Courtesy of Virginia Tech Athletics
First-round draft pick Emily Gray
After loading up on first-round picks in a series of trades, the North Carolina Courage selected midfielder Emily Gray with the third pick, forward Diana Ordoñez with the sixth pick and defender Kaitlin Fregulia with the 12th pick in the first round of the 2022 NWSL Draft on Saturday, Dec. 18.
The team also picked up an early third-round pick, trading 2021 first-round pick Deanne Rose’s rights to the Orlando Pride for the 29th pick during the draft. With that pick, the Courage selected a former academy player in midfielder Haleigh Stackpole out of Ole Miss. The Courage’s final pick of the afternoon came in the fourth round, selecting goalkeeper Marisa Bova from Purdue with the 45th pick.
The Courage acquired its trio of first-round picks in trades involving big-name members of its core, midfielder Sam Mewis and forward Jessica McDonald, securing picks three and six from the Kansas City Current and Racing Louisville FC, respectively. The Mewis trade also saw the Courage pick up defender Kiki Pickett, a first-round pick in the 2021 draft and 2021 Rookie of the Year nominee.
The club used its own first round pick, No. 7, in a separate deal with the Current to secure the No. 12 pick and the discovery rights to center back Malia Berkely. The Courage signed Berkely to a two-year deal on Dec. 16, using allocation money to get her out of FC Girondins de Bordeaux before the end of her contract.
“I don’t like the word rebuild,” said NC Courage head coach Sean Nahas. “I look at it as sort of a revamping. … We had to get a little bit younger as well in terms of our age bracket and where we wanted. But also bring players in that fit what we want to do, that have good ideas and are able to play the way that we want to play. Obviously, we understand that we’ve gotten younger, but we still have a good core that can help bring these players along.”
Gray, a four-year player out of Virginia Tech, adds some needed midfield depth for the Courage. With players like Denise O’Sullivan and Debinha missing games throughout the season with their national teams, there will be plenty of minutes to go around.
“Super excited,” Gray said. “They have great history over the years. People are saying they are rebuilding now but hopefully we can get after it from the start. So I’m really excited for the opportunity as well.”
Nahas said Gray can play multiple positions including the 10, eight and nine roles, as well as wide on the left if needed.
“She’s a multifaceted player,” Nahas said. “But tidy on the ball, really good on the dribble, understands the game and what we want. Has a good thought process and presence in terms of the final third and having ideas and wanting to score goals. That final pass. Definitely adds a level of depth for us that we really needed”
Gray led the Hokies in goals (12) and was tied for the lead in assists (8) in 20 games during her senior season. A New Jersey native, Gray said “Jersey girls have grit,” and hopes to carry that attitude with her to the Courage, which has their own fair share of notably gritty midfielders.
After Gray, the Courage went back to the ACC, and back to the commonwealth, picking up a very prolific forward out of UVA. Playing in 62 games across three seasons, Ordoñez bagged 45 goals and 12 assists in her college career.
“She has a great presence in the final third,” Nahas said. “Adds a little bit of height, but a good understanding and IQ, comfortable on the ball in the final third. So we were really excited to get that one at the sixth pick.”
Nahas said the team was not expecting Ordoñez to be available at the sixth pick, but knew they wanted to pick up a forward. Nahas added that it was probably the quickest they have submitted a pick.
“I’m just very grateful to the coaches for picking me and giving me the opportunity to start my pro career,” Ordoñez said. “I think where I obviously want to contribute is just scoring goals. I know I am not just going to be able to go to a team and step on the field immediately, but I’m just hoping that I can contribute sooner rather than later.”
The Courage have a deep forward group, even after trading McDonald for the pick they used on Ordoñez, which will allow the former Cavalier to learn from veterans like Lynn Williams and Amy Rodriguez without being thrust into the limelight right away.
“I think the most exciting thing about going into a league like this is just the people that are there before you already and the people who paved the way and just the great players that are already established in these teams,” Ordoñez said. “I’m just so excited to learn. I know that this is going to be a huge opportunity for growth and just learning and I’m just going to try and soak everything in as fast as I can.”
As a target forward, Ordoñez noted her excitement to play with the Courage because of the ability of the wide players to put good service into the box.
After adding depth to the attack with its first two picks, the Courage further solidified its back line with its final first round pick, selecting Fregulia out of Long Beach State. Fregulia has a laundry list of Big West conference awards, including multiple defensive player of the year honors, and joins a competitive defensive group that has a good mix of established veterans and young guns.
“I am beyond stoked and beyond excited to learn from all the amazing players,” Fregulia said. “I honestly don’t really even just have words. It’s just like my dream I’ve had since I was a child. Obviously every soccer player dreams to be a professional player when they’re older. I’m just so blessed for this opportunity. I just can’t thank North Carolina enough for believing in me.”
Nahas said they like her size, reading of the game, athleticism, comfort, presence and ability to play out of the back. He also said they needed to balance out all of the attacking additions this offseason with some center back depth, especially with the amount of international qualifying coming up this season.
After trading Rose’s rights, the Courage used that newly acquired pick to bring a familiar face in Stackpole home. With a long-time academy director as the head coach, it is far from a surprise to see the Courage pick up another player from its academy.
Earlier this offseason, the Courage splashed some cash, sending $125,000 in allocation money to Gotham to bring in former UNC Tar Heel Brianna Pinto to WakeMed Soccer Park.
In her four seasons at Ole Miss, Stackpole scored 19 goals and picked up 31 assists in 81 games. With her creative ability, Stackpole gives the team another option in that No. 10 role when players like Debinha are away with their national teams.
The Courage getting some return for Rose’s rights is good; she seemed unlikely to sign with the club after deciding to go to Europe after the 2021 NWSL draft.
With its final pick in the draft, the Courage solidified their goalkeeping room with a 6-foot-2 keeper out of Purdue. Bova likely won’t play much with how dominant Casey Murphy is, but she is a necessary third-string option, especially with Murphy likely missing time with the USWNT.
Bova’s name is plastered all over Purdue’s record books, and in her senior season, the keeper averaged less than a goal against per game — a solid depth pickup, with some good potential.
Prior to the draft, Courage goalkeeper coach Nathan Thackeray held a goalkeeper combine, which Bova was present at.
“I’m delighted to welcome Marisa Bova to the club,” Thackeray said in a statement. “She’s a fantastic goalkeeper with so much potential to enhance her game. Having spent time with her during our goalkeeper combine, I quickly knew that she would be a perfect fit for us. She is supremely talented with a work ethic to match, and I have no doubt that Marisa will develop into a top goalkeeper when added to our training environment. I’m excited for her and her family, and can’t wait to start working with her.”
The NWSL also announced some key dates and schedule information, with the league opting for a 22-game regular season, with a balanced schedule for the first time since 2014. The Challenge Cup will run from March 19 to May 7, the league will stick with the six-team playoff format and the championship is set for the weekend of Oct. 28.