"I don’t think I was aware of it at the time," Delahoussaye said. "But once I left school, I realized that we’re the reason why it all began to happen."

"It’s hard to say, as college athletes," Corbello said. "You appreciate it, but you don’t see the full picture until 10 years later. Now they have players from all over the country and from other countries.

"I remember the first team meeting and that sense of excitement, to be able to finally play at home with our friends and family present. But, I don’t know if we realized what a big step it was."

It was especially meaningful for Corbello, a former St. Thomas More standout who had been at Louisiana Tech but returned home to play for UL.

"I was ecstatic," she said. "I wanted to be home for college. It was an opportunity of a lifetime. I was excited. Most of us were local that first year, so we had either played with or against each other."

Delahoussaye, like Corbello a product of the Lafayette Youth Soccer Association who went on to star at STM, had played soccer since she was 5 years old and is still involved with the sport as a coach.
She takes pride in being the only member of the original freshman class of players to play a full four years.

"I had a good experience with it," Delahoussaye said. "Obviously, we struggled the first couple of years, but then we were able to win 8 or 9 games in both my junior and senior years.

"I was definitely happy to be part of the first team, and out of the 7 freshmen who started, I was the only one to play all four years. As the program has grown, more players have done that, but I was the first."

Corbello was planning to play more than one year as the team’s goal keeper, but fate intervened.

"I had a fifth year of eligibility, but I tore my ACL in the preseason," she said. "That was probably the disappointment of my life. I trained hard, trying to get back, but the NCAA wouldn’t grant me an extra year, so I coached instead.

"It was a wonderful experience. It was fun to recruit and get players to fall in love with UL and Lafayette."

Both players credit founding head coach Dave Poggi for launching a program out of a notion.

"Poggi was intent," Corbello said. "He was instrumental in my becoming a Division I player. He knew how to have a good time. He also demanded that we have the best Division I experience. On the road, we would go to other games, tour cities. He wanted our experience to be a good one."

"I enjoyed playing for him," said Delahoussaye, whose field vision enabled her to be an effective offensive weapon for Poggi. "He was a huge reason why we had so many local girls."

"He was very motivating. Even that first season, we went into every game to win. That was our belief, our mindset, because of our leader. He fought for us having our own field and stadium."

The Cajun program originally played on recreational fields at Lafayette’s Moore Park, then played at Cajun Field in 2002 and 2003 and now has a home at the track/soccer facility.

"It’s neat to see how the program has grown," Delahoussaye said. "Now they have their own stadium, field and locker room. And, they’re more competitive now."

Delahoussaye is currently a physical therapist at Rosewood Rehab, but remains part of the game as a select program coach for the Division I Lafayette Force, a three-time Louisiana state champion squad.

"I’m passionate about it," she said. "It’s my fifth season, and I definitely want to continue. I’ll probably stay at the club level, instead of going into college coaching. I already have a full-time job."

Corbello is a physician’s assistant who plans to transition from neurology to orthopedic practice and is eyeing the possibility of being a sideline medic. She also remains attached to soccer, serving as coach of a U5 boys team.

In many ways, their lives have run parallel – advancing through youth soccer, starring at St. Thomas More, playing at UL, choosing medical careers and making sure that future generations appreciate the game they love.