NWSL club to play six test matches in lead-up to 2015 campaign

UPDATE: SINCE THE ORIGINAL RELEASE OF THE SCHEDULE, THE LOCATION FOR THE MARCH 20 TEST MATCH AT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON HAS BEEN CHANGED TO GOODMAN PITCH AT REDDAN PARK. IN ADDITION, A SECOND SCRIMMAGE HAS BEEN ADDED TO APRIL 4. THE RED STARS WILL NOW FACE IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY FOLLOWING THEIR MEETING WITH UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, WITH 45 MINUTES SCHEDULED FOR EACH SCRIMMAGE. THE LOCATION FOR THE TWO SCRIMMAGES HAS BEEN CHANGED TO LOU FUSZ SOCCER COMPLEX FIELD 1. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN UPDATED ACCORDINGLY.

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Chicago Red Stars are excited to announce their official schedule and roster for this year’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) preseason, which commences today with the club’s first training session of 2015. Over the course of the coming weeks, Head Coach Rory Dames and his staff look to fine-tune their tactics and finalize a 20-player first team by testing their pool of candidates in five away matches against college sides and one intra-squad exhibition game at home.

The Red Stars preseason roster consists of all players currently under contract as well as ten invitees who impressed during the open tryouts and five of the club’s six selections in the 2015 NWSL College Draft. Third-round pick Nicole Setterlund will not be entering camp, as she has opted against a professional career due to concussion issues.

A strong emphasis during this year’s preseason will be to give soccer fans whose location prevents them from attending home matches the chance to see their team live and in person. For this reason, the Red Stars will be playing five away games at four different venues and just one intra-squad exhibition on their home field at Benedictine University in Lisle.

Heach Coach Dames’ side will hit the road to face Marquette University on March 16 at 5 p.m. CT, University of Wisconsin Madison on March 20 at 7 p.m. CT, University of Missouri and Iowa State University on April 4 at 11 a.m. CT (45 minutes each) and University of Notre Dame on April 8 at 6 p.m. CT. The intra-squad exhibition, which will be open to the public and free for all season-ticket holders, takes place on March 29 at 10 a.m. CT. The complete preseason schedule with venue information may be found below.

A total of eight Chicago players will be joining the squad closer to the April 18 season opener, as they are currently preparing for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup with their respective national teams. While Christen Press, Julie Johnston, Lori Chalupny and Shannon Boxx are in Portugal with the USA to compete in the Algarve Cup, Canadians Karina LeBlanc, Melissa Tancredi and Adriana Leon are representing their country in the Cyprus Cup. Defender Abby Erceg is in camp with New Zealand.

The quintet of recent Red Stars draft picks is made up of Kentucky defender Arin Gilliland, Virginia midfielder-forward Danielle Colaprico, Santa Clara forward Sofia Huerta, Wisconsin forward Cara Walls and Illinois State forward Rachel Tejada. The complete 2015 Chicago Red Stars preseason roster may be found below.

For the majority of preseason, training sessions will be held Monday-Friday mornings (times vary) on the Oak Brook Park District outdoor turf at 1450 Forest Gate Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Media interested in attending and/or conducting interviews must contact Director of Communications Gunnar Berndt at [email protected] or 301-702-1075.

The 2015 Red Stars season kicks off on April 18 with the team’s big home opener against Sydney Leroux, Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo and current Shield holders Seattle Reign FC. Single-game and season tickets ($145) may be purchased by calling 773-698-6001 or by visiting clicking here.

Complete 2015 Chicago Red Stars Preseason Schedule

Complete 2015 Chicago Red Stars Preseason Roster

* Player potentially involved in national team’s World Cup preparations    ** Unsigned college draftee
*** Unsigned invitee