Alabama Soccer Makes History with Three Players Selected in NWSL Draft

Reyna Reyes, Riley Tanner and Riley Parker all heard their names called Thursday night, marking the first time in program history that Alabama had multiple players drafted.

Katie Windham | Jan 12, 2023

It was a historical season for Wes Hart and Alabama soccer that ended with a regular season SEC championship and a run all the way to the semifinals in the College Cup.

Thursday night, the historical success of the season carried over to the professional level when three Crimson Tide players were selected in the National Women's Soccer League draft.

Defender Reyna Reyes became the first player ever selected in the first round when Portland Thorns FC picked her fifth overall. Midfielder Riley Tanner and forward Riley Parker heard their names called with back-to-back picks in third round with Tanner selected 30th overall by the Washington Spirit and Parker going 31st by Racing Louisville FC. Parker was in attendance at the draft and was interviewed live on the broadcast.

Reyes started all four years with the Crimson Tide, finishing her career with 16 goals. After transferring over from South Carolina, Tanner had eight goals and 11 assists, including eight this past season. Parker had a record-breaking season for the Crimson Tide coming back from an ACL injury. In the 2022 season, she set the Alabama record for single-season goals (17), points (41) and game-winning goals (7.)

Alabama was one of three schools to have at least three players drafted alongside Duke and Florida State. It was the first time any SEC school had at least three players drafted since 2015.

Prior to Thursday night, only one Alabama player had ever been drafted into the NWSL, showing the leaps and bounds the program has made under Hart. Celia Jiménez Delgado (Orlando Pride) and Nealy Martin (NJ/NY Gotham FC) are the only former Alabama players currently in the NWSL.

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Published Jan 12, 2023

KATIE WINDHAM

Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports.