Kansas Soccer Standout Johnson Drafted by the Los Angeles Sol

Jan. 15, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas senior defender Estelle Johnson has been selected in the third round of the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league draft by the Los Angeles Sol with the 25th overall pick.

Johnson becomes the first Jayhawk ever drafted by a WPS team.

“She definitely deserves this,” Kansas head coach Mark Francis said. “I think back to her freshman season, when she came here she was obviously very talented, but raw. With the improvements she’s made in the past four years, she’s a completely different player. We’re all really proud of her.”

A senior defender from Fort Collins, Colo., Johnson played in all 22 matches this season and anchored the Jayhawk defense for the past four years. She scored a career-high three goals in 2009, with tallies against South Dakota State (Sept. 20), Texas A&M (Oct. 2) and Nebraska (Oct. 23). Johnson’s 1,987 minutes played this past season were the fourth-most in team history among field players. She finished her career tied for the most games started (82) and was fourth in games played (85) in school history.

She was a three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Central Region selection in her Jayhawk career, including a second team honoree this year. The senior was also named an All-Big 12 selection this past year and has been honored on the Academic All-Big 12 team in each of the last two seasons.

“This is something that I’ve been dreaming of since I started playing soccer,” Johnson said.

“I don’t think I’ve still fully comprehended that this actually happened. Just to get the opportunity to play with these amazing players is going to be awesome. I’m really excited.”

The Los Angeles Sol are the defending WPS league champions, and are scheduled to begin the 2010 season in April.