Three Stanford players were selected among the first seven picks of the Women’s Professional Soccer draft on Friday, taking up nearly half of the seven first-round selections.
Defender Camille Levin was selected No. 4 by Sky Blue FC, forward Lindsay Taylor went No. 6 to the Western New York Flash, and midfielder Teresa Noyola went No. 7, also to Western New York.
“Levin is a versatile player who brings many intangibles to our team,” Sky Blue FC coach Jim Gabarra said. “She is a brilliant attack-minded defender, and she has the talent to play almost anywhere on the field.”
Sky Blue FC also drafted Notre Dame’s Melissa Henderson, Boston College goalie Jillian Mastroianni and Georgetown grad Ingrid Wells.
For Taylor, the Soccer America Player of the Year, and Noyola, the Hermann Trophy winner, their partnership will continue. They have played together since their youth days with the Mountain View-Los Altos Mercury.
“Teresa is a creative footballer who can play either as forward or as an offensive midfielder,” Flash coach Aaran Lines said. “She’s had a standout collegiate career and I hope to bring the best out of her here. Lindsay is a quick, athletic player who impressed me at the Final Four. She is dangerous attacking player and I’m excited to work with her.”
In the third round, WNY drafted Tori Huster from Florida State, which had its season ended in the NCAA tournament by Stanford the past two years.
No other school had more than two selections in the 23-player four-round draft, which took place in Kansas City, Mo. UCLA forward Sydney Leroux was the first selection by the Atlanta Beat.
Draftees will get their first taste of WPS in March when preseason camps open. The league will open its fourth season of competition in April.
The WPS has five teams, one fewer than last season. Eight Stanford players have played in the league, with Christen Press winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2011 and Nicole Barnhart winning Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2010.
Among Stanford’s previous Hermann Trophy winners, Kelley O’Hara was a No. 3 selection in 2010 by FC Gold Pride and Press went No. 4 in 2011 to magicJack. Neither team remains, but O’Hara and Press now are teammates with Atlanta.
Noyola had to wait longer than any Hermann Trophy Award winner to be picked. The highest was O’Hara, while Kerri Hanks went 6th to Saint Louis Athletica in 2009.
In related news, the injury update on Stanford grad Allison Falk is not particularly encouraging. Independence head coach Paul Riley said Falk is training but she is not ready to play at WPS level.
By Dave Kiefer/Stanford Sports Information
By Dave Kiefer/Stanford Sports Information
By Dave Kiefer/Stanford Sports Information