EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - After a couple weeks of non-stop action in United Women’s Soccer (UWS), this weekend will see the pace of games played start to slow down as we all begin to prepare for the July 4th holiday. There will only be three games played in both conferences on Saturday, and only four games over the next two weeks. The action will pick up pace again the weekend of July 9-10, leading up to the inaugural UWS National Final held July 30-31.

That’s not to say there won’t be matches of importance played in this supposed down time for the national pro-am women’s soccer league. Not even close. There will be two games played on Saturday that will have major repercussions in the race for both the East and West Conference crowns and the automatic berths into the championship match.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25
New Jersey Copa F.C. vs. New England Mutiny (4:30 PM EDT)
Venue: Mercer County Community College
1200 Old Trenton Road
West Windsor Township, NJ 08550

As a first-year program at this level of pro-am women’s soccer, New Jersey Copa F.C. (5-1-1) has been on a very impressive run of form since the 3-0 loss to the Long Island Rough Riders (2-2-1) to open their UWS campaign. And they can deal a major blow to the East title aspirations of a long-standing & successful organization on Saturday, as they host the New England Mutiny (4-2), who are currently in second place behind Copa.

Its probably the worst time of the season for New England to face the high-flying NJCFC side, as they can not seem to get their defense in order (10 goals allowed). And there was no worse preparation before taking on the top-scoring team in all of UWS (19 goals) than last weekend’s performance on the road. The Mutiny surrendered five goals in two games against the lowest scoring teams in the league: a 3-2 win over the New York Magic (0-3-1) and a 3-1 loss to the TSF Academy Valkyries (1-2-1).

Copa continued their winning ways this week in preparation for their game vs. New England, as they took on Swansea City Ladies F.C. of the Welsh Premier Women's League (WPWL) in a friendly in Morristown, NJ on Wednesday. UWS league-leading scorer Krystyna Freda (nine goals) notched two more goals in a comprehensive 4-0 victory over the Welsh side, who finished second in the WPWL this past season. NJCFC could put one hand on the East trophy and take a big step towards the automatic berth into the UWS National Final with a win over the Mutiny.

Lancaster Inferno vs. New York Magic (6:00 PM EDT)
Venue: Pucillo Field
Millersville University
1 North George Street
Millersville, PA 17551

While title aspirations won’t be of any consequence on the pitch in the match between the Lancaster Inferno (2-4) and New York Magic, there will be much that can be accomplished off of it. Lancaster’s last home game at Millersville University’s Pucillo Field this season - the Inferno will play their final home game of 2016 on July 9th vs. TSF Academy at Clipper Magazine Stadium - will also serve as a fundraiser for the “Antonio Forte Transplant Fund Trust.”

Ten year-old Tony Forte was born with a rare intestinal disease known as Hirschsprung’s Disease which was diagnosed when he was just six days old. It has greatly impacted Tony’s life and he still needs a stomach, small & large intestine, liver and pancreas transplant after six years on the wait list at the Miami Transplant Institute in Miami, FL. Saturday’s game against New York will be presented by Anytime Fitness in conjunction with Donate Life PA.

On the pitch, the Inferno have lost three straight games after an impressive road trip in early June when they defeated New England and Long Island by identical 1-0 scores. They will look to get back to winning ways against a Magic side who has found their scoring touch. After only scoring one goal in their first three games, New York doubled that number in last Saturday’s exciting but disappointing 3-2 loss to the Mutiny.

Santa Clarita Blue Heat vs. Real Salt Lake Women (6:00 PM PDT)
Venue: The Master’s College
21726 Placerita Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91321

A few hours after the Mutiny/Copa match in the East concludes, a similar match of importance will kick off in the UWS West, as the Santa Clarita Blue Heat (1-1-2) host the Real Salt Lake Women (3-1-1). Santa Clarita started their 2016 voyage with a chip on their shoulders and getting to the UWS National Final was their destination. But two consecutive poor performances at home - a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Storm (1-3-1) and a 4-3 loss to the Houston Aces (3-3) - have threatened to scuttle their ship.

RSL will make their final road trip of the season, as they will host both Colorado-based teams to conclude their 2016 campaign. The team is in a great position to capture the West title, as they have been undefeated on the road this season. The Real Women won 4-1 at Houston on June 4th and completed an impressive trip to Colorado last weekend with wins over the Pride (2-2) and Storm. And despite playing to a 1-1 draw at home against the Blue Heat in their first meeting, RSL played well and were close on several scoring chances that could have secured a victory.

The team will still be missing co-captain Annie Hawkins, who has not been cleared to play following the concussion she sustained in the Santa Clarita game. In her absence, Kira Sharp has taken over Hawkins’ position in the midfield, and was impressive on both sides of the ball last week. The Blue Heat will need a win in their rematch with the Real Women, as even with a draw they will lose control of their mission to win the West title. Santa Clarita has only scored four goals in their last three games after their big victory over Houston to start the season.

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.