BALTIMORE, Md. (Thursday, January 16 2019) – Utah Royals FC addedthree players in the 2020 NWSL College Draft on Thursday, selecting Tziarra King with the 8th pick in the draft, Kate Del Fava with the 12th pick and Cyera Hintzen with the 31st pick.
“We are thrilled to welcome Tziarra, Kate and Cyera, to the Utah Royals FC family,” said Utah Royals FC General Manager Stephanie Lee. “With this draft we were hopeful to select talent that can make an impact immediately, and also down the road we believe these players check that box. We are eager to see what they bring to the pitch both this year and in years to come.”
King capped her senior season at North Carolina State where she started 22 of her 23 appearances in 2019 and scored 13 goals. In total during her four years at NC State, King notched 48 goals in 88 appearances at forward and finished top three in the Atlantic Coast Conference and top 35 in the NCAA in both goals and appearances. The Sicklerville, New Jersey native was a regular on the All-ACC first and second teams from her sophomore to senior years and earned academic accolades in all four years at NC State.
Del Fava arrives in Utah after a standout college career at Illinois State where she made 84 appearances in the Red Bird midfield where she scored 25 goals over four seasons. Named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2019, Del Fava was named to the All-MVC First Team three times and was named the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2018-19 academic year. During her senior season, she led the conference in goals scored (17), points (39), shots on goal (35) and game-winning goals (6).
Being named to the 2018-19 MAC Herman Trophy Preseason watchlist, Hintzen started and featured in 17 matches for the Texas Longhorns in 2019 where she scored five goals and added four assists. In 2018, Hintzen became the first Longhorns player to earn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors after scoring 10 goals in 21 total appearances during her junior year. Hintzen also earned the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2016.
Utah Royals FC season tickets are on sale now at UtahRoyalsFC.com or by calling 844.REAL.TIX. The club is preparing for the start of its third season in the National Women’s Soccer League. The club narrowly missed the postseason in each of its first two seasons and was second in the league in attendance during its first two seasons.
