Sarah Fuller, the former Vanderbilt kicker who made history as the first woman to play and score in a Power 5 college football game, has signed her first professional contract in soccer.
Fuller will join Minnesota Aurora FC as a goalkeeper and will become the new club’s first player. Aurora FC is part of the USL W League, a new semi-professional league that launches this May.
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“This club is committed to creating the most professional playing and development opportunity for women across the country, and having a leader like Sarah that has broken down barriers and shown such grit and determination is a perfect fit for us,” Aurora FC head coach Nicole Lukic said in a statement on Monday.
“We are thrilled to have her as a leader on the field and in the locker room.”
Fuller arrives to Aurora FC from the University of North Texas, but she made headlines in 2020 when she was at Vanderbilt and starred as a placekicker for the Commodores. She eventually went two-for-two on extra points, becoming the first woman to score in a Power 5 game. The Power 5 conferences — the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC — are the wealthiest and most influential in college sports.
The 22-year-old played four seasons for Vanderbilt women’s soccer as a goalkeeper from 2017 to 2020, winning the Southeastern Conference in 2020, and she joined North Texas in 2021 as a graduate transfer.
Fuller tweeted after the announcement, “Now y’all Minnesotans need to help this Texan out with some taco recommendations,” following by a laughing emoji.
The USL W League, which was announced last year, calls itself a “pre-professional” women’s soccer league and says it expects more than 30 teams for its inaugural season beginning in May.
Aurora FC, which is community-owned by more than 3,000 investors, will make its debut in the league.