Alabama Soccer Makes History with Three Players Selected in NWSL Draft
It was a historical season for Wes Hart and Alabama soccer that ended with a regular season SEC championship and a run all the way to the semifinals in the College Cup.
Thursday night, the historical success of the season carried over to the professional level when three Crimson Tide players were selected in the National Women's Soccer League draft.
Defender Reyna Reyes became the first player ever selected in the first round when Portland Thorns FC picked her fifth overall. Midfielder Riley Tanner and forward Riley Parker heard their names called with back-to-back picks in third round with Tanner selected 30th overall by the Washington Spirit and Parker going 31st by Racing Louisville FC. Parker was in attendance at the draft and was interviewed live on the broadcast.
Reyes started all four years with the Crimson Tide, finishing her career with 16 goals. After transferring over from South Carolina, Tanner had eight goals and 11 assists, including eight this past season. Parker had a record-breaking season for the Crimson Tide coming back from an ACL injury. In the 2022 season, she set the Alabama record for single-season goals (17), points (41) and game-winning goals (7.)
Alabama was one of three schools to have at least three players drafted alongside Duke and Florida State. It was the first time any SEC school had at least three players drafted since 2015.
Prior to Thursday night, only one Alabama player had ever been drafted into the NWSL, showing the leaps and bounds the program has made under Hart. Celia Jiménez Delgado (Orlando Pride) and Nealy Martin (NJ/NY Gotham FC) are the only former Alabama players currently in the NWSL.
See also:
2022-23 SEC Men's Basketball Power Rankings: Week 10
Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball at Arkansas
