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2017 NWSL College Draft Preview

01/09/2017, 7:45pm EST
By Admin

10 players with UWS connections will take part in Thursday’s NWSL Draft

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - Last week, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced the list of players that will be eligible for selection in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. The unprecedented fifth edition of the draft will take place this Thursday, January 12th at 3:00 PM ET (Noon PT) at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Los Angeles. Ten players with connections to United Women’s Soccer (UWS) member teams will take part in the NWSL Draft, highlighted by three players from 2016 East Conference champion New Jersey Copa F.C.

UWS will also take part in this week’s convention festivities, as fans, friends and potential players, sponsors & teams can meet up with league officials at Booth 369 starting this Wednesday afternoon when the convention officially kicks off. The full list of current players & alumni with connections to UWS member teams is below:

NAME - POS. - HOMETOWN - COLLEGE / CLUB
Morgan Andrews - M/D/F - Milford, NH - Univ. of Southern California / New England Mutiny *
Emily Armstrong - GK - Collegeville, PA - Univ. of Connecticut / Lancaster Inferno    
Nicole Bates - D - Basking Ridge, NJ - Fordham Univ. / New Jersey Copa F.C.
Nickolette Driesse - M/D - Wayne, N.J. - Pennsylvania State Univ. / TSF Academy         
Callie Duliba - D/M - Kintnersville, PA - Villanova Univ. / New Jersey Copa F.C.
Kaitlyn Johnson - F/M - Los Angeles, CA - Washington State Univ. / Colorado Pride
Serina Kashimoto - D/M/F - Hiroshima, Japan - Butler Univ. / New York Magic *
Diana Poulin - GK - Hauppauge, NY -  St. John's Univ. / Long Island Rough Riders *
Kristyn Shea - GK - Piscataway, NJ - Providence College / New Jersey Copa F.C.
Michele Vasconcelos - M/F - Sandy, UT - Brigham Young Univ. / Real Salt Lake Women

* signifies club alumni who did not play in UWS 2016

NWSL will live stream the 2017 NWSL College Draft via Facebook and YouTube on Thursday, with host Mark Rogondino, analyst Aly Wagner, analyst Jen Cooper and reporter Ashleigh Ignelzi broadcasting live from the JW Marriott. Click HERE for full draft broadcast information and HERE for the full NWSL College Draft list.

New Jersey Copa F.C. will have three draft-eligible players, led by 2016 All-UWS Honorable Mention & All-UWS East Conference First Team goalkeeper Kristyn Shea who played in nine matches (664 minutes) and had 27 saves over the course of the season. The former Providence College shot-stopper was named the UWS East Defensive Player of the Week (Week 2), going 1-0-1 in a win over TSF Academy and a draw against Long Island.

Nicole Bates was also part of Copa’s stalwart defense and was named to the UWS East Honorable Mention Team - playing 687 minutes while helping to hold opponents to only 11 goals scored - and Defensive Player of the Week (Week 5). The senior captain for Fordham University was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference. Callie Duliba (eight games, 693 minutes) was named UWS East Defensive Player of the Week (Week 3) when the center back’s leadership paid dividends in a shutout win over New York.

Emily Armstrong split duties in goal for the Lancaster Inferno this past summer, playing 276 minutes in seven matches (12 saves). At UConn, she was chosen as American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive season. Nickolette Driesse was named UWS East Offensive Player of the Week (Week 6), when she led TSF Academy with two goals in a 3-1 win over New England. At Penn State, Driesse was a team co-captain and a All-Big Ten First Team and NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team selection.

Kaitlyn Johnson was named to the UWS All-West Conference First Team for the Colorado Pride, playing seven matches (497 minutes). The Washington State forward was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team for the second straight fall. Michele Vasconcelos led Real Salt Lake Women in scoring (three goals, three assists) and was named to the All-UWS Honorable Mention & All-West Conference Teams. At BYU, she was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year and totaled 16 goals & 13 assists which ranked her fifth nationally (2.14 points per game).

For full information on the 2017 NSCAA Convention, click HERE.

About United Women’s Soccer (UWS): UWS is a national women’s soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). UWS is a professionally operated league created for teams that meet high minimum standards. The season runs from May until the end of July, culminating in a National Championship match. The UWS player pool is comprised of college players, aspiring & former professionals and international stars. You can follow UWS on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

UWS is managed by EDP, a leading soccer management company that runs a number of leagues and tournaments. In addition to UWS, EDP operates youth leagues that includes an NPL league, the EDP Super Club program, the EDP Premier League and the EDP Championship League. EDP also runs EDP Futures programs for U-7’s to U-12’s and it conducts more than 20 youth tournaments, including tournaments within its EDP Cup Series and EDP Showcase Series.

Media can contact UWS Director of Communications Jorma Kansanen by e-mail at Press@UWSSoccer.com. You can visit the league’s official website at UWSSoccer.com. Interested team applicants can contact League Director Joe Ferrara by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.

Tag(s): News |   New Jersey Copa FC  New England Mutiny  LI Rough Riders  New York Magic  TSF Academy  Lancaster Inferno  Colorado Pride  Real Salt Lake