silano, F, Long Beach State 35. Kansas City Current: Mykiaa Minniss, D, Washington State 36. Houston Dash: Lindsi Jennings, D, LSU
37. Washington Spirit: Civana Kuhlmann, F, Colorado 38. Kansas City Current: Ella Shamburger, D, Vanderbilt 39. Orlando Pride: Summer Yates, M, Washington 40. Washington Spirit: Delaney Graham, D, Duke 41. Orlando Pride: Kristen Scott, F, UCF 42. Kansas City Current: Rylan Childers, M, Kansas 43. Chicago Red Stars: Sophie Jones, M, Duke 44. Houston Dash: Iliana Hocking, M, Arizona 45. San Diego Wave: Giovanna DeMarco, M, Wake Forest 46. OL Reign: Natalie Viggiano, M, Wisconsin 47. Kansas City Current: Ashley Orkus, G, Ole Miss 48. Portland Thorns FC: Madelyn Desiano, D, UCLA