.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
Goal-Driven Ekic Sets Sights on NWSL Draft
January 12, 2021 | Women's Soccer
The NWSL Draft takes place on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. and will air on Twitch.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Wednesday night will likely mark the accomplishment of a lifelong goal for former Louisville soccer Emina Ekic, as she is projected to be selected in the 2021 National Women's Soccer League Draft.
It's far from the first such goal she has accomplished, and it's unlikely to be the last. That much UofL women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes knows of the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
"She's chased goals and dreams for her whole career," Ferguson-Dayes said of Ekic. "That was never anything that we had to help her with. … She's very goal-driven. She's always wanted to play for the (US) Women's National Team, she's always wanted to be an All-American, she's always wanted to be the player of the year, she absolutely wanted to win a national championship. That's the one thing we weren't able to do."
Now it's onto the next one. After a lauded collegiate career and earning her degree, Ekic is off to the next challenge: playing soccer professionally and becoming the first player in program history to be selected in the NWSL draft.
Ekic said the decision to enter the draft and forego her remaining eligibility was a tough one to make, one she thought about intensely before, during and even after the Cardinals' season ended.
But with her degree in exercise science complete – and after a conversation in which Ferguson-Dayes herself suggested she make the leap – she made the decision to end her collegiate career and chase this next dream.
"It was a hard decision because, obviously, I didn't get to play out my (entire) senior year," Ekic said. "I wish I could have played the other half with the team and kind of had a normal year. But that's just not the way things went this year."
The draft process itself hasn't gone as she expected either. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced the NWSL to conduct an exclusively virtual draft, and Ekic has had to conduct workouts on her own.
But then again, nothing in Ekic's career has gone according to plan. She just willed herself into successful positions anyway.
For starters, she didn't exactly grow up in a soccer hub. She stood out in Louisville's club circuit, but that didn't go very far in terms of getting eyes on her, at least not from a national perspective.
But after asking for (and receiving) a scholarship offer from Ferguson-Dayes and the Cardinals, she quickly proved herself worthy of the roster spot.
She started in 17 of 18 games for Louisville that season and led the Cardinals with 17 points, including a team-high seven points and three assists. Her performance that season earned her ACC Co-Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.
"Her experiences in the club level in Louisville were what they were: it was not a big club that was competing nationally," Ferguson-Days said of Ekic. "Then, all of a sudden, she comes into college and she's able to make an impact her first year and continue to make an impact."
Unfortunately the stellar freshman season ended in agony. In the Cardinal's penultimate game of the 2017 season, Ekic fell to the pitch with a familiar but still-horrifying feeling. She had torn her ACL for the second time, prematurely ending her season and putting doubt on her future in soccer.
Well, maybe for someone outside looking in. For Ekic, it was just another obstacle to overcome on her way to accomplishing her goals. And one she beat relatively quickly, too, as she was ready to play again by the start of her sophomore season, during which she barely missed a beat.
As a junior, she earned second-team All-American honors, finishing the year with eight goals and eight assists in a 24-point year, and as a senior she became the first UofL player to win a conference Player of the Year award since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014.
"It's been incredibly rewarding to watch her hit the mark on everything that she's wanted to achieve," Ferguson-Dayes said. "And it's super exciting because the draft is such an unknown. We know that she'll get drafted, we just don't know where she'll go, so it's exciting there's no question about it."
UofL's first draftee also coincides with the first draft in which the NWSL's new expansion team Racing Louisville will participate. It's far from a guarantee or even a likelihood that the new franchise selects, Ekic, but its inclusion in the league means that she is likely to return to Louisville to play soccer on a somewhat regular basis regardless of which team selects her.
That's great news for fans, friends and family of Ekic, including Ferguson-Dayes. But as for Ekic, she plans to represent UofL no matter where she ends up.
"I'm just happy to represent the school and the team and get our name out there," Ekic said. "Because we are a big team and we're up there in the top half of the ACC and the NCAA. We make a lot of runs into the postseason every year. We set the standard that when you hear "Louisville," you don't always think underdog."
It's far from the first such goal she has accomplished, and it's unlikely to be the last. That much UofL women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes knows of the reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
"She's chased goals and dreams for her whole career," Ferguson-Dayes said of Ekic. "That was never anything that we had to help her with. … She's very goal-driven. She's always wanted to play for the (US) Women's National Team, she's always wanted to be an All-American, she's always wanted to be the player of the year, she absolutely wanted to win a national championship. That's the one thing we weren't able to do."
Now it's onto the next one. After a lauded collegiate career and earning her degree, Ekic is off to the next challenge: playing soccer professionally and becoming the first player in program history to be selected in the NWSL draft.
Ekic said the decision to enter the draft and forego her remaining eligibility was a tough one to make, one she thought about intensely before, during and even after the Cardinals' season ended.
But with her degree in exercise science complete – and after a conversation in which Ferguson-Dayes herself suggested she make the leap – she made the decision to end her collegiate career and chase this next dream.
"It was a hard decision because, obviously, I didn't get to play out my (entire) senior year," Ekic said. "I wish I could have played the other half with the team and kind of had a normal year. But that's just not the way things went this year."
The draft process itself hasn't gone as she expected either. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced the NWSL to conduct an exclusively virtual draft, and Ekic has had to conduct workouts on her own.
But then again, nothing in Ekic's career has gone according to plan. She just willed herself into successful positions anyway.
For starters, she didn't exactly grow up in a soccer hub. She stood out in Louisville's club circuit, but that didn't go very far in terms of getting eyes on her, at least not from a national perspective.
But after asking for (and receiving) a scholarship offer from Ferguson-Dayes and the Cardinals, she quickly proved herself worthy of the roster spot.
She started in 17 of 18 games for Louisville that season and led the Cardinals with 17 points, including a team-high seven points and three assists. Her performance that season earned her ACC Co-Freshman of the Year honors and a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.
"Her experiences in the club level in Louisville were what they were: it was not a big club that was competing nationally," Ferguson-Days said of Ekic. "Then, all of a sudden, she comes into college and she's able to make an impact her first year and continue to make an impact."
Unfortunately the stellar freshman season ended in agony. In the Cardinal's penultimate game of the 2017 season, Ekic fell to the pitch with a familiar but still-horrifying feeling. She had torn her ACL for the second time, prematurely ending her season and putting doubt on her future in soccer.
Well, maybe for someone outside looking in. For Ekic, it was just another obstacle to overcome on her way to accomplishing her goals. And one she beat relatively quickly, too, as she was ready to play again by the start of her sophomore season, during which she barely missed a beat.
As a junior, she earned second-team All-American honors, finishing the year with eight goals and eight assists in a 24-point year, and as a senior she became the first UofL player to win a conference Player of the Year award since the Cardinals joined the ACC in 2014.
"It's been incredibly rewarding to watch her hit the mark on everything that she's wanted to achieve," Ferguson-Dayes said. "And it's super exciting because the draft is such an unknown. We know that she'll get drafted, we just don't know where she'll go, so it's exciting there's no question about it."
UofL's first draftee also coincides with the first draft in which the NWSL's new expansion team Racing Louisville will participate. It's far from a guarantee or even a likelihood that the new franchise selects, Ekic, but its inclusion in the league means that she is likely to return to Louisville to play soccer on a somewhat regular basis regardless of which team selects her.
That's great news for fans, friends and family of Ekic, including Ferguson-Dayes. But as for Ekic, she plans to represent UofL no matter where she ends up.
"I'm just happy to represent the school and the team and get our name out there," Ekic said. "Because we are a big team and we're up there in the top half of the ACC and the NCAA. We make a lot of runs into the postseason every year. We set the standard that when you hear "Louisville," you don't always think underdog."
Players Mentioned
MF
/ Women's SoccerThank You, Coach: Karen Ferguson-Dayes Announces Retirement
Thursday, February 19
WSOC: Karen Ferguson-Dayes Presser (11/17/25)
Monday, November 17
NCAA Tournament: Louisville vs. Kentucky
Monday, November 17
WSOC: Mackenzie Geigle and Erynn Floyd Presser (vs. Kentucky/NCAA Tournament - 11/15/25)
Saturday, November 15
