Geist Taken by Thorns in NWSL Draft
January 18, 2018 | Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper taken with 29th overall pick
CORVALLIS – Oregon State standout goalkeeper Bella Geist will head just up the road to play her professional soccer, as the Milwaukie, Ore. native was selected by the Portland Thorns with the 29th overall pick in the NWSL Draft on Thursday morning.
"It means everything to me to play at the professional level, especially at Thorns FC," Geist said. "It's been a dream of mine to play at this level since I was a little kid, and for the Thorns staff to take a chance on me means the world."
"She's a powerful keeper, and she's technically very clean," said Portland Thorns head coach Mark Parsons. "She has great feet. She can play the ball short and she can play the ball long, and that has been crucial to our style. We're excited to have that quality of keeper coming in. We came into today wanting one goalkeeper, and that was Bella."
Geist will go down as one of the best goalies in Pac-12 history, having set Oregon State's career record with 394 saves, a mark that is also good for third in Pac-12 history. The net-minder played in 72 games over the course of her four year career, holding a total on 18 clean sheets over that span. She set the Oregon State single-season saves record in her freshman campaign, stopping 126 shots in her debut season.
"I'm so happy for Bella," said Oregon State head coach Linus Rhode. "She has worked very hard to achieve this step in her career."
Apart from her time at Oregon State, Geist saw time with the US U-23 National Team in the spring of 2017. The goalkeeper was part of the squad that competed in the Portland Thorns Spring Invitational, holding a shutout in her start against the Chicago Red Stars on April 1, before being subbed off after 64 minutes.
Off the field, Geist is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, and earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in her senior year while majoring in biology.
Geist joins a Portland Thorns squad that is coming off an NWSL Championship, posting a regular season record of 14-5-5 in 2017. She will follow in the footsteps of former Oregon State forward Jodie Taylor, who played for the Thorns during the 2015 season.
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For updates on Oregon State women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter or Instagram @BeaverWSoccer.
OREGON STATE ATHLETICS' EVERYDAY CHAMPIONS CULTURE
Through the power of sport, we help people discover and pursue their passions, talents and purpose in order to live a life of balance and positive contribution.
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"It means everything to me to play at the professional level, especially at Thorns FC," Geist said. "It's been a dream of mine to play at this level since I was a little kid, and for the Thorns staff to take a chance on me means the world."
"She's a powerful keeper, and she's technically very clean," said Portland Thorns head coach Mark Parsons. "She has great feet. She can play the ball short and she can play the ball long, and that has been crucial to our style. We're excited to have that quality of keeper coming in. We came into today wanting one goalkeeper, and that was Bella."
Geist will go down as one of the best goalies in Pac-12 history, having set Oregon State's career record with 394 saves, a mark that is also good for third in Pac-12 history. The net-minder played in 72 games over the course of her four year career, holding a total on 18 clean sheets over that span. She set the Oregon State single-season saves record in her freshman campaign, stopping 126 shots in her debut season.
"I'm so happy for Bella," said Oregon State head coach Linus Rhode. "She has worked very hard to achieve this step in her career."
Apart from her time at Oregon State, Geist saw time with the US U-23 National Team in the spring of 2017. The goalkeeper was part of the squad that competed in the Portland Thorns Spring Invitational, holding a shutout in her start against the Chicago Red Stars on April 1, before being subbed off after 64 minutes.
Off the field, Geist is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, and earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in her senior year while majoring in biology.
Geist joins a Portland Thorns squad that is coming off an NWSL Championship, posting a regular season record of 14-5-5 in 2017. She will follow in the footsteps of former Oregon State forward Jodie Taylor, who played for the Thorns during the 2015 season.
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With the 29th pick in the #NWSLdraft, we've selected Bella Geist from Oregon State University! Welcome to the Thorns, Bella.?? #BAONPDX pic.twitter.com/KkEpF0A7xR
— Portland Thorns FC (@ThornsFC) January 18, 2018
For updates on Oregon State women's soccer, follow the team on Twitter or Instagram @BeaverWSoccer.
OREGON STATE ATHLETICS' EVERYDAY CHAMPIONS CULTURE
Through the power of sport, we help people discover and pursue their passions, talents and purpose in order to live a life of balance and positive contribution.
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