Congratulations to World Cup-winning US footballers Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger, who have just announced their engagement!

The lesbian couple, who play together for Orlando Pride and the American national soccer team, told People that Harris proposed while the two were enjoying a picnic on Florida’s Clearwater Beach after the final match of their season last year. As the couple posed for a selfie, Harris surprised her partner by pulling out a ring.

“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 said. “I was really surprised because it just seemed like another weekend getaway for us. I wasn’t really thinking about it at all!”

Harris recalled “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.’”

The two reminisced about what first drew them to their partner, with Krieger praising Harris’ “creativity and ambition.”

“She makes me a better person,” Krieger said. “I think that I’m very quiet and reserved. Since being with Ash, I really feel like I’ve blossomed into the woman that I want to be.”

In turn, Harris said “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.”

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Despite having been together for nine years, the two have waited until now to publicly confirm their relationship. “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,” said Krieger.

Still, fans haven’t waited for permission to speculate about the two – they’ve long ago been given a couple name, “Krashlyn,” and had hundreds of pieces of fanfiction written in their honour.

“Finally, after all these years,” says Harris, “I just feel like I don’t have to hide anything.”