Seattle Reign FC selected Maddie Bauer out of Stanford University with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft. Bauer is the second player Reign FC has drafted from Stanford.
“I’m looking to contribute to the team in the best way I can, and work as hard as I can to have a positive impact and learn from other players and just give it my all,” said Bauer. “I want to work on getting closer with the players and developing relationships. I think when you have good relationships with your teammates that’s how you perform on the field.”
“Maddie has been someone we’ve looked at all season” said Harvey. “She plays in a position of need for us and I think she can help us in the backline and midfield. The college that she played at plays a similar style to us so it’s been easy for me to see the things she’s good at and areas for her improvement.”
Bauer was a starter for the Cardinal as soon as she stepped on campus. She started all but one match at center back her freshman season, helping Stanford to a quarterfinals appearance in the NCAA tournament before falling to eventual 2013 champion UCLA. For Bauer, being a starting center back on a national powerhouse was an honor and a challenge she happily accepted.
“When I was young and in ODP camps, they told us that pressure’s a privilege,” said Bauer. “As you get older and the stakes raise, it really is a privilege to be playing in these types of arenas and have this opportunity.”
A Pac-12 All-Freshman selection, Bauer was also named to the NSCAA All-West Region first team. The Newport Beach, California native was the first Stanford player to earn the honor since former Reign FC member Mariah Bullock, nee Nogueira.
In her sophomore season, Bauer’s consistency along the backline was again on display, starting all 24 matches she played. Leading a defense that only allowed eight goals throughout the regular season, Bauer and the Cardinal made the College Cup for the sixth time in seven seasons at the time before falling to 2014 national champion Florida State.
Bauer started 22 of 23 matches she played in 2015 as part of a Pac-12 Champion defense that earned 12 shutouts. Along with her impressive defensive play, Bauer showed her leadership ability, taking freshman starting center back Alana Cook under her wing. Cook was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year for her season.
After making All-Pac-12 second team her freshman through junior season, Bauer’s impressive “swan song” earned her All-Pac-12 first team honors. She also garnered national attention, making the NSCAA All-America first team and being named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
Starting all 21 games that she played in, Bauer helped Stanford post nine shutouts on the season and earn the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Bauer scored her first collegiate goal during her senior season, finding the back of the net against top ten ranked UCLA in a double-overtime thriller.
“My junior and senior year, I was the captain and got to captain with Andi [Sullivan] and Jane [Campbell] who I’ve been playing with since we were so young,” said Bauer. “Just leading the team to two Pac-12 championships was an amazing thing for me. Putting in so much work day in and day out, our coaching staff really trusted me and believed in me. I think Stanford was the most amazing place for me to ever go and play soccer.”
In 73 of the 88 career matches Bauer played, the Cardinal defense held opponents to one goal or fewer. The defender also contributed offensively, tallying five assists through her four years at Stanford.
A regular at the U.S. youth national team level, Bauer has been called into the last two U-23 January camps. Harvey was a coach at this month’s camp, and was able to see the defender’s skills and work ethic in person just before the draft.
“I got to know her a little bit working with the U-23s, and her character and her attitude to train really impressed me,” said Harvey. “She was definitely on my number six radar and this week helped complete that decision. I’m super happy we got Maddie.”
