UKWS Alumna Courtney Raetzman Enters 2016 NWSL Draft

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s soccer alumna Courtney Raetzman, who completed her senior season with UK this fall, has elected to enter next week’s 2016 National Women’s Soccer League draft, it was announced on Thursday afternoon. 

The 2016 NWSL Draft will be conducted on Friday, Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. ET from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention in Baltimore, Md., at the Baltimore Convention Center. Raetzman will be looking to become the second UK player drafted in as many years, following in the footsteps of Arin Gilliland, who was selected eighth overall in the first round by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2015 draft. 

A total of 145 women have entered next week’s draft, which will consist of 40 players selected from the field. Expansion franchise, the Orlando Pride traded its No. 1 overall pick to the Portland Thorns, as Portland will have the first two picks in the draft. The draft will be four rounds, with 10 picks per round. The order can be found below.

Raetzman, a native of Elk Grove, Ill., started all 70 games that she appeared in during her four years in Lexington, playing over 6,000 minutes on the pitch, good for a top-10 spot all-time at UK in minutes played. She scored 12 goals, had 16 assists, and registered over 100 shots in her time in the Bluegrass. 

She was named to the Southeastern Conference’s All-Freshman Team in her rookie campaign in 2012, before an MCL injury sidelined her for the second half of the 2013 season, where she was on pace to set multiple career highs. She returned to full force in 2014 to become First Team All-SEC for the first time in her career, joining Gilliland and three others as UK’s five representatives on the SEC postseason teams that season. 

In 2015, Raetzman was named First Team All-SEC for the first time in her career after scoring three goals, including the game-winner against No. 20 Washington in the season opening match, assisting on seven goals and tallying a total of 13 points on 24 shots. She started all 20 games of her senior campaign and drew the eye of many of the nation’s best soccer minds along the way. 

Rd   Pk Team

1 1 Portland Thorns FC (via ORL)

1 2 Portland Thorns FC ( via BOS) 

1 3 Sky Blue FC

1 4 Seattle Reign FC (via WNYF)

1 5 Houston Dash ( via SRFC/PTFC)

1 6 Houston Dash  

1 7 Washington Spirit

1 8 FC Kansas City

1 9 Western New York Flash (CRS)

1 10 Portland Thorns FC (via SRFC)

   

2 11 Western New York Flash (ORL)

2 12 Washington Spirit (via BOS)

2 13 Sky Blue FC

2 14 Western New York Flash

2 15 Orlando Pride (via FCKC/WAS/PTFC)

2 16 FC Kansas City (via WAS/PTFC/HOU)

2 17 Boston Breakers (via CRS/WAS) 

2 18 FC Kansas City

2 19 Chicago Red Stars  

2 20 Washington Spirit (via BOS/PTFC/BOS/SRFC)

   

3 21 Portland Thorns FC (ORL)

3 22 Chicago Red Stars (via BOS)

3 23 Sky Blue FC

3 24 Western New York Flash

3 25 Seattle Reign FC (via PTFC)

3 26 Western New York Flash (via HOU)

3 27 Chicago Red Stars (via WAS) 

3 28 FC Kansas City

3 29 Chicago Red Stars 

3 30 Seattle Reign FC  

   

4 31 Orlando Pride

4 32 Boston Breakers

4 33 Sky Blue FC

4 34 Washington Spirit (via WNYF)

4 35 Boston Breakers (via PTFC) 

4 36 Sky Blue FC (HOU)

4 37 Washington Spirit

4 38 FC Kansas City

4 39 Chicago Red Stars

4 40 Seattle Reign FC

For the latest on the Kentucky women’s soccer team, follow @UKWomensSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.