OAK BROOK – After riding the bench for two years at Illinois State, Vanessa Niestrom was looking for some action this summer.

The former Hinsdale South goalkeeper found it with the Chicago Red Stars Reserves.

Niestrom started eight games between the pipes and allowed just three goals as the team won its division with a 9-0-1 record.

The Red Stars Reserves, a developmental team of the parent Chicago Red Stars who play home games in Oak Brook, play in the Women’s Premier Soccer League, a nationwide circuit of 81 teams consisting of elite college and other amateur players.

“My [Illinois State] teammate, Brooke Ksiazek, got recruited and told me about it and I wanted to play,” Niestrom said. “We had finished our spring season and I really wanted to get experience going into the [college] season in the fall.”

Niestrom, 20, was a four-year starter and three-time West Suburban Gold all-conference performer at Hinsdale South.

After redshirting her freshman year at ISU, Niestrom appeared in four games, all in relief, for the Redbirds last fall, allowing one goal in 54 minutes.

Playing for the Red Stars Reserves not only gave Niestrom a chance to get on the field but to measure her skills against elite players. Most of her Red Stars Reserves teammates play for high-level Division I schools such as Notre Dame, Marquette, Iowa, Duke, Kentucky and Virginia.

“That was a huge allure to playing with the Red Stars Reserves,” Niestrom said. “One of the great things about it was playing with all these girls from top-level college programs. It was definitely an amazing experience.”

Ironically, Niestrom wasn’t tested often behind a great defense led by Iowa’s Corey Burns, Louisville’s Rachele Armand and Kentucky’s Kaitlin Miller and Olivia Jester. Nevertheless, she learned a lot.

“I didn’t face too many shots but I got to work on my distribution and communication, which were areas I needed to improve on,” Niestrom said. “The girls in front of me moved the ball around so fast and communicated well. Just having that experience in front of me really helped.”

Niestrom has three years of eligibility remaining at ISU and feels she has the inside track on the starting job. She and Ksiazek already are back on campus training for the 2015 season.

“I’m really pumped,” Niestrom said. “It [playing for the Reserves] has got me ready to play in the fall.

“You never really know [if you’ll win the starting job] and that’s what motivates me is working hard. You’re always looking to get better.”

The parent Red Stars, who play in the nine-team National Women’s Soccer League, set up the Reserves in 2014 to cultivate local talent, much like Major League Soccer and European men’s clubs do. Some players eventually may play at the pro level.

“I would love to play for the Reserves again,” Niestrom said. “I hope women’s soccer keeps growing and getting more popular so there will be more opportunities.”