Neil Morris

The Research Triangle region of North Carolina has long been one of the country’s most fertile hotbeds for women’s soccer. Anson Dorrance’s North Carolina Tar Heels has won 22 NCAA championships, appeared in 27 NCAA Women’s College Cups. produced nine Hermann Trophy winners, and boasts six members of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Duke University has three Women’s College Cup appearances, including two since 2011, while NC State has earned two Cup berths. However, the high-water mark of the region’s star-crossed history with professional women’s soccer was the fleeting three years that the Carolina Courage played in the...

Editor’s note: Steve Malik, founder and second-time owner of Cary-based Medfusion, is now the owner of the Carolina RailHawks soccer team. So why did a successful tech entrepreneur and investor decide to buy a sports franchise? Neil Morris provides the answers. CARY, N.C. — The new owner of the Carolina RailHawks embodies both the potential and predicament of the Cary-based professional soccer club in the Triangle marketplace over the past decade. He’s a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and local tech industry millionaire who is also a lifelong soccer fan. He played the sport in high school and now financially supports...