Women’s soccer standout Mikayla Colohan gets drafted to NWSL’s Orlando Pride

BYU women’s soccer midfielder Mikayla Colohan was the 14th overall pick in the second round of the National Women’s Soccer League Draft on Jan. 13.

The draft took place before the NCAA women’s soccer season this year as the season was postponed from the fall to spring due to COVID-19.

Rule changes were enacted for the 2021 draft allowing players to compete this season and not have to wait for the 2022 draft to enter the league.

Playing professionally has always been in the back of Colohan’s mind and playing at BYU has helped her to come to love the sport more. “Soccer became more of a passion for me than just a hobby.”

Colohan has become a leader for this season’s BYU team. The senior All-American and team captain started every game of the past two seasons and was a scoring machine during the 2019 campaign. She had 16 goals and seven assists over 22 games. 

“For an attacking midfielder that can score the goals like Mikayla Colohan has been able to do, I think it is just an added bonus for the attacking midfield (in Orlando),” analyst Lori Lindsey said during the draft.

Colohan wants to continue what she did last season and increase the number of goals under her belt. “I scored 16 goals last year and I hope to score more, around 20.”

She took a major leap in the number of goals scored between her sophomore and junior year, scoring just five in 2018. This 11-goal jump added to her contributions to the team and has allowed her to showcase her talents and strengths that built her draft stock.

The women’s soccer team finished 21-1-1 in a spectacular 2019 season, with the only loss coming in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament to the eventual national champion Stanford. Colohan finished second on the team in goals scored and was top five in assists. 

Colohan was awarded the West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the 2019 season and was named to the All-WCC First team. She was also one of three BYU players to receive All-American honors from the United Soccer Coaches/NSCAA.

After an incredible junior season with the No. 5-ranked women’s soccer team, Colohan is expected to produce another great season and help lead the team along the way. She expects to play both the spring and fall seasons this year before moving to the Pride.

“This is another attacking midfielder that can come in, play the way (the coach) needs them to play, and be able to link up,” Lindsey said in the draft. “She’s a player that has great vision, can play that final pass, and has a relentless work ethic. We need the players who are going to fight and I believe that this player is going to step in and be able to do that.”