Callahan is no stranger to success. She’s coming off a four-year career with one of the best programs in the country, most recently going undefeated in American Athletic Conference play and ranking among the nation’s top 10 in her senior season.

In total, Callahan recorded nine goals and two assists in 5,071 minutes, 75 appearances and 56 starts for the Knights.

The Hollywood, Florida, native’s name wasn’t called during the 2018 NWSL College Draft, though, but Callahan also wasn’t expecting to be drafted. Instead, akin to an everyday-job application, she sent in her resume-like highlights to head coach Tom Sermanni and his staff to analyze, and, soon after the draft ended, she was invited to camp.

Perhaps unbeknownst to her, Callahan received some behind-the-scenes help. Weatherholt knew the kind of player Callahan was and put in a good word for her.

“When she finished school, she told me she wanted to play after, so I talked to coaches, said, you know, keep an eye out; this player’s really talented,” Weatherholt recalled. “So she sent in her clip, and they really liked what they saw. She’s a very technical player, and she’s a very composed player.”

So far, there’s nothing expected of Callahan in her first few days of training. She joins the Pride with a “head down, work hard” mentality, knowing that that’s all she can do at this stage.

Callahan’s role, however, could expand as the preseason progresses. The Pride will soon be without national-team players from the United States, Brazil, Australia and Portugal for most of the preseason, as national-team duty for the SheBelieves Cup and the Algarve Cup beckons.

In Callahan, Sermanni sees a skilled, confident addition.

“When we looked at video of Bridget and watched her in games, she’s just a good football player,” Sermanni said after training on Feb. 21. “I think she’s got a good understanding of the game. I think she’s comfortable in possession. I think she’s very confident.

“So she’s come into the team, now, and she’s comfortable to ask for the ball, to show for the ball, and she’s just a good, all-around footballer.”

The Pride will play their lone trialist’s former team in their second preseason match of 2018, but Callahan could reunite with some of her former teammates sooner than that, as Sermanni has eluded to inviting more Knights to preseason camp.

“It’s gonna be pretty weird playing against my team. I actually just stopped practicing with them, but it’ll be fun,” Callahan said. “I mean, those are, like, my teammates, my best friends. So, it’ll be fun. I’m looking forward to it. Looking forward to playing against my coaches as well. They know how I play, so it’ll be interesting.”

Orlando plays its first preseason match on Wednesday at Florida State University. Admission is free to the public.

For more on Callahan and the Pride, as they continue into their preseason, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.