Women’s Soccer: Blank Drafted in WPS
January 15, 2010 02:59 PM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
January 15, 2010
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University women’s soccer player Carolyn Blank was drafted in the fifth round of the 2010 Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft Friday afternoon by the St. Louis Athletica.
“I’m very happy right now and am very thankful for the opportunity to compete against the best players in soccer,” says Blank. “The St. Louis organization actually called me and let me listen to the announcement on speaker phone. It was really neat and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
The WPS is the world’s premier soccer league for women with nine teams across the United States featuring the best players from around the world. WPS completed its inaugural season in August 2009 with Sky Blue FC of New Jersey winning the first-ever WPS Championship.
“There are a lot of different emotions right now but it’s an exciting time,” says Blank of furthering her career at the next level. “I love the game so much and to be able to continue playing is really special.”
Blank, a defensive center midfielder, was recently named a second team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for the second-straight year. She led the Mountaineers to a 10th-straight NCAA tournament appearance in 2009, scoring nine points on the season and helping the team post 13 shutouts.
Blank notched the fastest goal in West Virginia’s 10-year NCAA tournament history, leading WVU past Loyola University Maryland in NCAA Championship first-round action on Nov. 13. She headed in a corner kick only 89 seconds into the match to give the Mountaineers an early 1-0 lead. The goal was the fastest of the season for WVU and the second-fastest ever in 14 seasons of Mountaineer soccer.
A Toms River, N.J., native, Blank is the school’s all-time leader in matches started and played with 92. A two-time team captain, Blank was named a 2009 all-BIG EAST first-team selection and NSCAA first team all-Northeast region selection. She was also named to TopDrawerSoccer’s Team of the Season third team – its version of national All-America recognition.
The 2010 WPS Draft consists of seven rounds with two expansion teams, the Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence, each receiving an extra selection at the end of the first round.
The Athletica is a founding member of the WPS. In their inaugural season St. Louis Athletica finished in second place during the regular season and reached the WPS Super Semifinal.
Blank is the fifth Mountaineer to be drafted professionally. Former Mountaineers Katie Barnes and Rachel Kruze played in the WUSA (2001-03) while Greer Barnes and Lisa Stoia played in the WPS last season.
