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PROVO â All Brecken Mozingo wanted was to play professional soccer, but being able to do so a stone's throw away from where she grew up is an added bonus.
The former BYU star who transferred home from UCLA to produce the greatest four-year run in program history was selected with the fourth overall pick Friday by Utah Royals FC in the 2024 NWSL draft, joining a growing line of BYU women's soccer players in the top flight of the sport in North America.
The Alta High product will continue her soccer career at America First Field in Sandy, close enough to where Mozingo grew up that she could ride her bike there after training with the Hawks or Utah Celtic.
"It means the absolute world to me," said Mozingo, the MAC Herman Trophy finalist and two-time All-American who led BYU with 14 goals and 15 assists as a senior. "There's no feeling to describe it. My parents the whole time were literally praying that I would be staying here in Utah. And my brothers, obviously, they want their older sister to be staying in.
"It just really means a lot to me, because I know I have a lot of little girls that I even look up to that are a part of the community. ... I can't wait to give back to my community in any way that I can."
Mozingo was the first player from BYU drafted in the NWSL since Mikayla Colohan (Cluff) was selected with the No. 14 overall pick by the Orlando Pride in 2021. The list also includes Taylor Isom (Utah Royals FC, 2018), Nadia Gomes (Orlando Pride, 2018), Ashley Hatch (North Carolina Courage, 2017), Michele Vasconcelos (Chicago Red Stars, 2017), Cloee Colohan (Western New York Flash, 2014) and Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall (Sky Blue FC, 2013).
But Mozingo wasn't the last in 2024. Not hardly.
Five players from BYU heard their name called on draft night at the United Soccer Coaches convention, including two sets of teammates to two different teams:
- Brecken Mozingo, MF, Sandy (Utah Royals FC, No. 4 overall)
- Olivia Smith-Griffitts, DF, Eagle, Idaho (Utah Royals FC, No. 20 overall)
- Olivia Wade-Katoa, MF, Kaysville (Portland Thorns FC, No. 23 overall)
- Jamie Shepherd, MF, American Fork (Bay FC, No. 30 overall)
- Laveni Vaka, DF, Sandy (Bay FC, No. 55 overall)
"I feel like it shows the caliber that BYU soccer is, the coaching staff, and the level we practice and play with," said Smith-Griffitts, a native of Eagle, Idaho, who married former BYU tight end Kyle Griffitts. "It shows a lot about who we are and how we train."
After UNC's Ally Sentnor and Mozingo were selected in the first round, the Royals went back to Jennifer Rockwood's program to claim Smith-Griffitts alongside former Florida State center back Lauren Flynn in the second round.
That means the aggressive outside back who tallied two goals and eight assists during BYU's 20-3-3 campaign to the 2023 College Cup for the second time in three seasons can continue to terrorize the left wing behind Mozingo.
"We loved her ability to get up and down the wings," Utah coach Amy Rodriguez said of Smith-Griffitts, noting her "aggressive" outside back. "She works really hard, she's technically refined, and she's a hard-working, humble player from the beginning that we've always been after."
That Mozingo will now add her name to that list is no shock to Rockwood, the only Division I coach the program has ever had with a career record of 455-129-57. She had a roster full of professionals, in her mind â including eight players who registered for the draft and others who will try to play professionally domestically and overseas through several means.
"Most of the kids we're looking at now, that's what they aspire to be," Rockwood said before the draft. "They've watched our team and have met these girls. We have more of a reach than ever, whether they know anything about BYU or not; there's a buzz and an interest there. When we have players come to our program who have opportunities to play at the next level, we want to provide a pathway for them to live out that dream."
In Portland, Wade-Katoa joins a Thorns FC franchise under new ownership that already includes U.S. international Sophia Smith and 18-year-old wunderkind Olivia Moultrie, who was born in Salt Lake City but grew up in Wilsonville, Oregon, before signing a pro contract with Nike in 2019 and joining the Thorns' academy.
"This a dream for me, being able to play with some of the best forwards not just in the country but in the world," Wade-Katoa said. "I'm looking forward to being able to combine with them."
For Vaka, the dream realized by the NWSL's Bay Area expansion side in Northern California brings her career full circle. The Tongan international center back grew up on the grass pitch in San Mateo, California, before prepping at Juan Diego in Draper.
"That's where it all started for me," an emotional Vaka said on the NWSL draft stage, a few feet away from friends and family. "To go back home, I'm so grateful for Bay FC for taking a chance on me."
BYU wasn't the only program to make history in Friday night's NWSL draft. Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Kelsey Kaufusi became the first Utah State soccer player drafted into the NWSL in program history when the Syracuse High alum became the No. 25 overall pick by the Thorns.
Utah midfielder Courtney Brown, a team captain each of the past three seasons with more than 90 games of experience, was selected with the seventh pick of the fourth round by the Washington Spirit. She's the first draft pick from Utah since Lindsey Luke was selected by the Seattle Reign in the fourth round of the 2016 NWSL college draft.
"We are incredibly happy and proud of Courtney," Utah coach Hideki Nakada said in a statement. "She had to play out of her natural position for us all season, but coaches in the league still recognized her quality, and I know she will have an opportunity to be an impactful player in the league."
