Intriguing Women’s Players in NCAA Transfer Portal Part 1

Intriguing Women&#8217;s Players in NCAA Transfer Portal Part 1

Nikolai Littleton November 19, 2024 @ 08:13 PM

It's Transfer Portal season in College Soccer and although you hear almost every college coach complain about it. For me it's a new and exciting reality that I believe we should embrace. Just because you commit to a program out of high school does not mean you are going to stay there all four years. Everyone leaves for different reasons some leave and their careers flourish, others leave and it goes downhill from there. Only time will tell on who made the right choice. Here are some players that are worth a look if you are a potential suitor.   Dakota Watterson- Watterson enters the Portal with a fantastic resume. She is coming from a Power 4 school in Pittsburgh, she is represented by RocNation, has a Puma deal, and won Offensive Player of the Year in her High School League 3 times. She is from Clovis, CA and only played in two games for Pitt in 2024. An interesting prospect who is looking at other options for the 2025 season.   Iba Oching- Oching is coming from a top school in Syracuse and started 16 of 17 games this season making her one of their must trusted assets. She has competed at the U17 World Cup in India with Canada and played for the prestigious Whitecaps academy. Oching entering the portal suggests that other schools are her a better deal for her services on the field. It will be interesting to see where she ends up.   Lauryn Contini- Louisville's #10 is on the move she had 7 starts in 17 appearances in 2024 and scored 1 goal from midfield. She played for Cleveland Force ECNL at the youth level and dominated at high school scoring 55 goals which led the state of Cleveland her junior season. She was in the Youth National team set-up back in 2019 and was voted the #2 prospect coming out of Ohio her senior year.   Zoe Parkhurst- She came into her sophomore season at Oklahoma with a strong CV. She made 16 appearances last season. In high school she captained IMG Academy at U19 and U17. She has also been in the US Youth National setup but for whatever reason her minutes dried up this season. I think Pankhurst is looking for a bigger role next season.   Aurora Gaines- Leaving NILSU is not something done lightly. They are treating their athletes very well down in the Bayou with NIL dollars. However, Gaines made 15 appearances all off the bench this season despite being a Puerto Rican National Team player. She has also played for the San Diego Wave's U18 ID pool and has been in and out of the US Youth National team from 2017-2021. I think Gaines is looking for an enhanced role next season and could be a player that changes the fortunes of your program.

It's Transfer Portal season in College Soccer and although you hear almost every college coach complain about it. For me it's a new and exciting reality that I believe we should embrace. Just because you commit to a program out of high school does not mean you are going to stay there all four years. Everyone leaves for different reasons some leave and their careers flourish, others leave and it goes downhill from there. Only time will tell on who made the right choice. Here are some players that are worth a look if you are a potential suitor.