EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - The Real Salt Lake Women are the last team in United Women’s Soccer (UWS) to kick off their Summer 2016 season, but they are certainly not the least. The RSL Women will renew acquaintances with former adversary Houston Aces (0-1) in Utah on Saturday while on the East Coast, New Jersey Copa F.C. (1-1-1) hosts the New York Magic (0-1) on Sunday in New Jersey. Its not from sea to shining sea, but UWS action will certainly have a national feel to it this Memorial Day Weekend.

SATURDAY, MAY 28
Real Salt Lake Women vs. Houston Aces (7:00 PM MST)
Venue: Davis High School Stadium
325 South Main Street
Kaysville, UT 84037

Still riding high after winning the WPSL Elite Championship last July, Real Salt Lake Women are eager to hit the pitch and replicate their success in this new national pro-am league. The team returns solid veteran leadership with team co-captains forward Annie Hawkins and former Brigham Young University forward Colette Smith. Smith was team captain at BYU and Hawkins has played professionally in Sweden in the Damallsvenskan League for QBIK and was First Team All-West Coast Conference in 2003 & 2004 at Gonzaga University.

Midfielder Kira Sharp will also be returning to the team. Hawkins, Sharp and Smith have been responsible for a majority of the team's goals & assists the past two seasons. Two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Year selection Natalie Norris anchors the back line with 2008 Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP Rebecca Ritchie defending the net.

In his first year at the helm, Head Coach Mark Davis has brought in some impressive young talent including five BYU players. Midfielder Bizzy Phillips Bowen, forward Madie Lyons, midfielder Elena Medeiros, midfielder/forward Michele Murphy Vasconcelos and defender Stephanie Ringwood are all dynamic additions to the squad.

Bowen was a 2015 All-West Coast Conference Second Team selection. Medeiros was named to both the All-WCC and NSCAA All-West Region First Teams. Lyons led the WCC in assists with four and was second in points with 10 last fall. Murphy Vasconcelos was a 2015 All-WCC First Team and NSCAA All-West Region Second Team selection. Ringwood started in every game and was one of three Cougars to play 1,900 minutes on the season.

Just this week, the team added three University of Utah players to help strengthen the side: forward Max Flom, midfielder Katie Rigby and defender Baylee Nielsen. Houston will look to rebound after a devastating loss last weekend to start their season in the West Conference, but Davis feels confident this year’s team can deal with the competition not only in this match but for the rest of the season.

“The depth and talent of every player on our roster is impressive,” said Davis, who also has highly-touted youngster Brecken Mozingo at his disposal. “We are very excited to begin our campaign in UWS, and feel we have put together a team capable of competing with anyone. The combination of the strength and leadership of our returning veterans and the speed and flair of our young players will make us very dynamic and a force to be reckoned with in 2016.”

SUNDAY, MAY 29
New Jersey Copa F.C. vs. New York Magic (4:00 PM EST)
Venue: Mercer County Community College
1200 Old Trenton Road
West Windsor Township, NJ 08550

In the UWS East Conference, New Jersey Copa F.C. will look to improve on the 1-1 draw they had against the Long Island Rough Riders (1-0-1) in their home opener this past Sunday. While on the other side of the pitch, the New York Magic are simply looking to get on the score board as they lost to East leaders New England Mutiny (2-0) by a 3-0 score in their season opener on Saturday, May 14th.

The span of two weeks in between their first match and this Sunday’s encounter vs. NJCFC may vey well work in the Magic’s favor. The team will be rested and have gone over the mistakes from their opening loss in practice. Head Coach Nino DePasquali will look to his Spanish forward Gabriela Morales for inspiration in attack, as the 2015 NEC All-Conference First Team selection from Saint Francis University was his top scoring threat in the game against the Mutiny.

Copa has seen a lot of action already to begin their UWS campaign, as this will be their fourth game in the first three weeks of 2016. They may have felt the after-effects of two matches in two days during the waning moments of last Sunday’s draw with Long Island, but the play of their goalkeeper Kristyn Shea certainly inspired the team. A pair of big saves late in the match propelled her to UWS East Defensive Player of the Week honors, leading the team to a 1-0-1 record on the weekend.

What also proved inspiring for NJCFC last Sunday was the great crowd of over-650 fans in attendance. The Copa fans at Mercer County Community College inspired Head Coach Roberto Aguas and his team and they in turn did their best to reciprocate.

“The atmosphere created by our large fan base in attendance fueled our team after every play,” said Aguas. “We were both humbled and honored to have such a turn out tonight. In turn, we wanted to perform for them and that we did.”

“Our performance during the home opener was a direct result of the electric atmosphere created by our fans,” said Shea. “We played with passion and determination that will only continue to grow as we get further into the season.”

All and all, that hopefully won’t be bad news for the Magic as a road team can turn off the crowd with a solid performance but the form of the Copa offense could be worrisome. NJCFC scored five goals over the past two games, with thanks to forward Krystyna Freda (two goals) and forward Jeanine Nunez (two goals, assist). On the other side of the ball, New York keeper Samantha Depken was solid in the loss to New England, making nine saves.

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.