PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Thorns FC selected forward Midge Purce (No. 4 overall) in the first round, midfielder Angela Salem (No. 15 overall) in the second round and forward Ifeoma Onumonu (No. 22 overall) in the third round of the 2018 NWSL Dispersal Draft held Tuesday.
Purce, 22, joins Portland after playing her rookie season with the Boston Breakers in 2017, featuring in 22 matches (13 starts) and recording one goal and two assists. The ninth overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft, Purce was called into her first camp with the U.S. Women’s National Team in July 2017. She played collegiately at Harvard University (2013-16), where she made 69 appearances (63 starts), registering 42 goals and 12 assists. Purce was a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year (2013 & 2016) and an All-Ivy League selection all four years with the Crimson.
Salem, 29, concluded a two-year stint (2016-17) with the Breakers where she played in 43 matches (43 starts), including her 100th career NWSL appearance on Sept. 10, 2017, against Thorns FC. Salem also played for the Washington Spirit in 2015 and for the Western New York Flash (2013-14), helping the Flash to an NWSL Shield in 2013 and a berth in the NWSL Championship match.
Onumonu, 23, appeared in 18 matches (3 starts) with Boston during her rookie campaign in 2017, tallying one assist. The eighth overall pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft, Onumonu played in 82 matches at the University of California-Berkeley, finishing with 33 goals and 17 assists and garnered All-Pac First Team honors in 2012 and 2016.
Midge Purce
Pronunciation: Purse
Position: Forward
Height: 5-5
Born: Sept. 18, 1995
Hometown: Olney, Md.
College: Harvard University
Angela Salem
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-5
Born: July 24, 1988
Hometown: Akron, Ohio
College: Francis Marion University
Ifeoma Onumonu
Pronunciation: IF-ee-oh-mah ON-ooh-mahn-ohh
Position: Forward
Height: 5-10
Born: Feb. 25, 1994
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
College: University of California – Berkeley
