Former UW standouts Dalton, Walls sign with Red Stars
April 17, 2015 | Women's Soccer
April 17, 2015
> Official release from Chicago Red Stars
MADISON, Wis. -- Former Wisconsin women's soccer standouts Michele Dalton and Cara Walls each signed with the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as announced by the club on Thursday.
The Badger duo earned spots through their strong play over the course of preseason, which saw Chicago win all five of its games and outscore opponents 14-0. That included a 1-0 victory over the Badgers in a spring game held in March.
Dalton and Walls will likely see significant minutes when several Chicago stars depart to compete with their respective countries in this summer's 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
"I've always wanted to play in the NWSL and it has been a matter of getting an opportunity and whether I'd be prepared for it," said Dalton in the team's official release. "I feel very fortunate, given that it's a World Cup year, which will likely allow me to get on the field. That's important because I cherish the chance to grow and improve."
Not only did Dalton earn the right to play professionally, the Mt. Prospect, Illinois, native will do so for her hometown team. Dalton started in net at Wisconsin from 2009-11 and posted a 29-16-13 record. As a senior, Dalton became the first in program history to win Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. She ranks fifth in UW annals with 24 shutouts over her career and is also fifth with a 0.880 career goals-against average.
Walls was Chicago's 23rd overall pick in the third round of the 2015 NWSL College Draft and became Wisconsin's first player ever to have been drafted into the NWSL. Having just wrapped up her career at UW, the Wauwatosa native finished as the program's second-leading goal scorer with 42 tallies. Walls led UW in scoring each of her four years in Madison and holds the school record for multi-goal games with ten.
"It feels good to have made the final roster," Walls said in the team's official release. "There weren't a lot of spots, so I'm glad preseason went the way it did and that I was able to earn one of them. From here, I think there's still a lot of work that needs to be done. It's the goal of the team to win the league, and if we're going to do that, players like myself are going to need to step up when the World Cup players are gone.
"I think being on the roster is a great opportunity and I'm really excited for the season to start."
The Chicago Red Stars kick off their 2015 NWSL season Saturday with a home opener against Seattle Reign FC.
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