TSF ACADEMY VALKYRIES 1, NEW JERSEY COPA F.C. 4

WAYNE, NJ - The TSF Academy Valkyries opened their Summer 2016 season in the East Conference of United Women’s Soccer (UWS) this past Saturday, hosting New Jersey Copa F.C. at DePaul Catholic High School. After their scoreless opening weekend defeat to the Long Island Rough Riders, Copa (1-1) would score three first half goals en route to a 4-1 win over the Valkyries (0-1) before a crowd of 100-plus fans.

The match would begin with both teams feeling each other out, trying to gain an advantage. NJCFC would net their advantage in the 22nd minute, as forward Krystyna Freda would slot her shot past TSF goalkeeper Rachel Egyed (nine saves) for the team’s first goal of the season. Just six minutes later, the Valkyries would tie the match off a corner kick as defender Alana O’Neill would score with thanks to an assist from midfielder Nickolette Driesse.

Copa would score two goals in the final five minutes of the first half to break TSF’s confidence. In the 40th minute, midfielder Alex Tinfow would score the eventual game-winner as her 40 yard-rocket of a shot hit the cross bar and went over the goal line. Forward Jeanine Nunez would score an unassisted goal in the 42nd minute for the 3-1 lead going into halftime.

After another back-and-forth second half, NJCFC would finish the scoring on the night in the 79th minute. Nunez would net her second of the night on a through ball from midfielder Juliana Ceballos, placing her shot inside the far post for the 4-1 final score. Kristyn Shea and Christiana Ogunsami would share time in net for Copa, making four saves combined between the two keepers. NJCFC would out-shoot TSF by a 13-4 margin.

It will be a few weeks before the Valkyries are back in action, but they will get a chance for redemption against Copa as they travel to Mercer County Community College on Saturday, June 4th for a 4:30 PM kickoff.

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NEW JERSEY COPA F.C. 1, LONG ISLAND ROUGH RIDERS 1

WEST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, NJ - New Jersey Copa F.C. looked to gain revenge on the Long Island Rough Riders in their 2016 home opener at Mercer County Community College on Sunday afternoon, after dropping a 3-0 loss to them in the UWS Inaugural Game on May 14th. The two sides would battle it out for all 90 minutes in this match, with Copa (1-1-1) and the Rough Riders (1-0-1) having to settle for a 1-1 draw in front of over 650 fans at MCCC.

Copa would take the early lead in the 9th minute, as for the second straight match forward Krystyna Freda would score the first NJCFC goal with thanks to an assist from fellow forward Jeanine Nunez. Both teams would battle it out for the rest of the half until the 38th minute when Long Island forward Christina Bellero scored her third goal of the season off an assist by midfielder Alexa Schneider to tie the game at 1-1.

Freda would have a couple of scoring chances for Copa in the second half, but it was up to NJCFC goalkeeper Kristyn Shea (nine saves) to provide the heroics for the home side. The Providence College shot-stopper made two big saves late in the match to keep the Rough Riders from scoring the game-winning goal and the match ended in the 1-1 draw. Copa could’ve been feeling the effects of their second match in two days, as Long Island out-shoot NJCFC by a 16-11 margin with Rough Riders keeper Melissa Guglielmo making four saves.

Next up for Long Island is a home match on Sunday, June 5th as they host the Lancaster Inferno (0-1) at Saint Anthony’s H.S. for a 5:30 PM kickoff. Copa host the New York Magic (0-1) at MCCC this Saturday, May 28th at 4:30 PM before renewing acquaintances with the TSF Academy Valkyries at home on Saturday, June 4th.

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LANCASTER INFERNO 2, NEW ENGLAND MUTINY 3

MILLERSVILLE, PA - The budding rivalry between the New England Mutiny and Lancaster Inferno was confirmed on Sunday afternoon at Pucillo Field. As rain threatened to downpour on the surrounding area, both offenses were just as menacing as the Mutiny (2-0) would get the important UWS East road win by a 3-2 score over the host Inferno (0-1) in their home opener.

The match started out with Lancaster on the front foot with a trio of scoring opportunities in the first 15 minutes. The home side would go ahead in the 17th minute as forward Katherine Hackos broke in on goal via a pass from midfielder Natalie Connell and lifted her shot over New England goalkeeper Anne-Marie Ulliac (six saves) for the 1-0 lead.

Forward Liana Hinds would tie the match at 1-1 for the Mutiny in the 38th minute, as she received forward Kate Howarth’s pass, dodged a defender and lobbed her shot over keeper Emily Dolan (six saves). In the second half, New England would come out of the gates firing and took the 2-1 lead in the 49th minute.

Midfielder Romina Bell sent in a cross that Howarth would head in for the go-ahead goal. The Inferno would make their own comeback as Hackos would tie the match in the 57th minute on a bouncing ball inside the box. Howarth would net the game-winner in the 72nd minute, teaming up with Bell again as she fired a free kick from 30 yards out that Dolan couldn’t corral. The team captain was there for the rebound and put her shot for the final 3-2 score.

With her two goals and an assist, Howarth now leads the UWS East in scoring (4g, 1a) after two weekends of conference action. Lancaster would out-shoot the New England in this match by a 13-6 margin while the Mutiny would have more corner kicks (4-3). Both teams meet up again on Saturday, June 4th when the Mutiny host the Inferno at East Longmeadow H.S. (7:00 PM).

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.

UWS is managed by EDP, a leading soccer management company that runs a number of leagues and tournaments.  In addition to UWS, EDP operates youth leagues that includes an NPL league, the EDP Super Club program, the EDP Premier League and the EDP Championship League. EDP also runs EDP Futures programs for U-7’s to U-12’s and it conducts more than 20 youth tournaments, including tournaments within its EDP Cup Series and EDP Showcase Series.

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 by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.