Vanderbilt defender Myra Konte was selected by the North Carolina Courage with the 30th overall pick in the third round of the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft.
Konte was the only Commodore taken in the 2021 NWSL Draft on Wednesday, and the first Vanderbilt soccer player since the league’s formation to be selected in the draft.
“More to come in future years,” head soccer coach Darren Ambrose said on Twitter. “She is paving the way. But glad we get to keep her her for one more year!”
The NWSL amended its draft eligibility rules in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, deeming all Division-I college seniors eligible. Under the new guidelines, Konte has until Jan. 22 to decide whether she will report to the club immediately, or return to school to use her remaining eligibility. Should she choose to return to Vanderbilt, the Courage will hold her rights until the 2022 preseason. She is expected to return to Vanderbilt for the fall 2021 season.
Konte, a native of Woodbridge, Virginia, has been a starter since her true freshman year in 2017. That season saw Konte log 1,754 minutes for the Commodores, including 13 games with 90 or more minutes, a performance that yielded SEC All-Freshman team honors. She continued to shine in 2018, helping Vanderbilt’s stiff defense concede just seven goals over the course of a 13-game win streak. After capturing the SEC regular season title in 2018, Konte sustained a season-ending injury in 2019 just eight games into the season.
As a senior, Konte was stellar in the 2020 SEC Tournament, Vanderbilt’s first tournament championship since 1994. She recorded an assist and was a pillar of the eventual championship-winning defense, earning her both SEC All-Tournament and Tournament MVP honors.
