KC Current select Alexa Spaanstra

With the club’s second pick in the opening round of the 2023 NWSL Draft, the Kansas City Current select forward/midfielder Alexa Spaanstra from the University of Virginia.

Spaanstra, a fifth-year senior for the Cavaliers, played 107 games and scored 37 goals with 34 assists in her collegiate career. The Brighton Michigan native can be a versatile attacker, typically a left side forward but she can be very effective on the right side as well.

She was named All-ACC Second Team twice and First Team once. She also earned recognition as part of the ACC Championships All-Tournament teams in 2019, 2020, and 2021. She has played for the U.S. Women’s National Team at the U-23 level.

Spaanstra can make the run into the box, can shoot from outside the box, and finish from anywhere. She can also drive to the end line, cut in and deliver a quality pass to the center forward.

It is a bit of a surprise that she fell all the way to the tenth spot for the Current to have the opportunity to select her near the bottom of the first round.

2021 SEASON

• Named All-Region second-team selection by United Soccer Coaches

• Named All-ACC second-team selection

• Named to ACC Championships All-Tournament team

• Started all 23 games on the season and logged 1,723 minutes

• Tallied seven goals and nine assists for 23 points

• Her nine assists tied for second most on the team, while the seven goals was third most

• Tallied a brace at Boston College (10/7)

• Hit game-winning goals against Oklahoma (9/12) and Miami (10/24)

• Had a goal and assists against the Sooners and again against No. 17 Notre Dame (10/17) and Miami

• Named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week (10/19) after goal and assist in 30 seconds against the Irish

2020-21 SEASON

• Named an All-ACC first team selection

• Named an All-Region first team selection by the United Soccer Coaches

• Named to the All-Tournament team at the ACC Championships

• Named to Top Drawer Soccer Best XI third team

• Named to the watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy at start of the spring

• Started all 18 matches in which she played

• Missed matches against Virginia Tech (9/25), No. 14 Pittsburgh (10/1) and Miami (10/4) after an injury at Clemson (9/20)

• Tallied 10 goals and two assists for 22 points

• Her 22 points was second on the team behind Diana Ordoñez

• Hit four game-winning goals: vs. Virginia Tech (9/12), No. 13 Louisville (10/15), SIUE (4/28) and No. 17 BYU (5/1)

• Scored both goals in the 2-0 regular-season win over the Cardinals

• Assisted on goals against Boston College (10/29) and in the ACC quarterfinals against Louisville (11/10)

• Turned in braces against SIUE (4/28) and No. 17 BYU (5/1) in first two games of NCAA Tournament

• Named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America second team and All-Region first team

• Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll

2019 SEASON

• All-ACC Second Team selection

• Named to the ACC Championship All-Tournament Team

• Tallied 18 points with three goals and a team-leading 12 assists

• Turned in a career-high four assists against Liberty (8/25)

• Only the third UVA player to tally four assists in a single game

• Hit game-winning goal vs. UC Irvine (8/23) in the season opener

• Assisted on game-winning goal vs. William & Mary (9/12)

• Also assisted on game-winning goal vs. No. 9 Duke (11/3) in ACC Tournament quarterfinal

• Assisted on both goals in ACC Tournament semifinal win over No. 5 FSU (11/8)

• CoSIDA Academic All-Region first team selection

• Named to the preseason watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy

• Named a VaSID first team selection

• Named to Women’s Soccer All-ACC Academic Team

• Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll

2018 SEASON

• Named an All-Region First Team selection by the United Soccer Coaches

• Named an All-ACC Third Team selection

• Named to the ACC Championships All-Tournament team

• Named to the Best XI Freshman Team by Top Drawer Soccer

• Missed the season-opener after duty with U20 USWNT in 2018 FIFA U20 World Cup

• Started all 21 matches in which she played

• Tied for the team lead in goals (9) and assists (6) and led the team in points (24)

• Hit game-winning goals vs. Syracuse (10/18) and Monmouth (11/9)

• Four of her six assists were on game-winning goals

• Assisted on winner vs. Cincinnati (8/19), at No. 12 Duke (9/23), at Louisville (10/4), and Louisville (10/28)

• Three games with goal and an assist – vs. Wake Forest (9/30), at Notre Dame (10/7) and Louisville (10/28)

• Played 1,409 minutes, including a season-long 98 minutes vs. Texas Tech (11/16)

• Named to the ACC Women’s Soccer All-Academic Team

• Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll