Voice Of The Fan: 2015 Women's College Cup

— -- The Women's College Cup got underway Friday in Cary, North Carolina, and with it came thousands of dedicated fans from all over the country. But just who are these devoted supporters sitting in the stands? We decided to find out. During the semifinal games at WakeMed Stadium, we met some of the sport's most loyal followers. While every fan has a story to tell, here are some of our favorites in their own words.

Julian Pinnix-Odrick, Derrick Nelson and Vance Matthews

Julian: These are our homies. We had to be here. We're on the football team and these are some of our best friends at school. We of course are here to support them.

Derrick: It's not every day that a team gets to the final four. And they're out here trying to make history. We wanted to see that. It's different being on this side of it and being at the tailgate and not playing.

Vance: We drove seven-and-a-half hours to be here today. Thankfully the traffic wasn't bad. But it's well worth it.

Derrick: Totally worth it. We have one of the best defenses in the country. It should be a really good game tonight.

espnW: Have you talked to any of the girls today -- or given them a pep talk or anything?

Julian: Oh, definitely. We went to the hotel where they're staying before we came here and hung out. They're ready for the game. Ready to win the national championship.

espnW: I see you brought Burger King -- to a tailgate. Were these burgers here not good enough for you?

Vance: That's what we told him! But we never get to tailgate. We don't know how these things work.

Ann Widlacki (First on the left)

Ann: We're here to support the Penn State women's soccer team! I'm here from Chicago. I got up at 2 a.m. this morning to catch some flights, drove a little ways and here I am! We wouldn't miss it. This is such a big moment and has been the goal since the first day of the season. My daughter, Angela Widlacki, is on the team. She's currently out right now with an injury, but she's still a full member of the team and here ready to cheer.

espnW: What does it mean to her to be here, despite being injured?

Ann: I think the big picture is that this is the ultimate goal of every college soccer player. And so to be a part of it, in any small way, is just a huge accomplishment.

espnW: What did you say to her today, if anything?

Ann: Just to enjoy every single second of the experience. There are so few women soccer players who get to have this moment, so just enjoy it.

espnW: And it looks like you guys are enjoying it too. This is a pretty nice tailgate right here.

Ann: We're the best fans in the country, so it's awesome to get together with all of our fellow Penn State soccer fans.

espnW: You're right near the Rutgers tailgate. Do you have any trash talk for them?

Ann: They will be sad after the game, that's all we gotta say. They will be sad. A lot of sadness.

Cambree Kennedy

Cambree: I love the game and I'm a huge Florida State fan, obviously. I enjoy watching soccer, it doesn't matter if it's college or professional. I just love the game. I've been playing for 13 years.

espnW: Thirteen years! How old are you?

Cambree: I'm 16, so I've been playing for most of my life. My team [from Alabama] is here this weekend playing at the CASL [Girls Showcase]. We had a rough game today to start the tournament. It was a winnable game.

espnW: So did you win?

Cambree: We did not. We should have though. It was difficult, but tomorrow we'll redeem ourselves.

espnW: How did you become a Florida State fan living in Alabama?

Cambree: My dad, he's from Florida and is a huge fan so he corrupted me at a young age. Go 'Noles!

espnW: What FSU memories, from any sport, stand out most for you?

Cambree: That's a good question. The [2013 football] national championship, definitely. I remember screaming and yelling and my mom coming downstairs yelling at me because my brother was asleep. It was like a dream come true, and we beat an SEC team. It was great.

espnW: What would it mean to you to see the soccer team win its second-straight national title this weekend?

Cambree: It would mean absolutely everything. It's my favorite sport, and also my favorite team. Combining those two together -- it's perfect.

espnW: Obviously the games haven't started yet, but what has been the best part of the College Cup so far?

Cambree: I'm able to see what college sports are like, and what I need to bring to the table if I want to play at the next level. My dream would be to play at Florida State, but it's very challenging to get into that soccer program because it's very good. But wherever I can play soccer, I will. I just love the game.

Carol Vergis, Christina Falcone Lingley, Marcus Hillard and Whitney McLeod

Marcus: We are here because of our women's soccer team. We are extremely excited to have our girls here and obviously the team has done a phenomenal job getting here and up to this point. So right now we're just here waiting for the party to get started, and we're waiting for all the family members and parents and supporters to get here and get some excitement and enthusiasm going on before we move over to the stadium for the game.

espnW: How many people are you expecting?

Marcus: We're expecting a little over 200 people tonight. And there's going to be a lot more Duke fans in the crowd. There are going to be at least 600 students coming tonight.

Carol: At least 600!

Marcus: We offered transportation but they wanted to come here on their own and do their own thing. But we provided tickets and encouraged them to come out here to support the team.

espnW: What's the vibe on campus been this week?

Marcus: All the students are excited for them, particularly because of the distance. It's right down the street here in Cary, and we're the only team that's close so everyone wants to make this really a home game for the girls and just come out here and support them. It's really going to be like another home game for them. It's only a 30-minute drive from campus, and we want them to feel our presence when they're out there.

Whitney: The ladies have had a lot of close games this season so even just a little edge, we think will help them. At least that's what we're hoping for!

Reagan Gould, Emma Wilkins, Julia Dolan and Sam LaBianca

Julia: A lot of the girls on the team are from [New] Jersey -- Erica Skroski is -- we know her well. And Jenna Seddon and a bunch of others.

Sam: We're playing in the CASL Tournament right now in Raleigh. We played today and won. And we play again tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.

espnW: Do you all hope to play at Rutgers one day?

Julia: I mean, it's a great school. I'm sure if any of us got an offer, we would definitely take them up on it! We're all juniors now so that would obviously be amazing.

espnW: What's the coolest thing you've experienced so far since being down here?

Reagan: The weather! The weather has been awesome. And the soccer games will probably be great too.