Emily Gray Selected 3rd Overall by North Carolina Courage in 2022 NWSL Draft

By Ishan Lamba

Staff Writer

December 18, 2021

One of Virginia Tech’s most storied players made her jump to the pros Saturday afternoon.

Emily Gray, star midfielder for the Hokies, was selected with the 3rd overall pick in the draft, by the North Carolina Courage.

Gray made her intentions known towards the end of the season that she was considering going pro, which was confirmed yesterday when she officially declared.

A crucial part of the Hokies’ offense, Gray was a force to be reckoned with, erupting with 12 goals and eight assists this season. Working closely with forwards Nicole Kozlova and Tori Powell, the trio produced one of the most prolific offenses the team has had in years.

“A lot of it was the work I put in the past two offseasons, last winter and the summer,” Gray recounted on the CBS Sports broadcast. “Scoring goals wasn’t something I was always comfortable with and I grew to really enjoy it this year and obviously my teammates helped me out a lot as well.”

Gray also picked up numerous impressive stats. She finished the 2021 season tied for 24th in the NCAA and second in the ACC with 32 points, and fourth in the ACC in goals (12).

Not only was she impressive compared to other players this season, she was also one of the best when compared to past Hokies.

The 2021 season was arguably her best, where she finished third in points scored in a single-season as well as tied for fifth in single-season goals and single-season assists in school history. Gray also finished second all-time on the assists list (24), behind Julian Johnson (31).

“I’m just really excited to learn from these professionals,” Gray said on CBS Sports. “Sean [Nahas] on the phone mentioned Debinha, I mean I’ve grown up watching her. I’m just really excited to be pushed to the next level and reach the potential I hope I can achieve.”

In 2018, Gray became the first freshman at the school to start every match since 2013 and continued her consecutive starts streak in 2019, which reached 32 straight before she tore her ACL against Virginia in late September.

She joins a North Carolina team that has been very successful in its short history.

Founded in 2017, the Courage were league runner ups in their inaugural season, losing to the Portland Thorns 1-0. They bested the Thorns the next year, winning 3-0. The Courage became the first repeat champions since FC Kansas City in 2015, when they defeated Chicago 4-0 to claim the 2019 championship.

After the 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19, the Courage managed to squeak into the final spot of the playoffs, but would lose to the eventual champions Washington Spirit in the first round.

Following the trade of veteran midfielder Sam Mewis to the Kansas City Current, Gray will likely be competing for a spot early and is sure to make an impact once the season starts next spring.

“I like this pick,” former USWNT midfielder Lori Lindsey said on the broadcast. “As we talked to more and more coaches, her name kept coming up, but specifically for North Carolina… [Gray] is a player that’s a little bit of a sleeper, I like that she’s going this early. She’s versatile and has a good left foot.”