Sounders take Duke midfielder Zach Mathers with 35th overall pick

With their final pick of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, Seattle Sounders selected Duke midfielder Zach Mathers. A native of Keller, TX, Mathers won multiple honors in high school, both with his club team Chelsea Solar and with Keller High School. Ranked 72nd in the nation out of high school, Mathers took his talents to Duke University in 2012.

With the 15th pick in the second round, Seattle selects midfielder @zmath21! pic.twitter.com/1rneUGkRbM

— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) January 14, 2016

Mathers started 17 games for the Blue Devils as a senior in 2015, scoring a team-high eight goals on eight assists on his way to First Team All-ACC honors. The midfielder was named team captain in 2014 and was unanimously voted by his teammates as the team's MVP in 2015. Mathers became the first Duke player to score hat trick in a competitive match since 2011 when he put in three against NC State en route to a 5-2 Duke victory.

With the Sounders losing a number of midfielders in the offseason, the club will be hoping to get first-team quality out of Mathers as soon as possible.