PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Six former Rutgers women’s soccer alumni are ready to kick off the 2023 season for their respective teams of the National Women’s Soccer League. The campaign is set to begin the weekend of March 25-26 with all 12 teams in action over the two-day span.
Saturday’s pair of opening day matchups feature four former standouts for RU, including Casey Murphy, Frankie Tagliaferri, Amirah Ali, and Madison Pogarch. Sunday’s quartet of contests include the two other alums, Gabby Provenzano and Kristen Edmonds.
Murphy and Tagliaferri of the North Carolina Courage will be the first pair of alumni to step on to the pitch when the club hosts the Kansas City Current at WakeMed Soccer Park in Carey, NC at 2 p.m. ET. Ali and Pogarch of San Diego Wave FC will follow, competing against the Chicago Red Stars at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif. at 10 p.m. ET.
Provenzano, a member of Portland Thorns FC, will open the season against the Orlando Pride at Providence Park in Portland, Ore. at 5 p.m. ET. Edmonds of NJ/NY Gotham FC will round out opening weekend for the former Scarlet Knights. The club is set to play at Angel City FC at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. at 9 p.m. ET.
Rutgers’ six alums are tied for the eighth most on 2023 NWSL opening day rosters. The total contributes to the Big Ten’s 36 alums, which is good for the third most in the league.
Murphy enters her sixth season in the NWSL, coming off a strong 2022 campaign for the Courage where she started 18 of 22 contests and collected six clean sheets. The goalkeeper has made 47 starts for the Courage since joining the club in October 2020.
Tagliaferri began her professional career in 2022 with the Courage where she appeared in five games. The midfielder signed a one-year contract with NC following her final year of collegiate eligibility.
Ali and Wave FC are both set to begin their second season in the league. The forward spent her rookie season with San Diego in its inaugural season in the NWSL. The Voorhees, N.J. native is coming off a 2022 season where she appeared in 20 games with four starts, two goals, and one assist. Ali impressed as a rookie, and is preparing to fill a more involved position with the club this season as head coach Casey Stoney referred to her as someone who is going to be a “real key player” for the…
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