Club adds Savy King, Maya Doms, Jamie Shepherd, Caroline Conti, Laveni Vaka on draft night in Anaheim
Anaheim, Calif. (Jan. 12, 2024) – Bay FC, the Bay Area’s new women’s professional soccer franchise and a member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), selected Savy King from University of North Carolina (No. 2 overall) and Maya Doms from Stanford University (No. 8 overall) in the first round of the 2024 NWSL Draft. In the third round, Bay FC picked Jamie Shepherd out of BYU (No. 30 overall) and Caroline Conti out of Clemson (No. 34) before concluding their draft in the fourth round by selecting Laveni Vaka from BYU (No. 55 overall) on Friday evening at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Savy King – No. 2 (1st round)
Position: Defender
Height: 5-6
Birthdate: Feb. 7, 2005
Hometown: Santa Monica, Calif.
College: North Carolina
BIO: As a freshman at UNC, King earned United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic second team honors, All-ACC second team honors and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. She was one of only four Tar Heels to start all 23 matches, and the only freshman on the squad. A nominee for 2023 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, she helped the U.S. U-20s qualify for the 2024 U-20 World Cup.
Maya Doms – No. 8 (1st round)
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-6
Birthdate: May 11, 2001
Hometown: Davis, Calif.
College: Stanford
BIO: A fifth-year senior for the Cardinal, Doms won the 2019 NCAA Championship, while helping Stanford win two PAC-12 Championships (2019, 2022) and an appearance in the 2023 College Cup final during her last collegiate season. From 2019-23, the midfielder played in 100 games (84 starts), tallying 33 goals and 20 assists. As a senior, Doms was a first team All-American, All-Region, and All-PAC 12 pick, recording 12 goals and six assists.
Jamie Shepherd – No. 30 (3rd round)
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-7
Birthdate: Oct. 9, 2000
Hometown: American Fork, Utah
College: BYU
BIO: Shepherd played 108 career games for BYU, ranking as the most games played in school history while logging 9,138 minutes. Across five seasons (2019-23), the midfielder tallied 14 goals and added 21 assists. As a team captain in 2023, Shepherd was a third team All-Region pick and helped BYU advance to the College Cup. Individually during her career, Shepherd earned second team All-American honors (2022), first team All-Region recognition three times (2020-21, 2021, 2022), All-WCC first team honors (2021), and All-WCC second team honors (2020-21).
Caroline Conti – No. 34 (3rd round)
Position: Forward
Height: 5-6
Birthdate: March 28, 2001
Hometown: Greenville, S.C.
College: Clemson
BIO: From 2019-23, Conti appeared in 100 games (96 starts) for the Tigers, scoring 27 goals and adding 20 assists. In her final season, she garnered third team All-Region accolades for the first time in her career and added third team All-ACC honors for the second time in her career. Conti concluded her collegiate career by hitting career marks in games played (24), games started (22), and goals (eight).
Laveni Vaka – No. 55 (4th round)
Position: Defender
Height: 5-6
Birthdate: Aug. 11, 2001
Hometown: Sandy, Utah
College: BYU
BIO: Across five seasons at BYU (2019-23), Vaka played in 97 games (74 starts), tallying three assists. In her final season, she helped lead the Cougars to the semifinal round of the College Cup, earning first team All-American honors. Individually, Vaka garnered first team All-Region and All-Big 12 honors in her final season. A member of the Tonga Women’s National Team, she has earned three international caps.
2024 Bay FC Current Roster (by position)
(as of Jan. 12, 2024)
Goalkeepers (1): Katelyn Rowland
Defenders (6): Caprice Dydasco, Savy King, Alyssa Malonson, Emily Menges, Kayla Sharples, Laveni Vaka
Midfielders (5): Joelle Anderson, Dorian Bailey, Maya Doms, Alex Loera, Jamie Shepherd
Forwards (4): Tess Boade, Scarlett Camberos, Rachel Hill, Caroline Conti
About Bay Football Club
Bay Football Club (Bay FC) is the new women’s professional soccer franchise representing the Bay Area and the 14th team to join the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Bay FC was established in April 2023 and co-founded by USWNT legends Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner in partnership with global investment firm Sixth Street and an investor group of leading tech, business and sports executives. Sixth Street’s investment is the largest institutional investment to date in a women’s professional sports franchise. Bay FC is changing the face of women’s soccer as we know it. Beginning play in the 2024 season, we are building a squad that will play the beautiful game with power, passion, energy, and creativity. Ticket deposits are now open for Bay FC at https://bayfc.com and fans can follow Bay FC’s social channels (@wearebayfc) for the latest news, merchandise, and events.
