On January 13, the Boston Breakers, under new head coach Lisa Cole, selected four players in the WPS draft at the NSCAA Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. Former head coach Tony DiCicco departed in September and his long-time assistant Cole took the reins.
The four draft picks
With their first selection (3rd overall), the Breakers drafted forward Stephanie Ochs, 5'9, of the University of San Diego. Ochs scored 25 goals and added 31 assists in her four-year career, led San Diego to the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and was a two-time NSCAA All-America selection.
“A lot of people are excited about [Stephanie Ochs] and her potential," said Cole. "She has great athleticism. She is somebody who has taken her team and made them better."
With their second pick (11th overall), the Breakers selected forward Courtney Jones, 5'8, of the University of North Carolina. Jones scored 36 goals and 32 assists in her college career and led the Tar Heels to two NCAA Championships. She is one of 19 players in UNC history to score more than 30 goals and have more than 30 assists.
With their third pick (16th overall), the Breakers chose defender Melinda Mercado from Oklahoma State University. A 2011 NSCAA First-Team All-America selection, Merardo started 26 games at center back in 2011 and played more than 2,300 minutes.
With their fourth pick (20th overall), the Breakers selected local product Jessica Luscinski, a two-time America East Striker of the Year with Boston University. The Bedford, New Hampshire native scored 29 goals and 24 assists in her career for the Terriers.
Click here for the complete WPS 2012 draft results.
Other new Boston signings
The Breakers have signed three players so far in the offseason:
Heather O’Reilly: U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder, who played the first three years in WPS with Sky Blue FC
Cat Whitehill: Olympic gold medalist defender one of the most capped defenders with the U.S.
Kyah Simon: Australian Women’s National Team 20 year-old World Cup striker, currently playing for Sydney FC of the Westfield W-League in Australia.
All players will report to preseason on March 1, 2012. Opening weekend is tentatively scheduled for April 14-15.
Breakers roster per Jan. 13 (14 players)
Keepers
Alyssa Naeher
Kati-Jo Spisak
Defenders
Taryn Hemmings
Elli Reed
Alex Scott (co-captain)
Cat Whitehill
Midfielders
Meghan Klingenberg
Megan Mischler
Heather O’Reilly
Leslie Osborne (co-captain)
Kelly Smith
Keelin Winters
Forwards
Katie Schoepfer
Kyah Simon
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