LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — All eyes are on women's soccer right now, after an electric start to the World Cup.
In Lexington, there's no one more excited about New Zealand's win over Norway Thursday than a local soccer coach.
While excitement builds over soccer at the Lexington Sporting Club, coach Michelle Rayner already knows how thrilling the game can be.
That's because she represented New Zealand during the first Women's World Cup.
"Only 12 teams appeared in that World Cup in China in '91, so it's a big difference now with 32 team," Rayner said.
New Zealand's performance this week proves just how much the game has grown.
"To see them get their first win, you could see the emotion on their face," Rayner said.
As the women's sporting director at LSC, Rayner is now passing her enthusiasm on to the next generation of female players.
"Giving them the foundation, and showing them they can now have a true pathway to get to that level if they're good enough has come night and day," Rayner said.
Lilly and Harper are some of the nearly 30 million women and girls worldwide now playing soccer.
