orignilly posted by
12/23/2010 - 06:29 a.m.
Midfielder Sinead Farrelly tallied four goals and six assists during ACC play for the University of Virginia.
(Dec. 23, 2010) -- While only a small number of college seniors – 24 to be exact – will be drafted into Women’s Professional Soccer on January 14, many may have to claw their way onto the rosters of the six WPS teams once pre-season arrives. With an already established lot of players moving and shifting among those six clubs via trades and free agency, top players fresh out of college know they have their work cut out for themselves in their rookie seasons.
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Offensive Player of the Year, Virginia’s Sinead Farrelly, is one of those hopeful for her soccer career to continue at the professional level. The Cavalier had four goals and a conference-high six assists during ACC play her senior season, and is encouraged by the possibility of returning to the soccer stage in her native Pennsylvania.
Hailing from suburban Havertown, Pa., located just nine miles west of Philadelphia, one of Farrelly’s earliest soccer memories is with the local U-8 Havertown Hotspur team.
“I still like to believe we were the best team that has ever come out of Havertown,” said Farrelly. “We all grew up together and they were a huge part of the reason I fell in love with soccer.”
The center midfielder is already clued into the localized marketing schemes of WPS teams as the league forges ahead in a more regionalized form.
“I would absolutely love to play for Philadelphia just because I know the area. I have my family there, and it would just be nice to be so close to home,” Farrelly said. “I also know many of my friends that would love to come watch me play and it would be nice to get that local support for myself and for the league as a whole.”
The Philadelphia Independence propelled themselves into the 2010 WPS Championship in the expansion side’s first season of play, successfully forming a team out of trades and other WPS team’s unprotected experienced players in the expansion draft.
In advance of the 2010 WPS Draft, Independence Head Coach Paul Riley opted to trade out of the first round handing over their second pick to the Boston Breakers. However, in 2011, the Independence will have two selections to make in the first round, picks two and five.
With Cal Berkeley’s Alex Morgan expected to be selected first by the newest WPS club, the Western New York Flash, many suspect Stanford’s Christen Press will be headed to Philadelphia as the second overall selection. Should the Atlanta Beat and Washington Freedom pass on Farrelly, the Virginian midfielder has the potential to be swooped up by the Philly club fifth or even as the second round ninth pick – a selection received earlier this week in exchange for sending Caroline Seger over to the Flash.
"Sinead is an excellent player, but there are some very good impact players coming out of college,” said Riley. “Sinead is bright, clever, creative and has all the tools to be a top WPS midfielder. She has a good engine, excellent range of passing and a tremendous attitude to training. I'm sure Sinead will go in the first round."
While it is unlikely for a player to come in and establish a truly prominent role in managing the work flow of any WPS team’s midfield in her first professional season, the opportunity to develop among some of the world’s best talent is there.
“It’s definitely a great opportunity,” said Farrelly. “It’s so amazing that WPS is available and can give every women’s soccer player the chance to continue her career after playing at the college level. I love playing soccer, and any chance that I have to keep doing what I love is something that I definitely would like to do.”
Sinead Farrely Articles on VaSoccerNews
