Cover photo belongs to Shane Lardinois
As the women's collegiate season comes to an end, a number of seniors are looking to keep their careers going. Last year we saw three goalkeepers selected in the NWSL draft and with Casey Murphy's announcement that she won't be returning for her senior year, it'll be a crowded field fighting for a spot in the NWSL. Murphy joins EJ Proctor, Lauren Clem, Emily Boyd, Courtney Brosnan, and Bella Geist as likely goalkeepers to hear their names called come draft day. The 2018 NWSL College Draft is on January 18th and features 40 picks between ten teams.
Seniors
1. EJ Proctor (Duke) - 21
2. Lauren Clem (Northwestern) - 21
3. Emily Boyd (California) - 21
4. Kaelyn Johns (Dayton) - 20
5. Katie Hatziyianis (Binghamton) - 21
6. Courtney Brosnan (Syracuse) - 22
7. Cassie Miller (Florida State) - 22
8. Caitlyn Clem (Wisconsin) - 23
9. Catalina Perez (Colombia, Mississippi State) - 23
10. Kat Elliott (South Florida) - 21
Bill says: While Proctor doesn't possess the ideal size for a goalkeeper, it hasn't held her back yet as she's led Duke on deep tournament runs for the last three years. Clem and Boyd are more of the typical American goalkeepers with a little more height and strength to their game. World Cup veteran Catalina Perez transferred to Mississippi State for her last year of eligibility, conceding only 19 goals in 18 games and earning 1st Team All-SEC. Johns (highlights vs. Davidson) and Hatziyianis (vs. Siena) are likely floating under the radar but have shown the decision making and agility to be able to cover the goal. Also keep an eye out for Oregon State goalkeeper Bella Geist who has spent time with the U23s earlier this year.
Juniors
1. Lainey Burdett (Arizona) - 20
2. Ella Dederick (Washington State) - 21
3. Casey Murphy (Rutgers) - 21 **
4. Shae Yanez (Tennessee) - 20
5. Marnie Merritt (Mississippi) - 21
6. Rose Chandler (Penn State) - 21
7. Sydney Wootten (NC State) - 20
8. Alison Jahansouz (Stanford) - 21
9. Erin Scott (Campbell) - 20
10. Melissa Lowder (Santa Clara) - 20
Bill says: Easily the biggest news from the class is Casey Murphy's decision to leave college early. The 1st Team All-American goalkeeper and USYNT product has shown some positive and negative moments in her career but if she can iron out her footwork she'll find success at the next level. Dederick is probably the most aggressive goalkeeper in all of college soccer but she makes it work for herself. In contrast, Burdett and Merritt are two goalkeepers that opt to keep their feet under them to make the save. Chandler and Jahansouz met in the quarterfinals this year in a lopsided affair. If Chandler tweaks her approach to her angle play this off-season, expect a much different outcome if the two teams meet again next year.
Sophomores
1. Rylee Foster (Canada, West Virginia) - 19
2. Mandy McGlynn (Virginia Tech) - 19
3. Jalen Tompkins (Colorado) - 20
4. Evangeline Soucie (Kentucky) - 19
5. Jaelyn Cunningham (Illinois) - 19
6. Katie Lund (TCU) - 21
7. Mikayla Krzeczowski (South Carolina) - 19
8. Haley Smith (Canada, Illinois State) - 19
9. Teagan Micah (Australia, UCLA) - 20
T-10. Lauren Rood (Stanford) - 20
T-10. Sam Miller (Lehigh) - 19
Bill says: Foster rebounded from a rough outing in last year's U20 World Cup to earn 2nd Team All-Big 12, right behind TCU's Katie Lund. Lund and McGlynn will have spent time with the U23 and U20 teams by the end of the year, respectively. Krzeczowski led South Carolina to a NCAA Semifinal appearance and while Micah found herself in the Championship match, the Australian international probably wishes she could have the first goal back. Rood split time with Jahansouz this year but both goalkeepers return to Stanford for the 2018 season so it'll be interesting to see if they continue to split time. Miller already has 36 starts to her name, allowing only 23 goals over the two years.
Freshmen
1. Laurel Ivory (Virginia) - 18
2. Hillary Beall (Michigan) - 18
3. Brooke Heinsohn (Duke) - 19
4. Kaylie Collins (USC) - 19
5. Lysianne Proulx (Canada, Syracuse) - 18
6. Sydney Schneider (Jamaica, UNC Wilmington) - 18
7. Olivia Sekany (California) - 18
8. Lauren Brzykcy (UCLA) - 18
9. Ashley Orkus (Tennessee) - 18
10. McKinley Crone (Oklahoma) - 18
Bill says: We still have a number of goalkeepers who have yet to prove themselves but Sekany, Brzykcy, and Orkus all have USYNT experience and will look for an opportunity to show their quality over the next year. Laurel Ivory, who turned 18 in August, had a wonderful season with UVA and was rewarded with a call-up with the U20s. Proulx has started with Canada's U20s and U17s while Schneider has already played against the USYNT, starting for Jamaica's during the 2016 U17 World Cup qualifying matches and could likely see them again in the 2018 U20 qualifying.
Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings
2015: Preseason and Final
2016: Preseason and Final
2017: Preseason