Becky Edwards, Katie Schoepfer, Mara Osher and Caitlin Miskel were all a part of the 2009 Washington Freedom W-League team that finished as league runner up. Six months later, after successful senior seasons in college, all four have been drafted into the WPS.  Edwards was picked up by FC Gold Pride, Schoepfer was drafted by Sky Blue FC while Osher and Miskel were taken by the Freedom. 

For the players it is an exciting step forward into the next chapter of their soccer careers, for the Freedom it is reinforcement that the total club structure they have in place is heading in the right direction.  After having drafted former Freedom youth system member Madison Keller last year and now taking on Osher and Miskel, the future is bright indeed.  It is a system that is wholly embraced by Freedom coaches and management alike.  Freedom Assistant Coach Clyde Watson said, “For kids who come through our system, it is a chance for them to see that the dream is tangible.  They are getting the chance to progress through the ranks all the way to the top.”

Further it is an experience that the players credit as important to their own development.  Edwards, an established player in the US Youth National Team set up and a Hermann Award Nominee at Florida State University, remarked how the professionalism and interaction with WPS players and coaches added to her experience.  “They gave me a different perspective on the game that I couldn’t get from college, it made me realize that I could compete at that level. There was pressure but it was good pressure, more opportunity to show professional coaches what I could do.”  

Osher added “playing in the W-League with the Freedom definitely helped me to learn a lot about the WPS.  To be able to train and observe in that kind of professional environment on a daily basis allowed me to get a better understanding of soccer at the professional level, the exposure and knowledge I gained from that experience definitely played a huge role in getting me to where I am today.”

Osher grew up in the area playing for the Bethesda Soccer Club through her entire youth career. When asked about her draft day experience she said, “Being drafted by my hometown team was one of the most exciting parts of this whole thing for me.  The Washington Freedom has definitely established itself in my home area and it means so much to me that I will be able to have my friends and family close by to experience the WPS with me. I can’t wait to get on the field with some of the women I have grown up admiring and respecting and do what I love to do.  My entire life I have chosen soccer above everything else and now, it has chosen me.”