January 13, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Washington Spirit News Release
PHILADELPHIA – The Washington Spirit added six new players to its roster through the 2023 NWSL Draft presented by Ally Thursday night. Despite entering the night with just two picks, the Spirit traded its way to six picks in the final two rounds of the draft.
With the 26th overall pick early in the third round, the Spirit selected Arizona State forward Nicole Douglas. The 2022 Pac-12 Forward of the Year played five seasons with the Sun Devils, tallying 60 goals and 21 assists in 89 total appearances. In 2021, Douglas led the country in scoring with 19 goals in 20 matches. Douglas was a First Team All-Pac-12 player in each of her final two seasons at Arizona State as well as a Second Team All-American in 2022 and Third Team All-American in 2021.
Washington then made two trades before making its next selection. First, the club sent $75,000 in allocation money to the Orlando Pride in exchange for the 29th and 34th overall picks in this year’s draft. The Spirit then traded this year’s 29th overall pick and $30,000 in allocation money to Racing Louisville FC in exchange for the 28th overall pick in this year’s draft.
With the newly acquired 28th overall pick, the Spirit selected Gonzaga goalkeeper Lyza Bosselmann. Bosselmann joins Washington’s Nicole Barnhart and Aubrey Kingsbury at the position in DC. In four seasons with the Bulldogs, Bosselmann appeared in 62 matches and maintained a goals against average (GAA) of 0.87. Bosselmann also made 182 saves in her collegiate career, stopping almost 80 percent of shots on target. In her senior season in 2022, Bosselmann earned her best career GAA (0.72) en route to being named the West Coast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year.
In a quick turnaround, the Spirit jumped back into the third round with another couple of trades. First, Washington traded defender Emily Sonnett to OL Reign in exchange for this year’s 32nd overall pick and OL Reign’s natural first round pick in 2024. The Spirit then sent the 32nd overall pick and $30,000 in allocation money to the Houston Dash in exchange for this year’s 30th overall pick.
With the 30th overall pick, Washington selected Alabama forward Riley Tanner. Tanner transferred to the Tuscaloosa school after three years at South Carolina. In two seasons with the Crimson Tide, she tallied eight goals and 11 assists across 45 appearances. Tanner’s final season saw her earn Second Team All-SEC…