3 days ago
Dallas Trinity FC women's soccer team aims to inspire girls during inaugural season
EDITOR'S NOTE: Men's professional soccer has been in Dallas for three decades, and now women are making their mark in the sport with Dallas Trinity FC's inaugural season.
---
It's a busy practice for the Dallas Trinity FC women's professional soccer team, and forward Lucy Shepherd is locked in.
"We usually have an attacking day and then a defensive day," Shepherd said.
From England to Texas
CBS News Texas
Shepherd's journey to Dallas started far from Texas.
"It's a great city. It's very hot in summer," she said.
Shepherd grew up in England, where she quickly stood out-often outperforming the boys.
"I started around the age of 6," she said. "I grew up on a boys team. I was better than them. They gave me a bit of respect, but it was definitely a shock for a lot of the boys seeing a girl playing."
Leadership from abroad
Dallas Trinity FC head coach Pauline MacDonald also came from overseas.
"I'm from Scotland," MacDonald said. "I live in Edinburgh, and I've been in Dallas since mid-September last year."
Her mission is to make history with the area's first professional women's soccer team.
"The inaugural season's been interesting. I think for everybody, just kind of going into the unknown can be a little bit potentially scary but exciting at the same time," she said.
Fans fuel the fire
Shepherd said she's felt the excitement and support from Dallas sports fans.
"We've had big turnouts, which has been great to see, and we love seeing all the fans there-especially the season ticket holders who cheer us on from the stands every single game," she said.
Hometown hero on squad
Midfielder Gracie Brian also feels the love.
"I'm from Frisco, Texas, so about 20 minutes from here, and then I went to TCU, which is about 40 minutes from here," Brian said.
The hometown star started playing soccer at age 3 and now gets to play in front of those who watched her grow up.
"I'm super blessed because my whole family gets to come watch me and my grandma," she said. "That's a really special moment every single time at the Cotton Bowl, just to look up into the stands and see them."
Inspiring the next generation
The team hopes to inspire young girls to dream big and see a future in professional soccer.
"I was always looking toward male counterparts," MacDonald said. "I think for young players now, that visibility is huge. You can see it when we play at the Cotton Bowl, and all the young girls in attendance."
"To have women in sports who are out there working hard every single day, getting to go into the Cotton Bowl and watch that-it's awesome for these young players," Brian said.
"There's no one that's ever done it before, so we're kind of paving our own way for the club and creating history," Shepherd said. "I think that's really exciting, and it inspires a new generation."
Playoff push ahead
The team is preparing for the final match of the regular season at home Saturday against Carolina Ascent FC.
"If we win, we're in and we'll make the semifinals," Shepherd said. "Then we're hoping to progress from that into the championship game on June 14."
As they chase a postseason berth, this group of pioneering women continues to show young girls they can achieve whatever they set their minds to.
