In 2021, the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) announced the start of an under-21 model to expand its already highly successful league. The WPSL-U21 model posed an unprecedented opportunity for young women to compete in a program of high-level collegiate student-athletes with a proven track record of players progressing to the highest level - the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In fact, at the time the WPSL-U21 league was established, "nearly 70 percent of WPSL rosters consist[ed] of current collegiate student-athletes, and over 53% percent of players selected in the last four NWSL Drafts paved their way via the WPSL" ("WPSL Unveils Second League Set To Compete in 2021").
Committing to its mission of empowering young women to compete and lead at the highest level, FIERCE sourced players from its elite squads and entered its own team into the Texas Conference for the 2023 season. This provided FIERCE high schoolers - and even talented 8th graders - chances to compete against top NCAA athletes in the area. FIERCE made history on June 9th in their match against Corinthians FC's U21 squad. With a 3-2 victory, FIERCE earned its first ever WPSL-U21 win - and did so against a veteran side with several WPSL-U21 seasons under its belt.
Over the course of the season, FIERCE battled against high-level U21 teams from Keller, San Antonio, Houston, and Austin. Earning crucial points with a second victory against Austin Rise FC's Reserves, the team continued to climb in the standings. After 7 matches, FIERCE concluded the summer season with a second-place finish in the Texas Conference.
With such strides made in its inaugural season, FIERCE's WPSL-U21 team looks to continue its upward trajectory in the upcoming 2024 season. League action will begin in late May, so be on the lookout for the upcoming schedule release!
If you are interested in learning more about FIERCE's WPSL-U21 team, check out our Semi-Pro page. To learn more about how to attend WPSL tryouts, see our Tryouts Announcement.