Pride happy with two late-round selections
The Orlando Pride selected two players in Thursday's NWSL draft: University of Colorado striker Danica Evans and Penn State midfielder Nickolette Driesse.
The Pride didn't have a pick until the third round, having previously traded away the club’s top two picks.
So with the 22nd overall pick, the Pride took Evans, who will bolster the club’s attack while Alex Morgan is away playing at Olympique Lyonnais in France. Excited cheers then erupted from the crowd as the Pride selected Driesse, who can also play defense and won national championships with Florida State and Penn State, in the fourth round with the 32nd overall pick.
“Considering we didn’t have picks until late in the draft, we're delighted with the two players we've got,” Pride head coach Tom Sermanni said. “They’re two players we did have on our list and were seriously considering even if we had higher picks.
“The key for us is to make sure that we're competitive, and that we keep building.”
Evans recently was invited to the U-23 U.S. women's national team camp. She also has a special flip throwin that can be an asset in certain situations. She holds the ball in her hands and essentially does a front handspring, launching the ball as she comes back to her feet so it sails into the box much like a free kick.
“I definitely hope that I'll be able to do it at the Orlando stadium,” Evans said after she was drafted. “My whole life I've been doing gymnastics. I quit in high school when I committed to college [for soccer]. It’s something I've honestly just been doing my whole life throughout club. I never really got to do it at the University of Portland, but when I transferred to the University of Colorado, it was definitely one of our strengths.”
Evans said she entered the draft with an open mind, ready for anything, and she was pleased to be taken by the Pride. She played two seasons at Portland before transferring to Colorado, where she set a school record for shots per game (3.24) and on goal (1.74) in her senior season. She also was second in CU history for average points (0.98) and goals per game (0.38). She scored a career total of 28 goals and 19 assists between both schools.
Driesse, a New Jersey native, also transferred midway through her college career. After helping FSU in backto-back national championship games, winning a title her sophomore season, she transferred to Penn State in search of more playing time. In her first season with the Nittany Lions, she won another national title. She co-captained the team last season and was named to the all-Big Ten first team after starting all 21 matches, scor- ing a goal and racking up a team-high six assists. She finished college with a career total six goals and 20 assists.
While at FSU, Driesse played with Pride forward Jamia Fields.
“It feels great, especially that it’s Orlando,” Driesse said of being drafted. “It's like my second home, besides Penn State. Jamia Fields is my friend, and we had a really great connection on the field at Florida State, so we’re both really excited for that. I think I can bring a lot of creativity in the midfield, that’s one of my strong suits.”
Two University of Florida players were drafted: striker Savannah Jordan (18th overall, Portland Thorns) and Meggie Dougherty-Howard (29th, Washington Spirit). Jordan could have been a top-five pick but wants to play overseas, according to the Oregonian.
First-round pick Mandy Freeman of USC, taken 10th overall by Sky Blue FC, is from Royal Palm Beach and went to American Heritage and Atlantic high schools in Delray Beach.