Reign FC will return fifteen members of the 2015 NWSL Shield-winning squad, including NWSL Best XI defender Lauren Barnes, forward Bev Yanez, and midfielders Jess Fishlock and Kim Little. Little, the 2014 NWSL Golden Boot and MVP winner, also led the NWSL in assists in 2015 (with 7 assists) and was the league’s second-leading scorer (with 10 goals). Seattle’s 2016 roster also includes three new additions: former Dutch international forward Manon Melis, as well as two new signings announced today: defender Carson Pickett, the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft, and former University of Washington standout, midfielder Lindsay Elston.
“Carson is someone who was on our radar for the whole of last year,” said Head Coach Laura Harvey. “When we knew Steph Cox was retiring, she was somebody that we thought could help fill that void. That’s a lot of pressure to do that, and we wanted to give her the best possible chance to come in and shine. So far in pre-season, she’s done great. We’re really pleased with her and that she’s committed to the club. We’re looking forward to the season with her.”
The Fleming Island, Fla. native led Florida State University to its first national championship title against University of Virginia in on Dec. 7, 2014. During her time at FSU between 2012 and 2015, Pickett made 103 appearances, played 2,285 minutes, and delivered 31 assists.
“I’m excited to play with such high caliber players. I’ve heard nothing but great things about Seattle,” said Pickett. “I couldn’t wait to dive into that, to have a family atmosphere, and to just play at the highest possible level I could. So this for me is a dream, because I’m getting to play with players like Jess, Kim, and Keelin. Every single teammate is at that level, there’s no drop off. I’m playing with the best girls in the world.”
Elston, from Sammamish, Wash., graduated from University of Washington in 2014. During her senior season, she took the pitch for all 20 of the Huskies’ regular season matches and started 18 of them. She was signed by Houston Dash as a free agent for the 2014 NWSL season and has also played for the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team and U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team.
“I feel like I’m in the right situation for the first time in my life,” said Elston. “Every day I’m observing and watching. I feel like I’ve been thrown into a huge learning environment, so it’s pretty cool to see how much more there is. I already had a lot of knowledge from playing in college, but this has been a completely different step up.”
Seattle Reign FC roster for the 2016 National Women’s Soccer League season:
2016 Seattle Reign FC Roster (18)
Goalkeepers (2): Haley Kopmeyer, Hope Solo
Defenders (6): Lauren Barnes, Rachel Corsie, Elli Reed, Kendall Fletcher, Carson Pickett, Michelle Cruz
Midfielders (5) Kim Little, Jessica Fishlock, Keelin Winters, Havana Solaun, Lindsay Elston
Forwards (5) Merritt Mathias, Manon Melis, Beverly Yanez, Kiersten Dallstream, Megan Rapinoe
Seattle will kick off the regular season on Sunday, April 17 at 4 p.m. PT against Sky Blue FC at Memorial Stadium. Tickets start at just $18 and are available at reignfc.com/tickets or by calling (855) REIGN-FC.
