Rhea Moore,15, on becoming youngest goal scorer in U.S. women’s pro soccer: ‘A dream come true’

When Rhea Moore made her professional debut for the Dallas Trinity in the Gainbridge Super League over the weekend, her coaches told her to have fun.

But the 15 year old is a pro now, having signed with Dallas in July as an academy player, and she was entering a scoreless match in the 74th minute against Sporting Jax in the United Soccer League’s first division women’s league. Having fun is important, but so is making an impact and winning games.

Luckily for Moore, a Sacramento native, she accomplished all three tasks Saturday night. Dallas’ high press forced the Jacksonville side to cough up the ball in their own half, and Moore swooped in about 30 yards from goal.

She took a few deft touches to set herself up for a left-footed shot just outside the penalty box that ripped past the Sporting Jax keeper’s near post for a go-ahead goal that ultimately called game for the top-ranked Trinity. At 15 years old and 332 days, Moore is now the youngest player to score a goal in a women’s professional soccer match in the U.S., breaking the record set last week by the 16-year-old Utah Royals’ forward KK Ream in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Remember the name 𝗥𝗛𝗘𝗔 𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗥𝗘 🔥

At just 15 years old, @dallastrinityfc academy product Rhea Moore is the 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙧 in league and US women’s professional soccer HISTORY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/HymblQ8lu1

— Gainbridge Super League (@GainbridgeSL) September 7, 2025

As with many things in Moore’s young career, her big moment happened quickly, blurring her recollection of some of the details.

“It was like a dream come true, really, and it was just amazing having the team there and celebrating,” she told The Athletic.

As the afterglow of the midyear continental tournaments fades back into seasonal play in global women’s soccer, there’s been a trend of superlative record-breaking, from the youngest professional goal scorers to the most lucrative transfer fees. Both have been set and reset multiple times over the past few months.

Moore’s goal came eight days after Ream’s. It also followed the $600,000 the top-ranked Kansas City Current paid to bring 21-year-old U.S. women’s national team forward Ally Sentnor over from the Utah Royals in August, which was eclipsed five weeks later when Gotham FC acquired U.S. midfielder Jaedyn Shaw from the North Carolina Courage for a reported $1.25 million.

It all points to the watershed moment at the intersection of investment, opportunity and competition in the women’s game, which was part of what spurred Moore, who played youth soccer for San Juan Soccer Club and recently committed to the University of Southern California, to pursue the Dallas Trinity as she continues to develop. Moore’s status as an academy player allows her to compete with Dallas without sacrificing her collegiate eligibility.

Trinity coach Chris Petrucelli told The Athletic that Moore’s camp initiated the conversation with the club earlier this year about joining the team. He believes the success Dallas has had with other academy players, like forward and University of North Carolina commit Sealey Strawn and defender Jordyn Hardeman, who plays for the University of Virginia, added to the team’s appeal as a place for Moore to learn.

After a few conversations with Moore and her family, Petrucelli, who coached the Chicago Stars during the 2022 season in the NWSL, went out to watch her play in June. He was struck by the Moore family’s clarity of vision for Rhea’s career path, not to mention the quality of her game for a player of her age. Two weeks later, she arrived in Dallas, signing with the club on July 9.

“Coming to Dallas, I was coming in with the mindset of being a sponge and just taking everything in and training with pros,” said Moore, who found that even minor differences in training sessions between her youth club and a USL team felt significant.

Preseason fitness with Dallas surprised her. She wasn’t used to running laps around the field after games, only before. Reviewing film was necessary before big games or tournaments with San Juan, but now it’s simply part of the job. And then there are certain skills, like defending as a unit to see out a game, that aren’t often taught in youth clubs because there’s not enough time, Petrucelli said.

But there were still about seven minutes left in the game after Moore’s goal this weekend, plus stoppage time, and that’s exactly what she had to do.

Moore has had to balance her rapid absorption of the Dallas Trinity experience with the responsibilities and sacrifices of a high school junior: online classes, missing school dances and even traveling to colleges from Dallas for visits before committing to USC.

“She still has a long journey ahead of her. She’s not a complete player yet — no one is at 15 — but she continues to get better,” said Petrucelli, who recalled knowing Moore was going to convert her shot as soon as she situated the ball on her powerful left foot.

Dallas Trinity continues to carve out a name for itself as a transformative destination for loaned-out players looking to break into the starting lineups of their home clubs or to sharpen their skills for NCAA competition. Two of its most accomplished alumni include Seattle Reign and U.S. midfielder Sam Meza and Washington Spirit and Nigerian women’s national team midfielder Deborah Abiodun, who recently helped the Super Falcons claim their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title this summer.

(Photo: Christian Luna / Dallas Trinity)

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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