Tori Hansen, Orlando Pride

Tori Hansen, Orlando Pride

Tori Hansen joins the Pride from the 2022 NCAA finalist University of North Carolina. She didn’t just go to school in Raleigh; she grew up there, too. Because of her proximity to the Courage, Hansen had her eyes fixed on the NWSL, and at the draft, that dream became a reality. “Growing up with the Courage so close to me, I’ve been to so many of their games and their head coach [Sean Nahas] used to be my club coach,” Hansen said after being drafted. “I’ve been familiar with the NWSL for a long time. It’s a dream come true that I’m finally in the league.” As for becoming teammates with Marta, Hansen could barely contain her excitement. “Oh my gosh. I’m so excited,” Hansen said. “I’ve looked up to her for so long. The first day, I’m probably going to be watching her the whole time.” Nicole Douglas, Washington Spirit Nicole Douglas is a trail-blazing and history-making player for Arizona State . In December, she became the Sun Devils’ first two-time All-American. She broke the more than 20-year-old school scoring record last September when she scored her 51st career goal against UAB. Douglas ended her collegiate career with 60 total goals scored. And on Jan. 12, she became the first Sun Devil ever drafted to the NWSL. Her path to the American league started in London, England, in the back garden playing with her twin brother . She continued playing with her brother on the boys team, before playing for the Chelsea women’s team for 11 years, and England’s U15-U19 teams. Angelina Anderson, Angel City FC Angelina Anderson is a Bay Area kid who is staying in California to kick off her pro career. As a 3-time team captain at UC Berkeley, Anderson has established herself as a leader and an anchor in net. Anderson’s career as a goalkeeper started, more or less, by accident. She said on the Just For Keeps podcast that a team needed a goalie for a tournament, and she rolled with it — despite a rocky start. “I hopped in goal. They must have seen something in me that they liked. It kind of found me ... I’ll never forget. The first goal I got scored on, it would have been the only game we won when we were down there ... I got nutmegged and we lost the game,” she said. “That’s how my goalkeeping career started. Ever since then, it’s been an upwards trajectory I’d like to think.” In addition to being a stronghold on the backline, Anderson’s former teammates and coaches commend her for her leadership style. In an article on the Cal Bears website , they praise her willingness to lead with vulnerability, respect, and accountability. "She is gracious and kind and showcases great humility in dealing with others,” Cal head coach Neil McGuire said. “Angie is a wonderful connector and one who makes those around her feel comfortable." Lyza Bosselmann, Washington Spirit Hailing from Flagstaff, Arizona, Lyza Bosselmann is going from the desert to the District, where she’ll be training alongside two veteran keepers in Aubrey Kingsbury and Nicole Barnhart who between them own three NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year honors and three NWSL championship titles. But the rookie netminder should be able to hold her own. At Gonzaga, she recorded 10 shutouts last season, allowing just 13 goals, for an impressive 81% save percentage (79 percent in her collegiate career). That performance earned her West Coast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year honors. Just the second-ever draft pick out of Gonzaga, Bosselmann will enjoy the company of former teammate and first-ever draft pick Jordan Thompson in preseason camp with the Spirit. Jadyn Edwards, Racing Louisville FC Jadyn Edwards made history in January as the first-ever NWSL draftee out of the University of New Mexico.. The New Mexico presence is strong in this year’s draft class for Louisville — Albuquerque native Brianna Martinez was selected by Racing in the second round. Edwards was surrounded by family and friends when her name was called, and luckily, the cameras were rolling for the sweet celebratory moment. [Empty Body] Riley Tanner, Washington Spirit Back-to-back ‘Bama picks? Yes, Back-to-back ‘Bama picks. Riley Tanner is the first of two consecutive picks to come out of Tuscaloosa (see below for the second pick). Tanner played three seasons at South Carolina before transferring to Alabama for her final two collegiate seasons, and it took no time at all for her to become a difference-maker. In 2021, she led the team with three game-winning goals.History was made when Alabama clinched their first-ever SEC regular season title, and Tanner notched a goal in the 2-0 win over Florida. And in 2022, she was part of the first-ever Crimson Tide squad to reach the NCAA College Cup. Riley Mattingly Parker, Racing Louisville FC If you’re looking for a feel-good story of the 2023 draft, look no further than Riley Mattingly Parker. In fall 2021, Parker’s season ended when she tore her ACL. “Facing all of the questions of can I come back the same player I was before? Will I ever be able to play again? I cried, and then I had to get myself together and say okay, I’m going to have a different role this year,” she said. The very next season, Parker not only got back on the field, she returned with a vengeance. She shattered school records with 17 goals, 41 points, and seven game-winners in the 2022 season. "I truly believe she's come back a better player than when she got hurt. I think she's physically stronger, she looks quicker, she looks more agile, she looks more powerful," Alabama coach Wes Hart told Bama Central. You can watch Parker’s incredible journey to recovery in the video below. [Empty Body] Racing Louisville FC made a pair of moves this week, acquiring star Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu via transfer and loaning out rookie forward Riley Parker to Mexican club Tigres through June of this year. Lauren Kozal, Portland Thorns As the old saying goes: double the Laurens in Portland, double the fun. Or something like that. Goalkeeper Lauren Kozal will join her college teammate Lauren DeBeau as a Thorn in Rose City. [Empty Body] As part of Michigan’s first undefeated Big 10 Championship season in 2022, Kozal kept it steady in the net and helped set a school record with 17 wins in one season. She allowed just 15 goals against in her final season and became the first Spartan to be named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. She was also named an All-American for the season, her second career All-America honor. Lauren Brzykcy, San Diego Wave FC Lauren Bryzkcy is taking her NCAA champion talents from LA to San Diego. Said talents do not just mean her goalkeeping skills, though. Bryzkcy is a TikTok maverick . Bryzkcy (and best friend and UCLA teammate Kaila Novak) amassed an impressive following on TikTok with funny moments, great editing, smooth dance moves, and hilarious moments caught on camera. She has more than 100,000 followers, and she keeps the content coming. Like the time she took a soccer ball right to the face . Hey, a save’s a save. Or a beautiful scenic shot ruined by an ill-timed weather alert, a video that has more than 6.2 million likes. Or supporting and celebrating her bff for major milestones. She will be a must-follow for Wave fans. Lena Silano, Washington Spirit Lena Silano has a knack for making scoring goals look easy. Last September, Silano netted a “you have to see it to believe it” kind of goal for Long Beach State. Teammate Elysia Laramie set her up with a cross, and Silano executed a picture-perfect bicycle kick to rocket the ball past the keeper to tie the game with barely two minutes left to play. [Empty Body] As Silano’s teammates surround her, she is in disbelief at what she did. The video went viral on social media and was even featured on SportsCenter. In the same season, Silano earned her first career hat trick, just the ninth hat trick in program history. Mykiaa Minniss, Kansas City Current Mykiaa Minniss joins Kansas City as one of the most decorated players in Washington State history. She ended her collegiate career having set a new program record for starts by a field player (92). Minniss played a total of 8,300 minutes in her five seasons with the Cougars

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On an episode of Shea Butter FC , Minniss said she ran track, played basketball and volleyball, but soccer had her heart since she was 3 years old. Minniss also talked about founding the Black Student Athletes Association at Washington State and why it was important for her to create such a space. “We decided to start a space for Black student athletes to feel that they have a voice on a predominantly white campus. We created that so people know that they’re not alone in their space,” she said. “Me coming from Colorado, there’s not a lot of people that look like me, so I didn’t really understand the difference that Black people have going into that stuff. We thought it was important that every single person could see that their color doesn’t really matter. We wanted to make sure everybody felt safe and included.” Lindsi Jennings, Houston Dash They say you can’t go home again, but that is not the case for Lindsi Jennings. Though her collegiate career took her to Northern Colorado and Louisiana State, the next chapter starts close to home. With the final pick in the third round, the Houston Dash selected the Conroe, Texas native — and her family will have less than an hour's drive south to watch her play. And she’s already familiar with the Dash training field since LSU faced Houston in a scrimmage last March. [Empty Body] Based on the reaction from her friends and family, it’s safe to say everyone is happy to see Jennings in H-Town. Get to Know the Rookies Get to Know the Rookies - Round  1 Get to Know the Rookies - Round  2 Get to Know the Rookies - Round  4