Five Prospects to Know for the 2023 NWSL Draft

Teams will make their selections on Jan. 12, with over 100 players officially declared.

While some women’s soccer fans might still be rewatching UCLA’s dramatic comeback in NCAA final on loop, it’s almost time for the NWSL draft.

The 2023 draft, which will include four rounds, takes place Jan. 12 in Philadelphia. Players must register by Jan. 9—the league’s live registration list is being updated on a rolling basis. While no one from the Bruins’ championship team has declared yet, there are more than 100 players who have officially put their names in the pool for the 48 spots in this year’s draft.

Recent top picks have fared well in the league: Sophia Smith, who was No. 1 in 2020, was named MVP this season; and Naomi Girma, who was the top pick last year, was an immediate standout as both Defender and Rookie of the Year.

While there doesn’t seem to be a clear consensus as to who might go No. 1 this time around, there is plenty of talent to choose from. Here are five prospects to know ahead of the 2023 NWSL draft.

Izzy D’Aquila (Forward): Santa Clara University

If your team needs someone who can consistently find the back of the net, look no further than D’Aquila. Tied for second in the NCAA this season with 19 goals, D’Aquila has 50 career goals in 78 appearances. Her most memorable might be the PK she nailed in the 2020 championship (played in the spring of ’21) to secure the title for the Broncos. 

D’Aquila started her collegiate career without missing a beat, scoring a school-record 15 goals her freshman year. And she hasn’t really slowed down since. Even with teams constantly trying to slow her down, the striker has found ways to outsmart her opponents and become more technical about how she plays the game. She would be a lethal addition to any team.

Messiah Bright (Forward): TCU

With 49 goals in her career at TCU, Bright is a prolific striker who will add depth to whichever team takes her. Bright stayed healthy during her collegiate career, missing just a handful of games in her five seasons with the Horned Frogs. The 5'9" forward became TCU’s all-time leader in career points in 2021 and took the team to five straight NCAA tournaments, bringing the program to a new level of success. Bright also played for the U.S. U-23 women’s youth national team this summer.

Reyna Reyes (Defender): Alabama

Anchoring Alabama’s backline to 12 shutouts this year, MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and SEC Defender of the Year Reyes is coming off her best season with the Crimson Tide.

As Alabama notched a program-record 23 wins, Reyes scored a career-high eight goals, including Alabama’s game-winning goal against Duke in the quarterfinals of the women’s College Cup.

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Reyes has also played at the international level, making her debut on the Mexican women’s national team in 2021. She’s had four caps with the squad, most recently at the ’22 Concacaf championship.

Emily Madril (Defender): Formerly FSU

After deciding to forgo her senior season at FSU because of frustrations with the school’s hiring process for a new coach, Madril signed a contract directly with the NWSL through 2025 to ensure her draft eligibility for ’23. Since then, the former Seminole defender has been on a short-term loan with BK Häcken FF of the Swedish Damallsvenskan, where she has scored one goal in four appearances. After back-to-back ACL tears forced her to miss the ’18 and ’19 seasons, Madril became a staple on the FSU’s backline. During the Seminoles’ ’21 championship run, she missed just nine minutes the entire season and helped record 14 shutouts, five of which came in the NCAA tournament.

Croix Bethune (Midfielder): USC

While Bethune has yet to decide on the 2023 draft (as of publication), we’d be remiss to exclude the midfielder from this list. The USC senior has racked up numerous accolades in the last couple of seasons: two-time first-team All-American, two-time semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and two-time Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year, to name a few. At 5’3”, Bethune mixes her speed with an ability to see a play through. With 26 career goals and 23 career assists, Bethune will have an immediate impact on whoever takes her.