Darian Jenkins and Lauren Kaskie of UCLA Women’s Soccer Sign With NWSL Teams

Back in January during the 2017 NWSL draft, both Darian Jenkins and Lauren Kaskie were drafted by the North Carolina Courage, formerly the Western New York Flash, and the Chicago Red Stars, respectively. Earlier today, the NWSL teams released their official rosters and both Jenkins and Kaskie were officially signed by their teams.

Darian Jenkins was placed on the D45 List, which stands for a 45-Day disabled list. In the middle of her senior season at UCLA, she broke her tibia, which ended her career with the Bruins. When I spoke with her back in January in regards to her injury, she said she would be out of the boot as early as the following week. Since then, we have had no updates about her recovery, until now. After 45 days, the Courage will have to decide if they will keep her or waive her since the NWSL only allows a roster size of 20 players (a rule many hope will change soon). With her on the D45 list, she does not count against the roster limit.

Lauren Kaskie had a tough battle to make the roster list. Chicago has a lot of depth at every position, especially the midfield. She had a great collegiate career, but players have difficulty sometimes going from college to pro. To be able to make the roster of such a competitive team such as the Red Stars says a lot.

The NWSL season starts this Saturday, April 15. While Jenkins will not be playing, we hope she does soon. Kaskie has a chance to debut with the Red Stars. Chicago plays against Houston this Saturday at 11 am PT. As of right now, there is no info on how the game can be viewed, but you can follow @ChicagoRedStars on Twitter and @TheNCCourage for updates.

Good luck to both Darian Jenkins and Lauren Kaskie as they start a new chapter in their lives!

Go Bruins!