Michele Weissenhofer

Michele Weissenhofer
Weissenhofer attempting a flip throw-in
Personal information
Full name Michele Lynn Weissenhofer[1]
Date of birth (1987-08-18) August 18, 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth Naperville, Illinois
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position(s) Striker
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2009 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 Chicago Red Stars
2010–2011 SGS Essen 20 (2)
2011–2012 Chicago Red Stars
2014 Chicago Red Stars 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michele Weissenhofer Fumagalli (born August 18, 1987) is a retired American professional soccer player who last played as a striker for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[2][3] She is currently the performance dietitian for Chicago Fire FC in the MLS.[4]

Early life

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Weissenhofer was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois. She graduated from Neuqua Valley High School, where in addition to soccer she also played varsity basketball. As a child she participated in gymnastics, which helped her in developing the flip throw-in that became a signature of her soccer career.[1]

Her father played college football and her mother played college softball and was a cheerleader, both at North Central College. Her uncle was a linebacker for the University of Notre Dame.[1]

Playing career

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High School

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Choosing to focus on her club career with Eclipse Select Soccer Club, Weissenhofer only played three years of high school soccer at Neuqua Valley High School. In 2005 she won a state title alongside her future college teammates, Brittany Bock and Amanda Clark.[5]

College

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Weissenhofer attended the University of Notre Dame. She was sidelined for portions of her tenure with the Fighting Irish due to injuries, but still notched 90 games-played with 63 starts. During her tenure, Notre Dame won three Big East Conference titles. The team made four consecutive trips to the NCAA College Cup (Weissenhofer and the rest of her senior class were only the second Notre Dame group to achieve this), including making it to the championship game in 2006 and 2008.[6]

WPS

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Weissenhofer was selected by the Chicago Red Stars with the 33rd overall pick in the 2010 WPS Draft.[7] Although she didn't make the first team roster, she was added to the developmental roster.[8]

Frauen-Bundesliga

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In July 2010, Weissenhofer joined SGS Essen to play in the Frauen-Bundesliga. She stayed with the club through March 2011, scoring six goals in twenty-three games.[9]

WPSL

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Weissenhofer rejoined the Chicago Red Stars for their 2011 season[10] after the club had to drop down to the WPSL due to the owners being unable to come up with the funds to play in the 2011 WPS season.[11] She finished the season with nine goals and eight assists. She led the league in assists and finished second for total points.[12] She was named to the All-WPSL First Team.[13] The Red Stars reached the championship game, but they lost 2–1 to the Orange County Waves in extra time. Weissenhofer had the assist on the Red Stars' goal with a flip throw-in.[14]

WPSL Elite

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In 2012, Weissenhofer played for the Red Stars in the first and only season of the WPSL Elite.[15] The Red Stars made it to the championship game, losing on penalties to the WNY Flash.[16]

NWSL

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Weissenhofer was taken by the Portland Thorns in the 2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft,[17] but she did not make the final roster.

In 2014, with five players missing due to national team call-ups, the Chicago Red Stars called-up Weissenhofer as an amateur player for their game against the WNY Flash on June 18.[18] She entered the game in the 76th minute and recorded one shot on goal in a 2–0 loss for the Red Stars.[19]

Post-playing

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Using her marketing degree from Notre Dame, Weissenhofer worked for Gatorade. In 2016, she earned a degree in dietetics from Benedictine University. She previously worked for Northwestern Medicine as an outpatient oncology dietitian.[20] She currently works for the Chicago Fire as the Performance Dietician.[21]

Personal life

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In 2014, Michele married John Fumagalli.[22] She has two children, a daughter and a son.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Michele Weissenhofer". University of Notre Dame. 9 July 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "2013 NWSL Supplemental Draft Selections – National Women's Soccer League". 2013-04-26. Archived from the original on 2013-04-26. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  3. ^ "Michele Weissenhofer". Chicago Tribune. 2008-11-28. pp. 2–11. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  4. ^ "Chicago Fire dietitian shares health tips for New Year's resolutions". January 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Amanda Clark Bio". University of Notre Dame. 9 July 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "WEISSENHOFER SELECTED IN 2010 WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL SOCCER DRAFT". University of Notre Dame. 15 January 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "North Carolina's Heath Selected First in 2010 WPS Draft". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "Chicago Red Stars 2010 Season Preview". The Equalizer. 6 April 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "Michele Weissenhofer Player Profile". Deutscher Fußball-Bund. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  10. ^ "Red Stars 2011 Roster Page". Internet Archive from Chicago Red Stars. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  11. ^ "Letter From Chicago Red Stars Owners". Internet Archive from Women's Pro Soccer. Archived from the original on 2011-04-07. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  12. ^ "2011 WPSL Stats". Internet Archive from WPSL. Archived from the original on 2011-12-11. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "Red Stars Sign Three Returnees to Roster". Internet Archive from Chicago Red Stars. Archived from the original on 2012-06-13. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  14. ^ "ORANGE COUNTY WAVES 2, CHICAGO RED STARS 1". Internet Archive from WPSL. Archived from the original on 2011-12-24. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  15. ^ "Red Stars open 2012 with familiar faces". The Equalizer. 18 May 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "WESTERN NEW YORK FLASH WIN INAUGURAL WPSL ELITE CHAMPIONSHIP". Internet Archive from WPSL Elite. Archived from the original on 2012-08-12. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  17. ^ "Results: Ochs taken first in NWSL Supplemental Draft". The Equalizer. 7 February 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  18. ^ "Red Stars Meet WNY Flash Tonight in Rochester". Internet Archive from Chicago Red Stars. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  19. ^ "FLASH SHUT OUT RED STARS, 2–0". Internet Archive from National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  20. ^ "Former Notre Dame soccer standout Michele Fumagalli, mom of a toddler, beats long odds to reach CrossFit Games". Chicago Tribune. 17 July 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  21. ^ "Chicago Fire FC Announces Performance and Medical Staff for 2022 Season". Our Sports Central. 25 February 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  22. ^ "Michele and John". the knot. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  23. ^ "James's Birth Story". Fit Plate Nutrition. 15 December 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
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