'Shocked and disappointed' US women's soccer stars' equal pay lawsuit THROWN OUT after judge said they were paid MORE than men

The United States women's soccer team's battle over equal pay with their male counterparts was struck a stunning blow when a California judge ruled the women's team was BETTER PAID than their male counterparts.

Judge R. Gary Klausner of the United States District Court for the Central District of California presided over the court case with the governing body of the sport in America, US Soccer, as the female players claimed they received inferior treatment to their male colleagues.

The US women's national team (USWNT) was seeking damages amounting to $66 million under the Equal Pay Act.

But in a major blow to the women's team's case, the judge threw out a major component of their complaint – namely that they were not paid equally in comparison to the men's team – after deciding that the women's team had actually been paid MORE than their male counterparts.

"The WNT (Women's National Team) has been paid more on both a cumulative and an average per-game basis than the MNT (Men's National Team) over the class period," said the court's summary judgment.

A spokeswoman for the players, Molly Levinson, said an appeal is already in the works.

"We are shocked and disappointed," she tweeted following the judgment.

"We will not give up our hard work for equal pay.

"We are confident in our case and steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that girls and women who play this sport will not be valued as lesser just because of their gender."

USWNT player Tobin Heath quote-tweeted the statement, adding, "This team never gives up and we're not going to start now. #USWNT"

Heath's teammate, world player of the year Megan Rapinoe, tweeted similar sentiments, saying, "We will never stop fighting for EQUALITY."

While the female players' equal pay claims were dismissed, other aspects of their overall case – including claims that they did not receive equal treatment to the male players with regard to travel, training and accommodation – remain on the table, with the court ruling those claims can proceed to a trial on June 16.

A statement from US Soccer said the organization was determined to work with the women's team in order to "chart a positive path forward to grow the game both here at home and around the world."

"US Soccer has long been the world leader for the women’s game on and off the field and we are committed to continuing that work," the statement continued.