Kelby ZendejasThe Chicago Red Stars drafted Ole Miss soccer’s leading goal scorer Channing Foster on Wednesday during the virtual 2021 National Women’s Soccer League College Draft.
Still, Foster plans to return to Ole Miss for her fifth season as a Rebel for the 2021 spring and fall seasons.
“I want to thank the Chicago Red Stars for drafting me and giving me an incredible opportunity,” Foster said in a statement from Ole Miss Athletics. “I’ve dreamt of becoming a professional soccer player since I was a little girl, and I cannot wait to get started. With that being said, I have chosen to stay at Ole Miss through the 2021 fall season to pursue my MBA and exhaust my remaining eligibility before heading to the NWSL in 2022.”
Foster was selected as the No. 32 pick overall and will join former Rebel soccer star CeCe Kizer in the NWSL. Kizer was selected by the Houston Dash in the 2019 NWSL College Draft as the No. 13 pick overall, and she now plays for Racing Louisville FC.
“I am extremely proud of Channing getting drafted by the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL,” Ole Miss soccer head coach Matt Mott said. “Her dedication, hard work and approach to the game have made her into an elite level soccer player. I am so happy she has decided to stay at Ole Miss and play her final season with us before turning pro.”
During the most recent 2020 fall season, Foster grasped her fourth All-SEC title making the senior one of the two Ole Miss soccer players ever to hold an SEC title all four years on the team. She also added three goals during the fall season, totaling 33. This makes the senior sixth in school-history for most goals scored.
The tally for 33 goals came after her game-winning goal during the Vanderbilt game where the senior snuck a lucky goal into the net during overtime. The goal was the third game-winning strike the Kentucky-native put onto the scoreboard for the Rebels during the 2020 season.
Foster already has experience with the Red Stars as well. She played for the Chicago Red Stars Reserves team and helped the team win the Women’s Premier Soccer League Central Region Championship in 2018.
“I want to thank the entire Ole Miss coaching staff as well as my teammates for helping me to grow and develop as a player, but even more importantly as a person,” said Foster. “Being at Ole Miss has been such a blessing. Rebel Nation is second to none. I’m excited to get another year in a Rebel uniform. We have some unfinished business! See you soon, Chicago!”
