COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M All-American Ally Watt was selected by the North Carolina Courage in the first round of the 2020 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft on Thursday afternoon.
Selected with the No. 6 overall pick, Watt became the highest overall selection in Aggie history. She also became the Maroon & White’s first-ever first round pick. Shea Groom set Texas A&M’s previous standard in 2014 when she was chosen in the second round by FC Kansas City with the 12th overall selection. Meghan Streight (2nd round – 16th pick) and Bianca Brinson (3rd round – 24th pick) were also chosen in the 2014 draft.
The North Carolina Courage won the 2019 NWSL title with a 4-0 rout of the Chicago Red Stars in the championship game. They also won the NWSL Shield for posting the best regular-season mark (49 points – 15-5-4). Former A&M Soccer standout Merritt Mathias will be in her third year the Courage. She ranks fourth on the NWSL all-time list for matches played with 138 in eight seasons.
In December, Watt became the Aggies’ first repeat First-Team All-American. She became the seventh Aggie to receive multiple All-America honors from the United Soccer Coaches.
The SEC Forward of the Year, Watt led the league in points (39) and goals (16). She added seven assists, which ranked seventh in the league. Nationally, she ranked 12th in goals and 11th in points despite missing two matches. Watt earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week on two occasions in 2019 and garnered National Player of the Week recognition from USC following a six-goal weekend. In SEC play, she registered a league-leading 22 points on 10 goals and two assists, earning All-SEC First Team honors for the third consecutive season.