Mar. 28, 2008

BEMIDJI, Minn. - Former Bemidji State soccer player and Bemidji native Megan Wallner has agreed to terms for a one-season contract with the professional soccer team, Sundsvall DFF.

The team is located in Sundsvall, Sweden, and when Wallner steps on the field for her first game, she will become the first-ever Beaver to play professional soccer.

“I thought after my final game last season that I was done playing soccer, but now I get the chance to further my career, which is something I’m really excited about,” Wallner said. “I’m not quite sure what to expect, but I am expecting this team to be really good and I’m hoping I can contribute in a positive way.

“I feel like a freshman all over again because I get to learn a new language and learn about a new team. I’m overwhelmed with this opportunity. It’s something I’m really proud of and I hope future Beavers can look to me and think that they, too, can play professionally now if they want.”

Wallner will play a minimum of one season, which lasts from April to October of this year. During her time there she will be living with a family that will help her adapt to living in the foreign country.

Sundsvall DFF is similar to a Triple-A baseball club in that it is one level away from the highest professional soccer league in Europe.

She will more than likely be stepping onto the field as an outside-midfielder. Other terms of her contract require her to maintain employment with an outside entity other than the soccer club, and she will also be taking classes to learn Swedish.

Coach Jim Stone has expressed his excitement for his former player and expects her to impress her new team because he has seen her incredible work ethic up close for the past four years.

“I think that it’s a wonderful opportunity for Megan as an individual,” Stone said. “I think she’ll eventually break into the lineup there because every coach likes hard work, and there is no one that works harder than her.

“Her opportunity shows our current and future players that, if you really work hard, you also might be able to move on and continue playing when you’re done here. As a coaching staff, we’re willing to help our players. When their eligibility is done, we’re not done with them. We want to help them with whatever they want to do after college, whether it’s trying to find a team to play on or trying to find them employment of any other type.”

Wallner also has a sister, Kristy, who is playing professional basketball in Germany. She is currently wrapping up her second season overseas.

Bemidji State has begun its spring practices, and will be looking to improve on its first-round trip to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference last season once the year begins next August.

--bsu--