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Week IV Preview: UWS West

05/31/2018, 9:15am EDT
By admin

CFWFC looks to build on opening result, COL host busy weekend

FRIDAY, JUNE 1

Calgary Foothills Women’s FC vs. So Cal Crush FC

6:30 PM MDT – Calgary Soccer Center (Calgary, AB)

Calgary started off their 2018 campaign with a flourish as they picked up a 3-0 victory over Real Salt Lake Women last Friday in Utah. Grace Stordy gave her side a lead right before halftime with a 43rd minute strike and the momentum kept building through the early stages of the second half before Calgary put it away with a pair of strikes only minutes apart. Tori Martyn scored on the hour mark and Rehana Murani bagged the insurance tally in the 63rd minute, which would be more than enough to secure the three points. It will be interesting to see what Head Coach Troye Flannery does with his goalkeeping rotation as the club opens their home schedule as earlier this week, the club announced the signing of Canadian International goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé, who will bring plenty of experience to the side. Emily Burns posted the clean sheet in last weeks' match so between the two and a strong defensive unit in front of the goalies, CFWFC could be one of the toughest teams to break down.

So Cal Crush are coming off of an idle week but picked up a dramatic point back on May 18th as they were able to overcome a 2-0 deficit by scoring twice in the final 22 minutes of action to pick up a point against the Colorado Pride. After Krutis Millan’s side conceded their second goal in the 63rd minute, defender Karina Cisneros finished off a set piece to cut the deficit to one and then second half substitute Taylor Scott scored an 82nd minute equalizer to share the Opening week points. After a week of training under their best, So Cal will look to try to get off to a faster start in their second match of the season but they will have some tough sledding to overcome as this matchup did not serve them well last season. Calgary won both matchups and put away seven goals in the two games

SATURDAY, JUNE 2

Colorado Pride vs. Santa Clarita Blue Heat

7:00 PM MDT – Mountain Lion Stadium (Colorado Springs, CO)

Colorado Pride will be looking to put their opening week draw behind them as they will host a pair of matches on consecutive days this week. They welcome in the defending Western Conference Champions in Santa Clarita Blue Heat to the Mountain Lion Stadium on Saturday, a side that the Pride lost once and drew with once back in the 2016 season. While the Pride would not have been happy in dropping points from their May 18th match to So Cal Crush, there were some positives to take away from the fixture. That included getting a pair of players named to the UWS Week II Team of the Week Honorable Mention list in forward Taryn Labree, who scored in their opening match, as well as goalkeeper Kaylyn Smith, who stopped five shots in her 90 minutes of action.

A pair of draws thus far in the 2018 season extends the Blue Heat’s regular season unbeaten run to 14 consecutive matches, with their lone UWS regular season loss dating all the way back to a 4-3 decision on June 18, 2016 against the Houston Aces. But with just two points from two matches, that makes this weekend’s match an important one as the Blue Heat head towards the middle portion of their schedule. Goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy has been strong in net so far for the season, including posting an opening week clean sheet against Real Salt Lake Women. Last week, the Blue Heat was able to overcome an early deficit to LA Galaxy before Millene Cabral leveled things from the spot in the 74th minute. Leonardo Neveleff will hope though with getting solid production in defense from his teams’ first two matches will eventually lead to more consistent goal scoring from the front runners over the next couple of weeks. One boost to that front line will come in the form of Nickolette Driesse, as the former Penn State Nittany Lion and NWSL Orlando Pride midfielder will be available for selection this weekend.

LA Galaxy OC Women vs. Real Salt Lake Women

7:00 PM PDT – Orange County Great Park (Irvine, CA)

LA Galaxy got off to a flying start in their debut match last week against Santa Clarita as they needed four minutes to net their first goal in UWS play. Former UC Irvine forward and current Mexican international Kiana Palacios finished off a ball from University of Notre Dame product Sabrina Flores for an early advantage. LAGOC continued to pepper the Blue Heat goal but couldn’t find a second before ultimately conceding an equalizer right inside the final 16 minutes. However, with experience all around the field to work with, it will only be a matter of time before Scott Juniper’s side will start to see things click on the field.

Real Salt Lake Women found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-0 score line last week in their match against Calgary. Now on four points from three matches, Head Coach Mark Davis will hope to see his team rebound quickly as they make the trip out to the Pacific Coast for the weekend. University of Utah forward Hailey North netted a pair of goals in the win back on May 20th over Colorado and earned a spot on the UWS Week II Team of the Week, so that could be one major avenue for RSLW to get back into the goal scoring groove after a challenging offensive outing last week.

SUNDAY, JUNE 3

Colorado Pride vs. Calgary Foothills Women’s FC

2:00 PM MDT – Mountain Lion Stadium (Colorado Springs, CO)

This will be the second match of the weekend for both teams as the Pride will look to end their four-match home stand on a high note. Getting goals at the Mountain Lion Stadium thus far has not been an issue for AJ Adcock’s side as through the team’s first two matches, they scored four goals from four different players. It’s going to be more of a question of if they can handle a high scoring Calgary attack on Sunday after the quick turnaround. The one advantage that the Pride have is that they get to play both of their matches at home while Calgary, despite getting a rest day in between their two matches, will make the trek down from Alberta to Colorado Springs. Points here could be at a premium for both sides as after this weekend, the identity of what the Western Conference will look like could become a little more clearer.

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 FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

Media can contact the UWS Communications office 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.

Tag(s): News |   West  Foothills WFC  Real Salt Lake  Santa Clarita Blue Heat  So Cal Crush  Colorado Pride  LA Galaxy