AFC women’s soccer team looking to set culture for girls to come

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

AFC Columbia brought semipro soccer to Mid-Missouri for the first time last year with a mens team and now this year with the addition of a women's team. 

The group is compiled with athletes who all have ties to the area, including players originally from Columbia who played at Rock Bridge, Hickman and Battle.

"Being able to come home and put that Columbia jersey on again is huge for those players," said head coach Kurtis Boardsen.

In years past, most local players would have to take the trip to St. Louis or Kansas City to keep their skills up during the summer, but now they'll have the opportunity to stay closer to home.

"A lot of us on our college teams have girls either from St. Louis or Kansas City and they have teams similar to this, but they’re have that for a long time," said Rock Bridge alum Hannah Juengermann.

This group of athletes will go down as the first AFC women's soccer team and it's important to them to set the precedent for what's to come.

"Just giving girls more opportunities to play soccer and just to get to do what they love and it being local and in Columbia its awesome," said Battle alum Maddie Schrader.

"I think that it’s a really great foundation to have for this first year to build off of for other girls in the future," said Rock Bridge alum Caroline Cole.

“Just that passion that they put into the game is so much fun to be around and if they are setting the tone of what’s to come, there’s a lot of good things for AFC Columbia in the future," Boardsen said.

The AFC women's team has three more games to go this summer, including two home matches. The team returns to R. Marvin Owens Field at Columbia College on Saturday at 4 p.m. against KC Scott Gallagher.