WSOC1/12/2017 4:41 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Onumonu, Ship Taken In NWSL Draft
LOS ANGELES --- Newly minted California women's soccer alums Ifeoma Onumonu and Arielle Ship have been selected as part of the 2017 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft, which concluded Thursday afternoon during the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Los Angeles.
Onumonu was taken with the eighth overall pick of the drafted by the Boston Breakers while Ship was selected by Seattle Reign FC in the third round with the 26th overall pick.
Onumonu, a native of Rancho Cucamonga, completed an outstanding career in Berkeley with a 2016 campaign that saw her score ten goals (second on the team), add three assists and claim NSCAA All-Pacific & All-Pac-12 First Team honors. For her career, Onumonu registered the fifth most goals (33) and fourth most points (83) in Cal history, earned All-Pac-12, NSCAA and Pac-12 All-Academic honors three times apiece, and take Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2012. Onumonu's selection sets a new mark for Cal in the five-year history of the NWSL as the highest drafted Golden Bear to enter the league; Samantha Witteman was chosen tenth overall by the Orlando Pride in the 2016 iteration of the draft.
'Ifeoma is a special talent and ranks as one of the best pure athletes I have ever seen in the women's game," Cal head coach Neil McGuire said of Onumonu. "It has been fun to watch her progress in her soccer development and I am excited for her future. From her first season where she was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, she has always pushed herself to be better. To see her in both the U-20 and now U-23 National Team camp is rewarding and I know she will prove a difficult matchup in the professional ranks for her opponents. Our program was lucky to have her."
"I would just like to say thank you to Boston for choosing me and allowing me to further my career," Onumonu said after being drafted. "NWSL, thank you for giving me this opportunity to play beyond college. It's really exciting and I'm really excited for a new start. Thank you to my coaches Neil [McGuire] and Chris [Lemay] for being here, seeing me through my injuries and everything. Thank you to my family as well, I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you."
Ship led the Bears in goals (11), assists (6) and points (28) for the second consecutive season en route to a second straight All-Pac-12 and NSCAA All-Region selection. The first-ever Pac-12 Player of the Year from Cal, Ship finished her career seventh all-time in Golden Bear history with 29 goals while adding 72 points. The Westlake Village native was also an NSCAA All-American during her POY campaign of 2015.
"Ari has been a true pleasure to coach and having her in our Cal program was a privilege," McGuire said of Ship. "She is a natural goal scorer and proved she was one of the best forwards in the nation over these last two years. Her progression from U-17 National Team, to Pac-12 Player of the Year and NSCAA All-American came through her dedication to outwork others and be committed to excellence. It is rewarding see her drafted and hopefully she will go on to a great career in the professional ranks. Â I am very proud of her"
"I would like to thank the Seattle Reign for drafting me. I hope I don't disappoint you guys. I would like to thank my University. My coaches, my teammates, the staff at Cal have been amazing. I'd like to thank everyone that's helped me through my youth and club years and I'd really like to thank my family. My mom and my sisters have been amazing."
The fifth season of the NWSL is scheduled to begin in April.
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