Sarah Fuller is making her own waves at Wave FC

Since becoming the first woman to score a point in a Power Five football game in 2020, Sarah Fuller has become a symbol of progression in women’s sports. Her fame and the attention she's brought to women’s sports so far has been undeniable. The thinking has been, as long as she was on a field, people would know her name.

But Fuller is no longer at Vanderbilt. At the moment, she is not even a goalkeeper for any soccer team. There have been many changes in her life since she kicked for Vanderbilt two years ago, but what has brought her out of even her darkest moments is her constant fight to uplift women’s sports.

After graduating from Vanderbilt in 2021, Fuller went to the University of North Texas to continue playing soccer while pursuing her MBA in sports entertainment management. But, her love for soccer seemed to be dwindling and Fuller wasn’t sure why. She found herself not enjoying practices and wanting to do anything else but play soccer. 

“I was going to practice and then hoping I would tear my ACL or something like that,” Fuller said. “This is so weird, because I do love soccer and I do love playing, but I think I just got to the point where I was kind of getting burnt out.”

Fuller realized she needed to prioritize her mental health because something was not right, and she stepped away from the game. “If you have a sprained ankle, or like a broken ankle or something like that you don't keep going, you have to let it heal,” she said. “I am grateful I kind of press pause on all of that.”

While Fuller was battling with her mental health, there was a new women’s soccer league growing. The USL W League is a pre-professional women’s soccer league that restarted in 2022. Minnesota Aurora FC is a newly-formed team in that league, and as its roster creation began, head Nicole Lukic made one request: Fuller had to be the team’s goalkeeper.

After Lukic reached out to Fuller and learned more about the team's origins, she was all in. 

“I kind of took Aurora as an opportunity to test the waters to see if I still love soccer,” Fuller said. “I saw that it was community funded and just saw the passion behind it and this kind of grassroots marketing campaign.” Fuller became the team’s first signing. Playing for Aurora FC, she was beginning to find her love for soccer again. 

“To speak to Nicole in terms of her recruiting," Fuller noted, "and how she really picked players that bought in and understood what Aurora FC meant to the community and what it meant the women's game, it was probably the best and my most favorite time for soccer in my entire 20-year career.”

Fuller was enjoying playing soccer again, and her team was also winning. A lot. 

Aurora FC made it to the USL W League championship this summer, where they faced Tormenta FC. In front of a sold-out crowd of 6,500, Aurora FC lost 2-1 in extra time. Though Aurora weathered that loss, her favorite moment of the year took place after the game. 

“We were walking around waving to all the fans and they started chanting ‘Sarah Fuller’,” she said. “Even though we lost, it was still pretty special. I wouldn't change that.”

Aurora FC led the league in average attendance with 5,000 fans per game. The entire community surrounded the club and proved to many that no matter the league, women’s soccer can thrive. The season provided more proof to Fuller that her passion was to help progress women’s sports. So, her love for soccer was back and she had just spent much of the summer on the field. Now, she wanted an opportunity to impact women’s sports off the field. 

Enter Wave FC. 

Due to forgoing her last year of soccer at North Texas, Fuller had time on her hands and a passion she wanted to pursue, the business side of sports. Fuller’s agent is close friends with San Diego Wave FC president Jill Ellis. It was the perfect opportunity for her to figure out more about a side of sports she knew little about while still being tied to the game she loved. 

After she got clearance from UNT to revolve her final degree project around Wave FC, Fuller packed for San Diego to become an intern for the organization. Although from the Dallas area, Fuller is somewhat familiar with where she works. Her club soccer team played a tournament on the same training grounds Wave FC currently use. 

“I'm learning so much about the business side. How to grow it, how to make it enjoyable for the fans,” Fuller said. “Just all the moving pieces that you kind of take for granted and as a player and as a fan. ”

One of the perks is working with people she has always looked up to. “Just the fact that Alex Morgan plays here … that's who I looked up to my whole life,” she said. “And now I'm working for the organization that she plays on. it's pretty cool. ”

Within her short time at Wave FC, Fuller has shadowed all of the different departments within the organization. There is no doubt which one is her favorite. 

“Corporate partnerships is definitely where my interest lies,” she said. “We're trying to get awareness of local brands and big businesses to be interested in working with us and having their logos out in the stadium. So that's cool to be a part of and be able to make those deals.”

Oh yeah, there is also the part of working with Ellis that is pretty cool.

“You can’t go wrong hanging out with Jill Ellis everyday,” she said. “[Ellis is] a very hard worker and she's built this into something amazing.” 

So, until the end of the season, Fuller is a part of Wave FC and its thrilling rise to the top of the NWSL. And after that, not even she knows where she will be. But what is certain about her future is that wherever she ends up, like at Vanderbilt, Aurora FC and Wave FC, the growth of women’s sports will be at the forefront of her choices.