The Orlando Pride added three players in the team’s first ever NWSL SuperDraft, selecting defender Samantha Witteman of California, midfielder Christina Burkenroad of Cal State-Fullerton and midfield Dani Weatherholt of Santa Clara.
The Orlando Pride had traded the top overall pick to acquire superstar striker Alex Morgan. Still, the Pride picked up three quality players they will likely rely on as they continue to build depth and build their roster for their inaugural season.
“We were really delighted with the picks that we made in today’s College Draft,” said coach Tom Sermanni in a press release. “We didn’t think that we’d get three players of that quality when we had the 10th, 15th and 31st picks, so I think we got the types of players that we want and the quality of players that we want.”
Witteman was a first-team All-Pac-12 player and a NSCAA All-American, becoming California’s 14th All-American player. While she is listed as a defender, she proved her versatility, playing seven different positions last season for the Golden Bears, scoring four goals as an outside back.
This is a surreal moment. I am so incredibly thankful and excited to start my professional career with @ORLPride pic.twitter.com/7f5kR2KCcA
— Samantha Witteman (@swittyyy) January 15, 2016
Witteman’s versatility will make her a very valuable player, as Sermanni told Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel:
Something caught my eye about her. What I like about her is her ability to dribble, I saw her go past people, I saw her get in good positions to go past people. The types of players we are looking for in this draft are those who can make an impact quickly from an attacking perspective. I think with the skillset she’s got she can do that, and I think she’s pretty flexible.
Burkenroad scored 11 goals and dished out 11 assists for Cal State-Fullerton and was named to the NSCAA All-West Region first team. Weatherholt was a NSCAA All-West Region honorable mention and All-WCC first team player, scoring two goals and three assists as a defensive midfielder.
The Orlando Pride are still building up their roster with just 16 players on the roster. Things are almost complete. All three rookies should figure prominently for Orlando this inaugural season.
