“We’re looking forward to what we feel will be a highly competitive W-League Western Conference,” said Whitecaps women’s team head coach Hubert Busby Jr. “As part of our Women’s Soccer Series, I know the staff and players are excited to take our women’s team into the community and help grow the female game by connecting our team with the community, fans, and partners.”

As a continuation of last year’s inaugural series, the ‘Caps will further their community outreach by partnering with some major local youth clubs to host women’s team home games. Those clubs include Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club (CMFSC), Langley FC, Richmond Girls Soccer Association, and the Lower Island Soccer Association (Vancouver Island).

The Whitecaps will kickoff the 2010 season on Sunday, May 30, at 2 pm PT, when they battle Colorado Force FC at Percy Perry Stadium in Coquitlam, BC – hosted by Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club.

“Coquitlam Metro-Ford is pleased to welcome back the Whitecaps to our community,” said CMFSC president Gayle Statton. “As a club, we take an active interest and role in the female side of the game, and once again, we’re looking forward to partnering with the Whitecaps in bringing the highest level of women’s soccer in Canada to our community.”

The Whitecaps will then hit the road for five consecutive matches, starting with games in Colorado against the Force and Colorado Rush. This is followed by a trip to Southern California to face Santa Clarita Blue Heat and two-time W-League champions Pali Blues. The ‘Caps will complete their travels in Washington State against Interstate 5 rivals Seattle Sounders women.

The ‘Caps will then return home to face Pali Blues on Sunday, June 27, at 5 p.m. PT at McLeod Athletic Park in Langley, BC – hosted by Langley FC.

“Langley FC is very excited to have the opportunity to host the Whitecaps women’s team,” said Langley FC president Toni Burgess. “McLeod Athletic Park is a great facility with many recent upgrades that will make this game an enjoyable experience for the players and spectators. We are really looking forward to the opportunity of cheering on high-level women’s soccer in our city. It’s a great chance for the girls in our club to see what they can strive for, right in their own backyard.”

The Whitecaps will also host two new W-League franchises for the first time when Santa Clarita Blue Heat and Colorado Rush visit the Lower Mainland in early July. The women’s team will return to Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC, to face the Rush on Saturday, July 3, at 2:30 p.m. PT.

The ‘Caps will then take part in a special ‘Showcase’ match at Minoru Stadium in Richmond, BC, against Santa Clarita on Thursday, July 8, at 6:30 p.m. PT. The match will be a feature game as part of the opening night of the 2010 BC Girls Provincial ‘B’ Cup tournament. The Richmond Girls Soccer Association will host both the Whitecaps match and Girls Provincial ‘B’ Cup.

“The Girls Provincial ‘B’ Cup will bring over 700 players from around the province to Richmond,” said Richmond Girls Soccer Association director of operations Stewart MacPherson. “In conjunction with this, we are pleased to be able to join with the Whitecaps to showcase their women’s team on opening night of our tournament at Minoru Stadium. This will give all of our players a first-hand look at where they can strive to be, and will bring an extra level of exciting soccer to the Richmond community.”

The women’s team will finish their regular season campaign on Vancouver Island when they face Seattle Sounders at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, BC, on Saturday, July 17, at 6:30 p.m. PT – hosted by the Lower Island Soccer Association.

“Being able to expose our players and parents to the highest level of women’s soccer in Canada is a great opportunity for the Lower Island Soccer Association (LISA),” said LISA executive director Sharon Marejka. “Working with Vancouver Whitecaps FC will further enhance our overall partnership with the professional club, which is essential as part of our development philosophy.”

In addition to the action on the pitch, the Whitecaps will host free pre-match clinics and halftime mini games for local youth players. There will also be post-match autograph sessions with the Whitecaps women’s team players.

2010 Regular Season
Vancouver Schedule
W-League Schedule

The conference and divisional alignment remains the same as the 2009 season with three conferences. The Central and Eastern Conferences will be comprised of two divisions each.

Four new franchises will take the field in 2010 with the recently announced expansion clubs North Jersey Valkryies and Colorado Rush along with the Santa Clarita Blue Heat, who acquired the Ventura County Fusion franchise rights, and the W-League side being launched by the New Jersey Rangers of the USL Premier Development League.

Season details such as the playoff format and schedule information will be announced in the new year.

Central Conference
Great Lakes Division
Hamilton Avalanche, Laval Comets, Quebec City Amiral, Ottawa Fury, Rochester Ravens, Toronto Lady Lynx

Heartland Division
Buffalo Flash, Chicago Red Eleven, Cleveland Internationals, Kalamazoo Outrage, London Gryphons

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Atlanta Silverbacks, Charlotte Lady Eagles, Hampton Roads Piranhas, Northern Virginia Majestics, Tampa Bay Hellenic

Northeast Division
Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues, Long Island Rough Riders, New Jersey Wildcats, New York Magic, NJ Rangers, North Jersey Valkryies, Washington Freedom

Western Conference
Colorado Force, Colorado Rush, Pali Blues, Santa Clarita Blue Heat, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps

The hosts took the initial lead in the contest in the 14th minute of play from a restart. Washington’s Katherine Watson turned with the ball 30 yards from goal and was headed straight in on goal before being dragged down by Pali defender Kendal Billingsley, who received a yellow card. France’s Sandra Matute nailed a precise free kick just inside the right post from 24 yards to give the Freedom the early lead.

Billingsley made up for the error in the 37th minute on a second consecutive corner from Iris Mora. As the corner came down to the tall defender in the center of the area, she sent a perfect eight yard header into the back of the net to level the game heading to the break.

Aside from the corner on the equalizer, Mora had been relatively quiet throughout the rest of the match after an early chance as Washington kept the clamp on the Freedom’s key striker, who had tallied in five of their last six contests, including the playoffs. But in the 86th minute, she found some space all alone in the box. The mistake proved costly for Washington as Kirsty Yallap sent a cross in from the right flank, connecting with Mora, who chested the ball down, turned and fired past Eliza Bennett-Hatton from 14 yards for the winner.

The goal and assist on the night earned the Mexican star the W-League Champion Most Valuable Player honor as she helped lead the club to its second straight title, becoming the third club in league history to claim back-to-back championships (Raleigh Wings 1998-99 and Boston Renegades 2001-02) and the fifth to win two league titles (Long Island Lady Riders 1995, 97 and Vancouver Whitecaps 2004, 06). It is the third title for head coach Charlie Naimo, who also led the New Jersey Wildcats to the championship in 2005.

The second consecutive unbeaten championship season, on the other hand, was a first in league history. Although the Blues are among three clubs to post two consecutive unbeaten campaigns in the regular season (Chicago Cobras 1999-00 and FC Indiana Lionesses 2008-09), they are the only club to win the league crown both times. Chicago lost in penalties in the 1999 championship before winning from the spot the following year. Finalists a year ago, FC Indiana were knocked out in the conference final this year.

“It feels so good to have two undefeated seasons, and I am so happy for our girls,” Naimo said after taking his third crown as a coach in four championship appearances. “It’s such a fantastic feeling, and you couldn’t ask for anymore effort than what has been given by this team all year.”

A quick-paced, back-and-forth contest in the early going, a goalkeeping error nearly gave the Freedom the lead in the first minute of play when a lofted ball into the area slipped through the outstretched hands of Pali goalkeeper Joslyn Slovek. The ball dropped to the pitch and a half clearance gave the Freedom a chance on an open goal, but the strike from Jen Parsons went off the crossbar, down and deflected away off the head of the defender standing on the line.

Three minutes later at the other end a through ball right up the middle had Mora on a break, but her first touch around the charging keeper 30 yards from goal was a bit too much as she was unable to recover and the defense was able to shut down the attack.

A fifth minute strike from Jesstine Wolfe went just over the bar from 21 yards out for Washington with Mora getting behind the defense on the other end three minutes later on a cross, but her header flew wide of the target.

With Washington leading after Matute’s excellent free kick, Pali was looking for an equalizer. Just before the 30th minute Rebekah Patrick put a shot over the bar from just inside the box.

Seven minutes later, Billingsley put away the equalizer, however, Washington nearly re-claimed the lead as a missed keeper punch at a corner led to 20 yard attempt from Madison Keller that narrowly missed the opposite upper corner of the goal.

Bennett-Hatton made a huge save at the close of the 56th minute when Pali’s Sabrina DeMonte sent a cross into the area. Yallop dove to get her head on the ball eight yards from goal, but the keeper made a fantastic point blank reaction save to keep it out of the Washington net.

But the heroics were not enough as Mora used her experience to calmly knock the cross down and coolly slot it home for the victory four minutes from time.

“We just did what we had to do, which was to score a goal,” said Mora. “I missed a couple of goals at the beginning. I knew for this game it would be really tight. I just needed to settle, first touch I just thought about one-two. And I saw the ball coming to me, I settled myself, and it was just one-two. That is how it has to be.”

Her performance was expected from coach Naimo.

“No shock, she’s been getting it done all season,” the Blues coach said. “Last week a goal and two assists in the semifinal. Always found a way to get a point in every single game and it’s no surprise to me. Iris was the one that I envisioned pulling us through this one and she did.”

Naimo, who also serves as general manager for the Los Angeles Sol of Women’s Professional Soccer, also went on to discuss how he expects numerous players from this year’s squad to also move onto WPS again this year, but finished saying “We are gonna have to reload for a third run.”

The Pali Blues have never lost a match. Their two-season total of 25-0-3 is second to none. On the other side of the pitch this Friday, August 7 live on Fox Soccer Channel at 7:30 PM ET, the Freedom’s three-year mark of 44-4-5 is also the best in the W-League over that period.

Last season was the only meeting between the two sides, with Pali taking a 2-0 decision on the strength of two Danesha Adams goals in the W-League semifinals. Leah Tapscott however, is the only player returning to the Blues from that side.

“Leah had a good run in the WPS preseason,” said Pali Head Coach Charlie Naimo. “She is about as close as you can come to a WPS player and she brings that experience of having played in a final before. Jenny Anderson-Hammond is another player of that caliber.”

Tapscott and Anderson-Hammond both being defenders, one would guess Pali’s defense to be the backbone of the team, but Naimo is quick to point in the other direction.

“Quite the contrary,” said Naimo. “Last week’s team was the best offensive team I ever had. We put up five goals on Colorado and four against Hudson Valley. Both were good teams, too. Last season we had Jill Oakes, Amy LePeilbet, Kandace Wilson and Kendall Fletcher in the back. All of those players are in WPS now, so it is hard to say we are better in that area than we were last season.”

Filling the offensive void created by the loss of Danesha Adams last season, the top offensive threats for Pali in 2009 have been Iris Mora and Jodie Taylor.

“Taylor and Mora complement each other very well,” said Naimo. “We missed Taylor for a while during the regular season, but she is back now and playing great. Mora is a very clever player and a passionate worker.”

For Washington, the 5’3” Jennifer Parsons has done her best to fill the goal scoring void created by the departure of Christie Welsh, netting 12 goals and adding six assists during the regular season. She has been limited by the Tampa Bay Hellenic, Charlotte Eagles and Ottawa Fury thus far in the 2009 postseason, but teammates Brittany Tegeler and Meghan Lemczyck each scored in the first two rounds of the playoffs to push the Freedom into the league semifinals.

There, the Freedom’s backline of Caitlin Collins, Madison Keller, Gabriella Toulouse and Jordan Grant combined to produce 120 minutes of scoreless soccer by limiting the Fury’s chances to seven shots on goal. Of that group, Keller was the lone player to play for the Freedom in last’s season’s 2-0 loss to Pali.

That being said, both the Blues and the Freedom’s depth of high-quality talent has to be mentioned in the rationale of why they are both playing in their second W-League Final in three years.

“It is part of a process,” said Naimo. “Something we have done with the New Jersey Wildcats and Jersey Sky Blue – creating a decent environment for the girls in which they can excel and move to the next level. The Blues organization is a big part of the development process for the (WPS) Sol. That also has something to do with it.”

HOW TO View

• start … click front cover
• stop/end … press esc
• next page … click right arrow
• previous page … click left arrow
• zoom (magnify/reduce) … click page
• move … hold down mouse and move any direction
• menu access … move to top of page
• single page access … move to bottom of page

W-League 2009 All-League Team
Goalkeeper of the Year – Michelle Betos (Atlanta Silverbacks)
In her first season in the league, Betos helped lead the Silverbacks to the regular season division title with a 10-1-1 record, posting a mark of 9-1-1 herself. She finished second in the league in goals against average at 0.188 and in shutouts with nine. She also was tied for second in wins.

Defender – Ashleigh Gunning (Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues)
Having previously played for Cocoa and Charlotte, Gunning provided a veteran presence for the upstart squad as they went on to post an unbeaten 12-0-2 regular season record and capture the league’s regular season title. Hudson Valley allowed just nine goals in 14 games with Gunning seeing action in 13. She also provided two goals and two assists in the attack.

Defender – Ria Percival (Ottawa Fury)
After a brief taste of W-League action with FC Indiana last year, Percival moved north of the border to join the Fury and help guide the club to an 11-1-2 record with only nine goals allowed. She appeared in all 14 games, playing every minute and providing five assists on the year.

Defender – Brittany Taylor (Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues)
In her debut season in the league, she helped guide the team to an unbeaten 12-0-2 season and capture the league’s regular season title. In the nine games she played, Taylor was a threat in the attack, coming forward for three goals on the season.

Midfielder – Gemma Davidson (Chicago Red Eleven)
After spending 2008 with New York, Davidson helped lead the Red Eleven to a 10-1-1 record on the season, finishing just one point back of unbeaten FC Indiana in the division race. She played in eight games on the year, tallying six goals and two assists.

Midfielder – Michelle French (Seattle Sounders)
A five-time All-Conference selection, French is still one of the top players in the west and had the Sounders on the verge of the postseason before their final winless three-game trip to California. She played in all 12 games and provided four goals and an assist.

Midfielder – Rosa Tantillo (Buffalo Flash)
Playing in a tough division, the expansion Flash finished second with a record of 9-2-3 on the year. Helping lead the way was Tantillo, a member of last year’s champion Pali Blues. She saw action in all 14 games and provided eight goals and two assists in the campaign.

Midfielder – Nikki Washington (Pali Blues)
With many of its top players gone from the 2008 championship side for Women’s Professional Soccer, Washington stepped in and helped lead the Blues to another unbeaten season at 9-0-3 and a second straight conference title. She tallied five goals and two assists in nine games on the campaign.

Forward – Laura Del Rio (FC Indiana Lionesses)
The 2008 league assist leader captured the scoring titles she narrowly missed out on last year by finishing the campaign with 18 goals and four assists. She helped lead the side to the league’s best offensive output of 63 goals and a 10-0-2 record, coming up just shy of the regular season title.

Forward – Amber Hearn (Ottawa Fury)
With 13 goals and two assists on the year, Hearn helped lead the Fury to an 11-1-2 record and the division title. She was tied for fourth in the league in goals and sixth in points.

Forward – Angelika Johansson (Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues)
Johansson was a key component in the club’s attack en route to winning the regular season title with a record of 12-0-2 and 40 goals. The striker found the back of net 14 times and provided eight assists, finishing second in the league in points, tied for second in goals and tied for third in assists.

W-League 2009 Individual Honors
In addition to the previously announced statistical award winners and the Goalkeeper of the Year, four other top individual honors are still to be announced. The winners of the awards will be announced Wednesday, August 5 from the following finalists in each category:

Defender of the Year Finalists
The three All-League selections Gunning, Percival and Taylor are the finalists for the honor.

U19 Player of the Year Finalists
The finalists for the award are Sarah Chapman (Tampa Bay), Chante Sandiford (Washington) and Fortuna Velaj (Connecticut).

Coach of the Year Finalists
The finalists for the award are Tony Anglin (Chicago), Fabien Cottin (Quebec City), George Fotopoulos (Tampa Bay) and Jesse Kolmel (Hudson Valley).

Most Valuable Player Finalists
The finalists for the award are Laura Del Rio (FC Indiana), Amber Hearn (Ottawa) and Angelika Johansson (Hudson Valley).

Sandiford sent the Freedom onto the final (Shane Canfield)

A goal post and a Chante Sandiford save denied the Fury a third trip to the W-League Championship game. The 2007 champion Freedom will move on to the Championship final, where they will face the reigning W-League Champions Pali Blues on Friday, August 7 in Boyds, Maryland.

Ottawa started the game off with great pace and tremendous control. Hearn, Romagnuolo and Moorwood all had chances inside the first fifteen minutes, but were unable to convert.

Jasmine Phillips, who was stellar in the Fury goal, robbed Brittany Tegeler on a breakaway and stymied here again moments later after the Freedom jumped on a Fury turnover. H

ayley Moorwood and Michelle Evans both had chances on goal, but were unable to give the Fury that much sought after first goal. The first half ended scoreless with the Fury owning most of the possession and chances.

Washington started off the second half with several chances and strong pressure, but Jasmine Phillips was there to steady the ship.

Emma Kete broke through in the 55th minute on a breakaway, but was denied by Freedom keeper Sandiford.

Both teams exchanged chances for a period of ten minutes, but both keeper stood tall. Courtney Wetzel made a great individual effort and Sandiford collapsed on the rebound ahead of an out-reached Emma Kete in the 80th minute.

Danielle Johnson recorded the last dangerous chance before the end of time that saw her header deflect just wide off the Michelle Evans corner.

As the two teams headed into extra time it was the Fury who had the best of the chances in the first stanza of extra time as both Evans and Pacheco threatened.

In the second extra time Phillips had to be sharp once again denying Germain in close and stopping a Freedom free kick with less than five minutes remaining.

Amber Hearn fired over the bar from the top of the 18-yard box with time winding down and penalty kicks on the horizon.

The Fury would shoot first in the penalty shootout with Hayley Moorwood rifling home a shot into the top right corner putting the Fury ahead. Sandra Matute pulled the Freedom even giving way to Ria Percival, the Fury’s second shooter. Percival beat Sandiford low to the left, but was denied by the post.

Kika Toulouse put the Freedom ahead 2-1 with a shot into the top corner. Courtney looked to pull the Fury even, but was robbed by Sandiford with a diving save.

Caitlin Miskel put the Freedom in the drivers seat scoring to make it 3-1 with the Fury needing to score. Chante Sandiford onced again proved to be the difference denying Michelle Evans, sending the Freedom back to the W-League Finals since they won it all in 2007 after, oddly enough, defeating the Fury.

The Fury Women’s 10th Anniversary season draws to a close with another successful year that saw them win a sixth consecutive division title and the Central Conference title, but the elusive W-League title will have to be won another day.

The Washington will look to win their second W-League title since winning in 2007, but will have to defeat the defending W-League Champions Pali Blues who have yet to lose in the W-League since joining last season.

Game Summary

NEWBURGH, NY — The Pali Blues Soccer Club showed why they are the defending USL W-League champions tonight at Newburgh Free Academy, defeating the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues by a tally of 4-0.

With a well-balanced effort in every phase of the game, the Blues now advance to their second straight league championship game next weekend.

Mora tallied and set up two others in semifinal

“It took us a while to get going at the beginning of the year, but all that matters is how you end the season. It’s humbling to be around this group of girls, and I’m just happy to see them achieving this kind of success,” Blues head coach Charlie Naimo commented after the victory, sending him to his fourth W-League championship game as a coach and second straight since moving to the West Coast.

Rain poured down on the Hudson Valley for much of the day, but calm weather conditions fought their way into Newburgh to greet these two clubs with a perfect environment for playoff soccer by the time of kickoff.

Blues goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris was tested early when the Quickstrike attack was able to create some opportunities in the opening minutes of this contest, but she and her defense did well to weather that early storm.

The Blues regrouped after that early push by Hudson Valley, and they very quickly engaged a shift in the offensive momentum. They began to get off some quality shots toward their target, and their aggressive play paid dividends in the 14th minute of the match. It was then that midfielder Christen Press collected the ball on the right flank and sent a hard strike over to Jodie Taylor in the center of the field. Taylor then weaved her way through traffic until seeing her opening from more than 30 yards out, and she then launched a bomb past the outstretched arms of Quickstrike netminder Ashley Thompson to give the defending W-League champions a 1-0 advantage.

The Blues continued to display their high level of class throughout the remainder of the opening half, and Mexican National Team forward Iris Mora was able to stretch the gap to 2-0 in the 45th minute of the game. The All-Western Conference selection received a feed from Press on the right wing and capitalized on the room she was afforded by the Hudson Valley defense. From 25 yards out, she struck a powerful volley into the back of the net to give her team a two goal lead going into intermission.

The Blues kept their foot on the throttle when the second half of action got started, and Mora made the most of being given too much space once again in the 50th minute. Making a run on the right wing, she one-touched a cross to the middle of the field, and midfielder Kelley O’Hara fought off a pair of Quickstrike defenders to punch in the third Blues goal of the evening.

Hudson Valley continued to battle, and forward Angelika Johansson nearly got Quickstrike on the board when she created a one-vs-one chance for herself in the 59th minute. As soon as she saw Johansson break free, Harris came out from her post to make a spectacular diving save to stop the run and keep the slate clean.

Rewarding their goalkeeper for her efforts, the Blues made it 4-0 in the 65th minute when Mora set up a Lauren Cheney tally. From that point forward, the Blues defense buckled down to complete the shutout.

“We saw when they came out that they were motivated,” Mora said after the game. “We knew we had to stay composed and defend on both ends of the field. We played like a team and a unit out there, and I’m just so proud of all my teammates.”

The win extends the Blues unbeaten streak to 28 games and advances them to their second title appearance in as many years of existence. The Blues now await the winner of a Saturday night pairing between the Ottawa Fury and Washington Freedom.

“It was a very good team efforts,” said an extremely proud Fury coach Craig Smith. “I had a good feeling about this game – the girls were focused, played their game and we did what we wanted to do.”

Ottawa found themselves trailing early for the second straight game when Nikki Lyons gave the reigning Central Conference Champions a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.

Just like they did against Chicago Friday night, the Fury responded a short time later when Amber Hearn sprung free Michelle Evans, who crossed for Katie Bethke only to have FC Indiana’s Corrie Moore redirect the cross into her own goal, pulling the Fury even in the 14th minute.

Possession Was the key to the Fury’s game, which gave them control of most of the first half to end all square at 1-1.

The Fury continued to control play to start the second half and almost pulled into the lead in the 61st minute when Jennifer Hance deflected a Michelle Evans free kick painfully wide of the far post.

Four minutes later on an almost identical play Evans picked out Jennifer Hance again on a free kick, which was touched by Hance and deflected into the FC Indiana goal off a defender for yet another own goal.

FC Indiana had allowed just two goals during the regular season, but now trailed after two own goals.

Carrying a 2-1 lead late into the game, it almost seemed like deja-vu as the Fury led by the same scoreline in last year’s Conference Final before FC Indiana pulled even and won in extra time.

This year, however luck was on the Fury side late in the game as a shot struck both the crossbar and post and stayed out preserving the 2-1 victory a the Central Conference crown for the Fury.

The Fury now advance to the W-League Semifinal where they will face a familiar foe in the Washington Freedom. Game date, time and location to be announced Monday.

LAFAYETTE, IN — The Ottawa Fury Women put themselves one step closer to that elusive W-League title with a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Red Eleven in the Conference Semifinals.

Two goals, assist for Hearn in win

The Fury found themselves down 1-0 early, but Michelle Evans and Amber Hearn got them back on track before halftime and Ottawa added two more in the second half before Chicago tallied late sealing a 4-2 win and a place in Sunday’s Conference Final against the 2008 league finalist FC Indiana Lionesses, who blanked the Buffalo Flash 3-0 later in the evening.

Ottawa returned to Indiana for a second straight year, but found themselves trailing after 11 minutes when Gemma Davison notched her seventh of the season putting the Fury on notice early.

Michelle Evans responded in the 20th minute direct from a free kick that pulled Ottawa even with her seventh of the season.

Building on the momentum from the tying goal the Fury continued to press and were rewarded in the 31st minute when Amber Hearn tallied from close range putting the Fury ahead going into halftime.

The second half opened with both teams battling to set the tone. With scoring chances sparse Amber Hearn blasted home her second of the night from 35 yards out giving the Fury a two-goal cushion after 76 minutes.

Six minutes later Hearn continued her dominance of the Chicago defence this time passing to Tina Romagnuolo, who hammered home the cross for a 4-1 Fury lead.

A Fanta Cooper cross in the 90th minute deceived Fury keeper Jasmine Phillips at the far post cutting the lead to 4-2, but that was all the damage that Chicago would be able to muster against the Fury, who are hoping that the third time is the charm as they look to win the conference title for the first time in three years.

Quebec City Amirals Opening Playoff Week
ORCHARD PARK, NY — Buffalo Flash (10-2-3) beat Quebec City Amiral (9-5-1) 5-0 in a second versus third divisional playoff match at the first round stage of the USL W-League postseason to move onto the conference tournament.

Ruiz guided Flash onto next round (Mark Novak)

The dominant win was the third time the Flash have been victorious at home by a 5-0 scoreline and the seventh time this season that they have scored four or more goals in a game.

In front of comfortably their biggest home attendance of the season – over 500 – the Flash lived up to expectation and put on a performance of some repute, playing in front of their home crowd for the final time this campaign.

And it was Buffalo who came out of the blocks early, with top goalscorer Maria Ruiz lofting her effort just wide, after an impudent through ball from left winger Pamela Conti. The two Mediterranean attackers, along with home debutant and recent Japanese signing Rie Sawai, were putting on a clinic in passing and movement, and the home fans were enjoying the show.

After 17 minutes, good team passing resulted in Erika Sutton hitting the post with a left footed strike.

However, the Flash faithful didn’t have to wait much longer to see their new heroines open the scoring.

In the 25th minute, Ruiz headed home Sarah Wagenfuhr’s corner, from close range, to notch her 10th goal of the season. Nine minutes passed before Sutton’s cross deflected and looped over goalkeeper Marie-Pier Bilodeau, and landed inside the back post, to double the scoring.

The Flash were well worth their 2-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, the goal action intensified further. On the hour, Ruiz bent a curling 20-yard shot which was tipped onto the crossbar, before bouncing down and out, only for the advancing right midfielder Sutton to tap home her second of the game and sixth of the season.

With 12 minutes remaining, substitute Jacquelyn Lacek was on the spot to pick up the pieces and slot away her second goal of the season, after a Jamie Craft run had beaten the Amiral offside trap.

In truth, the Flash could have come close to double figures, but they had to settle with Craft’s breakaway finish on 82 minutes, rounding off the scoring for the evening, to end 5-0, and give the Flash fans a joyous farewell until next season.

Another stellar defensive display from the Flash back four of Alexandra Sahlen, Kimberly Brandao, Katarina Tarr and Lena Mosebo, meant that Amanda Becker, was once again, well protected in goal, and an eighth shut out of the season was achieved.

Buffalo will now travel on Thursday to take on undefeated FC Indiana Lionesses, who host the Central Conference Final Four, in a Friday evening conference semifinal match-up at Jefferson High School in Lafayette, Indiana.

The Lionesses are coming off the back of a 9-0 win over West Michigan Firewomen in their last Midwest Divisional game and a 10-0-2 regular season in which they’ve scored 63 goals and conceded only two. Their perfect home record saw them score 38 goals, while remarkably conceding none, in their six games.

The match-up between the only two full time professional USL W-League teams should be a mouth-watering one.

Full Story

2009 W-League Semifinals
The 2009 W-League Semifinals, which will be hosted in two locations for the first time in league history.

The regular season champion Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues will play host to the defending champion Pali Blues Friday July 31 at Academy Field in Newburgh, NY. Kick off is set for 7:30 pm ET.

The following night, August 1, the Washington Freedom will play host to the Ottawa Fury at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Kick off is scheduled for 6:00 pm ET.

For the first time in league history, the W-League title will be decided in a single-game event the following weekend when the two semifinal winners meet Friday, August 7 at 7:30 pm ET. The match will be shown live on Fox Soccer Channel.

The W-League championship was originally decided via a six-team tournament in its first three seasons from 1995-1997 and was a four-team event from 1998 through last year.

In their last meeting on June 12 Ottawa came out 1-0 victors, an outcomes that almost repeated itself again. Both teams came out hungry early keeping the defenders of both sides on their toes. Ria Percival lofted in a free kick in the 20th minute which Michelle Evans rifled off the crossbar and Anna Caniglia headed home. The Fury continued to press after the goal, but Buffalo countered with several rushes of their own and almost drew even when Pamela Conti’s header hit the crossbar and stayed out. Before the half was out Michelle Evans was also denied by the crossbar after she curled a free kick in on goal from 20 yards out.

Leading after 45 minutes the Fury continued to generate chances early and the games tempo continued to rise. Maria Ruiz found herself alone in front of goal in the 74th minute but fired over the bar after several minutes of Buffalo pressure. The Flash were awarded a penalty kick deep into injury time much to the dismay of the Fury players and coaching staff. Maria Ruiz who had be unlucky all evening long pulled Buffalo even and helping their chances at 2nd place if they can manage at least a draw against Laval tomorrow.

The Fury Women close out the regular season tomorrow against Rochester (0-12-1) and will begin the playoffs next Saturday at a location to be announced.

Next Game
vs Rochester Ravens
Sunday, July 19 at 6pm
Algonquin College Soccer Complex

Game Stats

Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps FC women concluded their W-League season on a down note Sunday afternoon, losing 4-1 away to Real Colorado Cougars.
Full Story

Toronto Lady Lynx
The Toronto Lady Lynx capped off their 2009 season with an exclamation point this afternoon, routing the visiting Quebec City Amiral 2-0.
Full Story

Other Canadian Action
Ottawa vs Rochester 7:0
Hamilton vs London 3:0
Buffalo vs Laval 2:1

Amber Hearn brought a crowd of over 400 at the Algonquin College Soccer Complex to their feet with a powerful low strike at the near post to open the scoring in the 13th minutes. Hearn netted her second and W-League leading 12th goal of the season in the 27th minute off a Ria Percival corner as the Kiwi-connection put the Fury out to a much need two-goal lead. Six minutes later Katie Bethke netted her first goal of the season after a Ria Percival strike was blocked. The Fury continued their magic on set pieces in the 42nd minute when Jennifer Hance redirected an Anna Caniglia corner home for her fourth goal of the season. Early into injury time Caniglia did it all herself curling a corner kick inside the back post for her third of the season and a 5-0 Fury lead at half-time.

The Fury made many changes in the second half and continued their possession-based attack, but were unable to add anything further past Cometes keeper Marie Richelle Coulomb. The Cometes were missing six starters from their line-up who are currently at the Canadian Women’s U-20 camp. Former Fury W-League player and Youth Program graduate made a return to her hometown and factored into the outcome late into the game tallying her 11th goal of the season deep into injury time to ruin the clean sheet for the Fury.
Gillian Baggott, another graduate of the Fury Youth Program, made her Fury W-League debut entering into the game in the second half.

Next Game
Saturday, July 18th
vs Buffalo Flash
7:00 pm
Algonquin College Soccer Complex

Fury U15 Girls Perfect At Gothia Cup In Sweden
Team goes 3-0 in round robin of international youth soccer tournament, advances to knockout round

The Ottawa Fury U15 Girls have put their stamp on the 2009 Gothia Cup!

The cup, held annually in Gothenburg, Sweden, is one of the largest youth soccer tournaments in the world with more than 1000 teams from over 50 nations participating. The Ottawa Fury Soccer Club’s U15 Girls team coached by Don Bouchard travelled this past weekend to play in this year’s edition of the tournament, and were placed in a preliminary group with three Swedish sides.

Things started strongly for the girls on Monday, as they went out 2-0 victors over Åkersberga BK on goals from Lauriane Brissette-Lesage and Kristen Gilmour. They followed their early successes with a 3-1 win over Enköpings SK through two goals from Karina Fredette and one from Krista Wilson. Sitting 2-0-0 in their group and needing only one more win to guarantee their place in the knockout stages of the tournament, the Fury did not disappoint – winning their third match by an impressive 7-0 margin over Kvarnby IK through a Krista Wilson hat trick, a brace from Taylor Piovesan and goals from Kristen Gilmour and Brianna Boutziouvis.

The perfect round-robin record means the Fury now advance to the “A” pool finals and are seeded #1 overall. They will play Sävar IK at 9:50 am. Thursday morning, with the winner to play again at 2:35 pm.

MISSASSUGA — The Toronto Lady Lynx emphatically snapped their four-game winless streak with a stunning 2-0 victory over the previously-undefeated Ottawa Fury at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga this afternoon. Giselle Mangal and Erica Henderson netted second-half goals to power Toronto to their first-ever home win against their bitter Ontario rivals.

The Lady Lynx even up their record at 4-4-4 (16 points) on the year, while the Fury fall to 9-1-1 (28 points) on the year. The two teams split the season series with one win each. Justine Bernier earned her third shutout of the year in net for Toronto in the victory.

Ottawa, who entered the match with the best record in the W-League, opened the first half with a strong wind at their back, and came at the Lady Lynx early. Toronto’s defense held fast and did not allow the Fury to turn their possession advantage into scoring chances.

The solid defensive effort in the first half energized the young Lady Lynx squad, and they took control of the game early after intermission. Five minutes into the second frame, Fury ‘keeper Jasmine Philips was unable to corral a loose ball in the six-yard box, and Mangal knocked it into the netting for her second goal of the year, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead.

Eight minutes later, Lady Lynx co-captain Clare Rustad curled a free kick from just outside the penalty area towards goal, where it found the head of a leaping Henderson. The Rochester native powered it past Philips into the goal and Toronto had an insurmountable 2-0 advantage. The Fury pressed until the final whistle, but Bernier and the rest of the Lady Lynx defense denied the attack and Toronto claimed the three points.

The Lady Lynx’ now head into the final week of the regular season and wrap up their schedule with two home games. The Hamilton Lady Avalanche travel up the QEW to the Hershey Centre on Thursday evening for a 7:30 PM kick-off, and the Quebec City Amiral make their first-ever visit on Saturday afternoon, July 18, for a 5:00 PM encounter.

Tickets can be purchased by calling the Lynx ticket hotline at 416-251-4625 x 31, or at the stadium box office one hour prior to kick-off.

Toronto Lineup
Bernier, Chapman, Henderson, Mailloux, Rustad, Clarke, MacDonald, Frederick, Agueci, Morra (Ruhe Lischke, 67), Mangal (Urbas, 60)

Ottawa Lineup
Philips, Percival, Caniglia, Johnson, Bethke (Wtezel, 67), Moorwood, Houliston (Romagnuolo, 13), Raber (Kete, 58), Hearn, Evans

Game Stats Toronto-Ottawa
Cautions: 2 (Henderson, 25; MacDonald, 32) – 0
Shots: 5-14
Saves: 9-5
Fouls: 9-10
Offsides: 0-2
Corners: 1-3

Scorers
Toronto
Mangal (Morra) 50′
Henderson (Rustad) 58′

Lady Lynx Next Game
vs Hamilton
July 16 at 7:30 PM
The Hershey Centre

More W-League Action
Quebec City vs Hamilton 4:0
Buffalo vs London 5:0
Laval vs Hamilton 4:0
London vs Rochester 3:0