Walden earns her wings with play

For a freshman to make an immediate impact on Boston College's women's soccer team is not a rarity. Three years ago, it was Katie McGregor and Kate Taylor. Jenny Maurer and Heather Ferron, now juniors, had immediate impacts in 2003. Kia McNeill led the team in scoring during her freshman campaign last year.

Thirty-eight minutes and 24 seconds into her first collegiate game this year, Caroline Walden assured herself of a place in this group.

A well-placed shot became the freshman's first goal at BC, and proved to be the game-winner in a 2-0 triumph over Boston University on Aug. 26. Even for someone who had scored 67 goals in her high school career, Walden was presently surprised to find the net when she did.

"It was all adrenaline," Walden said. "I didn't think I was going to score. I just took a chance. It was great [to score] in that environment and that atmosphere."

It was not by chance that Walden wound up an Eagle. She looked at William and Mary, Dartmouth, and BC, but in the end, the decision was not very difficult. After her first visit to BC, Walden said she "didn't have to go on the other two," because she had found the school for her.

At the same time, head coach Alison Foley had signed another recruit from the Eagles' newest pipeline state.

Walden hails from Guilford, Conn., and attended the Hopkins School in nearby New Haven. She became the third prominent recruit from the Nutmeg State to head north to Boston, and not to a certain Big East foe, in four seasons, following McGregor and McNeill.

"Connecticut has done a really good job of keeping their best at home," Foley said, "but when we got [McGregor], it was like Connecticut players said, 'Maybe we should be looking at BC as well.'

"With our education and the city of Boston, those kids are saying that maybe there is something in Boston that we should take a look at."

Foley knew this for sure that she had another immediate contributor to the club long before Walden had scored the team's first goal of the year.

"The first exercise we do in the preseason is a mile run," Foley said, "and she blew it out of the water," running a team-best 5:36.

"Since then it's just been smooth sailing. She's caught on really well," Foley said.

Another element to Walden's early successes at BC is her prior experience playing on national teams, having been a part of both the Under-16 and Under-17 teams in the past, which Foley has attributed as preparing her well for play at the collegiate level.

As for expecting to step in and start right away, it was not something that had been guaranteed to Walden. She had to earn it.

"I was hopeful [to start]," she said, "but it was something I had to work for."

The primary factor that has helped Walden to get herself into the starting lineup as a freshman has been her versatility.

In the Eagles' first six games, Foley had inserted her into the lineup both as an attacking and defending midfielder during the course of the year.

"She's been excellent on all accounts," Foley said. "That's not easy, being moved around like that, as a freshman. These aren't minimal tasks that we're asking her to do."

Sophomore Laura Georges, who Foley called "one of the best defenders in the world," has temporarily left the BC lineup, due to her obligations with the French national team.

True to form, Walden has moved to the center back position during Georges' absence.

Foley expects Walden to spend more time on the defensive side of the ball in the future, especially when senior back Lindsay McArdle graduates following this season.

"With Lindsay at her senior year, we were going to need somebody that had been in the program, preferably for a year, before she was completely settled in next to Laura," Foley said.

Considering that much of Walden's time at the national-team level was spent playing defense, Foley knows that Walden "is of the caliber to have that be her main position."

Even if BC's defensive lineup was set for this season, the coaching staff knew that a player as talented as Walden had to be put into the lineup.

"We also knew her freshman year she could help us in the midfield," Foley added. "This spring, we'll turn her more into a back, and at that point, she should be ready to go with Laura [Georges]."

Even in spite of Walden's immediate success at BC, scoring two goals and playing three separate positions on the field, Foley did not feel that she was exceeding expectations.

"We had extremely high expectations for her," Foley explained. "She is meeting the anticipated impact we hoped she would have."

As for her own expectations, Walden hopes to continue at the highest level of which she is capable, and maybe add to the two goals she has tallied this year.

It might be easy for Walden to get caught up in the enormity of how her résumé already reads from her short time at BC.

She has scored a goal in her first game. She has shown herself able to play just about anywhere she is needed.

She has essentially been anointed the successor to a key player on a defense that has yet to be scored upon in seven games this season.

There is no doubt that Walden has accomplished much in just one month.

One might expect her to take a step back and be just the least bit in awe of what she is doing.

For now, however, she is solely playing the game, though that doesn't come without some enjoyment.

"It's just soccer," Walden said, "but it is exciting."