Austin Rise FC is an American semi-professional women's soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club was established in 2022 and is fully women-owned. They compete in the Women's Premier Soccer League[1] as a member of the Texas Triangle Conference. Austin Rise's home matches are played at House Park Stadium in Austin, Texas.
| Founded | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Ground | House Park Stadium, Austin, Texas |
| Capacity | 6,500 |
| Coordinates | 30°16′41″N 97°44′58″W / 30.27798°N 97.749578°W |
| Manager | Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul |
| Coach | Rogerio Celaya |
| League | WPSL |
| 2023 | 4th, Texas Triangle Conference |
| Website | https://www.austinrisefc.com/ |
History
editIn July 2022, a group of six women developed the idea for a women's soccer club based on cultivating a positive experience for their players, staff, fans, and partners. This idea was born out of their own experience which included the collapse of a previous club they were involved with. The founders are Amanda Lisberger, Rachelle D'Amico, Erin Webb, Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul, Katie Reed, and Christiane Lessa.[2] On August 22, 2023, WPSL announced that Austin Rise FC had signed a letter of intent to be one of the founding clubs for the WPSL PRO.[3]
First seasons
editAustin Rise FC participated in the 2023 WPSL season as their first season as a club.[4] Austin Rise FC was aligned in the Texas Triangle Conference of the WPSL. The team will play their first match on May 27, 2023 against the Challenge Red Devils. Their first home match coming on Jun 11, 2023 against the San Antonio Blossom.[5]
Austin Rise FC's first official game, also resulted in their first points earned in WPSL play, by earning a 0–0 draw against the Challenge Red Devils.[6] On June 2, 2023, Beth Ann Davis became Austin Rise FC's first goal scorer, getting one against Lonestar SC in a 4–1 loss on the road.[7] Two days later, Amanda Lisberger, both a founder and player, scored the team's first brace against the Houston Aces, but the team still fell in that match 4–2.[8] Austin Rise FC earned their first win of the season on June 17, 2023 with a 2–1 win over the Houston Aces at House Park, on goals by Alexis Lawrence and Cristina Diaz Cerda.[9] Two weeks later, Austin Rise FC earned their first clean sheet defeating Bat Country FC in their first meeting, on goals from Grace Starr, Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul, and Brigid McElderry.[10] Austin Rise FC ended the season in 4th Place[11] in the Texas Triangle Conference with a 4W–3D–3L record and a +2 goal differential. Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul was their leading scoring with 4 goals on the season.
For the 2024 season, Austin Rise was aligned in the Lonestar Conference in the South Region, with five other teams. The conference consisted of Austin Rise, Classic Elite SA out of San Antonio, expansion side Futbolero Select out of Houston, expansion side San Antonio Runners, SouthStar out of DFW, and the Houston Aces. The conference was set up to play a balanced home and away schedule with the season kicking off on May 18 and the winners qualifying as host for the South Region playoffs on July 13-14.[12] Austin Rise clinched the regular season title after their week 8 win against Fubolera Select, with one game left to play in the season.[13] Austin Rise was selected to host the South Region play-offs as the Lone Star Conference Champions.[14] Austin was drawn against FC Primetime in their first ever playoff match,[15] winning 1–0 to advance to the regional finals. Austin Rise faced Charlotte Eagles, the 2023 WPSL Champions, in the regional final, losing 4–0, ending their season.
Fully professional
editAustin Rise FC announced their intent to become a fully professional women's soccer team on August 22, 2023.[16] WPSL Pro will be a Division III professional league, below the National Women's Soccer League and USL Super League. The league will run a spring to fall season to coincide with the NWSL's fall to spring season. Austin Rise FC is planned as one of the ten teams planned when the league start in 2025.[17]
Sponsorship
edit| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Sleeve sponsor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | Puma | Ally Medical Emergency Room | Juiceland | [18][19][20] |
Management team
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Bethany Cyrtmus-Davaul
|
| Coach |  Rogerio Celaya[21]
|
Coaching History
edit- As of July 14, 2024
| Name | Years | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Krall
|
2023 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | .550 |
| Rogerio Celaya
|
2024– | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | .708 |
Roster
edit- As of June 26, 2024
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | GK | Emma Payton | United States
|
| 0 | GK | Peyton Urban | United States
|
| 2 | DF | Ryann Jergovich | United States
|
| 3 | DF | Hanna Sanderson | United States
|
| 4 | MF | Tatiana Leggiero | United States
|
| 5 | FW | Amanda Lisberger (Captain) | United States
|
| 7 | MF | Lily Erb | United States
|
| 8 | MF | Vanessa Adams | United States
|
| 9 | FW | Hailey Sapinoro | United States
|
| 10 | FW | Emma Torres |  Dominican Republic
|
| 11 | DF | Gabrielle Criscione | United States
|
| 12 | DF | Sky Gardner | United States
|
| 15 | JP Medina | United States
| |
| 16 | MF | Brigid McElderry | United States
|
| 17 | MF | Audrey Castaneda | United States
|
| 18 | MF | Sara Asbeck | |
| 19 | MF | Beth Ann Davis | United States
|
| 20 | FW | Addison Bray | United States
|
| 21 | FW | Annika Freddell | United States
|
| 24 | FW | Alexis Lawrence | United States
|
| 26 | MF | Bella Cruz | United States
|
| 29 | FW | Alyssa Aguilar | United States
|
| 31 | FW | Lourdes Sankar | United States
|
| 32 | MF | Sarah Hauck | United States
|
| 34 | FW | Cam Patton | United States
|
| 99 | DF | Grace Starr | United States
|
| — | Casey Mendoza | United States
| |
| — | DF | Emily Rangel | United States
|
| — | FW | Pamela Lasprilla | United States
|
| — | GK | Mckenzie Hunninghake | United States
|
Year-by-year
edit| Season | League | Position | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Conference | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Conf. | ||
| 2023 | 4 | WPSL | Texas Triangle | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 15 | +2 | 15 | 1.50 | 4th | DNQ |
| 2024 | 4 | WPSL | Lone Star | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 9 | +14 | 21 | 2.10 | 1st | Conference Finals |
| Total | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 40 | 24 | +16 | 36 | 1.80 | – | ||||
Awards and honors
editWPSL
edit- Lone Star Conference Regular Season Champions: 2024
Best XI
edit| Year | Award | Awardee | Position | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Texas Triangle Conference Best XI | Natalie Green
|
DF | [22] |
 Cristina Diaz Cerda
|
MF | |||
| 2024 | Lone Star All-Conference | Peyton Urban
|
GK | [23] |
| Ryann Jergovich
|
DF | |||
| Lily Erb
|
MF | |||
| Hailey Sapinoro
|
FW |
South Region - Player of the Year
edit| Year | Player of the Year |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Lily Erb[24]
|
South Region - Franchise of the Year
edit| Year | Player of the Year |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Austin Rise FC[25] |
Austin Rise Player Awards
edit| Year | Player of the Year | Rising Star | Defender of the Year | Goal of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Cristina Diaz[26] | Sara Navarro[27] | Natalee Geren[28] | Angela Fuster Sendra[29] |
References
edit- ^ "Austin Rise FC, 100% women-owned, joins Women's Premier Soccer League". www.Fox7Austin.com. Fox Sports. December 15, 202. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ "THE WPSL WELCOMES 100 PERCENT WOMEN-OWNED CLUB AS 2023 EXPANSION SIDE". Women's Premier Soccer League. December 15, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "WPSL PRO MOVES INTO NEXT PHASE WITH FIVE TEAMS SIGNING LOIs". www.WPSLSoccer.com. WPSL Pro. August 22, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Becerra, Stephanie (December 15, 2023). "Austin Rise FC latest to join Women's Premier Soccer League, officially competes in 2023". www.CBSAustin.com. CBS. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ "Austin Rise FC". www.WPSLSoccer.com. Women's Premier Soccer League. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (May 28, 2023). "Coming home with our first point" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Match Center". www.WPSLSoccer.com. Women's Premier Soccer League. June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "Match Center". www.WPSLSoccer.com. Women's Premier Soccer League. June 4, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "Match Center". www.WPSLSoccer.com. Women's Premier Soccer League. June 17, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ "Match Center". www.WPSLSoccer.com. Women's Premier Soccer League. June 29, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Hygh, John (July 21, 2023). "Austin Rise FC wraps up first season in Women's Premier Soccer League". Fox 7 Austin. Austin, TX. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ "South Region season Preview". Women's Premier Soccer League. March 21, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "Lone Star Round Table". Women's Premier Soccer League. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "2024 WPSL Playoffs Bracket". Women's Premier Soccer League. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ "Playoffs: Austin Rise FC, FC Primetime". Women's Premier Soccer League. July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ @WPSL (August 22, 2023). "The Women's Premier Soccer League announced today the five initial clubs that have signed LOIs to 𝗪𝗣𝗦𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗢" (Tweet). Retweeted by AustinRiseFC – via Twitter.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (August 22, 2023). "We're so excited for the opportunity to bring professional women's soccer to Austin as an LOI market for the WPSL Pro! Here's some info on what that means" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ally Medical Partners With Austin Rise FC, Season Starts June 11". KXAN. Austin, TX. May 16, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (May 12, 2023). "@juiceland official sponsor" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (May 28, 2023). "Here we go #Austintexas your starting 11 for our 1st 2023 season game" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (January 26, 2024). "Join us in welcoming @RogerCelaya1 as Head Coach for 2024!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Best of the WPSL - Texas Triangle Conference". www.WPSLSoccer.com. WPSL. August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ "South Awards - All Conference". www.WPSLSoccer.com. Women's Premier Soccer League. August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ "Player of the Year - South Region". Women's Premier Soccer League. August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ "Franchise of the Year - South Region". Women's Premier Soccer League. August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (August 5, 2023). "Last, but not least, we're excited to announce @cristinadiaazz as our 2023 Player of the Year!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (August 3, 2023). "With 3 goals and a number of assists this season, 19-year-old Sara Navarro is our 2023 Rising Star" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (August 2, 2023). "Today we celebrate our Defender of the Year, and the award goes to none other that @NataleeGeren" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @AustinRiseFC (August 1, 2023). "We bring you the 2023 Rise awards, starting with Goal of the Year by @ailafustersndra" (Tweet) – via Twitter.