Independence draft defender Farrell again, take Haverford grad Farrelly with top pick

BALTIMORE - Caitlin Farrell had better watch out for her new coach, Paul Riley of the Independence.

"I'm actually going to kill her when I see her," Riley joked Friday at the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer draft. "We wanted her last year, and she decided she didn't want to play soccer and we were shocked by the decision she made."

Last season, the Independence selected Farrell in the seventh round, but the defender decided to finish her schooling and declined the team's offer. This year, the team selected Farrell, who has has been playing professionally in the Netherlands, in the second round with the eleventh overall pick.

"She's had a year experience playing and doesn't have to worry about finishing up school," Riley said. "Being a year out makes a huge difference."

With the team's first of seven picks and second overall, the Independence selected Haverford High graduate Sinead Farrelly, a 5-foot-6 midfielder whom Riley compared to current Independence captain Lori Lindsey. The Virginia midfielder was a Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2009 and 2010, and could make up for the off-season loss of midfielder Caroline Seger.

Farrelly, the Atlantic Coast Conference offensive player of the year, recorded four goals and an ACC-high six assists during conference action in her senior season.

"I think Farrelly will be a very important player for us," Riley said. "I think she'll make a huge impact straight away. She's going to go straight into the lineup, or close to it. She's got all the tools to be a top player at the WPS level."

Next, the Independence used the fifth overall pick on Notre Dame's Lauren Fowlkes, a 5-10 midfielder/defender. Notre Dame won the NCAA national championship in November, beating then-undefeated Stanford.

In the second round, the Independence picked Oregon's Jen Stoltenberg, a 5-3 forward who ranks third in school history in assists (13) and shots (153). She is fourth in points (49) and fifth in goals (19).

The team's other pick in the round was the 5-9 Farrell, a 2010 Wake Forest graduate who started every game of the 2008 and 2009 seasons and ranks second in school history with 90 games played. She was part of a defense that posted a school-record 15 shutouts in 2009.

"Bringing in Farrell and bringing in Fowlkes from Notre Dame, we got some size. They are good in the air. They are strong in the attack," Riley said.

The Independence took UCLA defender Lauren Barnes and Wake Forest midfielder Bianca D'Agostino in the third round, and James Madison midfielder Teresa Rynier with the team's final pick in the fourth round.

The expansion Western New York Flash selected Alex Morgan, a forward from the University of California and a member of the national team.

North Carolina midfielder Meghan Klingenberg, a Gibsonia, Pa., native, became the third overall pick when she was selected by the magicTalk SC/Washington Freedom after the team made a trade with the Atlanta Beat.

Briana Scurry, a former member of the women's national team and the new general manager of the Freedom, said Klingenberg was "high on everybody's radar" because of her "great left foot." Scurry described the draft pick as a "very hard worker."

"I personally like the fact that she is a fantastic player but also a great kid," Scurry said. "She is very intelligent, comes from a great family, but also her work rate is amazing. Obviously, she is willing to do what she needs to do and brings it every day."

No. 2 pick Sinead Farrelly, a Virginia midfielder from Havertown, went to the Independence.

 No. 19 Katherine Sheeleigh, a Harvard forward from New Vernon, N.J., went to the Boston Breakers.

No. 23 Teresa Rynier, a James Madison midfielder from Leola, Lancaster County, was selected by the Independence.

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