(From L-R) Adirondack & San Diego WFC notch two wins to stay undefeated, while Millburn would lose twice
ADIRONDACK LYNX 1, NEW YORK ATHLETIC CLUB 0ADIRONDACK LYNX 4, BAY STATE SELECT 3FORT ANN, NY (05/31/09) - On May 31st, the Adirondack Lynx (3-0-0 WPSL East) beat the New York Athletic Club (2-2-0 WPSL East) by a 1-0 score and moved themselves into first place in the Eastern Conference. Megan Bellingham scored in the 12th minute and the defense held on for the the team's first shutout of the season.
On May 29th, Adirondack put on an offensive clinic for the first 30 minutes in their home opener against the Bay State Select (1-3-0 WPSL East), but would have to hold on late in a 4-3 victory. The Lynx were moving and passing like they had been playing together for a complete season.
"We played Bay State last week and waited until the last minute to win the game," said Lynx head coach P.J. Motsiff. "I told the girls we needed to end the match early so we could rest players for Sunday's match against the New York Athletic Club."
The Lynx responded with 3 goals in the first half hour of the match, as Rachel Sushner started off the scoring in the 11th minute as she received a ball from Kylie Watt and lofted a ball over the goalkeeper's head to hit the side netting. Ten minutes later, newcomers Sara Wild and Laura Burnett-Kurie made it 2-0 when Burnett-Kurie beat two defenders, slotted the ball to the middle of the field to Wild who finished clinically.
In the 30th minute, Haley George scored an unassisted goal which should have been the end of the game but Bay State Select had other plans. In the 35th minute, Bay State's Kate McCarthy scored to bring the score to 3-1 for the half-time whistle. The second half started out much like the first stanza, where the Lynx dominated play for the first 15 minutes.
In the 55th minute, Bellingham scored off an indirect kick from 10 yards out after the Bay State keeper picked up a passed back ball. That goal seemed to ignite the Select as they switched to three forwards and started to win possession, get forward and attack with pace. This change paid off as Ana Moniz and Lindsay Cunningham scored in the 73rd and 75th minutes to make the score 4-3.
The next 15 minutes were intense on both sides as Adirondack tried to control the ball and stay organized. However, Bay State would transition quickly, get shots off on the Lynx goal and one shot destined for the upper corner was saved by Lynx keeper Jen McEachron.
HOUSTON SOUTH SELECT 2, FORTH WORTH F.C. 1HOUSTON SOUTH SELECT 1, DALLAS PREMIER 3HOUSTON, TX (05/31/09) - Houston South Select (1-1-0 WPSL Big Sky-South) would notch their first win of 2009 by a 2-1 score over Fort Worth F.C. (0-1-0 WPSL Big Sky-South) on May 31st via goals from Claudia Martinez (40th minute) and Lauren Alkek (61st minute). Amanda McMillan (28th minute) would be FWFC's lone goal scorer, as her side out-shot their hosts by a 17-8 margin.
On May 30th, the Dallas Premier (1-0-0 WPSL Big Sky-South) travelled to Houston for its first game of the WPSL season and came away with a hard fought 3-1 win. The Premier scored twice in the first half with midfielder Kendall Juett notching the team's first official goal on a well-placed assist from defender Anita Pedford in the 15th minute.
Juett found no problem finding the net with a well-timed run to beat an offside trap attempt by the Select. As time moved on, Dallas grew in confidence and midfielder Caitlin McDowell finished a dazzling left-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box in the 34th minute for the eventual game-winner. Premier would go into half-time with a 2-0 lead.
Midway through the second half, Kristen Campbell made an excellent cross to find midfielder Michele Hooten, who made one cut then fired the ball past the Select's goalkeeper Catherine Fitzsimmons (9 saves) to push the lead to 3-0. Houston found the net for their only score in the 82nd minute on a long laser shot by Eleni Benson from 35 yards out that squeezed just under the bar.
"We have been practicing and watching 20 to 25 young ladies demonstrate their willingness to play wherever they are needed," said Dallas Coach Joe Soliz. "We came down here with only one regular defender and we had a patch work defense, but the entire team worked hard and we got some tremendous midfielder play and it just proves what I have been saying, that no matter who is on the pitch for this side you won't see much difference."
Looking to be at full strength, the Premier will play this Saturday, June 6th at 7:00 p.m. against the Houston South Select in their home opener at Old Panther Stadium. The game has been moved from its original June 5th date. Dallas will then turn around and travel the next day to San Antonio for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff against Alamo City S.C.
MILLBURN MAGIC 0, BOSTON AZTEC 3MILLBURN MAGIC 0, NEW YORK A.C. 1 MILLBURN, NJ (05/31/09) - The Millburn Magic (1-2-0 WPSL East) faced a tough test against the Boston Aztec (3-0-0 WPSL East) - the reserve side for the Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). Despite their efforts, the Aztec proved too strong for the Magic and ran away with a 3-0 win.
The game opened with Boston's strength and pace evident, but an organized defensive performance from Millburn giving them little to show for their efforts. Millburn's central defensive partnership of Lina Staropoli & Katelin Blaine dealt well with everything that came down the middle, and Boston were largely reduced to long-range efforts which Magic goalkeeper Lia Ferro dealt with well.
Forwards Amanda Malkiewicz and Katie Ryan were particularly dangerous when released from their defensive responsibilities, and created two good opportunities: first, Malkiewicz's through ball on the left released Ryan, who was unable to get her shot away; secondly, Ryan's good work on the right culminated in a tantalizing cross that Malkiewicz was just unable to reach with Aztec keeper Ashley Phillips on her back foot.
In the 27th minute, Boston broke through as a lapse in the Magic defensive shape allowed Sophia Mundy in behind, and her cross was finished from close range. While the Aztec had dominated territory and possession, the goal was tough on Millburn, who were relatively comfortable at the time of the goal.
The second half opened in the same fashion - as Boston enjoyed good spells of possession, switching the play across the field well but were forced to continue taking long range shots. In the 55th minute, a powerful left-footed strike from Aztec midfielder Mary Frances-Monroe was too much for Fierro to handle and gave the visitors the 2-0 lead.
The Magic continued to look most likely to score from a breakaway with direct balls played through to Katie Ryan, whose pace threatened the Boston defense. The Aztec put the result beyond doubt in the 75th minute after Carly Bray - sliding in to win the ball - was judged to have bought down Monroe in the penalty area. Courtney Sobrero stepped up to convert the resulting penalty to put the Aztecs up for good.
The teams will meet again on June 6th when the Magic will travel to Boston for the return match. Millburn will then continue north to play the Maine Tide on June 7th before hosting the Adirondack Lynx in the next home game on June 10th.
Magic Line-Up: Lia Fierro, Amanda Malkiewicz, Carly Bray, Kim Malecki, Katy Fissel, Lina Staropoli, Laura Kurash, Kaitlin Blaine, Katie Ryan, Tara Ricciardi. Subs: Kat Sheeleigh (24), Kelly Sims (37), Kerry Prime (32), Ashley Ventura (26), Caitlin Walker, Biz Shenk (62).
Aztec Line-Up: Ashley Phillips, Ariel Harris, Kacey Moore, Brooke O'Hanley, Jess Wilcox, Abby Crumpton, Marisha Schumaker-Hodge, Meotis Erikson, Sophia Mundy, Rebeckah Splaine, Mary Frances-Monroe. Subs: Christy McHugh (70), Lauren Lukis (12), Carol Tognetti, Alena Thom, Kristin Macdonald (60).
On May 27th, Millburn suffered their first defeat of the season against local rivals - the New York Athletic Club (2-2-0 WPSL East). An evenly matched game was settled by a single goal from New York's Melisa Montalavo in the 63rd minute, as the visitors ran out 1-0 winners.
The Magic's best chance of the first half fell to Malkiewicz on the half hour mark. After good work in midfield to win the ball back, Leah Jerome played Malkiewicz through only for the forward to get caught between two decisions, choosing to try and return the ball to Jerome instead of shooting with just the keeper to beat from close range.
After that escape, New York found their rhythm and began to take control of the game with Katie McDermott, Stephanie Barrett and Michelle Raaf leading the team's efforts. New York continued to create the better chances, Alisha Moran creating a few half chances for herself through her efforts to chase and pressure the Magic's defenders into mistakes.
Magic Line-Up: Lia Fierro, Britta Winas, Kelly Sims, Lina Staropoli, Katy Fissel, Katie Ryan, Kim Malecki, Amanda Malkiewicz, Biz Shenk, Carly Bray, Tara Ricciardi, Marlyanne DeLargy. Subs: Kat Sheeleigh (30), Kaitlin Blaine (26), Leah Jerome (12), Ashley Ventura (39), Robin Chernow.
NYAC Line-Up: Steph Barrett, Kelly Blake, Chiara Caen, Kim Mineo, Eleri Earnshaw, Courtney Fedge, Tyler Griffen, Katie McDermott, Emily Mears, Melissa Montalavo, Alisha Moran. Subs: Liz Cheung-Gaffney (25), Amy Ludlum (38), Kristin Mikolwjezyk (21), Sylvai Stone (45).
SAN DIEGO WFC SEALIONS 1, LOS ANGELES RAMPAGE 0CLAREMONT STARS 0, SAN DIEGO WFC SEALIONS 1SAN DIEGO, CA (05/31/09) - The San Diego WFC SeaLions of the Pacific-South Division defeated the Claremont Stars (1-2-0 WPSL Pacific-South) and the Los Angeles Rampage (1-2-0 WPSL Pacific-South) in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday. With these two victories, the SeaLions earned their third straight win and a spot at the top of division standings with a 3-0-0 record (9 points).
The SeaLions returned from the road on May 30th with a 1-0 win over the Claremont Stars. The first real chance in the game came in the 10th minute with a long ball to lone forward Tessa Lennala, who had a breakaway and sent the ball directly into the waiting gloves of Claremont goalkeeper Alyssa Clark.
A foul on Lennala in the 34th minute resulted in a SeaLion free kick from 40 yards out, shot just wide by midfielder Giuliana Longmire. The game remained tied at 0-0 until the 89th minute when midfielder Danica Carey scored the game-winning goal off a cross from Hallie Huston.
Back home at Cathedral Catholic on May 31st, the SeaLions took some time before kick-off to honor former U.S. Women's National Team member & Olympic Gold Medalist Shannon MacMillan. An autographed MacMillan jersey was raffled off to one lucky eight-year-old fan.
With the game tied at 0-0 nearing the end of the first half, Lennala was pulled to the ground, resulting in a red card ejection for Rampage defender Rebekah Fergusson. Neither team capitalized on any of their chances for the remainder of the game until the second minute of stoppage time when Longmire sent in a lofted ball which just sailed in over the head of the Rampage keeper, giving the SeaLions the 1-0 win.
The SeaLions host PSSCV-Santa Clarita this Saturday, June 6th at 7:30 p.m. at Cathedral Catholic High School. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.SeaLionSoccer.com. Established in 1988, San Diego WFC, Inc. is one of the oldest female soccer clubs in the USA. The WPSL is a fifty-plus team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world.
SO CAL RUSH 1, PSSCV-THE ROOKS 0VICTORVILLE, CA (05/31/09) - Getting their first win at home as a franchise over PSSCV-The Rooks (0-3-0 WPSL Pacific-South) felt good for So Cal Rush (1-2-0 WPSL Pacific-South) - especially after a 2-0 loss at SD United (3-0-0 WPSL Pacific-South) the night before, as the division leaders were led by University of San Diego forward Stephanie Ochs' game-winning goal. The left-to-right shot by Rush's Stephanie Lowery gave the PSSCV goalkeeper no chance, sealing the memorable 1-0 win for the home side.
Great movement from forward Auna Janis and defender Lisa Montgomery unbalanced Santa Clarita's defense in the second half, and Montgomery was able to serve a far post cross to Lowery - who drove her shot into the goal.
"To get our first win was important no matter what the score," said So Cal Rush head coach M.J. Tate. "Winning is contagious and to have that feeling within our team now will do wonders for the team psyche going into next weekend."
At half-time, the So Cal Rush players were not satisfied with their play, as possession was being waisted by bad decision making in the attacking half of the field. The home side started the second half with energy and desire, winning all of the individual battles and completing the match with a 16-3 advantage in shots taken.
LONG ISLAND FURY 2, NEW ENGLAND MUTINY 0GARDEN CITY, NY (05/30/09) - In last season's WPSL East Conference Semifinal, the Long Island Fury (1-0-0 WPSL East) scored in the 4th minute and dominated the first 10 minutes in such a manner that even the staunchest of New England Mutiny (1-2-0 WPSL East) supporters were thinking blowout. A veteran and poised Mutiny squad would mount a comeback and move on to the finals with a 4-2 victory.
On May 30th, it was "deja vu all over again" as the Fury once again would score in the 4th minute and add another just one minute later. This time - there was no comeback. The Mutiny were blanked for the second consecutive game, losing to Long Island by a 2-0 score at Adelphi University's Competition Field, the site of the 2009 WPSL Final Four.
"I thought that we looked very young tonight," said Long Island Fury head coach Paul Riley. "But we scored two great goals at the beginning of the game and it's great to get three points from a very good New England team. I thought that our best player tonight was our youngest player, Cari Roccaro."
Long Island striker Karin Simonian would take a through pass from Cari Roccaro and walk in alone on New England's goalkeeper Lauren Brodeur, dribble around the her and slot it in for the 1-0 lead. It was only a minute later when Roccaro herself would slide through the Mutiny defense and dribble alone on Brodeur for the second goal of the match.
The Mutiny had an opportunity to pull within a goal when Meagan Riemer took a through ball from midfielder Jenny Maurer, but the attempt was smothered by Long Island goalkeeper Jill Mastroianni. The Fury out-shot the Mutiny by a 4-1 margin in the opening 45 minutes but New England would carry the play in the second half.
Maurer would cover an amazing amount of real estate, as the former Boston College captain would account for five of the Mutiny's six shots in the second stanza, but current Eagles goalkeeper Mastroianni would save them all. For the game, Long Island would out-shoot the Mutiny by a 9-7 margin and have a 6-4 saves advantage.
TSC MARYLAND PRIDE 1, PHILADELPHIA LIBERTY 2COLUMBIA, MD (05/30/09) - Philadelphia Liberty midfielder Mandy Moraca scored in the 23rd minute and the visitors made the score 2-0 in the 82nd minute via Kelly Rowland, handing the TSC Maryland Pride (1-1-1 WPSL East) its first loss of the season by a 2-1 score on May 30th. Moraca split the Pride back-line off the dribble and sent a low ball past goalkeeper Jocelyn Papciak from 8 yards out, giving her team a lead they never relinquished.
Papciak made several outstanding saves throughout the match, but was unable to withstand the Philadelphia (1-0-0 WPSL East) attack, which logged 13 total shots on goal. The Liberty wasted no time attacking the TSC goal when a through ball found midfielder Whitney Weinraub on the left side in the sixth minute. From seven yards out, she was stonewalled by Papciak on an attempt at the far post - the first of her 11 saves.
The defender headed a corner kick in just under the crossbar for what would be the eventual game-winning goal. The rising Towson University sophomore stood tall again in the 17th and 19th minute, stopping forward Regina Villari on two breakaways before Moraca finally struck.
Defender Danielle Malagari came close to evening the score at 1-1 in the 26th minute on a free kick from 30 yards out, which Liberty goalkeeper Katie Frey (three saves) deflected off the crossbar. The Pride got one back in the 83rd minute on Anabel Jimenez's penalty kick, but couldn't find the net again to equalize. Jimenez - a former American University Eagle - has two of the Pride's four goals this season and both were scored on penalties.
Aside from the penalty kick, TSC's best chance of the day arguably came in the 63rd minute when midfielder Jerica DeWolfe found Sara Tankard at the top of the box. Tankard took a touch in before shooting, but couldn't strike the ball cleanly and sent it wide of the goal.
TSC will look to even the season series when the two teams will meet again in Philadelphia on July 4th. In the meantime, head coach Steve Knapman and the Pride are focused on getting back on top of the WPSL East table with a win on Saturday against the New York Athletic Club.
WALNUT CREEK POWER 0, F.C. SACRAMENTO PRIDE 3F.C. SACRAMENTO PRIDE 0, SAN FRANCISCO NIGHTHAWKS 2FOLSOM, CA (05/30/09) - The F.C. Sacramento Pride (1-1-0 WPSL Pacific-North) would get their first win of 2009 with a 3-0 victory over Walnut Creek Power (0-1-0 WPSL Pacific-North) but the day before, did everything well but put the ball in the net. The Pride would lose their WPSL home opener by a 2-0 score to the visiting San Francisco Nighthawks (2-0-0 WPSL Pacific-North) on May 30th at Vista del Lago High School.
This offseason, the Pride added some experienced college talent to a strong nucleus of young players and the additions immediately made their presence felt. The first half was played almost entirely in the Nighthawks side with aggressive play from midfielders Christine Fasini and Caty Harris keeping the ball in their opponent's side. Unfortunately for the Pride, pressure play did not result in any goals.
Several offside calls nullified good chances and several near misses were either blocked by San Francisco goalkeeper Katie Ladd or bounced the wrong direction off of the net posts. In one of only a handful of offensive drives, Nighthawk forward Mariko Yoshihara found the back of the net on a crossing pass from Sam Brand in the 20th minute and would take that 1-0 lead into half-time.
The second half ran true to form with the Pride again controlling the tempo. Forward Regina McGee had several good attempts, one bouncing off the side bar into the goalie's arms. Kim Kemper also had some good attempts which were turned away by the SF goal keeper.
In the 51st minute, Yoshihara again found the goal, this time on an assist from forward Jocelyn Charette. Playing with a limited squad, the Pride appeared to tire late in the half but with seven minutes to go, the Pride found a second wind and pressed hard for a score but again they were turned away empty-handed.
F.C. Sacramento will play its next home game on Saturday, June 13 with a match against the Walnut Creek Power. The match will be held at Promontory Park in El Dorado Hills and game-time will be 6:00 p.m.
IN OTHER RESULTS... the Big Sky-North Division would commence play during Week 4 and draws would be the theme of the weekend, as long-time powerhouse Denver Diamonds (0-0-2 WPSL Big Sky-North) would host the Utah Starrz (0-0-2 WPSL Big Sky-North) for a pair of games with both sides battling to 0-0 and 2-2 results on May 29th & 30th, respectively... Big Sky newcomers in the Boise Blitz (1-0-1 WPSL Big Sky-North) would host Salt Lake City Sparta (0-1-1 WPSL Big Sky-North) for a pair of matches, drawing 2-2 on May 29th but winning the rubber match by a 2-1 score on May 30th at Twin Falls High School... in the first weekend of Pacific-North Division action, defending champion California Storm (2-0-0 WPSL Pacific-North) would travel for matches at Seattle (0-1-0 WPSL Pacific-North) and Portland F.C. (0-1-0 WPSL Pacific-North), respectively. Norma Mendez & Fiona O'Sullivan would lead the visitors to a 4-1 win over the Synergy on May 30th and All-WPSL selection Maureen Whitney would score the lone tally in the 1-0 victory over the Rain the next day... San Francisco would be led by Mariko Yoshihara against the Monterey Blues (0-1-0 WPSL Pacific-North), winning by a 2-1 score at Burlingame High School on May 31st...
The Sunshine Conference would kick off last weekend, as Palm Beach United (1-0-0 WPSL Sunshine) would travel to Puerto Rico (0-1-0 WPSL Sunshine) and were led by 2008 All-WPSL selection Stephanie Svoboda (2 goals, assist) in a 3-1 victory at Paquito Montaner Stadium... the Florida Surge (1-0-0 WPSL Sunshine) would be led by Central Florida's Yvonne George (3 goals, assist) & South Florida's Chantelle Goodson (goal, assist) in a convincing 8-0 win at F.C. Thomasville (0-1-0 WPSL Sunshine)... defending WPSL National Champion Ajax America (2-1-0 WPSL Pacific-South) would lose for the first time in 2009, dropping a 2-1 loss at the L.A. Rampage on May 30th before defeating the Claremont Stars in their home opener on May 31st by the same score... led by UCLA'S Kristina Larsen, defending Pacific-South champions West Coast F.C. (1-2-0 WPSL Pacific-South) would thump PSSCV by a 7-0 score on May 30th before dropping a disappointing 4-1 verdict at undefeated SD United the next day...
In the WPSL East, SoccerPlus CT (2-0-0 WPSL East) would travel to the Maine Tide (0-3-0 WPSL East), taking a 2-0 victory while Boston Aztec (3-0-0 WPSL East) would defeat the Lancaster Inferno (0-1-0 WPSL East) by a 3-1 score on May 30th... the CDSA Future (0-3-0 WPSL East) would stay winless, losing to the A.C. Diablos (1-0-1 WPSL East) by a 1-0 score on May 30th.
About the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL): The WPSL is a 50-plus team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top amateur women's soccer leagues in the world. You can now keep up with our league on our social networking sites on
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The Long Island Fury have been selected to host the
2009 WPSL Final Four which will be held at Adelphi University (Garden City, NY) - alongside the Youth Premier Soccer League (YPSL) National Championship that same weekend. The tentative dates are scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, August 1-2 and check back to this website in the coming days & weeks for further information!
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 our youth. For more information, visit our official website at http://www.wpsl.info, phone us at 1-800-854-0913 or contact us via email at media@wpsl.info.
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