SAN FRANCISCO, CA – (Monday, October 6, 2008) – Former Richmond Kickers Destiny (W-League) defender Becky Sauerbrunn was the third overall selection in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) General Draft held Monday. Drafted by the Washington Freedom, Sauerbrunn spent two seasons with the Destiny (2006, 2007) before joining the Freedom of the W-League in 2008. USL W-League players represented 24 of the 28 picks made in Monday’s WPS General Draft, which consisted of four rounds of selections between the seven WPS clubs.
Last season, Sauerbrunn helped guide the Freedom to a third place finish in the W-League after winning the Northeast Division with a record of 11-1-2. Defeating the Atlanta Silverbacks in overtime to claim the Eastern Conference title, the Freedom fell to the eventual champions Pail Blues in the W-League semifinals.
Sauerbrunn made 24 appearances over two seasons with the Richmond Kickers Destiny, logging 2,137 minutes in a Kickers uniform. A defensive stalwart, she also posed an offensive threat, notching three goals and one assist en route to Richmond’s back-to-back playoff berths. The 2007 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and three-time NSCAA All-American, Sauerbrunn anchored a University of Virginia defense that led the nation in goals against average (0.40) and set a school record with 15 shutouts. She was also named the 2007 NSCAA/adidas Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year, maintaining a 3.43 GPA with a major in English Language and Literature. A member of the U.S. Women’s National Team for the 2008 Four Nations Tournament, Sauerbrunn has represented the U.S. at the U-21, U-19 and U-16 levels, co-captaining the 2004 US U-19 squad in Thailand.
The mission of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is to be the premier women’s soccer league in the world and the global standard by which women’s professional sports are measured. Play kicks off in the spring of 2009, with WPS teams based in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Jersey/New York, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. The league will expand to eight teams by 2010 with the inclusion of Philadelphia. For more information, visit www.womensprosoccer.com.
