2019 NWSL Draft: Orlando Pride Select Colorado’s Erin Greening

Orlando Pride General Manager Erik Ustruck had to wait a couple of hours before making his team’s first selection in the 2019 NWSL College Draft. When Ustruck finally got his opportunity, he added Erin Greening from Colorado University with the seventh pick of the third round (25th overall).

Greening, a native of Piedmont, CA, was a teammate of Pride forward Danica Evans at Colorado. She can play defender, midfielder, or forward. The Buffaloes primarily used her in the midfield. Greening made 74 appearances over four years (52 starts), scoring two goals and adding four assists with 45 shot attempts (21 on goal).

“For us, we wanted to try and find the best available while also trying to fill a position of need,” Ustruck said about his team’s approach to the draft. “I think Erin possesses some versatility. She’s very powerful. She gets up and down the lines. So, she has something that we’re looking for.”

She played four seasons at Colorado, appearing in 18 games (five starts) as a true freshman. Both of Greening’s collegiate goals came in her freshman year while playing forward, and both were game-winning strikes against Colorado College and Cincinnati.

Greening played in a career high 22 games in both 2016 and 2017, starting all 22 in her sophomore year and 13 as a junior. She appeared in 12 matches as a senior, missing some time due to injury.

This is an interesting pick for the Pride and it will be interesting to see how the team utilizes Greening, who was not present at the draft in Chicago.

Here are some of her highlights: