The Orlando Pride players say they are ready to build a future together It was a love born on the soccer field. National Women’s Soccer League stars Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris are engaged, the couple confirms to PEOPLE. Get push notifications with news, features and more. The romance between the athletes began nearly a decade ago when the two met while playing for the U.S. National Team. “We became really close friends, and we just hung out, we clicked, and we had so much in common,” Harris, 33, says of when the two first met in 2010. “We always sat next to each other on the bus and on flights, and we kind of just talked about our dreams and our hopes and what we wanted to do one day when we grew up. Because at the time, we were kids.” “The rest has kind of been history,” she continues. “Here we are nine years later, and we’re going to be getting married this year.” wedding-1 Credit: Daniel Seung Lee For Krieger, 34, it was Harris’ “creativity and ambition” that first drew her in. “I find that so attractive, and the way that she makes me a better person. I think that I’m very quiet and reserved,” she says. “Since being with Ash, I really feel like I’ve blossomed into the woman that I want to be, and she’s helped me become the woman I am.” And while Harris says she was attracted to Krieger’s independence and assertiveness, she couldn’t help but melt when looking into her eyes. “It was her big, beautiful brown eyes,” she says. “She has these unbelievable tiger eyes. I just felt like every time she was talking, I wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying.” The couple both play for the Orlando Pride — Krieger is a defender, while Harris is a goalkeeper — and many of their fans have long picked up on their chemistry together, though the duo has not publicly confirmed they were in a relationship until now. wedding-2 The engagement ring | Credit: Daniel Seung Lee But whether they confirmed the romance or not, their fans didn’t wait to come up with a nickname for the couple, calling them “Krashlyn.” Both Krieger and Harris say they didn’t want to publically address their relationship over the years because they didn’t want to create a distraction for their teammates and the franchise. “We wanted to be professional and make sure that we showed up every day and did our job and it wasn’t just because we were together, it was because we love what we do, and we’re really good at what we do,” Krieger says. “And that was most important for us.” Read more about the happy couple in the latest issue of PEOPLE, out now. But now, they say, they feel more comfortable sharing their love with the world. “We became more and more confident within and ourselves and then clearly within our relationship,” says Harris. “We were like, now is the right time … and I feel like it’s a massive weight off of my shoulders. Finally, after all these years, I just feel like I don’t have to hide anything or feel like I’m not living up to the community I’m in.” Harris popped the question as the two had a picnic by the rocks on Clearwater Beach on September 15, just a few days after they finished playing their final game of the season. As they took a selfie together of the sunset, Harris held up the ring to Krieger’s surprise. “It was a really good time because I felt really on the same page with her, and really excited about our future and talking about our future plans with kids, and family, and things like that,” Krieger says. “It just was a really good time. I was really surprised because it just seemed like another weekend getaway for us. I wasn’t really thinking about it at all!” Harris adds: “It was just us and this beautiful scenery, and I was just like … she was making me laugh, she wanted me to take pictures, and here I am. This is what I’m gonna be doing the rest of my life. It just all froze and I was like, ‘this is it.’ “<doc-sep>Soccer stars Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris have a new goal. After publicly announcing their engagement this week with People magazine, the couple is now eyeing a wedding next winter. Krieger and Harris, who both play for the Orlando Pride, a National Women’s Soccer League franchise, have been engaged since last September. Their family and friends have known since the question was popped, but Krieger said she and Harris wanted to wait for the right time to make “a really nice public announcement.” Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris pose for their engagement. Daniel Seung Lee “We weren’t expecting all the love and support,” Krieger said of the reaction to their engagement news. “Everyone involved in our soccer team, including fans and supporters, have been so incredible.” She said Harris proposed to her while the two were on a weekend getaway in Clearwater Beach, Florida. “She had the ring for a little bit of time. I think she was just planning on the perfect time,” she explained. “It was really sweet and so perfect — exactly what I would envision it to be.” Krieger, 34, and Harris, 33, met while playing for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team and have been an item for almost a decade. “There’s been some ups and downs, but we’ve been together since 2010,” Krieger said. The two started out as friends before their relationship blossomed. “She has been that constant in my life,” Krieger said of Harris. “Not only is she my partner, but she’s my best friend.” Krieger said she and Harris will probably get married in Florida next winter. Though “nothing is set in stone,” she said they’re shooting for “this December.” “I really want to marry Ash and start our next phase,” she said. “We want to have kids.” Krieger said she and Harris hope their story can encourage others, especially younger people, to be their “authentic selves.” “We hope this might help other couples, too, who might not be out or comfortable talking about their relationship,” she added. The two soccer greats are not the only women’s sports stars to publicly announce their romance with a teammate or rival. Last September, U.S. Olympic hockey star Meghan Duggan married her longtime rival Gillian Apps, a Canadian Olympic champion. The most incredible day of my entire life ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zDlSBWmCDj — Meghan Duggan (@mduggan10) September 24, 2018 And in November 2017, U.S. Olympic hockey champion Julie Chu and Canadian Olympic hockey champion Caroline Ouellette celebrated the birth of their first child. 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Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger, FIFA Women’s World Cup champions and club teammates, announced they are engaged. Harris, 33, told People she and Krieger, 34, got close when they met in 2010 and played together on the U.S. Women's National Team. “The rest has kind of been history,” Harris told People. “Here we are nine years later, and we’re going to be getting married this year.” GOLFER MICHELLE WIE ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT TO SON OF NBA LEGEND: ‘MY PERSON FOR LIFE!’ Krieger said she was attracted to Harris’ “creativity and ambition.” “I find that so attractive, and the way that she makes me a better person. I think that I’m very quiet and reserved,” Krieger said. “Since being with Ash, I really feel like I’ve blossomed into the woman that I want to be, and she’s helped me become the woman I am.” Harris revealed to People she was drawn to Krieger’s “big, beautiful brown eyes.” “She has these unbelievable tiger eyes. I just felt like every time she was talking, I wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying,” she told People. SANTA ANITA PARK SUSPENDS RACING INDEFINITELY AFTER 21ST HORSE DIES The two play for the Orlando Pride and did not come forward about their relationship until now in the interest of maintaining a professional work environment. “We wanted to be professional and make sure that we showed up every day and did our job and it wasn’t just because we were together, it was because we love what we do, and we’re really good at what we do,” Krieger said. “And that was most important for us.” The couple hope to wed at the end of the year in Florida. Harris is currently training for the upcoming 2019 Women’s World Cup.