The WUSA and the Carolina Courage shut down operations in 2003, but one year after men's professional soccer began a summer season at WakeMed Soccer Park (formerly known as SAS Soccer Park) with a team known as the Carolina RailHawks, the organization has now added a women's team.

This club will also be called the RailHawks, although it is more of a semi-pro team as this league consists of collegiate players and college graduates.

The men's team will play its second season at WakeMed Soccer Park as well. It consists of all professional athletes.

"The most fulfilling thing about putting this (women's) team together is the excitement of the players," said Jay Howell, head coach for the team. "When I started contacting these players, they were very excited about being able to play and be associated with the RailHawks organization. They were also excited about being able to train and play at a place like WakeMed, which is unbelievable.

"It's very much a professional environment. These players are all used to playing. They have all won at different levels. We have players who have been on different All-American lists and been on national teams. We're dealing with a Ferrari here. They expect to go fast and be successful."

Howell is a former assistant coach at Carolina under men's head coach Elmar Bolowich. For the last several years, he has been coaching youth soccer in the Triangle, so he has competed with or against many of the women on his team.

"Dealing with this level of player," Howell said, "the qualities of the players are much more developed. These women are coming from strong programs. They are very experienced at all levels. When you're bringing in a Casey Nogueira (of UNC) or a Thori Bryan (of N.C. State), you're dealing with players who have played at the national level, the highest level. In dealing with them, I don't think there needs to be much discussion of what they're doing technically.

"It's more about how they're approaching the game. They all want to win. They all want to be successful. It's going to be exciting."

Training for the women's team begins April 28. The first game is scheduled against the Carolina Dynamo in Greensboro on May 10. The first home game will be May 16 at 7:30 at WakeMed Soccer Park against Atlanta.

Betsy Frederick of Raleigh is a rising junior midfielder at Carolina. She said this new league will provide a great opportunity for all the women because being idle during the summer does nothing to help anyone improve.

"I'm really excited because if you take two months off of playing, it's not any good," Frederick said. "It'll be fun. I know most of the girls. I've played with them before.

"All the players are in college or have played," Frederick said. "Our practices should be a way to keep improving."

Meeting that goal is one of the reasons Howell said that he will maintain a roster of between 24 to 26 women. He knows he cannot keep everyone happy with playing time, but having so many players will ensure he can present all the women with a challenge at practice as well as when they play during the 14-game schedule.

"We have a lot of collegiate players," Howell said. "Some are involved in summer school. We're going to have to take into account some will have to work in the summer. I also want to make the games and the training sessions equally competitive.

"The players are excited about being able to compete all summer long. When we come out for a training session, they are going to want to get after it. They are doing this to get prepared."

One of the players is Morven Ross, originally from Scotland. An honors graduate from East Chapel Hill, she was an Academic All-American, played on the junior Scottish national team and played at James Madison University in Virginia.

Anna Rodenbough and Mandy Moraca are Carolina players, along with Frederick and Nogueira.

Frederick said that this league will be important for another reason as well. It will provide younger girls a chance to see the game played at a high level and help inspire them to achieve, too.

"For the little girls in the summer, they don't have teams to watch on TV so it will be good for them," Frederick said. "My little sister is 16. All her friends gather around when she comes to talk. They attend our games.

"There are a ton of little girls who want to get autographs. It's really exciting to think they want to be like you. You want to be a good role model for them."