Delanie Sheehan was the Pac-12 midfielder of the year. (Devon Cafaro Photo)

HARRISON, N.J. – NJ/NY Gotham FC has signed midfielder Delanie Sheehan to a National Team Replacement Player contract prior to the Tokyo Olympics, the National Women’s Soccer League team announced Thursday.

Sheehan was drafted 33rd overall in the 2021 NWSL Draft by Gotham FC and will join the squad as Carli Lloyd (USA), Kailen Sheridan (Canada), and Evelyne Viens (Canada) are away on international duty.

A native of Brentwood, Calif., the 22-year-old midfielder is a 2021 graduate of UCLA. She recorded 15 goals and 18 assists in 86 appearances. As a senior, Sheehan earned Pac-12 midfielder of the year and first team All-Pac-12 honors. She was named as a semifinalist for the 2020-21 Mac Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

Sheehan has represented the U.S. at the Under-18, U-19, and U-20 levels and was an alternate for the 2018 U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.