Around 15 years ago, Brandi Chastain changed soccer in the United States forever when, on a penalty kick, she won a World Cup for a U.S. Team, beating China.

It was a big moment for both boys and girls soccer, and that win helped boost soccer’s popularity in the country.

Children today may not even know about it when they lace up their cleats and take to the field, but with each World Cup and Olympic event, soccer is growing in popularity in the U.S.

Today, Franklin High School played its first all-girls soccer match against Essex. It doesn’t even matter how it went, since it is a new program. Though we at The Tidewater News certainly hope they win.

What matters is that these girls are getting an opportunity to show their skills off in a way that they could not before.

Even though the girls are not as big as the boys, many of whom are football players, they still have a lot that they can demonstrate.

To top it off, college programs around the country can now see them compete, show off their athleticism, and perhaps score a few goals. These girls have better opportunities to attain athletic scholarships to play soccer for a university team, and with that, improve their lots with an education, even if they never play in a World Cup.

Though if they do, perhaps they will get a moment like Chastain, where most of the country is on the edge of their seats, watching, and hoping she can get one by the keeper.