The 2024 draft was stacked with talent, in part owing to some players choosing to play an extra year due to COVID eligibility rules. It made selections more difficult than usual, and arguably some very quality players still remain unsigned.
All this to say that even though the Courage gave up two first-round picks in exchange for Ashley Sanchez, they had some great pickups later in the draft.
In brief:
Round 2 (24th overall): Defender Talia Staude
School: UVA
Position: Center back
Summary: Staude has plenty of experience, logging 8,794 minutes in her tenure, according to the school. She also served as captain for the 2018 U17 FIFA World Cup team. She’s had several goals as a defender in her college career.
Round 3 (40th overall): Defender Julia Dorsey
School: UNC
Position: Center back
Summary: Woo! A “hometown” pick. Julia Dorsey played both lacrosse and soccer during her college tenure. The UNC lacrosse team won a national championship in 2022, and the soccer team made it to the national championship in 2022. Dorsey missed the 2023 season due to injury. Another defender, Dorsey’s was part of a stingy defense. As UNC notes, the 2022 defense “allowed the third-fewest goals per game (0.756) in the ACC and posted the second-most shutouts in NCAA Division I (15).”
Round 4 (52nd overall): Landy Mertz
School: Pitt
Position: Midfield
Summary: Mertz joined teammate Amanda West as the first two people ever drafted from the University of Pittsburgh soccer program (West went to the Houston Dash at pick 36). Mertz scored 15 goals with 26 assists; she scored 4 goals and had 14 assists in her 2023 season, a record number of assists for Pitt.