Former Boston University women’s soccer standout and two-time America East Striker of the Year Jessica Luscinski was drafted on Friday by the Boston Breakers in the 2012 Women’s Professional Soccer Draft in Kansas City, Mo.
In 2011, her senior season for the Terriers, Luscinski played 19 of the team’s 23 games. She was sidelined with a pulled muscle for three games at the beginning of the season, and missed the America East semifinals while recovering from pneumonia.
The senior finished the year with nine goals and eight assists while taking 79 shots. She finished first in the conference in shots, points and assists as the Terriers went on to capture their fifth straight America East title and first NCAA Tournament win since 2005.
The Breakers selected Luscinski in the fourth and final round of the draft with the 20th pick. The Breakers went 5-9-4 in 2011, their third season in the league.
BU coach Nancy Feldman indicated that she thought the Breakers were the most logical fit for Luscinski.
Feldman said that the draft is a “very competitive situation” and the difference between the level of play between college and the professionals is large.
“It’s like going from high school to college, but double or triple the competitiveness,” Feldman said.
The Bedford, N.H. native is the highest draft pick that the Terriers’ have produced.
Previous to Luscinski, two 2010 BU graduates, Mara Osher and Casey Brown, were drafted during the sixth and seventh rounds of the 2010 WPS draft, respectively.
The only other member of the women’s soccer team to be drafted was Deidre Enos, who graduated in 2001. Enos, who had her jersey retired by the program on Sept. 18, was drafted in the Women’s United Soccer Association Supplemental College Draft.
According to Feldman, Luscinski and the other players’ draft positions present a positive reflection of the team’s current and future members.
“I think we’re starting to be recognized for having elite players,” Feldman said.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
