Orlando Pride Sign 2024 Fourth-Round Draft Pick Alex Kerr

The Orlando Pride announced today that the club has signed forward Alex Kerr to a one-year contract through the 2024 NWSL season. Kerr was selected by the Pride with the eighth pick of the fourth round (50th overall) in the 2024 NWSL Draft. She’s the third player taken by the Pride in this year’s draft to sign with the team, joining Ally Lemos and Cori Dyke.

“When Alex joined us in preseason, we could immediately see her potential to find success at this level. She has had a really productive few weeks and has done everything right to earn this contract,” Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said in a club press release. “She has pushed our forwards in training and is connecting well with her teammates, both on and off the field. We are so excited to formally add Alex to the roster and give her a high-performance environment in which she can continue to grow her game.”

The Boston, MA, native began her collegiate career at Vanderbilt before transferring to Texas Tech for her “super senior” season. She netted 11 goals and added five assists in 23 appearances (all starts), logging 1,631 minutes in her final season with the Red Raiders. Three of her goals were game winners and she put 21 of her 53 shots on target (40%). Her offensive prowess helped Texas Tech to an 8-0-2 record in conference play, winning the Big 12.

Prior to moving to Texas, Kerr appeared in 63 games (26 starts) at Vanderbilt, playing 1,998 minutes. She scored 12 goals and contributed four assists, putting 28 of her 51 shots on target (55%). In 2022, she played in all 21 games for the Commodores, starting 20 and logging 925 minutes. She scored six goals in her final SEC season, adding an assist and putting 13 of her 26 shots (50%) on target.

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity to begin my professional career with such talented teammates and an incredible coaching staff with the Orlando Pride,” Kerr said in the club’s release. “I’m beyond excited for the season to begin.”

The Pride have now signed three of their four picks from the 2024 NWSL Draft. First-round pick Lemos was signed to a two-year deal on Jan. 26 and second-round pick Dyke was signed on March 11 to a one-year deal. Former UCF midfielder Talia Gabarra is the only pick from the Pride’s 2024 draft class yet to be signed by the team.

What It Means for Orlando

Players selected later in the draft are less likely to sign professional contracts prior to the season, so this one is more of a surprise than the signings of Lemos and Dyke. Kerr is 5-foot-9, displaying decent size, and provides some additional options up top. While fourth-round picks usually result in training players, the Pride have found some success in those spots, drafting goalkeeper Kaylie Collins in 2021 and midfielder Summer Yates in 2023.

Kerr will be down the depth chart, sitting behind Barbra Banda, Ally Watt, Mariana Larroquette, and Amanda Allen. However, the club lost Simone Charley — who was signed as a free agent earlier this off-season — for the season with a ruptured Achilles. The injury provided an open roster spot at the forward position, which Kerr grabbed with her preseason performances.