The Washington Spirit traded Diana Matheson to Seattle Reign FC, the club announced this evening. In exchange, the Spirit received versatile attacker Arielle Ship and the Reign’s natural third round pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. Ship, selected by Seattle with the No. 26 overall pick in the recent NWSL draft, was the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2015 with the University of California.
Matheson, a Spirit original and fan favorite, is the latest in a string of prominent players to depart the Spirit this off-season. Since appearing in the 2016 final, the Spirit have traded Ali Krieger, Christine Nairn, and Megan Oyster, while seeing USWNT star Crystal Dunn and 2016 leading scorer Estefania Banini sign abroad.