SATURDAY, MAY 26

New York Surf vs. Inferno Rush
1:30 PM EDT - SUNY Maritime (Bronx, NY)

The Inferno Rush kick off their 2018 season in the UWS East after an enigmatic offseason for the eastern Pennsylvania-based organization. They shed "Lancaster" and added "Rush" to their moniker amidst an exciting re-branding and agreement with global soccer development organization Rush Soccer. The team will take to the pitch as the Inferno Rush - the official women's national pro-am team of Rush Soccer. Head Coach Francisco Cleaves will also have plenty of returning players to count on during this transition, including the likes of team co-captains Tesa McKibben (Saint Francis Univ.) and Trisha Clark (Elizabethtown College) who were both named to the 2017 All-UWS East Second Team. Forward Haley Crawford (James Madison Univ.) finished third in league scoring in 2017 and was named to the All-UWS Second Team and All-UWS East First Team. Former professional Teresa Rook (formerly Rynier) has also returned to the Inferno after playing for the team in the 2016 season.

Last season, the New York Surf and Inferno Rush played twice and took victories on their respective home turf. On June 4th in their home opener, the Inferno held on for a 2-1 win after a late rally from the Surf. The team were led by McKibben (goal) and forward Emily Kupsov (goal, assist) on the day. The combination of Jordan Kamp and Kelly O'Brien in goal made nine saves in the victory. New York hosted the Inferno twenty days later, and the Surf offense led the way as they scored three unanswered goals to open the match in a 3-1 win. New York scored early in the match as forward Talani Barnett headed in a cross from forward Sara Plowman in the 14th minute. It took another 44 minutes for the hosts to tally the game-winner, as forward Maegen Doyle took a pass from defender Trista Seara in the middle of the box, popped the ball into the air and bicycled her shot past O'Brien. In the 65th minute, midfielder Furtuna Velaj notched the third goal on a chip over the keeper's head. McKibben brought one back for the visitors in the 70th minute.

Worcester Smiles vs. New England Mutiny
7:00 PM EDT - Foley Stadium (Worcester, MA)

The one thing that the Worcester Smiles and New England Mutiny have in common going into this Saturday night's match at Foley Stadium is that both teams are looking to bounce back from disappointing results during Week II action in the UWS East - and both occurred at the hands of the Rochester Lady Lancers as well. The Mutiny's 2-2 draw against the Lady Lancers last Saturday night at home felt like a loss after the whistle blew for regulation, as Rochester equalized the match in the 90th minute on a counterattack goal by Elin Eklund. New England had already came back from a 1-0 deficit via late goals from captain Kate Howarth (80th minute) and midfielder Yo Tachibana (85th minute). Eklund's game-tying tally was the second counterattack goal the Mutiny had given up and with a team that always has aspirations to win the East title, losing points was a bitter pill to swallow.

On Sunday in the wildest affair of Week II action in the national pro-am league, the Lady Lancers defeated the Worcester Smiles for their first-ever win for the second-year franchise by a 9-3 score in a match that certainly did not reflect the final scoreline. Worcester led on three different occasions in the first half, but each time Rochester responded with the equalizer. With the 3-3 score lasting until the 65th minute, Rochester finally grabbed the lead on Margaret Lee's goal past Smiles goalkeeper Brittany Henderson (11 saves). A one minute later, Eklund put the Lady Lancers up by two goals and the match unraveled from there. Rochester scored four goals in the last ten minutes off substitute goalkeeper Rachael Armenti. And this happened after a solid performance in Worcester's season opener - a 1-0 loss to the New York Surf. After giving up an early goal, the Smiles played evenly the remainder of the match and carried the run of play for a significant portion of the second half.

SUNDAY, MAY 27

Rochester Lady Lancers vs. Connecticut Fusion
2:00 PM EDT - Marina Auto Stadium (Rochester, NY)

After an ignominious start to their 2017 inaugural campaign, the Rochester Lady Lancers have turned their fortunes around in 2018 as they went 1-0-1 last weekend on their two-game road trip to start the season. Player/coach Brooke Barbuto made a huge impression in her first two games with the Rochester (including the team's first-ever franchise win) and was named the UWS Offensive Player of the Week. Midfielder Elin Eklund also was named to the UWS team of the Week and tallied the game-tying goal in the draw vs. New England and scored a hat trick in the win over Worcester. Eklund was a 2017 United Soccer Coaches (USC) Second Team All-American at Monroe Community College - whose coach Sal Galvano also leads the Lady Lancers. Elin was a steady figure for two seasons for Galvano at MCC (15 g, 15a in 2017) and was named to an All-America team for the second consecutive year. And now the team will kick off their home opener this Sunday at the impressive Marina Auto Stadium in downtown Rochester.

The expansion Connecticut Fusion have also been causing a stir in the conference early in the campaign, as they lost a close 3-2 verdict to the New England Mutiny in their home opener in Week I and last week, pulled off a stunning victory over New Jersey Copa FC - who won the East regular season title last year and were UWS National Finalists in 2016. Connecticut made a statement with their 4-1 victory over Copa, and were propelled by one of the burgeoning talents in the league - midfielder Rachel Morrier. In the 34th minute, Morrier hit a blast from 25 yards away that clanged off the crossbar and ran the show from there. Her goal in the 89th minute capped off the win and she was named to the UWS Team of the Week for her efforts. This was Rachel's second straight selection to the weekly honor roll as she also impressed in the loss to the Mutiny, scoring a goal while being the creator of several dangerous opportunities.

About United Women's Soccer (UWS): UWS is a national women's soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer. 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 UWSPress@gmail.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.