The author of this article is Anne M. Peterson, a writer for the Associated Press covering sports.

On Friday evening, Ally Sentnor from North Carolina was chosen as the top pick in the National Women’s Soccer League draft, followed by her teammate Savy King who was selected second.

19-year-old Sentnor was chosen by the newly formed team Utah Royals. In her second year as a college player, she had 11 goals and seven assists and was awarded Atlantic Coast Conference Midfielder of the Year.

The 18-year-old monarch joined Bay FC, a new team in the NWSL located in the San Francisco Bay Area. After playing for one year with the Tar Heels, the defender was nominated for U.S. Soccer’s 2023 Young Player of the Year.

King stated that they gained valuable experience at UNC while playing the position of center back. They also have experience as an outside back and are eager to take the next step in their professional journey and continue learning.

The NC Courage made a deal with Washington, exchanging the fifth pick and $250,000 in allocation money for Ashley Sanchez, a member of the U.S. national team. They then traded the tenth pick to Chicago for $175,000 in allocation money.

In the 2021 Women’s World Cup, Sanchez represented the United States. She has participated in 27 games with the national team and has scored three goals.

In the second round, the Courage selected Talia Staude as a defender, followed by Julia Dorsey in the third round and Landy Mertz as a midfielder in the fourth round.

The third overall selection for the Washington Spirit was midfielder Croix Bethune from Georgia. The team made a trade earlier in the day, obtaining the pick from the Chicago Red Stars in return for defender Sam Staab.

Mark Krikorian, the general manager of the Spirit team, expressed his admiration for Sam’s consistent performance and strong defense throughout her five-year tenure with the team.

The Royals selected Brecken Mozingo, a BYU attacker, as the No. 4 pick. Mozingo hails from Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City and the home of the Royals’ stadium. As a senior last season, Mozingo recorded 14 goals and 15 assists for the Cougars and was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the best college players in the nation.

The Spirit selected Hal Hershfelt from Clemson to complete the top five.

The draft, which took place at the Anaheim Convention Center during the United Soccer Coaches Convention, had over 200 eligible players. Throughout four rounds, the league’s 14 teams chose 56 players.

On draft day, there were some additional transactions made. The Houston Dash has officially signed Yuki Nagasato, a free agent forward, until 2025. Nagasato previously played for the Chicago Red Stars in the last two seasons.

This year marked the initial offseason where players in the 10-year-old league were able to enter free agency. The reigning league champions, FC Gotham, caused a stir by signing Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Rose Lavelle, and Emily Sonnett from the national team within the last two weeks.

Earlier on Friday, Angel City traded $40,000 in allocation money for midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard from the San Diego Wave.

Chicago traded defender Arin Wright to Racing Louisville in exchange for the No. 15 draft pick and $125,000. Wright, who hails from Kentucky, previously played for the Wildcats.

The regular season of the NWSL begins on March 16.

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Soccer news from AP: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer

Source: wralsportsfan.com