Orlando Pride Add to Attack with Houston Dash’s Chioma Ubogagu

The Orlando Pride added another forward in the wake of Alex Morgan’s Lyon stint, acquiring former Arsenal Ladies forward Chioma Ubogagu from the Houston Dash in exchange for the club’s third round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft.

The Pride now have just one selection left in the 2018 draft, in the second round, after sending their natural first- and fourth-round picks to the Portland Thorns for forward Rachel Hill just five days ago.

“Chioma is a mobile, skilled player that has tremendous potential and possesses qualities that will be a big asset to our team,” Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni said in a club release. “With a history of success at Stanford and at the U-23 level, we’re happy to add another forward with a nose for the goal.”

Ubogagu, 24, joins the Pride after spending just one season in Houston, where she scored one goal with an assist in 15 appearances for the club last season. Prior to her stint in Texas, she spurned Sky Blue FC, which took her 28th overall in the 2015 NWSL draft, to return to her birthplace of London and sign with the Arsenal Ladies, where she notched seven goals in 21 appearances.

She’s the latest in a string of moves by the Pride over the last couple of weeks, starting with the acquisition of forward Hill from the Portland Thorns, and then defender Alanna Kennedy from the North Carolina Courage.

Ubogagu was named the Gatorade Texas Player of the Year in 2010 — an award handed out annually to the best high school athletes in the nation — before attending Stanford, where she was a teammate of Pride defender Cami Levin for one season and finished 10th all-time in program history in total points (goals and assists). She scored 27 goals with 35 assists in her Stanford career.

She helped lead the Cardinal to the 2011 NCAA Championship as a freshman, was a four-time All-Pac 12 honoree and also led her team to the 2012 Women’s College Cup final. In addition, she’s represented the United States at the U-18, U-20, and U-23 levels. Ubogagu won both the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship in 2012, scoring the championship-winning goal in the latter.

Now, she’s with the Pride after an unsuccessful year in Houston and looking to regain her form in Orlando, which could really use the goals with Morgan gone at least until June.