Friday’s WPS Draft lived up to its billing as a hotbed of forwards. Five of the first seven picks were forwards, beginning with the Atlanta Beat selecting striker Sydney Leroux out of UCLA.
Notre Dame forward Melissa Henderson was selected with the second overall pick by Sky Blue FC, making the first two picks predictable. Boston Breakers head coach Lisa Cole presented the first surprise when she took San Diego forward Stephanie Ochs at No. 3 overall.
“I know it was a surprise for people but I kind of went with my gut,” Breakers head coach Lisa Cole said. “I think Stephanie Ochs’ best soccer is still ahead of her. She is going into the Under-23 camp this week and a lot of people are excited about her and her potential. She has great athleticism.”
“I really like Ochs because I know she wants this.”
MAC Hermann Trophy winner Teresa Noyola slipped to No. 7, when the Western New York Flash selected the midfielder out of Stanford.
“I’ve known about Leroux for years now, since she started going into the national team camp,” Atlanta head coach James Galanis said.
“I always kept tabs on her and from the last two years of just asking questions about her, she continues to progress. She’s getting closer and closer to cracking the women’s team – the full national team. It was just a no-brainer in the end.”
Here are the full draft results:
Round 1
1 – Atlanta Beat – Sydney Leroux, UCLA forward
2 – Sky Blue FC – Melissa Henderson, Notre Dame forward
3 – Boston Breakers – Stephanie Ochs, San Diego forward
4 – Sky Blue FC – Camille Levin, Stanford defender
5 – Philadelphia Independence – Sarah Hagen, Wisonsin-Milwaukee forward
6 – Western New York Flash – Lindsay Taylor, Stanford forward
7 – Western New York Flash – Teresa Noyola, Stanford midfielder
Round 2
8 – Western New York Flash – Tori Huster, Florida State midfielder
9 – Sky Blue FC – Ingrid Wells, Georgetown midfielder
10 – Atlanta Beat – Katy Frierson, Auburn, forward
11 – Boston Breakers – Courtney Jones, North Carolina forward
12 – Philadelphia Independence – CoCo Goodson, UC Irvine defender
13 – Philadelphia Independence – Toni Pressley, Florida State
Round 3
14 – Philadelphia Independence – Bianca Henninger, Santa Clara goalkeeper
15 – Sky Blue FC – Jillian Mastroianni, Boston College goalkeeper
16 – Boston Breakers – Melinda Mercado, Oklahoma State defender
17 – Philadelphia Independence – Danielle Foxhoven, Portland forward
18 – Western New York Flash – Tahnai Annis, Florida M/F
Round 4
19 – Sky Blue FC – Laura Heyboer, Michigan State forward
20 – Boston Breakers – Jessica Luscinski, Boston University, midfielder
21 – Philadelphia Independence – Jasmyne Spencer, Maryland, forward
22 – Western New York Flash – Erica Henderson, West Virginia, defender
23 – Atlanta Beat – Kate Deines, University of Washington, M/F
