skip navigation

Indiana Union

Playoffs 2018

Recent News

New Year's Roundup: Pops For Popadinova

01/09/2019, 3:00pm EST
By Admin

UWS alum awarded top honor in Bulgaria; NWSL Draft updates, etc.

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM FOR POPADINOVA... Florida Gulf Coast University & Santa Clarita Blue Heat star Evdokia Popadinova was named Bulgaria's top female footballer for the third straight year on Sunday. Popadinova was a United Soccer Coaches (USC) Division I All-America Second Team honoree for FGCU this past fall as she scored 14 goals and seven assists (35 points). Evdokia appeared in eight matches for Santa Clarita last summer and tallied two goals and an assist. She had first-hand experience with the Blue Heat in the 2017 post-season when she played against them in the United Women's Soccer (UWS) National Semifinal. Popadinova was named to the UWS All-Tournament Team for Detroit Sun FC for her strong performance in the loss against her future team.

MORE UWS ALUMNI ADDED TO NWSL DRAFT LIST... the preliminary list of draft-eligible players has been updated since its release in late December. Nine more UWS alumni will have the chance to make their professional dreams come true on Thursday, January 10 at 12:00 PM ET at the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Convention in Chicago, IL, bringing up the total to 22. 2017 All-UWS selection Bethany Balcer (Grand Rapids FC) and Western New York Flash forward Erica Hubert (2018 Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year) highlight the new additions, with the list provided below. For the full draft-eligible list, click HERE.

POS. NAME (COLLEGE / CLUB)
F/M Bethany Balcer (Spring Arbor University / Grand Rapids FC Women)
F/M Christina Bellero (St. John's University / Long Island Rough Riders)
F/D Mykayla Brown (Indiana University / Indy Premier SC)
M/D Ryley Bugay (Marquette University / FC Indiana)
F/M Erica Hubert (Bowling Green State University / Western New York Flash)
F/D Alex Kimball (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / Real Salt Lake Women)
M Sarah Kinzner (University of Colorado / Calgary Foothills WFC)
F/D Madison Pogarch (Rutgers University / Detroit Sun FC)
F/M Charlotte Williams (Penn State University / Western New York Flash)

SANTA CLARITA ANNOUNCE FIRST SIGNINGS... when the Blue Heat announced their first 2019 signings on social media, Popadinova was included amongst five returnees. She will once again play alongside a quartet with UCLA connections: goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy, midfielder Chloe Castaneda, defender Jacey Pederson and midfielder Viviana Villacorta. Villacorta also stars for the U.S. U-20's and three of her national team mates will join her this summer in Santa Clarita. Midfielder Savannah Demelo (First Team All-America for USC), forward Penelope Hocking (Pac-12 Freshman of the Year for USC) and forward Ashley Sanchez (First Team All-America for UCLA) will provide a potent injection of talent as the Blue Heat look to capture another league title. Santa Clarita captured the first-ever UWS Championship in 2016 and made it to the 2017 National Final before falling in double-overtime.

GRFC WOMEN ROLL THE BALL OUT... Grand Rapids Football Club announced that James Gilpin will return as the GRFC Women's coach for the 2019 campaign. Gilpin led the Ladies In Blue to a 7-1-2 regular season record and the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Playoffs last summer. GRFC Women went on to defeat Detroit via penalty kicks in the conference semifinals and topped Lansing United by a 4-2 score to lift the Midwest Championship for the second consecutive season. The 2018 season came to a disappointing end as they lost in the UWS National Semifinal at home. Gilpin will have the services of veteran midfielder/forward Marti Corby to count on for the 2019 season. Corby has been a GRFC regular the first two seasons and helped lead the team to a UWS National Championship in 2017. She was was named captain during the 2018 campaign and has scored 10 career goals, putting her second on the all-time list.

FROM CALGARY TO KALMAR... Calgary Foothills Women's FC forward Christabel Oduro has signed with IFK Kalmar of the Swedish Elitettan for the 2019 season. The 26-year-old Ontario-native has five caps for the Canadian Women's National Team and appeared in 10 games (one goal, two assists) for Calgary last summer. It was historic season for Foothills WFC, as the team won the West Conference title and advanced to the four-team UWS National Championship in their second-year of operation. IFK Kalmar is based in Kalmar, Sweden and will play in the second tier of Swedish women's soccer when the Elitettan kicks off this April. The team was relegated from the top-flight Damallsvenskan in October 2018 after a 12th-place finish.

About United Women's Soccer (UWS): We are a national women's soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer. 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 the UWS Communications office by e-mail at UWSPress@gmail.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.

Fall Update: UWS Stars Sweep America East

11/06/2018, 12:00pm EST
By Admin

25 more league alumni awarded DI All-Conference honors

METUCHEN, NJ - In our second update regarding the fall award season in the Division I collegiate ranks, United Women's Soccer (UWS) highlights 25 more current & former stars who were awarded All-Conference recognition. In a stunning twist of accolades, four UWS stars swept the individual player awards in the America East Conference. Seven other conferences are highlighted in this update: Atlantic Sun, Atlantic 10, BIG EAST, Big Sky, Big South, Big West and the Colonial Athletic Association. Further recaps will follow in the coming days and weeks.

Notable names in this edition include: America East Striker of the Year Mariah Williams and America East Defender of the Year Caroline Kopp, who both played for the Rochester Lady Lancers; America East Midfielder of the Year and Connecticut Fusion standout Rachel Morrier; America East Rookie of the Year and New Jersey Copa FC alum Jada Colbert; 2017 UWS Second Team selection Brooke Salmon, who was honored by the Atlantic 10; Big Sky Offensive MVP & Golden Boot winner Mariel Gutierrez, who suited up for the Colorado Pride; and 2018 UWS Offensive Player of the Year Haley Crawford, who was named to the Colonial Athletic Association First Team.

America East Striker of the Year
America East Conference First Team

F Mariah Williams (Univ. at Albany - Rochester Lady Lancers)

America East Midfielder of the Year
America East Conference First Team

MF Rachel Morrier (UMass Lowell - Connecticut Fusion)

America East Defender of the Year
America East Conference First Team

D Caroline Kopp (Univ. at Albany - Rochester Lady Lancers)

America East Rookie of the Year
America East Conference Second Team

America East All-Rookie Team
MF Jada Colbert (Univ. at Albany - New Jersey Copa FC)

America East Conference First Team
F Ashley Claud (Univ. of Hartford - New York Surf)
F Julie Johnstonbaugh (Stony Brook - New Jersey Copa FC)
MF Hayley Nolan (Univ. of Hartford - Connecticut Fusion)

America East Conference Second Team
F Kayla Saager (Binghamton Univ. - Long Island Rough Riders)
MF Sierra Stone (Univ. of Hartford - Connecticut Fusion)
D Kaitlin Loughren (Stony Brook - Long Island Rough Riders)
D Megan Rumbold (Univ. of New Hampshire - Colorado Pride)

America East Conference All-Rookie Team
F Jasmine Colbert (Univ. at Albany - New Jersey Copa FC)

Atlantic Sun Conference First Team
F Evdokia Popadinova (FGCU - Santa Clarita Blue Heat)

Atlantic 10 Conference First Team
D Brooke Salmon (Fordham Univ. - New York Surf)

BIG EAST Conference First Team
D Annika Schmidt (Butler Univ. - Indy Premier SC)

BIG EAST Conference Second Team
F Christina Bellero (St. John's Univ. - Long Island Rough Riders)

Big Sky Offensive MVP
Big Sky Golden Boot
Big Sky Conference First Team

MF Mariel Gutierrez (Univ. of Northern Colorado - Colorado Pride)

Big Sky Conference First Team
D Olivia Glassford (Weber State Univ. - Real Salt Lake Women)
MF Madison Garlock (Weber State Univ. - Real Salt Lake Women)

Big South Conference First Team
F Emilie Kupsov (Longwood Univ. - Inferno Rush)

Big South Conference Second Team
MF Dylan Patterson (Winthrop Univ. - Rochester Lady Lancers)

Big West Conference Second Team
D Lindsay Kutscher (CSUN - So Cal Crush FC)

Colonial Athletic Association First Team
F Haley Crawford (James Madison Univ. - Inferno Rush)

Colonial Athletic Association Second Team
F Jennifer Buoncore (Hofstra Univ. - Long Island Rough Riders)

About United Women's Soccer: UWS is a national women's soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer. 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 the UWS Communications office by e-mail at UWSPress@gmail.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.

Fall Update: College Awards Season Starts

11/01/2018, 6:00pm EDT
By Admin

In our first recap, over 20 UWS stars nab All-Conference honors

METUCHEN, NJ - United Women's Soccer (UWS) member teams take pride in helping student-athletes reach the next level of their respective soccer careers over the summer months. Recently, awards season has started in the collegiate ranks and current & former UWS stars were recognized for their efforts in their fall competitive seasons. In this first edition of our collegiate awards recap, we highlight over 20 UWS standouts who were honored with All-Conference plaudits. Conferences included in this edition are the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference-USA and Mid-American Conference. Further recaps will follow in the coming days.

Notable names in this edition include: Florida State University stars Deyna Castellanos & Natalia Kuikka, 2017 UWS Player of the Year and 2017 UWS West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, respectively; C-USA Goalkeeper of the Year and Long Island Rough Riders shot-stopper Kelsey Daugherty; C-USA Freshman of the Year and Indy Premier SC star Hannah Tillett, a 2017 UWS Midwest Conference selection; MAC Offensive Player of the Year and WNY Flash forward Erica Hubert; MAC Freshman of the Year and Michigan Legends midfielder Tatiana Mason; and, All-MAC First Team selection Carissima Cutrona, who is a 2017 & 2018 All-United Women's Soccer First Team honoree for the WNY Flash.

Atlantic Coast Conference First Team
F Deyna Castellanos (Florida State Univ. - Santa Clarita Blue Heat)

Atlantic Coast Conference Second Team
D Natalia Kuikka (Florida State Univ. - Santa Clarita Blue Heat)

Big Ten Conference Second Team
MF Charlotte Williams (Penn State Univ. - Western New York Flash)

Big Ten Conference Third Team
F Mykayla Brown (Indiana Univ. - Indy Premier SC)
MF Natalie Winters (Univ. of Iowa - Detroit Sun FC)
D Madison Pogarch (Rutgers Univ. - Detroit Sun FC)
D Chantelle Swaby (Rutgers Univ. - New England Mutiny)
GK Rachel Egyed (Univ. of Maryland - TSF Academy)

Big Ten Conference Freshman Team
MF Talani Barnett (Ohio State Univ. - New York Surf)

Big 12 Conference Second Team
D/MF Paige Welch (Oklahoma Univ. - FC Austin Elite)

C-USA Goalkeeper of the Year
Conference USA First Team

GK Kelsey Daugherty (UAB - Long Island Rough Riders)

C-USA Freshman of the Year
Conference USA First Team
Conference USA All-Freshman Team

MF Hannah Tillett (Middle Tennessee State Univ. - Indy Premier SC)

Conference USA Second Team
MF Miah Zuazua (Southern Miss. Univ. - North Texas Image)
F Annie Walker (Rice Univ. - Detroit Sun FC)

Conference USA Third Team
MF Amber Hoot (Middle Tennessee State Univ. - Fort Wayne United)

Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year
All-MAC First Team

F Erica Hubert (Bowling Green Univ. - Western New York Flash)

Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year
All-MAC Second Team
All-MAC Freshman Team

MF Tatiana Mason (Ball State Univ. - Michigan Legends FC)

Mid-American Conference First Team
F Carissima Cutrona (Univ. of Buffalo - Western New York Flash)
MF Alyssa Burke (Western Michigan Univ. - Detroit Sun FC)
D Morgan Abbitt (Bowling Green Univ. - Toledo Villa)

Mid-American Conference Second Team
F Lexi Pelafas (Central Michigan Univ. - Lansing United)

Mid-American Conference Freshman Team
D Tess Ford (Univ. of Buffalo - Western New York Flash)
MF Ashton Cassel (Univ. of Toledo - Detroit Sun FC)

About United Women's Soccer: UWS is a national women's soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer. 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 the UWS Communications office by e-mail at UWSPress@gmail.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.