Virginia soccer standout Talia Staude was selected in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft on Friday.
Staude, a defender, was taken with the 24th pick in the draft by the North Carolina Courage.
“So incredibly thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started!” Staude posted to her Twitter account on Friday after her name had been called.
Staude logged 8,794 minutes on the back line in her five years at UVA – the second most minutes played by any player in program history.
She appeared in 103 games with 95 starts for the Cavaliers and helped anchor a defense that posted 56 shutouts across her career.
“We could not be more excited for Talia as she has worked hard over the years to develop and prepare for the next level. It is great to see her get drafted and start a new journey with the North Carolina Courage and the NWSL,” UVA coach Steve Swanson said.
Virginia has now had 22 players taken in the NWSL Draft in the 11-year history of the event. Staude joins fellow Virginia players Caroline Miller, Molly Menchel, Annie Steinlage, Shasta Fisher, Morgan Brian, Danielle Colaprico, Emily Sonnett, Makenzy Doniak, Brittany Ratcliffe, Alexis Shaffer, Kristen McNabb, Veronica Latsko, Betsy Brandon, Courtney Petersen, Phoebe McClernon, Zoe Morse, Alissa Gorzak, Taryn Torres and Diana Ordoñez as NWSL draft selections.
Virginia has had at least one player selected in every NWSL Draft. The Cavaliers are one of two teams to have a player taken in every NWSL Draft along with Stanford.
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Chris Graham
