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UWS Week IV Preview: Midwest Conference

05/31/2017, 6:15pm EDT
By Admin

Detroit is back in action on Friday as they take on instate rival MLFC

METUCHEN, NJ - The first weekend of June kicks off with a full slate of United Women’s Soccer (UWS) games across the nation with the Midwest Conference leading the way with a pair of Friday night games. FC Indiana is back in action after a three-week hiatus since their last UWS match and will host a Grand Rapids FC Women side who are one of top Midwest teams so far this season. After a week off, the 1st-place Detroit Sun FC look to retain their advantage at the top of the conference and travel to face off with instate rival Michigan Legends FC.

FRIDAY, JUNE 2

FC Indiana vs. Grand Rapids FC Women
7:00 PM EDT - Newton Park (Lakeville, IN)

One of the all-time successful women’s soccer organizations, FC Indiana (0-1 Midwest) will take on one of the up-and-coming teams in the Midwest soccer scene in the GRFC Women (2-1 Midwest). FCI will also be looking for their first conference win of the season, as they dropped a 3-0 home loss to Detroit in their season opener on May 14th at Newton Park. A strong showing from Sun goalkeeper Caitlyn Clem (five saves) and two goals off the bench from forward Isabella Habuda paced the visitors in the win. FC Indiana keeper Tarah Hobbs (13 saves) would be the one who weathered the Detroit onslaught.

This match against GRFC is a tough proposition when it comes to a bounce back performance as the Midwest newcomers have put together three solid performances this season. Grand Rapids were led by midfielder Anna Stinson in a 3-1 home win over Michigan Legends FC to open their campaign on May 13th in front of over 500 fans. GRFC held their own in a 2-1 road loss to Detroit on May 20th before emerging victorious last Saturday, defeating the Fort Wayne United Gryphons (1-1 Midwest) by a 1-0 score on the road.

Through the strong presence of midfielder Annie Steinlage, Grand Rapids bossed the play and the combination of goalkeeper Lorah Pund and Hannah Parrish had to make 11 saves for the hosts. The trio of Steinlage, defender Olivia Trombley and forward Avery Lockwood would be named to the UWS Team of the Week for their efforts in the win over the Gryphons. This will be the third of four straight road matches for the GRFC Women as they won’t return home until their June 16th rematch vs. FC Indiana at Grandville High School.

Michigan Legends FC vs. Detroit Sun FC
7:30 PM EDT - Legacy Center (Brighton, MI)

Michigan Legends FC (1-1-1 Midwest) opened their home campaign at the indoor confines of the Legacy Center last Friday night and picked up their first win of the season, a 1-0 victory over Indy Premier SC (0-3 Midwest). MLFC would hold the run of play against Indy Premier through the strong play of former Eastern Michigan University standout Rachel Washburn, but it would take until the second half for them to secure the victory. Forward Tori Singstock would get named to the UWS Team of the Week for her game-winning goal in the 58th minute.

With their win over Grand Rapids, Detroit Sun FC (2-0 Midwest) are at the top the UWS Midwest table but they will need to take their instate rival seriously as MLFC has steadily improved over the course of the young campaign. After starting the Summer 2017 season with a loss to the GRFC Women, Legends FC got a well-fought 2-2 draw at Toledo on May 21st before notching their first win last weekend. Detroit is coming off a two-week layoff and if the hosts want to make a statement in the title race, there is no better time than this Friday night.

But the Sun have shown themselves to be one of the top Midwest teams, and there was no better evidence than in their last contest. Detroit scored the first two goals and made the lead stick in a 2-1 win over GRFC Women at Ultimate Soccer Arenas. Two goals from forward Madison Schupbach and five saves from Caitlyn Clem would lead the team in the win. Clem, Schupbach and midfielder Dani Evans would be named to the UWS Team of the Week for their strong performances.

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

Toledo Villa FC vs. FC Indiana
5:00 PM EDT - Northview H.S. (Sylvania, OH)

Toledo Villa FC (1-0-1 UWS Midwest) are coming off their own two-week layoff in Midwest action, and will need to bounce back after a somewhat disappointing home opener on May 21st. After the hosts went ahead in the second half, Michigan Legends FC tied the match late and the score would hold as the two sides battled it out to a 2-2 draw. MLFC got on the score board first in the 6th minute but the Villa Women responded with two goals by forward Skylar Fleak, who leads the conference in goals scored (three).

In the 24th minute, midfielder Veronica Zaciek intercepted a back pass and sent in the Bowling Green star for an open net goal and just six minutes into the second half, Zaciek’s corner kick would be met by a towering header from Fleak. Michigan defender Megan Trapp broke the host’s hearts in the 80th minute as she converted on a rebound from a penalty kick for the 2-2 final score. Fleak would be named to the second edition of the UWS Team of the Week for her two-goal effort while Zaciek was honored the first week of the season by the league when they defeated Indy Premier by a 3-0 score.

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.

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, Jr. by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.

Tag(s): News |   Detroit Sun  FC Indiana  Grand Rapids FC  Michigan Legends  Toledo Villa