TAMPA. Fla. — The Tampa Bay Sun’s inaugural season is underway.

The first women’s professional soccer team in the Bay area kicked off the season with its home opener on Sunday night near downtown Tampa on the banks of the Hillsborough River.

A standing room only crowd of 5,000 people took in all the action. After all the pageantry, the Sun got down to business, salvaging the evening with a 1-1 tie with the Dallas Trinity.

Dallas took the lead with a goal in extra time just before halftime.

But the Sun saved its best for late in the second half when defender Brooke Hendrix scored on a header to tie the game at 1-1.

“It’s not where we start, it’s where we finish,” said Sun coach Denise Schilte-Brown. “So as long as grow from game to game and get better and better, that’s what matters.”