UTC senior soccer player Hannah Wyatt has her tickets and is excited to be able to attend the United States-Costa Rica women’s soccer exhibition match August 19 at Finley Stadium.
More importantly, she hopes this upcoming sellout match and the U.S. World Cup win will help to grow the women’s sport in Chattanooga and the surrounding area and create enough interest for fans to attend the UTC women’s matches and watch the CFC women next season.
“I believe we are about to write a new chapter for UTC women’s soccer this fall with a new coaching staff, new attitude and a solid incoming freshman class,” said Hannah who led the Mocs in assists (5) as a freshman and was an all-state player for Soddy Daisy High School.
“Winning is the key to get fans to come watch us play and I think we will put a competitive, exciting brand of college soccer on the field for the upcoming season.”
The Mocs have the benefit of playing an exhibition match (Sun. Aug. 16) and the season opener (Sun. Aug. 23 vs. Austin Peay, 2 p.m.) at Finley Stadium right before and after the women’s national team is in town which.
“Everybody loves a winner and we hope the excitement from the World Cup will translate into fans coming to watch us play,” said first year UTC coach Gavin McKinney.
McKinney and his players have reached out to the community through youth clinics and elite and team camps for high school players.
“The women’s game is highly popular with the largest pool of players in the world to draw from and our sport will only get better and better,” he stated. “To have the U.S. national team come here is huge for soccer in Tennessee.”
Senior goalkeeper and Dean’s List student Lauren Thomas who helps coach in the East Ridge youth program said, “watching the documentary on the U.S. 1999 team after they won the World Cup made me realize women’s soccer is huge and growing in this country from young players to adults.”
Coach McKinney and seniors Wyatt and Thomas look forward to August 19, but more importantly the after effect of having a world championship team in town which hopefully will instill in young girls the dream of helping grow the sport and maybe one day playing on the college level and beyond.
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net