FC Monmouth Prepares For WPSL Debut Against Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals
MAY 21 2025
Written By Chris Dailey
The FC Monmouth women’s team is set to travel to Pennsylvania on Wednesday night in what will mark the club’s inaugural match in the Women’s Premier Soccer League — the largest women’s soccer league in the world. They will square off against the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals Liberty. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM.
After only playing friendlies in 2024, the club joined the WPSL during the offseason. The team is stacked with top collegiate talent from the local area alongside current high school stars, shaping up to be one of the premier sides within the league.
One standout among the collegiate talent FC Monmouth has signed is University of Miami forward Allie Serlanga. Serlanga recently transferred to the Hurricanes after finishing her freshman year at Clemson University, where she appeared in 11 games for the Tigers.
A native of Mount Laurel, Serlanga netted 57 goals throughout her illustrious high school career for Bishop Eustace.
On the touchline, FC Monmouth will be led by PDA Shore Girls’ director of coaching, Lou Santa Cruz, who is ecstatic to begin this new challenge.
“I’m Really excited for the opportunity and really excited for the girls to have a WPSL team here at the Jersey Shore. I’m looking forward to a good match, good competition, and hopefully getting a win,” remarked Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz also emphasized the importance of the team building chemistry quickly, stating, “I think just trying to gel as quickly as we can. That was the theme of our training session [Wednesday] night. These kids have obviously been taught well and are successful collegiate players – some are still in high school, but most are successful collegiate players and have had successful club careers as well. It’s just a matter of gelling and how quickly we can gel.”
Santa Cruz’s daughter, Saige, will be in net for the Blue and Gold. She just wrapped up her freshman year at DeSales, earning an honorable mention on the All-Conference team after starting 19 games and recording 76 saves.
Serlanga and Santa Cruz will be key figures in FC Monmouth's game plan as they face a Ukrainian Nationals side eager to expand upon their long history. The Ukrainian Nationals were founded in 1960 and have since become a prominent youth club on the East Coast. Having joined the WPSL in 2023, adopting the name “Liberty,” their semi-professional women’s team has laid strong foundations in their first two seasons. With experience under their belt, expectations are high for 2025.
To stay up to date with everything FC Monmouth, follow us on social media @wearemonmouth. Live game updates can be found there. To watch the live stream of the game, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Ikg-JX3Go