From Soccer, to Football, and Back to Soccer: Sarah Fuller is the First Player Announced for MN Aurora’s Groundbreaking Team
Sarah Fuller is not new to fame.
In 2020 the D1 soccer player made her football debut, and subsequently history, when she became the first female to play in the Power Five Conference.
Two weeks later she made headlines again, becoming the first woman to score in the conference, earning two points for Vanderbilt in a game against Tenessee.
Her story, and “play like a girl” emblazoned helmet, captured attention around the nation, which was covered by multiple top sports news outlets, and received praise from Lebron James, Carli Lloyd, and USWNT goalie Hope Solo, among others.
She told Sports Illustrated her career as a placekicker was not expected, as was asked to join the team mid-season in 2020. Vanderbilt doesn’t have a men’s soccer team, so when players on the football team were unable to play due to Covid-19, the coach considered Fuller their best option.
But football isn’t and has never been her passion.
Since being thrust into the spotlight for football she’s returned to her roots as a goalkeeper, having spent last year playing for the University of North Texas as a grad student, and has joked that her coach “made it very clear” that she’d only be playing one kind of futbol while on that team.
It appears her coach kept her word, and now out of grad school, Fuller is back in the news. She’s the first player to publicly sign with MN Aurora, a new women’s semipro team beginning its inaugural season in May 2022.
Head coach Nicole Lukic accompanied the announcement by saying she was “thrilled” to have her on the team.
“Having a leader like Sarah that has broken down barriers is a perfect fit for us.”
The team aims to be groundbreaking as well. MN Aurora is the first independent womens team to be crowdfunded, with 3,080 individual investors contributing with a minimum of $100.
The coaching staff is entirely made up of women, all of which have previous ties to Minnesota soccer.
Fuller and the rest of the MN Aurora squad will be playing in the USL W-League, described as a feeder league to the NWSL, the professional women’s soccer league in the United States.
The NWSL is currently host to 12 teams, in which four teams have joined since its inaugural season in 2012. The league’s male equivalent, known as the MLS, is currently host to 28 teams.
But with new strategies for funding, heavy local support, and players like Fuller making headlines on and off the field, “play[ing] like a girl” could be becoming more present at the pre-professional, and someday professional, level.
As for where to watch, MN Aurora will be hosting games from TCO Stadium, and fans of the club and Fuller can place a deposit on season tickets now. Their first home game will take place on May 26, against the Green Bay Glory.