skip navigation

UWS Week VI Preview: Midwest Conference

06/15/2017, 4:00pm EDT
By Admin

The Midwest surpasses midway point of campaign in Week VI action

METUCHEN, NJ - Week VI action in the Midwest Conference will go a long way into determining the top echelon of teams as a majority will surpass the midway point of the campaign. After a four-game road trip, Grand Rapids FC Women host a pair of top Midwest teams in FC Indiana and conference leaders Detroit. Toledo Villa FC can put themselves into conference consideration with their fourth straight home match against Indy Premier SC, who have yet to notch a victory this season. FCI’s three-game winning streak will face an uphill climb with a two-game road trip this weekend.

FRIDAY, JUNE 16

Grand Rapids FC Women vs. FC Indiana
7:00 PM EDT - Grandville H.S. (Grandville, MI)

After four consecutive road matches, Grand Rapids FC Women (3-1-1 Midwest) will finally return home for their next three conference games, starting this weekend with two tilts at Grandville High School. Grand Rapids got their second win of a 2-1-1 road trip against Friday night’s opponents FC Indiana (3-2 Midwest) on Friday, June 2nd at Newton Park in Lakeville, IN. The GRFC Women notched their second straight shutout with thanks to goalkeeper Reilley Ott (six saves) while FCI keeper Andrea Vera made 13 saves in the 3-0 loss. Defender Clare Carlson scored the game-winning goal on the goal line in the 30th minute after midfielder Annie Steinlage’s shot off a corner kick deflected off of Vera.

That was the second loss to start the season for FC Indiana and they’ve responded with three straight victories since that loss to Grand Rapids - all by a 2-1 score. The winning streak started with a road win over Toledo on June 4th on goals by forward Ashley Johnson and midfielder Jennifer Munoz. Johnson would net the game-winning goal in the 35th minute of their victory over Fort Wayne on Wednesday, June 7th. Midfielder Hikaru Nakamura made her first goal of 2017 a match-deciding one last Friday at home against Indy Premier. Nakamura’s 90th minute goal completed the two-goal comeback for FCI, after Yo Tachibana levelled the score in the 58th minute in the Indianapolis derby. It was the second straight win in goal for keeper Tarah Hobbs.

Toledo Villa FC vs. Indy Premier SC
7:00 PM EDT - Northview H.S. (Sylvania, OH)

Toledo Villa FC (2-1-1 Midwest) will host the fourth of five straight home matches at Northview High School on Friday night, as win-less Indy Premier SC comes to town. This match will give the Villa Women an opportunity to put a winning streak together for the first time this season, and put their names in the hat in the Midwest title race. After their first loss of 2017 to FC Indiana on June 4th, Toledo responded with an emphatic 3-0 win over Fort Wayne last Saturday. Midfielder Veronica Zaciek continued her torrid scoring pace with goals in the 13th and 64th minutes, while forward Marissa Swindell’s two assists puts her in the team lead in that category (3).

Zaciek’s 10 points (four goals, two assists) leads the Villa Women in scoring, and it all started in the team’s season-opening 3-0 win on the road over Indy Premier. With a short bench, Toledo notched the huge victory over IPSC with thanks to two first-half goals from Zaciek and a shutout from goalkeeper Sam Tiongson’s (two saves) at IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium. Bowling Green University forward Skylar Fleak fired home from six yards out for the 3-0 final score while the visitors out-shot the home side by a 9-2 margin.

SUNDAY, JUNE 18

Grand Rapids FC Women vs. Detroit Sun FC
3:00 PM EDT - Grandville H.S. (Grandville, MI)

If the Grand Rapids FC Women can emerge victorious in Friday night’s match over FC Indiana, it will set up another big match in the Midwest title race on Sunday afternoon when they host conference leaders Detroit Sun FC. In an early season matchup between two of the top Midwest teams on Saturday, May 20th, Detroit scored first and held the lead in a 2-1 home win over Grand Rapids at Ultimate Soccer Arenas. Two goals from forward Madison Schupbach shone bright for the Sun in this match Sun while goalkeeper Caitlyn Clem made five saves. GRFC cut the lead in half in the 79th minute on midfielder Avery Lockwood’s penalty kick but they could not get the draw.

It was the only loss of the season for Grand Rapids, who will look to get two home victories this weekend after a disappointing result in their last match on Saturday, June 10th. The GRFC Women went up 2-0 on goals from Maddie Pogarch and Marti Corby in their road match against Michigan Legends FC, but gave up back-to-back goals in a four-minute span midway through the second half in the 2-2 draw. Lauren Wynns came off the bench to score in the 65th minute and Madison Duncan completed the comeback in the 69th minute for MLFC. Corby, Pogarch and Anna Stinson are tied for the team lead in goals scored (2) for GRFC while Annie Steinlage leads the team in assists (4).

Indy Premier SC vs. FC Indiana
3:00 PM EDT - Park Tudor School (Indianapolis, IN)

In their first-ever derby last Friday, June 9th, both Indy Premier SC and FC Indiana did not disappoint in a exciting encounter for the Indianapolis-based organizations. In the end, FCI sent their fans home on a high note with a late game-winning goal in the 2-1 victory over IPSC at Newton Park. It was a great start for the visitors and they had a 1-0 lead going into halftime with thanks to a goal from forward Danielle Hayden. The dual-threat on offense & defense from University of Kentucky nutmegged FCI goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs in the 33rd minute and it was the first goal of the season for IPSC. Indy Premier had been out-scored by a 5-0 margin in three defeats to commence conference play.

In contrast, last Friday’s 2-1 win for FC Indiana continued their three-game winning streak and if they’re victorious over Grand Rapids in their Friday night match, the chance to sweep the season derby on Sunday afternoon will also give them a fifth win in conference action. But as we’ve seen so far this season throughout the national pro-am league, getting two road wins in one weekend is a difficult proposition and has only been accomplished once.

About United Women’s Soccer (UWS): UWS is a national women’s soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). UWS is a professionally operated league created for teams that meet high minimum standards. The season runs from May until the end of July, culminating in a National Championship match. The UWS player pool is comprised of college players, aspiring & former professionals and international stars. You can follow UWS on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media can contact UWS Director of Communications Jorma Kansanen by e-mail at Press@UWSSoccer.com. You can visit the league’s official website at UWSSoccer.com. Interested team applicants can contact League Commissioner Joe Ferrara, Jr. by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.

Tag(s): News |   Detroit Sun  FC Indiana  Grand Rapids FC  Indiana Union  Toledo Villa