EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - A pair of teams in the East Conference of United Women’s Soccer (UWS) will have to do the double this weekend, as the Lancaster Inferno (2-2) and New England Mutiny (3-1) face the arduous task of playing two games in two days. Lancaster will travel on Saturday to face East leaders New Jersey Copa F.C. (4-1-1) while on Sunday, they host the Long Island Rough Riders (1-2-1). New England will be on the road for both matches, as they renew acquaintances with old rival New York Magic (0-2-1) on Saturday and face TSF Academy Valkyries (0-2-1) for the first-ever meeting between the two sides on Sunday.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18
New York Magic vs. New England Mutiny (4:00 PM EST)
Venue: Mazzella Field
Iona College
715 North Avenue
New Rochelle, NY 10801

These two rivals went up against each other in their first game of the season on May 14th, with New England winning at home by a 3-0 score. The Mutiny sent the capacity crowd at East Longmeadow High School home smiling as they scored three first-half goals. Team captain Kate Howarth would pace New England’s offense on the night, scoring two goals, while up-and-coming talent Abby Sotomayor added a goal and an assist.

New York were held scoreless in that match, and only managed to score their first goal of the season last Saturday. Magic veteran Shani Abrahams notched her team’s first goal of the season on an assist from Sara Sanau-Ruiz in the 41st minute in the 1-1 draw with TSF Academy. The score would stay tied with thanks to East Co-Defensive Player of the Week selection Samantha Depken, who made back-to-back saves in the first half (six saves overall) to keep New York in the game.

Both sides will be looking for a win, but for different reasons. The Mutiny are in the midst of the race for the conference title and berth into the UWS Championship, and two victories over the weekend will strengthen their credentials as they pass the midway point of their 2016 season. The Magic notched their first point of the season last weekend, and will most certainly want to get three points on Saturday afternoon against their old W-League adversary.

New Jersey Copa F.C. vs. Lancaster Inferno (4:30 PM EST)
Venue: Mercer County Community College
1200 Old Trenton Road
West Windsor Township, NJ 08550

New Jersey and Lancaster will complete their home-and-home series on Saturday, as both sides faced off last weekend. The Inferno hosted Copa at Millersville University’s Pucillo Field and unfortunately were a bit too hospitable with their guests, as NJCFC reeled off three first half goals en route to a 5-0 victory. Lancaster has enjoyed success on the road this season, winning at New England and Long Island. So, they are hoping to turn the frown of that devastating loss upside down and get their defensive tactics back into shape.

For New Jersey, they just need to continue their strong upwards development on both ends of the pitch. Since their season-opening 3-0 loss to Long Island, Copa has scored 17 goals while allowing only two in their last five games. NJCFC has the league’s leading scorer in two-time East Offensive Player of the Week honoree Krystyna Freda (eight goals, one assist) and have had three defensive players be named East Defensive Player of the Week: goalkeeper Kristyn Shea and defenders Callie Duliba and Nicole Bates.

With two games in two days this weekend and with a 2-2 record, Lancaster has officially reached the crossroads of their 2016 journey in the UWS East. A positive result against New Jersey will keep them in the conference race while buoying their hopes of accomplishing the same on Sunday when they host Long Island. For New Jersey, its a chance to put a East rival behind the eight-ball and possibly out of the title contention.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19
Lancaster Inferno vs. Long Island Rough Riders (2:00 PM EST)
Venue: Pucillo Field
Millersville University
1 North George Street
Millersville, PA 17551

The only good thing about Sunday’s match for Lancaster is that they’re hosting the match. Other than that, the prospect of facing a rested & athletic Long Island side less than 24 hours after taking on East-leaders New Jersey is a daunting one. Squad depth will be key for the Inferno this weekend, but its not the first time this season that they have faced the Rough Riders on the back end of a weekend double-header.

On Sunday, June 5th, Lancaster took on Long Island at Saint Anthony’s High School and weathered both a first-half onslaught from the Rough Riders offense and torrential downpours in the big 1-0 win. The first half for Long Island featured a lot of missed opportunities as they controlled the ball but only put one of five shots on target and were called for seven offsides (10 in the entire match). The Inferno took over the second half right after the referee’s whistle, as veteran Teresa Rynier scored the game-winner in the 47th minute.

That was the first of two consecutive losses for Long Island after a solid 1-0-1 start to the season, as last Saturday they also won the first half at New England, but again couldn’t duplicate their play in the second frame as the Mutiny came back for the 3-2 victory. The Rough Riders would do well to remedy that habit, as a strong second half performance against a team playing their second game in as many days may lead them to a win. And back into the East title race.

TSF Academy Valkyries vs. New England Mutiny (4:00 PM EST)
Venue: DePaul Catholic High School
1512 Alps Road
Wayne, NJ 07470

After two losses to New Jersey to start the season, TSF Academy were hoping for a win last weekend when they faced their old W-League competitor - the New York Magic. But Magic goalkeeper Sam Depken had other thoughts, as she single-handedly kept her team in the game for long enough for New York to get the 1-1 draw vs. the Valkyries. With only two goals in three games, TSF Academy will look to their offense to be on the front foot and break down a New England defense playing their second game of the weekend.

The Mutiny are tied with New Jersey and Long Island with only five goals allowed in UWS East action, but take out their problems on defending set pieces, and that number could be less. That could be an area for the Valkyries to exploit, but its easier said than done especially against New England’s dynamic & talented offensive attack. The Mutiny have held the run of play for most of their 3-1 start to the season. So, a bit more concentration on the small defensive details could prove large for them this weekend.

This will be the first of three matches against the top teams in the East for TSF Academy, as they next face Long Island and Lancaster on the road. The three-game stretch will certainly be a test for the Valkyries as they continue to find their stride in this new national pro-am league. At this point of the season, the three former W-League teams competing in the UWS East have a combined record of 1-6-3. No better time to start reversing that trend than Sunday’s home match vs. New England.

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.