WUSA: San Diego gets No. 1 draft pick in five-player deal with New York

• by Soccer America , Sep 30, 2002

San Diego and New York swapped first-round draft choices -- with the Spirit picking up the No. 1 selection and New York the No. 2 pick -- as part of a five-player trade, the biggest in WUSA history.

New York, coming off a 3-17-1 campaign and in need of help in several areas, sent attacking midfielder Jen Lalor and defender Wynne McIntosh to the Spirit in exchange for defensive midfielder Shannon Boxx, attacking midfielder Sherrill Kester and defender Margaret Tietjen.

The deal enables San Diego to grab Santa Clara University playmaker Aly Wagner, also a U.S. women's national team standout, with the first selection in next year's WUSA draft. New York, with the second pick, will be expected to take Penn State striker Christie Welsh, a three-time All-American won won the Hermann Trophy and MAC Award last year.

Boxx and Tietjen should bolster the Power's defense, which was the league's worst in 2002, surrendering 62 goals in 21 matches. Boxx, considered one of the WUSA's better defensive midfielders, started 36 games in two seasons for the Spirit and totaled five goals and seven assists.

Tietjen, a Long Island native and twin sister of Philadelphia defender Jen Tietjen, has been a role player for San Diego; she averaged 45 minutes during her 13 appearances last season and started just five games. She contributed five assists in 16 appearances in 2001.

Kester scored a goal and assisted two others while starting 13 games in 2002. She played in 40 of San Diego's 42 regular-season games during the first two seasons.

Lalor, who grew up near San Diego, attended college in California and played for San Diego's team in the WPSL prior to the WUSA's start, has started 31 games for New York -- 18 last season -- dishing off three assists. She also scored in the Power's semifinal loss to San Jose in 2001.

McIntosh, who earned a roster spot in 2002 after playing well during preseason, scored a goal and added an assist in 14 appearances.

What San Diego gets:
M Jen Lalor
D Wynne McIntosh
New York's first-round draft pick (No. 1 overall)

What New York gets:
M Shannon Boxx
M Sherrill Kester
D Margaret Tietjen
San Diego's first-round draft pick (No. 2 overall)