How many players get drafted from the pool? 20%? Anyone know how many drafted make the actual roster? My bet, 15%. Or, the attrition rate of the NWSL that allows for open slots? I think the teams are capped at 24 for the roster. Length of contract? My uneducated glance at the NWSL is that it is very difficult to make a roster and I don't see very many SEC players in it.
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56 players drafted out of registered pool of 202, I think, so a bit over 25 percent get drafted. And, yea, of the 56, most will not make an NWSL roster. I'd guess between 15 and 20 out of the 56 make a roster--just a guess. It's not many every year. The draft used to be only 2 rounds--and even then very few made a roster because there were only 9 teams. Now there are, what, 12 teams---not sure--but the addition of new franchises has opened more roster spots for college players, but still tough.
Sorry Thomas didn't get drafted, but not totally surprised. I thought she might go in the last round--but her latest injury was surely an issue, and I wouldn't call her a prototypical forward in the first place. If she's healthy and fit, she probably will get a undrafted free agent invite by one team--but is she healthy and fit? I don't know. Or she could look for an overseas spot. Cousins didn't even register for the draft, sat out a year--why, I'm not sure--then signed with an Iceland team. Did Vignola even get drafted? Seems crazy that she wouldn't have--but I don't recall her getting drafted and she, too, ended up signing with an Icelandic team, as did Marcano. So maybe Iceland is in Thomas's future.
Otherwise, according to Chris Henderson, those who registered and who still have college eligibility left have 72 hours to notify the athletic department of their wish to return to the college team. So we'll see what Thomas decides.
It /was/ a poor night for the SEC--a very poor night, I would say. Very few picked. One from Georgia went early in the first, then Arkansas had a couple mixed in. Was that it? I'd have to scan the list again, but very few.
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What group from Texas are you referring to?
18 of the first 42 players drafted were from ACC teams. That's nearly half--crazy. ACC fans are chortling about it on another soccer board. Certainly a lot of it is just recruiting--In FSU and UNC you certainly have two of the top 4 programs in the country, and one could argue that they are THE top 2 programs. Throw in Notre Dame (2 players picked in the first round), Clemson (same, I think), UVA, Duke, Pitt and all the rest. And now they're getting Stanford as well (which is a reflection of how stupid college athletics as become with every school chasing football TV rights money like grayhounds after a race-track rabbit.) And it's not just recruiting and players: The ACC easily has the strongest collection of coaches in the country, who know how to get the most out of their teams and their individual players, which helps their draft potential.
It's a powerhouse conference--and yet what's absolutely nuts is that the SEC had more teams in the NCAA than the ACC last year, thanks to the weirdness of RPI. We weren't very good---but we got in and both UVA and Duke didn't. And it wasn't like we had a bunch of strong teams---we didn't. And we've been right up there with the ACC with respect to most teams in the NCAA in several recent years. It's clear that the SEC has been gaining ground--SEC teams have beaten good ACC teams; we should have beaten Duke a couple of years ago. But in terms of overall quality--tradition of winning, coaching quality, academics, recruiting--the SEC is still noticeably behind, and may always be. We've got some good coaches in the conference---Hale has made Arkansas the best program in the conference even as he plays a schoolyard style of soccer, and the husband-wife team at SC consistently overachieve, though they don't seem to be great recruiters. Georgia made a home-run hire by getting the former Southern Cal coach, and that's the type of boldness required.
I'd like to think that the SEC could be the 2nd best conference in the country. The Big10 has added two powerhouses in USC and UCLA, and it's got Penn State. But after that it doesn't especially impress me. Nebraska was, what, Big10 co-champ last year, and they didn't wow me. Even with our issues, we could have won that match. But then we don't have any programs at the level of UCLA, Southern Cal and Pa. State. They've got better protrams at the top but I think the SEC might be a bit stronger overall, top to bottom. I think we need to raise the level of our soccer: You can put a bunch of good athletes on the field and make it difficult for your opponent, but ultimately you need athleticism mixed with skills and excellent soccer to be really good. Let's do it!
I think you hit the nail on the head!
AK is interesting. Hale is an arrogant ass, never understood why he presents himself that way - even during recruiting. AK is like the bully on the playground that rules the yard until someone stands up and punches back, then they fold. They implode when the opponents line of confrontation pushes back hard and the other team takes on an offensive stature instead of defensive -'...sure, hope we can stop them...'. It's like an air assault in combat, the attacker hopes you will just bunker in and survive, but when the attacked comes to the fight with an offensive priority, well, the plan fizzles. UGA got it, Pensky got it. Remember what Pensky told the team at half time during the SEC final? 'We will not back down, it's time to press the gas!' I'm sure it was more colorful than that.
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Yanez and Bristol City lost a tough one to Liverpool today, 0-1. According to the Bristol City coach, her team was
the better side in all respects (possession, shots, SOG) but the one that matters--putting the ball in the net. Liverpool
apparently had only 1 SOG in the match--and scored on it, a header off a corner at 85'. Tough luck. Certainly, Bristol
City does not have the player budget that most of the other WSL clubs have, so every game is tough and they are facing
relegation if they don't soon win at least a couple of matches, at least. I think there's still quite a few games to play. It would tough on Yanez
if BC were to get relegated, as she'd be back in the 2nd league that she was in with the London Lions (I think that's the name)
for a few years before going to San Diego.
the better side in all respects (possession, shots, SOG) but the one that matters--putting the ball in the net. Liverpool
apparently had only 1 SOG in the match--and scored on it, a header off a corner at 85'. Tough luck. Certainly, Bristol
City does not have the player budget that most of the other WSL clubs have, so every game is tough and they are facing
relegation if they don't soon win at least a couple of matches, at least. I think there's still quite a few games to play. It would tough on Yanez
if BC were to get relegated, as she'd be back in the 2nd league that she was in with the London Lions (I think that's the name)
for a few years before going to San Diego.
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Zazzara Juggles Soccer and Engineering Studies
No matter how many accolades she receives on the soccer field, Ally Zazzara doesn’t expect anyone to recognize her when she walks into the classroom each day. The redshirt sophomore mechanical engineering major keeps a relatively low profile aside from her University of Tennessee soccer backpack.
“I definitely don’t project as a soccer player in class,” Zazzara said. “I am not one to speak up. I sit in the front row, takes notes, and go on my way. I am not a big celebrity, and I don’t think anyone outside of a few of my friends even know I play for the team.”
Zazzara’s profile in the athletic world grew last fall after helping the Lady Vols finish the season strong with her goalkeeping abilities.
Zazzara was named College Soccer News Women’s National Player of the Week following her performance against No. 17 Xavier, where she recorded a career-high 15 saves to help secure a 1-0 double-overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Georgia native played the full 110 minutes and tied the program single-game saves record set by Sarah Shivley in 1996.
Zazzara appeared in all 20 games for UT this past season, making nine starts and finishing with 54 saves and a 0.740 save percentage. She did it all while balancing a heavy academic load with her engineering studies. The juggling act has been a constant learning curve since Zazzara arrived at UT in 2021.
“My freshman year I really struggled because I prioritize school, so if it comes to expensing a little less sleep to finish a homework assignment, you will find me in the library,” Zazzara said. “I am definitely going to dedicate time for school. But I think I did a better job of prioritizing my time this year so I can perform my best in both.”
Although Zazzara isn’t calculating the trajectory of shots on goal or conducting research during matches, it’s easy to tell she’s an engineering major through the way she operates on the field.
“She has an incredible explosive ability that allows her to pretty much be able to make any type of shot-stopping save, but I think the other piece that stands out about her is her incredible intellect,” UT goalkeeper coach Marty Baker said. “She processes things very quickly and keeps the defense organized in front of her. A lot of times how you use your mental attributes can separate you from a lot of goalkeepers out there.”
Despite the rigors of her classes, Zazzara never thought about majoring in anything but engineering.
“My dad is a machinal engineer and I have always been around it. It was the only thing I knew,” she said. “But it’s also where I fit with my logical thinking and planning out things. Once you talk to me, it makes sense why I want to be an engineer from the way I organize my thoughts and the way I speak.”
The UT soccer coaches never tried to dissuade Zazzara from pursuing an engineering degree during her recruiting process. They realized it may require some flexibility and occasional conflicts with classes and practices.
“The coaches were super receptive. They even had me meet with an engineering advisor on my visit,” Zazzara said. “I think people underestimate the amount of work you have to put into classes to get good grades. But they are very supportive of me being in engineering and the amount of work I have to do.”
Allowing student-athletes to chase all their academic and athletic goals simultaneously is something the UT soccer coaches prioritize.
“We obviously understand that while a player comes here for the opportunity to compete for championships on the field and play the game at a high level, they also come to get a high-level education,” Baker said. “It’s incredibly important, and if they want to benefit from a high-level engineering degree, as long as they are able to make it work, we are not going to discourage them from it.”
Zazzara, a two-sport athlete who excelled in soccer and basketball in high school, became a full-time goalkeeper in the fifth grade. She attended a soccer identification camp at UT and her high school goalkeeper coach was former Lady Vols goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson.
“Once I took my visit her, I committed because I fell in love with the school,” Zazzara said. “It just fit all the right things for me. It’s not too far from home, it has a big-school environment, great coaches and great academics.”
After spending the last two summers interning with Georgia Power, Zazzara will be staying in Knoxville this summer to serve an internship with American Accessories International.
“I am really excited for the opportunity to apply all I have learned in engineering. It’s structured, but also allows me to be creative with the design side,” Zazzara said. “It’s something I really wanted to do, to create things out of nothing and provide products and services for companies. It’s a very customer-facing role. It fits all the boxes.”
Zazzara is currently preparing for the spring season with the Lady Vols. Getting the chance to make clutch saves in big moments has filled her with more confidence and memories that will last a lifetime.
“It’s exactly why I came here to play,” she said. “My dad said, ‘if I had told you three years ago, you would be starting in the NCAA Tournament and playing games in the SEC Tournament and making all these huge saves, you would have immediately signed yes on a paper.’ If my soccer career ended tomorrow, it would be more than I ever imagined.”
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