# 2018 NWSL College Draft

The 2018 NWSL College Draft was the sixth annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 18, 2018, at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

## Format

* Draft order was determined by the final 2017 regular season standings.

## Results
### Key

| $^+$ | Denotes player who has been selected as NWSL Most Valuable Player |
| $^*$ | Denotes player who has been selected for an NWSL Best XI or NWSL Second XI team |
| $^^$ | Denotes player who has been selected as NWSL Rookie of the Year |
| $^#$ | Denotes player who has never appeared in a competitive NWSL game (regular season, playoff, Challenge Cup, or 2020 Fall Series) |

### Picks

| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | NWSL team | College |
| Round 1 | 1 | Andi Sullivan | M | Washington Spirit | Stanford |
| Round 1 | 2 | Savannah McCaskill | F | Boston Breakers | South Carolina |
| Round 1 | 3 | Quinn | M | Washington Spirit | Duke |
| Round 1 | 4 | Michaela Abam | F | Sky Blue FC | West Virginia |
| Round 1 | 5 | Imani Dorsey$^^$ | F | Sky Blue FC | Duke |
| Round 1 | 6 | Amandine Pierre-Louis | D | Sky Blue FC | West Virginia |
| Round 1 | 7 | Haley Hanson | M | Houston Dash | Nebraska |
| Round 1 | 8 | Sandra Yu$^#$ | M | Portland Thorns FC | Notre Dame |
| Round 1 | 9 | Gabby Seiler | M | Portland Thorns FC | Florida |
| Round 1 | 10 | Frannie Crouse | F | North Carolina Courage | Penn State |
| Round 2 | 11 | Schuyler DeBree | D | Washington Spirit | Duke |
| Round 2 | 12 | Kimberly Keever | F | Houston Dash | Washington |
| Round 2 | 13 | Casey Murphy | G | Sky Blue FC | Rutgers |
| Round 2 | 14 | Taylor Isom$^#$ | D | Utah Royals FC | BYU |
| Round 2 | 15 | Emily Boyd | G | Chicago Red Stars | California |
| Round 2 | 16 | Mallory Eubanks | F | Washington Spirit | Mississippi State |
| Round 2 | 17 | Elizabeth Wenger$^#$ | D | Boston Breakers | Georgetown |
| Round 2 | 18 | Indigo Gibson$^#$ | D | Chicago Red Stars | California |
| Round 2 | 19 | Brianna Visalli | M | Chicago Red Stars | Pepperdine |
| Round 2 | 20 | Rebecca Rasmussen$^#$ | M | North Carolina Courage | Colorado |
| Round 3 | 21 | Brittany Basinger$^#$ | D | Washington Spirit | Penn State |
| Round 3 | 22 | Ashton Miller$^#$ | M | Boston Breakers | Duke |
| Round 3 | 23 | Nádia Gomes | F | Orlando Pride | BYU |
| Round 3 | 24 | Megan Buckingham$^#$ | M | Chicago Red Stars | North Carolina |
| Round 3 | 25 | Ally Haran | D | Seattle Reign FC | Wake Forest |
| Round 3 | 26 | Maddie Huster$^#$ | M | Washington Spirit | Wake Forest |
| Round 3 | 27 | Zoey Goralski | D | Chicago Red Stars | UCLA |
| Round 3 | 28 | Veronica Latsko | F | Houston Dash | Virginia |
| Round 3 | 29 | Bella Geist $^*$ | G | Portland Thorns FC | Oregon State |
| Round 3 | 30 | Abby Elinsky | M | Houston Dash | North Carolina |
| Round 4 | 31 | Rachel Moore$^#$ | M | Washington Spirit | William & Mary |
| Round 4 | 32 | Joanna Boyles | M | Boston Breakers | North Carolina |
| Round 4 | 33 | Sarah Shimer$^#$ | G | Houston Dash | Washington |
| Round 4 | 34 | Emma Jane Proctor$^#$ | G | Utah Royals FC | Duke |
| Round 4 | 35 | Kiana Palacios$^#$ | F | Sky Blue FC | UC Irvine |
| Round 4 | 36 | Celia Jiménez | D | Seattle Reign FC | Alabama |
| Round 4 | 37 | Alexa Ben$^#$ | M | Chicago Red Stars | DePaul |
| Round 4 | 38 | Morgan Reid | D | North Carolina Courage | Duke |
| Round 4 | 39 | Carlin Hudson | D | North Carolina Courage | Yale |
| Round 4 | 40 | Ryan Williams $^*$ | D | North Carolina Courage | TCU |

### Notable undrafted players

Below is a list of undrafted rookies who appeared in a competitive NWSL game in 2018.
| Nat. | Player | Pos. | Original NWSL team | College | Notes |
| | Elizabeth Ball | D | Portland Thorns FC | Penn State | |
| | Bridget Callahan | M | Orlando Pride | UCF | |

## Trades

Round 1:
* ↑ Houston Dash → Washington Spirit. January 16, 2018: Washington Spirit acquired Houston's first overall pick 2018 NWSL College Draft in exchange for Lindsay Agnew and the sixth pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Utah Royals FC → Sky Blue FC. December 29, 2017: Sky Blue FC acquired Shea Groom, Christina Gibbons, and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft from Utah Royals FC in exchange for Kelley O'Hara, Taylor Lytle, and the No. 25 overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Seattle Reign FC → Chicago Red Stars → Washington Spirit → Houston Dash → Sky Blue FC. January 12, 2017: Chicago Red Stars acquired Seattle's first overall pick 2018 NWSL College Draft in exchange for the 16th pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. August 21, 2017: Chicago Red Stars acquired Kristie Mewis from the Washington Spirit in exchange for the higher of their two picks in the first round of the 2018 NWSL College Draft. January 16, 2018: Washington Spirit acquired Houston's first overall pick 2018 NWSL College Draft in exchange for Lindsay Agnew and the sixth pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. January 18, 2018: In a three-team trade, the Chicago Red Stars acquired Sam Kerr, Nikki Stanton and the No. 15 draft pick from Sky Blue FC, as well as the No. 24 draft pick from the Houston Dash, Houston acquired Christen Press, a 2018 international roster spot, and the No. 7 draft pick from Chicago, and Sky Blue acquired Carli Lloyd, Janine Beckie and the No. 6 draft pick from Houston, as well as Jen Hoy and the No. 13 draft pick from Chicago.
* ↑ Chicago Red Stars → Houston Dash. January 18, 2018: In a three-team trade, the Chicago Red Stars acquired Sam Kerr, Nikki Stanton and the No. 15 draft pick from Sky Blue FC, as well as the No. 24 draft pick from the Houston Dash, Houston acquired Christen Press, a 2018 international roster spot, and the No. 7 draft pick from Chicago, and Sky Blue acquired Carli Lloyd, Janine Beckie and the No. 6 draft pick from Houston, as well as Jen Hoy and the No. 13 draft pick from Chicago.
* ↑ Orlando Pride → Portland Thorns FC. January 18, 2017: Orlando Pride acquired the NWSL rights to Rachel Hill in exchange for their first- and fourth-round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
Round 2:
* ↑ Boston Breakers → Seattle Reign FC → Houston Dash. August 31, 2017: Boston Breakers acquired Lindsay Elston and a conditional future pick from Seattle Reign FC in exchange for their 2018 second round pick. August 31, 2017: Seattle Reign FC acquired goalkeeper Lydia Williams from the Houston Dash in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Houston Dash → Chicago Red Stars → Sky Blue FC. January 12, 2017: Houston Dash acquired the 28th overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. January 18, 2018: In a three-team trade, the Chicago Red Stars acquired Sam Kerr, Nikki Stanton and the No. 15 draft pick from Sky Blue FC, as well as the No. 24 draft pick from the Houston Dash, Houston acquired Christen Press, a 2018 international roster spot, and the No. 7 draft pick from Chicago, and Sky Blue acquired Carli Lloyd, Janine Beckie and the No. 6 draft pick from Houston, as well as Jen Hoy and the No. 13 draft pick from Chicago.
* ↑ Sky Blue FC → Chicago Red Stars. January 18, 2018: In a three-team trade, the Chicago Red Stars acquired Sam Kerr, Nikki Stanton and the No. 15 draft pick from Sky Blue FC, as well as the No. 24 draft pick from the Houston Dash, Houston acquired Christen Press, a 2018 international roster spot, and the No. 7 draft pick from Chicago, and Sky Blue acquired Carli Lloyd, Janine Beckie and the No. 6 draft pick from Houston, as well as Jen Hoy and the No. 13 draft pick from Chicago.
* ↑ Seattle Reign FC → Washington Spirit. November 10, 2016: Seattle Reign FC acquired Christine Nairn and the NWSL rights to Madalyn Schiffel from the Washington Spirit in exchange for Havana Solaun, the 3rd and 36th overall picks in the 2017 NWSL College Draft, and a second-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Chicago Red Stars → Boston Breakers. January 12, 2017: Chicago Red Stars re-acquired the 11th overall pick of the 2017 NWSL College Draft from the Boston Breakers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft and a 2018 international roster spot.
* ↑ Orlando Pride → Chicago Red Stars. February 14, 2017: Orlando Pride acquired a 2017 international roster spot from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Portland Thorns FC → Chicago Red Stars. January 12, 2017: Portland Thorns FC acquired the 21st overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for their second- and third-round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
Round 3:
* ↑ Houston Dash → Orlando Pride. April 18, 2017: Houston Dash acquired Camille Levin from the Orlando Pride in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ FC Kansas City → Houston Dash → Chicago Red Stars. March 10, 2017: FC Kansas City acquired Rebecca Moros from the Houston Dash in exchange for their highest third-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. January 18, 2018: In a three-team trade, the Chicago Red Stars acquired Sam Kerr, Nikki Stanton and the No. 15 draft pick from Sky Blue FC, as well as the No. 24 draft pick from the Houston Dash, Houston acquired Christen Press, a 2018 international roster spot, and the No. 7 draft pick from Chicago, and Sky Blue acquired Carli Lloyd, Janine Beckie and the No. 6 draft pick from Houston, as well as Jen Hoy and the No. 13 draft pick from Chicago.
* ↑ Sky Blue FC → Utah Royals FC → Seattle Reign FC. December 29, 2017: Utah Royals FC acquired Kelley O'Hara, Taylor Lytle, and the No. 25 overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft from Sky Blue FC in exchange for Shea Groom, Christina Gibbons, and the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. January 18, 2018: Seattle Reign FC acquired Yael Averbuch and the No. 25 overall pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft from Utah Royals FC in exchange for Diana Matheson.
* ↑ Seattle Reign FC → Washington Spirit. January 3, 2017: Seattle Reign FC acquired Diana Matheson from the Washington Spirit in exchange for the NWSL rights to Arielle Ship and a third-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Orlando Pride → Houston Dash. January 23, 2017: Orlando Pride acquired Chioma Ubogagu from the Houston Dash in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Portland Thorns FC → Chicago Red Stars. January 12, 2017: Portland Thorns FC acquired the 21st overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for their second-round and third-round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ North Carolina Courage → Houston Dash. December 23, 2017: Western New York Flash acquired the NWSL rights to Rosana in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
Round 4:
* ↑ Orlando Pride → Portland Thorns FC → North Carolina Courage. January 18, 2017: Orlando Pride acquired the NWSL rights to Rachel Hill in exchange for their first- and fourth-round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. March 8, 2017: Portland Thorns FC acquired Britt Eckerstrom from the North Carolina Courage in exchange for two fourth-round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Portland Thorns FC → North Carolina Courage. March 8, 2017: Portland Thorns FC acquired Britt Eckerstrom from the North Carolina Courage in exchange for two fourth-round picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.

## Summary

In 2018, a total of 27 colleges had players selected. Of these, six had a player drafted to the NWSL for the first time: Alabama, Oregon State, TCU, UC Irvine, Washington and Yale.

### Schools with multiple draft selections

| Selections | Schools |
| 6 | Duke |
| 3 | North Carolina |
| 2 | BYU, California, Penn State, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia |

### Selections by college athletic conference

| Conference | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
| ACC | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| Big East | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Big Ten | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Big West | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Big 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Colonial | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ivy League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pac-12 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| SEC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| West Coast | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |

### Selections by position

| Position | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
| Goalkeeper | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Defender | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Midfielder | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 14 |
| Forward | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 |