Cary Lady Clarets was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2007. The team was a member of the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team played its home games at

WakeMed Soccer Park WakeMed Soccer Park is a major soccer complex in Cary, North Carolina, United States. It consists of a purpose-built, soccer-specific main stadium called Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, two lighted practice fields, and four additional ...

Cary, North Carolina Cary is a town in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh–Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 Census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh largest mun ...

. The club's colors was claret, blue and white. The team was a sister organization of the men's

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games ...

team, which plays in the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

. The formation of the women's team was announced on November 30, 2007 at a press conference at

. The team was originally named Carolina RailHawks Women; in November 2008, Next Level Academy, which owns the club, announced a partnership with Burnley Football Club of the

English Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...

in order to jointly develop professional footballers; as part of the agreement, the team was renamed the Cary Lady Clarets. The team folded after the 2009 season. The team was coached by

Jay Howell Jay Canfield Howell (born November 26, 1955) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1980), Chicago Cubs (1981), New York Yankees (1982–1984), Oakland Athletics (1985–1987), Los Angeles Dodgers (1988–1992), ...

, Director of Coaching at the

Capital Area Soccer League North Carolina FC Youth (NCFC Youth) is an American soccer club and eponymous league based in Raleigh, North Carolina and serving greater Research Triangle. It is the largest youth-to-professional soccer club in the country. Club NCFC Youth was ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...

, and features many players with local amateur or collegiate affiliations from Triangle area high schools and universities such as the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, Duke University, and North Carolina State University.

Players

Squad 2009

Year-by-year

External links

Official Site

Triangle Soccer Fanatics, an independent supporters club of the Carolina RailHawks

References

{{North Carolina Sports Association football clubs established in 2007 Sports in Raleigh-Durham North Carolina FC Burnley F.C. USL W-League (1995–2015) teams 2007 establishments in North Carolina 2009 disestablishments in North Carolina Association football clubs disestablished in 2009 Defunct soccer clubs in North Carolina Women's sports in North Carolina