Mal Pugh is leaving UCLA to go pro

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty ImagesMallory Pugh had three games this spring with UCLA, where it looked like she Canadian international Jessie Fleming would be ruling every pitch they stepped on together for the next three years. But now Pugh has said she intends to leave college go pro.

“...chasing after a national championship with my friends and teammates would've been special, but I could not turn down this opportunity,” Pugh said via UCLA press release.

Turning pro of course means Pugh can get paid by US Soccer now, and just when they negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement with a rumored $165k base pay before bonuses (with bonuses, that figure gets pushed into the $200-300k range).…