When Tom Sermanni and the Orlando Pride selected Dani Weatherholt in the fourth round of the 2016 NWSL College Draft, it was unlikely they could predict how valuable the Santa Clara product would become by the club’s second year. Weatherholt is the last player standing from that initial draft, after the club traded Sam Witteman in the off-season for Alanna Kennedy, and waived Christina Burkenroad during the 2017 season to clear roster space for Alex Morgan’s return from Lyon.
In her first season, Weatherholt made 12 appearances (nine starts), playing a variety of positions without scoring a goal or registering an assist, and totaling only seven shot attempts (three on target).