PHILADELPHIA — The Garnet and Gold were well represented Thursday night at the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) draft as three former Florida State Soccer players were selected in the first round of the draft.
Emily Madril was selected third overall by the Orlando Pride.
Jenna Nighswonger immediately followed her as she was selected by the NY/NJ Gotham FC with the fourth overall pick.
The North Carolina Courage selected Clara Robbins with the ninth overall pick to round out the night for the Seminoles.
“It’s a great night to be a Nole. All three players have worked tirelessly to get themselves to this moment. They have all gone through hard times, but they have persevered through it all. Having all three of them having their names called in the first round is truly special,” head soccer coach Brian Pensky said.
Florida State was one of two teams to have multiple players selected in the first round of the draft joining ACC counterpart Virginia. However, the Seminoles were the only team to have three players selected in the first round and no other team had more than two players selected in the first two rounds of the draft.
As a group, these three Seminoles helped Florida State to two national titles and four ACC Tournament titles. They combined to score 42 career goals and tallied 66 assists throughout their career.
