cover photo from Washington Spirit
Despite the anticipation for the 2020 Olympics, the world waits for soccer to return, hopefully sooner than later. The NWSL season is still on hold and excitement for the US to take revenge on a 5th place finish in 2016 will have to be pushed back until 2021. As for the USWNT’s depth pool, we’ve unfortunately seen another wave of early exits from promising goalkeepers such as Haley Kopmeyer, Sammy Jo Prudhomme, Lauren Watson, Caitlyn Clem, Lauren Clem, Alison Jahansouz, and many more. (See last year’s list here.) Still, the college game continues to boast of containing the NWSL’s future and several graduates are making names for themselves overseas.
# - listed as a trialist on NWSL preseason roster
1. Aubrey Bledsoe, 28 - Washington Spirit
2. Alyssa Naeher, 32 - Chicago Red Stars
3. Jane Campbell, 25 - Houston Dash
4. Adrianna Franch, 29 - Portland Thorns
5. Michelle Betos, 32 - OL Reign
6. Lindsey Harris, 26 - Houston Dash
7. Bryane Heaberlin, 26 - FFC Frankfurt (Germany.1)
8. Audrey Baldwin, 28 - HK / Vikingur (Iceland.1)
9. Katie Fraine, 32 - Vaxjo (Sweden.1)
10. Ashlyn Harris, 34 - Orlando Pride
One to Watch: Jane Campbell. The three-year starter has quietly amassed 64 starts over her tenure with the Dash, making her fifth in the NWSL’s all-time appearances for a goalkeeper. Campbell has consistently been featured in national team camps over the past three years, earning three caps since leaving Stanford. Once accustomed to relying heavily on her athleticism, 2019 saw an impressive installment of patience in her game. Lateral and forward movement isn’t as cumbersome and is more calculated. (Watch her footwork from a game in April compared to one in September.) Campbell has always had the tools to succeed, but she’s reached a new level in her game. She’s not only one of the best goalkeepers in the NWSL but she’s compiling a strong argument to be a national team starter.
11. Emily Armstrong, 26 - IFK Kalmar (Sweden.2)
12. Britt Eckerstrom, 27 - Portland Thorns
13. Abby Smith, 26 - Utah Royals
14. Katelyn Rowland, 26 - North Carolina
15. Megan Dorsey, 28 - Sparta Praha (Czech Republic.1)
16. Jennifer Pelley, 26 - Djurgården (Sweden.1)
17. Emily Dolan, 25 - Real Betis (Spain.1)
18. Gabriella Batmani, 30 - Lidkoping (Sweden.2)
19. Kelsey Wys, 29 - Selfoss (Iceland.1)
20. Casey Murphy, 24 - OL Reign
One to Watch: Emily Armstrong. Since ending her senior year with UConn in 2016, Armstrong has been carving out a respectful career in Europe, playing for Medkila (Norway), IBV (Iceland), and Sundsvall (Sweden). After three years of being put to the fire - Sundsvall scored .6 goals per game last year, to give some context - Armstrong has been rewarded for her hard work. Now set to join Kalmar in 2020 (ranked 90th in Europe), Armstrong is exploring uncharted territory. The UConn alum has always had strong hands and the ability to cover the full width of the net but she can complicate close range situations with indecisive footwork and poor timing. If she can find the same confident footing that Campbell implemented last year, don’t be surprised if you see her stock continue to rise. (Highlights)
21. Alex Godinez, 26 - Pachuca (Mexico.1)
22. Jillian McVicker, 26 - IK Myran (Finland.1)
23. Adelaide Gay, 30 - Klepp (Norway.1)
24. Nicole Barnhart, 38 - Utah Royals
25. Sydney Drinkwater, 26 - Metz (France.1)
26. Mandy McGlynn, 21 - Sky Blue
27. Cassie Miller, 25 - Chicago Red Stars #
28. Tori Ornela, 28 - IA (Iceland.1)
29. Brett Maron, 33 - Kristianstad (Sweden.1)
30. Danielle Rice, 24 - Örebro (Sweden.1)
One to Watch: Alex Godinez. Godinez was raised just north of Denver but likely won’t be featured on this list much longer. The DePaul graduate received her first cap with the Mexican National Team in a friendly last year, rewarding the Pachuca captain for her positive play in Liga MX Femenil. Pachuca has fallen short in the quarterfinals for two years straight now but is on the cusp of claiming their first piece of hardware. If Godinez can help Pachuca earn their first trophy, expect to see Godinez join U23 goalkeeper Emily Alvarado as another Mexican-American goalkeeper representing Mexico on the international level.
31. Jalen Tompkins, 23 - Valerenga (Norway.1)
32. Hannah Seabert, 25 - Valerenga (Norway.1)
33. Abbie Faingold, 24 - Maccabi Kishronot Hadera (Israel.1)
34. Morgan Bertsch, 24 - Lugano (Switzerland.1)
35. Emily Boyd, 23 - Chicago Red Stars
36. Anna Buhigas, 25 - Real Betis (Spain.1)
37. Bella Bixby, 24 - Portland Thorns #
38. Kelsey Daugherty, 23 - Fortuna Hjorring (Denmark.1)
39. Phallon Tullis-Joyce, 23 - Stade de Reims (France.1)
40. Lainey Burdett, 23 - Orlando Pride #
One to Watch: Jalen Tompkins. Tompkins finished her career with the University of Colorado this past fall with 85 games over four years and set school records for wins (49), saves (369) and save percentage (.841). The UNC-Colorado highlights from last November showcase what Tompkins brings to the table: elite-level reflexes, bravery, and erratic - if not reckless - footwork and positioning. She’s set to join fellow American goalkeeper Hannah Seabert at a club who has hopes of returning to the Champions League. If Tompkins can clean up her game, instead of solely relying on her athleticism, she can become a success story for all “raw” goalkeeper everywhere. If not, the professional level won’t be shy at exposing her faults.
41. Samantha Murphy, 23 - North Carolina
42. Megan Hinz, 24 - Sky Blue #
43. Kate Mason, 24 - Telge United FF (Sweden.3)
44. Ella Dederick, 23 - Chicago Red Stars #
47. Kelsey Dossey, 23 - Espanyol (Spain.1)
46. Katie Lund, 23 - Washington Spirit
47. Nathalie Nidetch, 23 - Hapoel Ra'Anana (Israel.2)
48. Devon Kerr, 23 - Washington Spirit
49. Hillary Beall, 21 - University of Michigan
50. Brooke Heinsohn, 22 - Duke University
One to Watch: Brooke Heinsohn. Duke’s rising senior goalkeeper isn’t short of possessing an impressive resume. Heinsohn has been featured at every level of the USYNT, including the Women's U-23 La Mange Tournament in the spring of 2018 and the 2016 U20 World Cup. However, Heinsohn’s collegiate career has yet to match her success with the US national teams. After Duke had made multiple trips to the College Cup in 2011 and 2015, Duke was bounced in a 4-1 loss to Georgetown in the sweet sixteen with Heinsohn’s first season as a starter (2018) and then upset by Wisconsin the following year in a 1-0 loss (2019). An early matchup against UNC last fall shows the highs and lows in Heinsohn’s game. She simultaneously displays a great awareness for plays unfolding (see the strong save at 0:30 in the linked video) but her stiffness in the box can complicate the needed handling and footwork to make a save. It seems pretty clear that Heinsohn is on track to be one of the few college goalkeepers to carve out a professional career, but the goal that ended Duke’s ACC tournament run against Virginia is the litmus test on how unsuccessful Heinsohn’s post-collegiate career will be. If she can clean up her mechanics and fluidness in front of goal, expect her to run away with every postseason award. If not, Duke’s backup Ruthie Jones might be stealing the spotlight sooner than later.
51. Mikayla Krzeczowski, 22 - FC Jumonji Ventus (Japan.1)
52. Melissa Lowder, 23 - Utah Royals #
53. Shelby Hogan, 22 - Providence College
54. Kelly O'Brien, 24 - Diósgyőri VTK (Hungary.1)
55. Shae Yanez, 23 - Santa Teresa (Spain.2)
56. Brittany Wilson, 22 - Orlando Pride #
57. Cosette Morche, 22 - Eskilstuna United (Sweden.2)
58. Kaylie Collins, 22 - USC
59. Danielle Etzel, 22 - Vllaznia (Albania.1)
60. Jaelyn Cunningham, 22 - Orlando Pride #
One to Watch: Shelby Hogan. Hogan enters the scene as an intriguing prospect. She doesn’t possess the typically desired athleticism that NWSL teams are looking for yet she has the mechanics and game sense that college goalkeepers rarely possess. Hogan’s shutout performance against Butler illustrates this for those unfamiliar with the Providence senior. The opening clip of her top hand save isn’t pure athleticism making the save. Her positioning, footwork, and impeccable technique are the reason why she makes that play look easy, (not to mention I don’t think anyone assumes that’s Hogan’s first attempt at tipping a ball over the bar). Hogan’s movement can get a little overdone with excessive re-positioning, but at this point in her career, it’s much easier to reel it back than try to ramp it up. Unfortunately, Providence doesn’t offer a ton of exposure for Hogan, who has yet to make the national tournament. If a NWSL or European club is willing to roll the dice on Hogan, despite not having the resume as other goalkeepers, they won’t be disappointed. Otherwise, next season might be the end of the road for Hogan’s goalkeeping journey.