Orlando Pride selected two players in Thursday’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft, adding midfielders Erin Greening and Marisa Viggiano at McCormick Place in Chicago. The Pride selected Greening in the third round (No. 25 overall) and Viggiano in the fourth round (No. 30 overall).
“For us, we wanted to find the best available [player] while also trying to fill a position of need,” Orlando Pride General Manager Erik Ustruck said. “I think Erin possesses versatility, she’s very powerful and gets up and down the line. So that’s something that we’re looking for. Marisa brings a little bit more of a possession-oriented type player. She could be a pivot player, she has the ability to link up between the different lines and she can play with both feet. So she’s also a bit of that dynamic player that we were looking for.”
Greening, 21, comes to the Pride following four years at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Over four seasons with the Buffaloes, Greening totaled 74 appearances, with two goals and four assists. During her freshman season, Greening played forward, with two goals - both coming as game-winners. After making the switch to outside back during her freshman year, the California native led Colorado to two NCAA appearances. In 2017, the Greening anchored backline set a school record with 14 shutouts and a .61 goals against average.
Viggiano, 21, is a product of Northwestern University. The midfielder finished her career at Northwestern University with 20 career assists, tied for second most in school history, as well as an 83-game appearance record, which ranks as the team’s third longest span all-time. A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, Viggiano led the Wildcats in assists three of her four seasons and served as team captain in her final two years. In her senior campaign, Viggiano was named to the MAC Hermann Watch List and was a United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team selection.
A native of Troy, Michigan, Viggiano has also previously been called in with the U.S. U-20 and U-16 youth national teams.
The Pride will begin their fourth season in the NWSL in early April. Season ticket memberships and group tickets are available at orlando-pride.com/tickets or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
Erin Greening
Position: Midfield
Height: 5-7
Born: June 20, 1997 in San Francisco, Calif.
Hometown: Piedmont, Calif.
College: University of Colorado, Boulder
Citizenship: USA
Marisa Viggiano (vih-GEE-ah-no)
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-4
Born: February 5, 1997 in Troy, Mich.
Hometown: Macomb Township, Mich.
College: Northwestern University
Citizenship: USA
