ORLANDO, Fla. (January 23, 2017) – Orlando Pride acquired former Arsenal Ladies forward Chioma Ubogagu from the Houston Dash, it was announced today. In return, the Dash receive Orlando’s natural third-round pick in the 2018 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft.
“Chioma is a mobile, skilled player that has tremendous potential and possesses qualities that will be a big asset to our team,” Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni said. “With a history of success at Stanford and at the U23 level, we’re happy to add another forward with a nose for the goal.”
Ubogagu, whose name is pronounced ah-bo-GA-gu, was selected with the 28th pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft by Sky Blue FC, but elected to join Arsenal Ladies in her birthplace of London. The forward made 21 appearances for the Gunners, scoring seven times including goals in both her debut and final matches.
Acquired by the Dash via trade with Sky Blue, the 24-year-old joins the Pride after one season with Houston, where she scored a goal and an assist in 15 appearances.
Prior to her professional career, Ubogagu enjoyed significant success in both the collegiate and international arenas.
After being named the 2010 Gatorade Texas Player of the Year, Ubogagu attended Stanford University and helped lead the Cardinal to the 2011 NCAA Championship as a freshman. A teammate of Pride defender Cami Levin for one season at Stanford, Ubogagu was a four-time All-Pac 12 honoree and also drove the team to the 2012 Women’s College Cup final.
The Coppell, Texas, native finished her career with 89 points (27 goals, 35 assists), which currently ranks 10th all-time in Stanford history.
Ubogagu has represented the United States at the U18, U20 and U23 levels. She won both the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup and the CONCACAF Women’s U20 Championship in 2012, scoring the championship-winning goal in the latter.
Ubogagu becomes the second attacking power obtained by the Pride in the last week, as the team traded for the rights to forward Rachel Hill on Wednesday.
Season tickets for the 2017 campaign are currently available at orlando-pride.com/tickets or by calling (855) ORL-CITY. A two-game pack, which includes a ticket to the team’s home opener in its new 25,500 stadium, is available at the link here.
