San Jose CyberRays Reunion at Bay FC Match

"Somebody had to take the first step. And Brandi, right after we won that championship in August of 2001, she said, 'No one will ever be the first but us.' And I've thought about that a lot. And lots of people are going to win championships, but we were the first team to win the championship of a fully professional women's league in our country. And that was special."

"That 2001 team paved the way for everything else that followed. There might not be a Bay FC today, had the CyberRays not stepped onto the field and paved the way for thousands of girls to play and succeed. At the time, the iconic image of Brandi Chastain's winning penalty kick in the 1999 Women's World Cup was still fresh in everyone's minds."

The San Jose CyberRays won the inaugural championship of the Women's United Soccer Association in August 2001, making them the first team to win a fully professional women's soccer league championship in the United States. This achievement occurred shortly after the 1999 Women's World Cup victory, when support for women's sports remained limited. The CyberRays' success paved the way for subsequent women's soccer development and the eventual creation of Bay FC. A 25th anniversary reunion is scheduled for March 21, bringing together approximately 17 of the 23 original players and a dozen front office staff members to celebrate their pioneering role in establishing professional women's soccer.

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