The state of women's soccer in the West Michigan might best be summed up by where Lewis Robinson was Monday, two days after coaching the Grand Rapids FC team to the United Women's Soccer national title.

The veteran coach had a day to celebrate the championship before he flew to Dallas with his Midwest United under-17 girls team for U.S. Youth Soccer Championships in nearby Frisco, Texas. The team, national champs a year ago in U-16, begin play Tuesday with the finals Saturday.

Robinson's Midwest United U-17 team in Texas includes midfielder Avery Lockwood from Rockford, who played extensively for GRFC, as well as U-17 starting goalkeeper Lauren Kozal from Forest Hills Northern, who served as a backup with GRFC.

GRFC was comprised of players from around the state, and the same holds true for the Midwest United U-17 team.

Not bad hopping from one championship to one title possibility. That, Robinson said, speaks further to what the GRFC accomplished in its inaugural season and the positive effects it can have going forward.

"It was just amazing, and I was telling them about that afterward," Robinson said in the wake of Saturday's 3-1 overtime win over Santa Clarita in the finals, played before a near-capacity crowd of 1,034 at Grandville High School.

"To put on such as exciting show and win it and put on such an amazing event just pushes it (soccer) forward so much. I met so many people who said that was the best live sporting event they've seen in a long time. To see all the little girls coming up to get their jerseys signed or a ball signed and interacting with the players. That just meant so much."

Matt Roberts, owner of Grand Rapids FC, shared in the excitement.

"I mean, our Year One goal was just to get us up and running," Roberts said. "We thought we'd have a competitive team, but if you had asked either Lewis or I at the beginning if we thought we'd win the championship, we would have just laughed."

The women's program arrived after the GRFC men's team had two seasons under its best. The Girls in Blue went 12-1-1 on the season with the luxury of hosting - and winning - the regionals and then the two-day final four last weekend.

Roberts does not foresee major operational changes for next season - the team will remain with UWS and plans to play again at Grandville High School.

But the caliber of player may get another boost.

"It started about two weeks ago or so I started really getting calls, emails from some of the best girls in the country interested in playing," Robinson said. "A lot of players like playing in front of that (kind of atmosphere). So, I'd imagine picking next year's team will be a lot easier because there should be a lot of talent, but difficult, too, to put the roster together."