Bay FC lands UNC star Savy King and Stanford captain Maya Doms in NWSL Draft

Savy King, a center back who starred at University of North Carolina as a freshman, and Maya Doms, a midfielder and two time captain who won a national championship at Stanford, became the newest members of Bay FC on Friday night. Selecting No. 2 and No. 8 overall at the National Women’s Soccer League draft in Anaheim, Bay FC selected King and Doms, respectively, to bolster its roster ahead of its inaugural season.

“I’m so excited and I love the Bay so much and I love the coaches and I can’t wait to see where this next step takes me,” King told reporters at the draft. King, who turns 19 in February, made headlines in August after UNC coach Anson Dorrance, in his 47th year, called King’s debut the “the best first game performance by a freshman in the history of our program,” Reached by email on Friday, Dorrance said Bay FC fans “will love watching her.

She is special.” UNC saw back to back players drafted with the first two picks on Friday. The Utah Royals, the other expansion team in the NWSL this year, chose UNC midfielder Ally Sentnor at No. 1 overall. Sentnor led the team with 11 goals last season. King anchored an UNC defense that allowed just seven shots per game while making a run to the College Cup quarterfinals, where the Tar Heels lost to BYU, 4 3.

She finished the season leading the team in minutes played and saw the full 90 minutes in 19 of her 23 games, earning her All ACC Second Team honors. Leaving UNC after just one season “was hard because of how much I really love it at UNC,” she said. “It helped me grow so much. But this was the next step.” King also has experience playing for the United States Women’s National Team at the U 15, U 17 and U 20 levels.

She was one of five nominees for the 2023 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. Before landing at Chapel Hill, King was a star at Agoura High School in Southern California, where she was a four year track and field letterwinner and played wide receiver on the girl’s flag football team. She was the team’s MVP and set school records with six interceptions and four touchdowns in a single game.

King should slide in immediately as an impact center back for Bay FC, which now has a strong defensive line with fellow center back Emily Menges, an NWSL champion with Portland in 2017, and fullbacks Caprice Dydasco and Alyssa Malonson. Doms, selected at No. 8 overall, is a familiar name in the Bay Area.

Born in San Francisco, she prepped at Davis Senior High School before arriving at Stanford in 2019. She won a national championship with the Cardinal while finishing on the All Pac 12 freshman team during her freshman year, then went on to lead the team in scoring with 25 points as a junior in 2021 and led the team again with 30 points as a fifth year senior in 2023.

Bay FC also had draft selections at No. 30, No. 34 and No. 55 in Friday night’s draft..