MILWAUKEE - Former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's soccer standout Laurie Bell has signed a professional contract to play for the Tulsa Roughnecks of the USL.

Bell, a 2015 MLS Player Combine participant, was signed last week after finishing up a highly-successful career with the Panthers. He was greeted by a sellout crowd of 8,335 at ONEOK Field for opening night of the 2015 season.

Fans can check out his official Roughneck bio page HERE.

Bell was a First-Team All-American as a junior and was named a Senior CLASS Award Second-Team All-American in 2014 in addition to being named an Academic All-American for the second year in a row. The 2013 Horizon League Player of the Year and First-Team All-American overcame a slow start following an injury to still be recognized by the Horizon League coaches in 2014, becoming just the third UWM men's soccer player to earn all-league first-team honors three times in a career.

According to its website, the USL (formerly USL PRO) was formed when two existing professional leagues were combined into a single league property prior to the 2011 season. The league was designed to help ensure the long-term stability of professional soccer in North America, and featured 12 teams in a pair of six-team divisions during its initial campaign.