It's a new dawn for signing women's soccer players from the NCAA, and it's a new dawn for Trinity Byars.
On Thursday, the San Diego Wave announced that it had signed Byars to a two-year contract with the option for a third year in 2027. The signing of Byars marks the first active NCAA athlete to join the National Women's Soccer League following the league’s decision to no longer use the college draft process.
“We are thrilled to welcome Trinity to the San Diego Wave,’ said Wave's Sporting Director and General Manager Camille Ashton. “Trinity has proven to be one of the most dynamic and exciting forwards at the collegiate level. Her ability to play between the lines and threaten in behind is special and we believe she will be an incredible addition to our team."
HOWDY, TRINITY BYARS 👋 pic.twitter.com/Yeh7WbvnSm
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) November 7, 2024
The 21-year-old forward from Richardson, Texas, has been one of the greatest players—if not the greatest player—in University of Texas soccer history. Across 71 matches for the Longhorns, between 2021 and 2024, she scored a school-record 52 goals and added 36 assists.
Byars fourth and final season in Austin was curtailed due to a knee injury. In 2024, she made just five appearances, scoring five goals, before being sidelined. Even though her time in burnt orange may not have ended the way she would have hoped, Byars leaves NCAA soccer as quite simply one of the best young players ever to come out of the state of Texas.
Away from the Lone Star state, Byars also has a gleaming record for the United States Youth national team. She has played for the USA from the U-14 up to the U-23 level. In 2022, she won the Concacaf U20 championship and was named U.S. soccer's young player of the year.
Byars will join a San Diego team without a head coach after Casey Stoney was fired midseason and interim Landon Donovan was not retained beyond 2024. Ashton has clearly done enough to sell the vision of the club to one of the brightest young players out there.
The Wave is in a moment of destabilization and poor performance after finishing second-last in the NWSL standings in 2024. This year, veteran leader and legend Alex Morgan retired, the organization recently went through an ownership change and is also being sued by five former employees for mistreatment.
On the pitch, Byars will join a San Diego team without a head coach after Casey Stoney was fired midseason and interim Landon Donovan was not retained beyond 2024. Ashton has clearly done enough to sell the vision of the club to one of the brightest young players out there, but questions remain over what San Diego will look like in 2025.
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Trinity Byars Signs First Professional Contract With San Diego Wave.
