SACRAMENTO, CA (08/02/08) - The final weekends of the 2008 Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) were a whirlwind of upset wins and tense encounters as teams tried to maneuver their way to the Final Four, held this weekend in Sacramento, CA on August 2-3 at Natomas H.S. Only one of the four teams who qualified for this weekend's WPSL National Championship won their regular season conference title, but sure enough, all were victorious when it counted the most.

> The Official Program/Media Guide for the WPSL Final Four is available for download. Here are the links for the low-resolution (web-ready, 1 MB) and high-resolution (print-ready, 10+ MB) copies for your perusal. Check back to this website this weekend for game stories, stats, photos & video from all the Semifinal & National Final matches...

> The WPSL National Championship Semifinal match between the New England Mutiny and Arizona Rush will have an audio broadcast on http://www.mutinysoccer.com. Periodic updates, interviews and live game play-by-play can be heard by clicking on the Teamline link on the Mutiny website. The game is being sponsored by CVS Pharmacy and Baystate Medical Practices...

> The Sacramento Bee posted an impressive preview not only for this weekend's tournament - but about Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) as well. Click HERE for the article by SacBee's Debbie Arrington...

> MadisonSoccerCentral.com also did a great job previewing the MYSC-Ajax America Semifinal - click HERE for their WPSL Final Four preview by Nathan Leaf...

As far as what it took for the teams in this weekend's Final Four to make it to Sacramento...

The Midwest champion MYSC Lady Blues (8-1-0, 7-1-0 WPSL Midwest) traveled over a 1,000 miles this past Monday, July 28th to face the undefeated Sunshine champ Brevard County Cocoa Expos (11-1-1, 11-0-1 WPSL Sunshine) for the final berth into the Final Four. Via Marie Gallagher's early goal, MYSC rode out the Florida tide to a tight 1-0 win, spoiling the Cocoa Expos' bid for the proverbial "clean sheet" on the season.

They will face Ajax America (12-3-1, 6-3-1 WPSL Pacific-South) - the 2007 WPSL Semi-Finalists & U.S. Open Cup champions - this Saturday, August 2nd at 7:30 p.m. in the second WPSL National Semifinal match.

"We are humbled, and honored to be in the Final Four - proudly representing the Middleton Yahara Soccer Club and the Midwest Conference of the WPSL," said MYSC General Manager Paul Lackner. "While a bit unexpected... we always knew we had the talent to achieve this goal, and every player earned the right to be in this position - this was truly a team achievement."

Ajax were chopping wood as well this past weekend, as the second-place Pacific-South side defeated the North (California Storm) & South Division (West Coast F.C.) champions in order, both by 2-0 scores in the Conference Finals at Esperanza H.S. in Anaheim, CA. Former USC star Shannon Cross netted both game-winning goals for Ajax, the first in the 54th minute vs. California on Saturday and the second in the 50th minute vs. WCFC on Sunday, and Duke goalkeeper Alli Lipsher posted both shutouts.

"We've been a on very good run and we hope to keep it going," said Ajax Head Coach Brian Boswell, the Pacific Conference Coach of the Year who this season has essentially lost the core of his 2007 U.S. Open Cup champion team to injuries and/or player movement to other teams. An impressive achievement - to say the least.

The New England Mutiny (12-2-0, 10-2-0 WPSL East-North) ended the undefeated aspirations of East-North regular season champion SoccerPlus CT (13-1-0, 12-0-0 WPSL East-North) on Sunday, July 27th at Veteran's Memorial Stadium in New Britain, CT. SoccerPlus had defeated the Mutiny in their two regular season matches, but after an exciting 4-2 win over Mid Atlantic champion Long Island in the East Semifinal on August 25th, New England rode that momentum to a 1-0 victory via a goal from UConn's Erin Clark in the 57th minute.

"I couldn't be happier with the way everyone played," said Mutiny Head Coach Tony Horta. "I really think this was a triumph of heart, commitment and an understanding of California and what it would take to get there."

New England will face the Arizona Rush (9-1-3, 8-1-3 WPSL Big Sky-North) at 5:00 p.m. this Saturday, August 2nd in the first WPSL National Semifinal, who like the MYSC Lady Blues had to do a bit of traveling and playing before they could book their trip to Sacramento. Going up against the Big Sky-North regular season champion Utah (9-4-0, 9-3-0 WPSL Big Sky-North) at beautiful Juan Diego Soaring Eagle Stadium in Draper, UT, the Rush came back from a 2-1 deficit to run away with the eventual 6-2 victory.

All-Conference forward & U.S. U-20 star Jess McDonald would score the eventual game-winner in the first half, as the Rush netted three unanswered goals to put them up 4-2 at the half.

"To earn a trip to the Final Four in a league as competitive and physically demanding as the WPSL is a testament to the commitment and dedication shown by the young women on this team," said Arizona Head Coach Chris Fernandez. "These young ladies have been an inspiration not only to the coaching staff, but to the entire community of Tucson."

The Semifinals are played on Saturday, August 2nd at 5:00 & 7:30 p.m. while the WPSL National Final will be played at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 3rd. Tickets for this weekend's WPSL Final Four are available at the gate. Prices are as follows: $5 for kids & adults. Kids who wear their soccer jerseys to the game get in FREE.

The WPSL is now a 51-team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world. The WPSL's mission is to provide the highest level of women's soccer while simultaneously providing affordable, quality family entertainment and positive role models for youth. For more information, you can contact us via email at media@wpsl.info.