Worcester sports fans will have something new to smile about this summer. The Worcester Smiles — a new, all-female soccer team — is ready to take the field, and the coaches and players couldn’t be more excited.

Worcester has seen a resurgence in semi-pro sports over the past few years, particularly with the creation of the Worcester Railers hockey team and the Massachusetts Pirates arena football club, both of which call the DCU Center their home. But one thing has been missing — a women’s sports team.

Raymund Lopolito, executive director of the Worcester Smiles, recalled the genesis of the soccer club at Camp Italia Retreat, a summer camp where he is director and vice president.

“During the kids’ last session in 2017, they were kicking the ball around and talking about how we have so many male role model sports here in the city, but we don’t have any female ones,” said Lopolito, who also coaches Worcester Youth Soccer and has a daughter that plays. “I took that to heart because I have a daughter, and I thought it would be good to have good female role models for our kids.”

Those female role models will be a wide mix of young women. Athletes ranging from those still in college to others who have graduated will don the Smiles uniform for its inaugural season. The age range of the team will start at 17 and top out at 30, said head coach Anthony Cosky, with the majority being in the 19-22 bracket. Some of these athletes are locals from Worcester and others are coming from schools like the University of Connecticut. All of them have different levels of experience on the soccer field.

“What’s exciting is that this is a different kind of group, with girls from all over the place and different playing backgrounds,” said Cosky. “It’s going to be a great mix and environment that we’re going to hopefully have at the game.”

In the mix will be 20-year-old Marissa Kelberman, a Bolton native who currently attends and plays soccer at Stony Brook University in New York.

“Judging by the personalities of everyone, it seems like everyone has bought into the professionalism of the team and the seriousness of what we’re going to be playing for and what we’re going to try to be doing,” she said.

It’s also an opportunity for the younger players to fine-tune their skills before entering into the next season at school, a facet that Kelberman said attracted her to trying out for the team.

“The competitiveness of the league is something that I was looking for because I really want to try to up my game for next season,” she said.

The Worcester Smiles will be part of the national United Women’s Soccer league (UWS) — a semi-pro group of teams that includes clubs from all over the country — and will play their home games at Commerce Bank Field at Foley Stadium. The Smiles are in the East Conference, the most competitive division with the highest number of teams (nine) and including the defending conference champion Long Island Rough Riders.

“I’ve watched some of the (UWS) games from last year, and I have an idea of what the level is going to be like, and I think we have players that are going to be able to play at that level,” said Cosky. “I think we can compete with anybody.”

Up for the challenge is Giana Leone, 24, who graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2015 but is from Worcester and returned here. Leone has remained busy in local soccer, having won the Worcester World Cup with Team Italia last year.

“I always wanted to play at a higher level for soccer, and it’s really hard to find good women’s teams around the area with good competition,” she said. “I thought this was a great opportunity to play with other girls who are great soccer players and another way to get the community involved.”

While the Smiles will certainly be looking to rack up wins, they also know they stand for much more and that this is a unique chance to show what women athletes are capable of in Worcester. They hope to have an impact on and off the field.

“I feel like women’s soccer isn’t taken as seriously, or just women in general,” said Leone. “We don’t have as many opportunities as men’s leagues and just men in general, too, so to have a women’s team in Worcester will be a great opportunity to speak for women in Worcester.”

“We’re fighting against the tide and bringing women’s soccer to another level,” added Lopolito.

To buy tickets to a Worcester Smiles game, visit fcsmiles.org.

Jason Savio