Wilmington's Olivia Wingate Picked No. 6 In NWSL Draft

Philadelphia, NC — After a breakout fifth season at the University of Notre Dame, Wilmington native Olivia Wingate was the No. 6 overall pick in Thursday's National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Draft by the North Carolina Courage.

Wingate, a forward who played two years of varsity soccer at Wilmington High School, scored 14 goals this past fall for a Notre Dame team that reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

The 5-foot-7 Wingate was named First Team All-ACC and a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American in 2022.

In her collegiate career, Wingate had 26 goals and 11 assists, including seven goals as a junior. Wingate was a Third Team All-ACC selection after that 2021 season.

Wingate was one of two Fighting Irish players taken in the NWSL Draft, which was held in Philadelphia. Midfielder/defender Bri Martinez was a second-round pick of Racing Louisville.

"We are so proud of Liv and Bri and excited to watch them begin their pro careers," Notre Dame head coach Nate Norman said. "It will be fun to watch them join the rest of the ND alums playing professional soccer. Our goal is to provide an environment where our players can continue their soccer careers long after college and it's great to see that happen."

At the draft, a reporter asked Wingate if she had a message for the fans in North Carolina.

"I'm super excited to get started, I'm a hard worker and I'm ready to get going," Wingate said.

The Courage (9 wins, 8 losses, 5 ties) finished seventh in the 12-team NWSL last year. The team had four first-round draft picks Thursday and also selected defensive midfielder Sydney Collins from Cal (8th), midfielder Clara Robbins from Florida State (9th) and forward Haley Hopkins from Virginia (11th).

"I think that was our main thing, how do we add depth," Courage head coach Sean Nahas said. "If we can go through all the lines (defense, midfield, forward) and add pieces of the puzzle and get to where we want to be in those areas, that adds a little bit of a competitive nature to what we're doing. A lot of the players (we drafted) have won championships, so have a winning pedigree. I think we did a great job."

The NWSL is scheduled to begin its 11th season on March 25, and will run until mid-November.

As a junior at Wilmington High, Wingate scored 17 goals and was an NSCAA All-New England and NSCAA All-State selection.