Austin Rise FC wraps up first season in Women's Premier Soccer League

AUSTIN, Texas - Thanks to five former players from the now nonexistent FC Austin Elite, Austin Rise FC was formed.

"The five founders put this team together starting last winter," head couch Tom Krall said. "So to put together and put together a team this quickly is crazy. I don't know how they did it."

"I think it's amazing what the founders have been doing with this team and all the work that they put in," said Austin Rise defender Natalee Geren. "And I've had a blast playing with this team."

Austin Rise FC competes in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL).

"The WPSL, it's the oldest semi-pro women's soccer league in the nation," said Katie Reed, Austin Rise co-founder and defender. "Been running for 25 years now actually. This year's the 25th anniversary. It's 130-plus teams. They play in 29 states."

In their first-year, Austin Rise FC, who plays at House Park, finished fourth in their conference and didn't make the playoffs.

While their season is over, they're still getting their soccer fix this summer, as they'll be watching the U.S. Women's National Team go for its third straight World Cup championship, which has never been done on the men's or women's side.

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The Stars are the state's six-ranked team in Class 5A. The team won their first district title after going 15-1 in league play, and outscoring their opponents 84 to 3, which included 15 straight shutouts.

"They always make something happen. They're very strong women," said Hannah Sanderson, a defender with Austin Rise. "I've been watching them ever since I've been growing up. And like, it's cool to see like Alex Morgan and, like, Rapinoe, who I've been watching since I was little, still playing now and being inspirations to the younger players now."

"Because it's a Women's World Cup year, just the visibility around women's soccer is so much more than it typically is," Reed said. "So, it's really fun to latch on to that a little bit. And keep the buzz going for women's soccer in Austin, too."

"People love to come up and talk to us and hang out with us like after the games and stuff," Sanderson said. "So it's been really cool. The kids have been really awesome too, so we love getting to be there for them and inspire them."

"They've really persevered in the fact that they put together a team all by themselves," Krall said. "All the marketing. All the jerseys. I mean, the five founders have done everything."

"I think the most special thing has just been to provide that space for girls to play," Reed said. "Trying to provide that platform in a space for them to continue to get better and pursue whatever goal or dreams they have."