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32 | February 1, 2018 | Malibu surfside news Sports
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Pepperdine’s Visalli drafted by NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars
Chris Megginson
Freelance Reporter
“With the 19th pick in the
second round of the 2018
NWSL Draft, the Chicago
Red Stars select Brianna
Visalli from Pepperdine
University.”
Those are the words the
2017 West Coast Conference
Women’s Soccer
Player of the Year waited
all morning to hear on Jan.
18 at the National Women’s
Soccer League Draft in
Philadelphia.
“It’s surreal. It feels like
you’re in a dream. If you
asked me at the beginning
of the year if I thought I
was going to get drafted,
I would have laughed and
said, ‘That’s really funny,’”
Visalli said. “I’m so happy
this happened. It’s a dream
come true.”
Visalli admits she’d
hoped to hear her name earlier
in the day after hearing
from some NWSL coaches
and mock draft analysts that
she was a late first round
player as a MAC Hermann
Trophy semifinalist.
“You have no control
over everything,” she said.
“It’s the culmination of all
of your hard work over the
last four years. You’re sitting
in the balance waiting
for someone to call your
name.
“I was hoping I could rip
it off like a Band-Aid. It’s
so nerve-racking not knowing
where you’re going for
the future. Sitting there felt
like a million years.”
In reality, it was an
hour and 52 minutes — a
surprise even to Chicago
coach Rory Dames.
“Bri just had a great
U-23 camp and rated out
really good there,” Dames
told World Sports Show in
a broadcast interview. “In
our second, third and four
picks we got players who
on our board we had rated a
lot higher, so you can never
be disappointed with that.”
At the end of the first
round, Visalli says she was
approached by former Cal
goalkeeper Emily Boyd,
who gave her encouragement.
The two bonded last
month at the U.S. Women’s
National Team U23 camp.
Boyd, was also drafted 15th
overall by Chicago, came
to the side of the stage to be
the first to great her future
teammate.
In addition to Boyd,
while at the U23 camp,
Visalli also got to know
Red Stars draft selection
Indigo Gibson, a defender
from Cal, and 2017 Red
Stars draft pick Michele
Vasconcelos, who was
among the first to send a
congratulatory text.
“I think [Chicago] is the
better fit for me going into
this environment, because
I have so many friends [on
the team],” Visalli said.
Visalli said she has
dreamed of playing professional
since watching
FC Gold Pride Game as a
child, specifically in 2010
while watching Golden
Boot winner Marta Vieira
da Silva during the Gold
Pride’s Women’s Professional
Soccer championship
run.
“She was amazing. Now
I’m going to be playing
against Marta [now playing
with the Orlando Pride],”
she said. “ … I don’t even
know how to put that into
words. All of these people
you looked up to as a kid,
you’re in the same league
as them.”
Visalli will join the Red
Stars in Chicago on Feb.
16 for preseason as she
pursues a contract with
the team and a spot on
Bri Visalli (second from right) is surrounded by Pepperdine coaching staff members
(left to right) Tim Ward, Ariana Martinez and Max Rooke after Visalli is drafted by the
Chicago Red Stars. Pepperdine Athletics
the team’s 20-player First
Team roster.
The Chicago Red Stars
currently field a full roster.
In addition to the Red
Stars’ six draft selections,
the team held open tryouts
over the weekend in
Northbrook, Illinois. Visalli
knows the preseason will
be competitive.
“I want to make an impact
my first year, but realistically
I don’t know how
that’s going to work out
because of how crowded
the league is right now,”
Visalli said. “The league
is all full of players right
now. It’s the most elite
players playing.”
In addition to her selection
to the NWSL, Visalli
continues to receive
invites to the U.S. Women’s
National Team U-23
camp. She had a callback
in early January, and then
joined the full U.S. National
Team for two days
as a practice player in Los
Angeles at the StubHub
Center prior to the draft.
Visalli graduated from
Pepperdine in December
and completed her career
with the Waves with the
seventh-most goals (25)
in program history, and
second-most game-winning
goals (14), including
a single-season record
six game-winning goals
in 2017. She is the Pepperdine
record-holder for
games played (83), games
started (81) and penalty
kick goals (7).
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