January 13, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Orlando Pride News Release
ORLANDO, FL – Orlando Pride selected four players on Friday in the 2024 NWSL Draft, presented by Ally, adding one forward and three midfielders to the squad. The Pride opened the night with selecting midfielder Ally Lemos out of the University of California, Los Angeles in the first round. The Pride followed that up by using their No. 22 overall pick to select Cori Dyke from Penn State University. Orlando rounded out the night by selecting Alex Kerr with the No. 50 pick and Talia Gabarra with the No. 56 pick.
“We were in a really good position coming into the draft if you look at the recent moves we’ve made and how we were building our roster,” VP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said. “This year is different than last year because we came in with a roster that we feel pretty confident in, so as we were making picks, we just wanted to add more quality. The great thing is this year there is a little less pressure on draft picks coming in to make an impact right away, as compared to last year. Looking at the positions of need, you can tell by last year and you can tell by recent signings that upgrading the quality of our midfield was a priority for us. Then, being able to add versatile players, we really like versatility in our players. [The strategy] was the best available, position of need and focusing on bolstering the depth of our midfield and looking at options in our attack.”
The Pride used their First-Round pick selecting Lemos, out of the University of California, Los Angeles No. 9 overall. Entering the draft following her sophomore season, Lemos became the fourth-youngest draftee in NWSL history. Lemos made a massive impact in her two seasons with the Bruins, appearing in 44 matches, all of which were starts and recorded three goals to go along with 11 assists. In her freshman season in 2022, she led all Bruins and led all of the Pac-12 conference with nine assists, helping her earn second-team All-Pacific Region Honors. She also delivered the game-tying assist with 16 seconds remaining in the NCAA Championship match, a match the Bruins would go on to win in extra time, becoming 2023 NCAA National Champions.
In 2023, Lemos earned first-team All-Pac-12 and All-Pacific Region honors as she led all Bruins in minutes played and recorded two goals along with two assists. On an international level, she has attended U.S. National Team training…