NEW JERSEY COPA FC 1, NEW YORK SURF 1

HOLMDEL, NJ - New Jersey Copa FC forward Krystyna Freda put the defending Eastern Conference champions up in the 21st minute against the New York Surf (3-1-2 East) at Saint John Vianney High School but a set piece in the 55th minute by the visitors evened the score at 1-1. Even though NJCFC (4-1-1 East) would go on to outshoot the Surf by a 21-9 margin, the home side had to settle for the draw on Sunday afternoon. Copa goalkeeper Kristyn Shea made four saves, sprinting out of her box to clear a breakaway opportunity in the 15th minute, while Colleen Hickey made five saves for the Surf.

New Jersey is now tied atop the East with the Long Island Rough Riders (4-0-1 East) — the only team to defeat Copa this year. The Surf remain within striking distance in the conference race and face a big two-game weekend in Week VII action. Freda tallied her fifth goal in her fourth game when her shot from the far right wing settled into the near side netting. The Surf tied the match after back-to-back corner kicks by Totianyu Guadalupe. Furtuna Velaj received the ball and sent it across the six to Flo Gamby who was positioned to put away her second goal of the season. Copa had chances to regain the lead but couldn’t capitalize. Jackie Bruno’s shot in the 63rd minute was tipped wide of the post on a dive by Hickey.

LANCASTER INFERNO 3, NEW YORK MAGIC 1

MILLERSVILLE, PA - The Lancaster Inferno (3-3 East) picked up their third win of the season, got back to a .500 record and swept the season series with the New York Magic (0-4-1 East) on Sunday afternoon at Pucillo Field. A goal and an assist from forward Haley Crawford and the game-winner from Tesa McKibben guaranteed a strong 3-1 win for the host side. Magic goalkeeper Sierra Bonham made 12 saves in the loss while the combination of Kelly O’Brien and Jordan Kamp made four saves in goal for the Inferno. Lancaster controlled the run of play from the outset and out-shot New York by a 15-6 margin.

In the 10th minute, a ball was crossed into the Magic penalty area and eventually found Crawford. The James Madison standout shot from 15 yards out, hitting the crossbar and bouncing down behind Bonham for the 1-0 score. Three minutes later, McKibben and defender Trisha Clark had a give-and-go at the top of the box. About eight yards from the end line, the former Saint Francis star drove the ball into the side netting for the 2-0 score. In the 55th minute, New York cut the score in half when Mami Yamaguchi took advantage of a Lancaster miscue and chipped Kamp for her first goal of the season. Inferno got the insurance tally in the 70th minute, as Crawford’s corner kick found Maddie Schwartz who redirected the ball past Bonham at the near post.

WESTERN NEW YORK FLASH 4, ROCHESTER LADY LANCERS 1

BUFFALO, NY - The Western New York Flash (2-3-2 East) continued to build off of a solid showing from the prior weekend and dominated their home finale in a 4-1 win over the Rochester Lady Lancers (0-6-1 East) on Saturday night. The pair of Carissima Cutrona and Maddie Pezzino led the Flash attack in the victory with each forward notching two goals and two assists at Niagara University. The pair of Alana Rossi and Megan Tock (six saves) got the win in goal for Western New York while Caitie Broderick (eight saves) picked up the loss for Rochester. 

The match got off to a very quick start as Cutrona fed the ball to Pezzino, who put it home in the second minute to give the Flash an early 1-0 lead. The Lady Lancers responded quickly, as defender Adrianna van Cuyck scored a goal in the seventh minute off a corner kick to tie the score at 1-1. Following the two early goals, the Flash dominated the rest of the evening, led by their prolific forward duo. Pezzino logged another goal in the 28th minute on a pass from Cutrona, who cut the Rochester defense in half with her run for the eventual game-winner. Cutrona notched two second half goals for the hosts, while the Florida State product was credited with the assists.

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.