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Goalkeeper, three midfielders and two forwards join the club for their first professional season.
Washington, D.C. (03/08/2023) – The Washington Spirit has signed six first-year players to its active roster, the club announced today. Draft picks including goalkeeper Lyza Bosselmann, midfielders Nicole Douglas and Riley Tanner and forwards Civana Kuhlmann and Lena Silano all signed with the club to officially begin their respective NWSL careers. Midfielder Paige Metayer has also signed a contract to join the Spirit. All six players have been training with the club during preseason camp since January. Spirit 2023 draft pick Delaney Graham has not yet reported to preseason camp as she continues to rehab from knee surgery.
“We are fortunate to have a dynamic mix of experienced players and young talent,” stated Head Coach Mark Parsons. “These six signings bring quality and hunger in many key positions and add important depth to our group. Each player has demonstrated the attacking mindset fans can expect to see from the Spirit this season.”
Full details of each first-year player’s contract can be found below:
M Nicole Douglas: two-year contract
Douglas, the 2022 Pac-12 Forward of the Year, played five seasons at Arizona State and tallied 60 goals and 21 assists in 89 total appearances. In 2021, Douglas led the country in scoring with 19 goals in 20 matches. Douglas was a First Team All-Pac-12 player in each of her final two seasons with the Sun Devils as well as a Second Team All-American in 2022 and Third Team All-American in 2021. The Spirit’s first draft pick in 2023, Douglas was selected with the 26th overall pick.
GK Lyza Bosselmann: two-year contract, option for 2025
In four seasons at Gonzaga, Bosselmann appeared in 62 matches and maintained a goals against average (GAA) of 0.87. Bosselmann also made 182 saves in her collegiate career, stopping almost 80 percent of shots on target. In her senior season, Bosselmann posted her career best GAA (0.72) en route to earning West Coast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year honors. Bosselmann was the third goalkeeper selected in the 2023 draft, going 28th overall to the Spirit.
M Riley Tanner: two-year contract, option for 2025
Across two seasons at Alabama, Tanner tallied eight goals and 11 assists across 45 appearances. In her final season, Tanner earned Second Team All-SEC honors. Prior to her tenure with the Crimson Tide, Tanner played three seasons at South Carolina. Tanner was taken by the Spirit with the 30th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
F Lena Silano: two-year contract, option for 2025
Silano played four seasons of college soccer at Long Beach State, contributing 27 goals and ten assists across 62 matches played. Silano earned First Team All-Big West honors in each of her final two seasons as well as the Big West Offensive Player of the Year award following her senior campaign. The Spirit selected Silano with the 34th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
F Civana Kuhlmann: two-year contract, option for 2025
Kuhlmann won two national championships and three Pac-12 titles with Stanford. She later transferred to Colorado. In her senior season with the Buffaloes, Kuhlmann tallied 12 goals and six assists over 19 appearances. She was drafted by the Spirit with the 37th overall pick in 2023.
M Paige Metayer: three-year contract, option for 2026
Metayer joined the Spirit after five seasons at the University of California. She played over 7,800 minutes for the Golden Bears, tallying nine goals during her collegiate career. Despite going undrafted in 2023, Metayer impressed the Spirit technical staff during preseason camp as a non-roster invitee to earn her first professional contract.
Fans can see the Spirit in action at the club’s home opener on March 26 against OL Reign. Tickets are on sale now.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the professional women’s soccer team based at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Launched in 2012, the Spirit plays in the National Women’s Soccer League, the premier women’s soccer competition in North America. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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