PRINCETON, N.J. -- Yale defender Carlin Hudson—a three-time All-Ivy honoree—was selected by the North Carolina Courage in the fourth round of the 2018 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) College Draft.
 
Hudson’s selection in the four-round, 40-pick affair gives the Ivy League three NWSL draft picks over the past two seasons.
 
“I’m very excited," said Hudson, who watched the draft with her teammates in the women's soccer office in the Ray Tompkins House at Yale. "It means a lot to me that North Carolina can see the potential in me. I'm so lucky to be able to continue my soccer career."
 
Hudson appeared in every Yale game, starting 48-of-49 during her freshman, junior and senior seasons. She suffered a season-ending injury during the first game of her sophomore campaign. The Berkeley, Calif., product netted two goals and tallied four assists in a Bulldog uniform.
 
"Carlin has a lot of the attributes we look for in a player," said North Carolina head coach Paul Riley. "She's athletic, she's got pace and she has some physicality. I'm excited to get her."
 
Yale head coach Rudy Meredith is confident Hudson can succeed in the professional game.
 
"She's very deserving of this opportunity," he said. "Her work ethic is second to none. She hates to lose. I know she will give the extra effort needed to compete at that level."
 
Set to graduate in May with an applied math major, Hudson boasts a 3.82 GPA and has a job with Bain & Company waiting for her when she is done playing soccer.
 
Hudson, who was named a candidate for the Senior Class Award, also has been an active part of the New Haven and Yale communities. She volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club of New Haven, where she has helped direct an after-school sports program to foster teamwork in inner-city youth. In addition, she planned and executed the Yale Women in Leadership "Women Empowering Women" Conference which had more than 250 attendees, two keynote speakers and 13 panels.
 
Hudson is just the fourth Ivy to be selected in the NWSL College Draft, joining Princeton’s Jen Hoy (2013), Harvard’s Midge Purce (2017) and Princeton’s Tyler Lussi (2017).
 
The NWSL is a 10-team professional women’s soccer league supported by the Canadian Soccer Association, Federation of Mexican Football and the United States Soccer Federation and is the premiere professional women’s soccer league in the United States.