With the[2023 NWSL Draft](https://www.nwslsoccer.com/nwsldraft) presented by Ally rapidly approaching on Thursday, January 12, the league has already seen an impressive crop of players register for selection as they prepare to embark on their professional careers.
Having spotlighted teams in a primer of [what’s to come in the 2023 Draft](https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/draft-primer-how-it-works-where-to-watch-and-the-latest-draft-order) , including the 48 picks available, below is a brief look at some of the top prospects available and how they have fared to date. Remember, players may register for the Draft until 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, January 9.
More information about this year’s draft, including draft rules and the latest draft order, can be viewed [here](https://www.nwslsoccer.com/nwsldraft) .
**Messiah Bright**
Forward Messiah Bright’s decision to return for her fifth year of eligibility at Texas Christian University (TCU) proved an excellent decision as her name will land atop many teams’ wishlist following a great season that saw her earn a 2022 United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-America selection. In a year that saw the Horned Frogs finish second in the Big 12 regular season standings, Bright was a luminary in her position as she added 11 goals and four assists in 24 games, including the team’s NCAA Tournament run, as part of a stellar campaign. To add to Bright’s exciting season was a call-up to join the U.S. U-23 Women’s Youth National Team in June, where she joined the rest of the 21-player roster for friendlies against India and Sweden in the Women’s U-23 Three-Nations Tournament. Prior to her fifth-year success, Bright was no stranger to the field as she played and started in all 24 games of a 2021 season in which she set a school single-season record for most goals scored (17), a number that set her tied for fourth nationally, and points (40), a tally that placed her fifth nationally. That year, Bright was named a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American.
**Michelle Cooper**
One of the younger standouts in this class, and one of the highest-flying attackers, forward Michelle Cooper has accomplished more than her fair share at 20 years old to back her decision to forego the rest of her eligibility at Duke University and register for the Draft. Though the Blue Devils fell to Alabama in the NCAA Quarterfinal, Cooper was the joint highest goalscorer alongside Jessica De Filippo (Arkansas) with six goals, two of which came as kept her side in the 3-2 loss to the Crimson Tide. An outstanding season saw Cooper score 19 goals and contribute 11 assists for a total of 49 points, numbers that saw her finish second in the scoring and points charts across the entire NCAA. Across her two seasons with Duke, Cooper has twice been named a First Team All-American by United Soccer Coaches and twice been named to the All-ACC First Team. She also picked up 2022 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and is the 2022 MAC Hermann Trophy winner. Finishing her collegiate career, she stands as the all-time leading goalscorer and points earner in Duke history and second all-time in program history for NCAA Tournament goals (8) and points (18). At the international level, Cooper was a member of the 2022 U.S. U-20 Women’s Youth National Team for the FIFA World Cup and the 2022 Sud Ladies Cup, where she tallied a goal and assist to help lead the squad to the team title. At the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship, she scored eight goals to win the Golden Boot and Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
**Izzy D’Aquila**
Among the best goalscorers available in this year’s Draft is midfielder Izzy D’Aquila, who has more than proven her ability to consistently find the goal in her illustrious collegiate career. In 2022, her 19 goals were a career-best, as were her five assists, as she pushed her NCAA career tally to 50 goals in 78 appearances. This year, D’Aquila and Santa Clara came out of the West Coast Conference on top and earned their way to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to eventual College Cup semifinalists Notre Dame, 4-0. En route, D’Aquila was named a Second Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. However, in 2020, D’Aquila was the one to score the game-winning penalty kick against Florida State to seal the Broncos College Cup victory for the second straight season. On the National Team front, D’Aquila was a part of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s U-15 and U-17 squads and scored nine goals in 14 caps in 2017-2018.
**Nicole Douglas**
Forward Nicole Douglas is coming off a record smashing season with Arizona State University in which she became the program’s first-ever two-time All-American. Her stellar season saw Douglas earn a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American nod as she set school marks in career goals scored (60), points (140), and game-winning goals (18). In part due to her accomplishments in front of goal, Douglas helped the Sun Devils to a second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years, though her side fell in the opening round of the tournament. Continuing to shine individually though, the prolific forward’s combined fifth- and fourth-year statistics saw her score 33 goals and register 10 assists across the two seasons, besting her previous three season totals of 27 combined goals and 11 combined assists. In 2021, Douglas’s high-flying marks of 19 goals, 0.95 goals per game and 2.24 points per game all led the nation. Douglas is Arizona State’s first All-American since 2002 and shattered the school’s scoring record that stood since 2001.
**Jyllissa Harris**
Standing out in defense for the University of South Carolina, defender Jyllissa Harris is up there with the best of the best coming into the 2023 NWSL Draft. Harris was the mainstay of her team’s spine, starting in all 24 games of the Gamecocks’ season and logging a team-high 2177 minutes along the way. Ahead of the NCAA Tournament, Harris and the program won the SEC Tournament for just the third time in school history and their first since 2019. The New Jersey native helped South Carolina to the Sweet 16, scoring in the team’s opening postseason 2-0 win over Wake Forest and played every minute of their three-game journey up through their 2-1 loss to Duke to end the season. Across her glittering five-year career, Harris started in all but two of her 107 games played and eclipsed the 2000-minute mark twice, the second time coming in her sophomore season. Collecting some impressive honors through her collegiate career, her final year saw her earn a Top Drawer Soccer Best XI selection as well as a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American nod.
**Penelope Hocking**
Forward Penelope Hocking enters the NWSL Draft after featuring for Penn State University to cap off a collegiate career that had also seen her succeed at a high level at the University of Southern California for three years prior. Joining the Nittany Lions for the 2022 season, Hocking led the Big Ten in assists (11) and chipped in seven goals along the way to see her reach the 25-point mark, a number good enough to tie her for fourth in the conference in that category. Hocking was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten squad and also helped Penn State win the Big Ten tournament over Michigan State, 3-2, where she registered an assist. Into the NCAA Tournament, Hocking featured in all three games played with the Nittany Lions eventually falling to the University of Virginia in overtime of a Sweet 16 matchup. In her time prior with USC, the Anaheim, California native became the school’s all-time leading goalscorer in 2021 with 48 goals, breaking a record that had stood for 21 years. Her 54 career goals are also the 12 ^th most in Pac-12 history.
**Lauren Kozal**
Goalkeeper Lauren Kozal has had an impressive rise as a “homegrown” style talent, growing up in Ada, Michigan, developing her path with the Midwest United Development Academy and Midwest United FC, and eventual standout at Forest Hills Northern High School. Her journey from there brought her an hour east to Michigan State University, where her performances in goal and development as a shotstopper has garnered the attention of clubs around the league ahead of the Draft. Kozal has in consecutive years been named an All-American by United Soccer Coaches and won Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, and after this last season, became the first Spartan in program history to be named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy. The 2022 campaign was phenomenal for Michigan State as they won the Big Ten outright in the regular season and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament Title Game, though they fell to Penn State. However, their composite results landed them a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. After advancing through the First Round, the No. 4 seed Spartans fell in the Second Round to fifth-seeded TCU. In total, 12 of Kozal’s 23 appearances resulted in a clean sheet, a 52% ratio, and her and the Spartans defense allowed just 15 goals in the same span to produce a goals allowed average of 0.68 goals per game.
**Emily Madril**
One of the top names available in this year’s NWSL Draft, defender Emily Madril already [signed a league contract through 2025 back in August 2022](https://www.nwslsoccer.com/news/nwsl-signs-emily-madril-to-professional-contract) after choosing to forgo the remainder of her NCAA eligibility at Florida State University. Still, she stands as one of the top defenders in the class and brings with her a host of collegiate honors, including not only winning the 2021 NCAA National Championship with the Seminoles but also featuring in the All-ACC Academic Team and College Cup All-Tournament Team and earning her way to being a United Soccer Coaches First-Team All-American. Madril had to battle back from back-to-back ACL tears that forced her to miss the 2018 and 2019 seasons, but her contributions to the Florida State backline were unmatched in the seasons to follow. Now on loan with BK Häcken FF of the Swedish Damallsvenskan, Madril saw the field in late October and managed to find the back of the net with her first touch of the game as she got on the end of a spilled attempt at a catch by the opposition goalkeeper and rifled an effort into the roof of the goal. She will be one of the first names off the board if all goes as expected for her on draft night.
**Riley Mattingly Parker**
A MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, First Team All-American, and the SEC Forward of the Year, attacker Riley Mattingly Parker set the SEC ablaze with 17 goals and seven assists in her fourth year, smashing her personal career bests in all categories as she helped the University of Alabama to a College Cup semifinal. Mattingly Parker started 23 of her 26 appearances, and in those 23 starts, she only failed to hit the target in nine games as she set a school record for single-season goals, points (41) and game-winning goals. In addition, her elite finishing saw her net an NCAA-leading seven game-winning goals as she finished sixth in the country in both goals and assists. Significantly increasing her output in 2022, Mattingly Parker scored three goals in her side’s NCAA Tournament run and became the first Alabama player to earn that SEC Forward of the Year mark and the sixth UA player to earn the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
**Jenna Nighswonger**
Capping off a four-year career with the Florida State Seminoles, midfielder Jenna Nighswonger has turned the heads of scouts after a stellar 2022 season that saw her named the United Soccer Coaches Scholar Player of the Year, among many other accolades. Across 22 games in her senior season, Nighswonger doubled her 2021 output with six goals and 16 assists to earn 28 points, all career-highs. Those 16 assists stood as the second-highest single-season mark in program history, and her 34 career assists rank her in the same spot. Plus, her 72 career points have her ranked ninth in program history. The Seminoles advanced to the College Cup for the third straight year, with Nighswonger’s corner kick leading to an own goal in FSU’s 1-0 win over Arkansas in the Quarterfinal. In 2022, Nighswonger was named to the All-ACC First Team, the Top Drawer Soccer Best XI, and was named the ACC Tournament MVP. Most recently, she has also been named a MAC Hermann Award finalist alongside Duke’s Michelle Cooper and the University of Notre Dame’s Korbin Albert. With the National Team, Nighswonger has featured at the U-14, U-16, U-17, U-18, U-19, U-20, and U-23 levels, and won the U-19 CFA International Tournament in China in 2017.
**Reyna Reyes**
Versatile midfielder and defender Reyna Reyes led the University of Alabama’s backline this season en route to her journey to being named SEC Defender of the Year, a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, and a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American. Reyes found the back of the net a career-high eight times as she equaled her combined tally from the previous three seasons in her 27 appearances. The Crimson Tide went 7-0-0 to top the SEC West and advanced all the way to the College Cup semifinals after defeating Duke, 3-2, in the quarterfinal thanks in part to a memorable strike from Reyes. Though Alabama fell to eventual champions UCLA, the fourth-ranked team in the country according to the United Soccer Coaches poll had one of their best seasons in program history and Reyes was a significant part of their success. Reyes has also had success on the international level as she worked her way up the Mexican Women’s National Team system. She represented Mexico at two FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cups (2016, 2018), and most recently made her senior debut in February 2021 in a friendly against Costa Rica that produced a scoreless draw.
**Clara Robbins**
Another standout to come out of the Florida State program is defender Clara Robbins, who enters the NWSL Draft after being named to the All-ACC Second Team and United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region Second Team in her redshirt senior season. Robbins capped off a career that saw her finish with 110 games played, the most in school history and the second most in women’s college soccer history. A key part of the backline, Robbins started all 23 games in 2022 and scored five goals while contributing five assists to boot. After the Seminoles won the ACC, Robbins and her team marched all the way to the College Cup semifinals where they fell to runners up the University of North Carolina in a five-goal thriller. Looking to contribute to any team looking for a consistent player, Robbins is a 2021 National Champion with Florida State and has the endurance many sides are looking for.
**Ally Schlegel**
Another attacker in the spotlight ahead of this year’s Draft is Ally Schlegel, who lit up the Big Ten with 13 goals and three assists in her redshirt senior season as her and Penn State dominated conference play and advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. A United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American, Schlegel collected a whole host of honors in her stellar season as she also became a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and was named to both the All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten All-Tournament Team as she helped Penn State to a ninth Big Ten Tournament title. Schlegel finished with 29 points to eclipse the 100-point mark across her collegiate career as she started in all 23 of her side’s games in her 1400+ minutes logged. Impressively, Schlegel was able to best a 10+ goal mark each season from 2019 through 2022, hitting twice for 13 goals at either ends of her collegiate career. Looking to break into the U.S. Women’s National Team scene, Schlegel has been rostered at multiple levels including the U-23 and U-18 sides, with Schlegel named captain of the U-18 side.
**Alexa Spaanstra**
A dynamic forward out of Brighton, Michigan, playmaker Alexa Spaanstra enters the Draft after a noteworthy five years with the University of Virginia where she played and started over 100 games, and added 37 goals and 34 assists along the way. Spaanstra was one of the linchpins of the Hoos in 2022, starting in all 23 games and registering 1760 minutes, good for second best on the squad. Spaanstra’s eight goals and five assists put her T-2 in the team with 21 points and helped Virginia to a fourth-place finish in an already competitive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Into the postseason, the forward helped her side up to a quarterfinal contest with eventual champions UCLA, where the Hoos fell 2-1 in overtime. The fifth year deserves plaudits for her late season tear as well, which saw her score five goals in four games from the team’s senior night victory over North Carolina State on October 23 through their opening NCAA Tournament win over Farleigh Dickinson, which ended up a lopsided 4-0 in her side’s favor.
**Alyssa Thompson**
18-year-old Alyssa Thompson is performing at a level that has not just the eyes of fans around the league watching, but eyes of fans around the globe at the international level. Thompson was named the 2021 Gatorade High School Soccer Player of the Year after an unbelievable 48-goal season in 18 games with Harvard-Westlake School. The Studio City, California native played at the club level with Total Futbol Academy and featured at the U-19 level at the age of 17, where she was also the league’s only female player. Thompson’s career at the international level has seen her score four goals in eight appearances at the U-20 level. Three of those goals came at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship where she won a gold medal, and one that came at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in her three matches. A turning point came when she was called up to the senior squad in September 2022, then becoming the youngest player to earn a call-up since Sophia Smith in 2017. Thompson appeared in two games, her debut against England on October 7 and a second game against Spain four days later. Entering the field for the first time at the senior level at just 17 years and 334 days old, she was the youngest player to debut for the USA since Mallory Pugh’s first appearance in January of 2016.
**Summer Yates**
Summer Yates registers for the NWSL Draft after a seven goal, six assist season at the University of Washington where she completed her five-year collegiate career. In that time, Yates only topped that goal production once, when she scored eight goals in the 2019 season. The forward earned her fourth-straight honor as she was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team and led the team in scoring. En route to pursuing a professional career, Yates also set a Huskies all-time record in the appearances category as her 93 games played also saw her reach third all-time in points (77) and goals (27) as well as fourth in assists (23). Overall, Yates landed on the All-Pac-12 First Team three straight campaigns and earned her way to the All-Pac-12 Second Team in her sophomore season to add to her accolades.
**When is the Draft?**
The 2023 NWSL Draft presented by Ally is set for Thursday, January 12 at 6 p.m. ET, and will be held during the United Soccer Coaches Convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
**How can I watch the Draft?**
Coverage of the NWSL Draft presented by Ally will begin on CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ and CBS Sports HQ, the free 24/7 streaming sports news network, 6 to 7 p.m. ET. The draft livestream will continue on Paramount+ and CBS Sports HQ from 7 to 11 p.m. ET.
**Can I attend the Draft?**
The Draft is free and open to the public. There will be general admission seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Match Highlights

Match Highlights