Wilmington's Olivia Wingate Signs With NWSL's NC Courage Through 2025

CARY, NC — Wilmington native Olivia Wingate continues to make headlines in her fledgling professional soccer career.

In January, Wingate, who was a standout forward at Notre Dame, was drafted in the first round (No. 6 overall) in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Draft by the North Carolina Courage.

On Monday, the Courage announced that it had signed signed Wingate and the team's three other first-round picks — midfielder Sydney Collins from Cal, midfielder Clara Robbins from Florida State and forward Haley Hopkins from Virginia — to contracts through the 2025 season.

At the time of the draft, Courage head coach Sean Nahas said he was pleased with the quartet that the team had added.

"I think that was our main thing, how do we add depth," Nahas said. "If we can go through all the lines (defense, midfield, forward) and add pieces of the puzzle and get to where we want to be in those areas, that adds a little bit of a competitive nature to what we're doing. A lot of the players (we drafted) have won championships, so have a winning pedigree. I think we did a great job."

On Saturday, the Courage are scheduled to open up their season — the NWSL's 11th — with a home game against the Kansas City Current. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

The Courage prepped for the campaign by holding a training camp in Mexico, where the NWSL team also played a friendly against Rayadas de Monterrey from Liga Mx Femenil.

Rayadas won 2-1 in the March 9 game played in front of 7,000 fans at Monterrey's stunning Estadio BBVA. But the contest included a goal from Wingate.

Trailing 2-0 in the second half, Courage forward Kerolin Nicoli forced a loose ball in the box. Wingate beat the Rayadas goalkeeper to the ball, sending it into the back of the net.

Wingate just might be picking up where she left off in college, where she erupted for 14 goals during her season in South Bend. The effort earned her first team All-ACC honors and United Soccer Coaches third team All-America recognition.

Wingate finished her collegiate career with 26 goals and 11 assists. She played in 95 games, making 74 starts.

In high school, Wingate played two seasons at Wilmington High School, scoring 17 goals as a junior and being named NSCAA All-New England and NSCAA All-State. She also played for the U.S. U18 Women's National Team and U.S. U16 Girls National Team.