Trio of Red Raiders selected in 2024 NWSL Draft

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Fresh off a record setting season that saw the program advance to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament and win the first Big 12 Regular Season title in program history, the Texas Tech Soccer program saw another first Friday night, as seniors Hannah Anderson, Alex Kerr and Madison White all were selected in the 2024 NWSL Draft.

Texas Tech’s three total draftees are the most in a singular draft in program history.

The night got off to a fitting start as the first Red Raider off the board was Tech’s captain, Anderson, who went to the Chicago Red Stars with the 33rd overall pick. A veteran of 96 games played and starts, Anderson was a stalwart on the Red Raider backline over the past five seasons.

And while Anderson’s first four seasons were special, the Plano native raised her game to a new level in 2023 setting new career highs in goals (5), assists (2), minutes played (2041) and games started (23). One of the best defenders in the country, Anderson closed her Red Raider career playing and starting in a program-record 96 consecutive games.

In her final season donning the Scarlett and Black, Anderson has racked up the accolades earning First Team All-America honors, First Team All-Midwest Region honors, a First Team All-Big 12 nod and the 2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

The defender was also a finalist for Soccer’s Honda Award and was a Semifinalist for the Mac Hermann Award (National Player of the Year) in addition to earning Third Team All-America honors from TopDrawer.

Nearly 15 picks later another Red Raider heard her named called, as Kerr was selected with the 50th overall pick (fourth round) by the Orlando Pride. A native of Chapel Hill, Kerr spent just one season with the Scarlett and Black but made an immediate impact scoring 11 goals and tallying five assists enroute to Second Team All-Big 12 honors.

Kerr saved some of her goals for the most important times during the Red Raiders season, as the forward tallied the go-ahead goal in the 2-2 tie at No. 7 BYU and tallied the game winner against both TCU (Oct. 8) and FGCU (Nov. 10). In addition to her ability to find the net from the run of play, Kerr also shined at the penalty spot, as the senior scored a key PK goal in the Second Round NCAA Tournament win over Princeton.

Tech’s third and final draftee of the night didn’t have to wait long after Kerr, as the all-time leader in shutouts in program history (White) was drafted with the 54th overall pick by Racing Louisville FC. Racing is no stranger to drafting Red Raiders, as the club selected former Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Kiersten Davis in the First Round of the 2021 NWSL Draft.

The Big 12’s Goalkeeper of the Year and a fellow First Team All-American and Hermann Award Semifinalist, White tallied one of the best goalkeeper careers in program history, as the Rockwall native closed her career as the programs all-time leader in goalkeeper wins (52) and shutouts (39).

Like Anderson, White raised her game to a different level during her fifth and final year with the program tallying a record of 16-2-5 overall, finishing as the only Red Raider goalkeeper in program history to earn First Team All-American honors. White ended the 23-game season with an astounding 13 clean-sheets (12 in the regular season) and allowed one goal or fewer in 22 of 23 matches. Her 12 regular season clean sheets were tied for the most in the country.

The grad student allowed just 11 total goals on the season, recording a goals-against-average of 0.47. White’s 13 clean-sheets were a new personal-best while her save percentage of .864, was also the best of her career.

White was simply dominant in Big 12 play, as the keeper did not allow a goal at home during Big 12 play, and she allowed just two goals all season at the John Walker Soccer Complex all season.

After allowing a goal against North Texas early in the second half, White went the final 40 minutes of the UNT match, the next eight consecutive home matches and the first 70 minutes of the UNC match without conceding a goal at home. That streak when all was said and done spanned nearly 1,000 minutes of game action.

White went 16-2-5 this season helping Tech clinch the outright Big 12 title with an undefeated 8-0-2 record, and the programs first Round of 16 NCAA appearance since 2014. Due in large part to the contributions of White and Anderson, Texas Tech trailed for less than 100 minutes of game time during the 2023 season and finished the regular season unblemished.

White ended the season as the only goalkeeper in the country to be named one of the 15 Semifinalists for the historic Hermann Award which awarded annually as the National Player of the Year in women’s college soccer.

Anderson, Kerr and White will join Davis as the four active Red Raiders playing in the NWSL when the 2024 season gets underway on Mar. 15.

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Release provided by Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics