SATURDAY, JUNE 2

NEW ENGLAND MUTINY 4, WORCESTER SMILES 0

AGAWAM, MA – After falling to the Worcester Smiles in Week III action on the road, New England were looking to return the favor on Saturday evening at home. The Mutiny got the quick start that they were hoping for with a fifth minute tally from team captain Kate Howarth and doubled their lead in the 38th minute by way of Syracuse standout Sydney Brackett. The result was put beyond doubt shortly after halftime as Brenna Brown, who assisted Brackett’s first goal, was at it again by finding Brackett in the 46th minute. Howarth put on the final touches on the scoresheet with a 56th minute tally, giving her now three goals on the season. This was a result that the Mutiny needed after a challenging last couple of weeks, as in addition to the loss to Worcester last week they allowed a last minute equalizer to Rochester at home on May 19th. But the three points vaults the Mutiny back into second place with seven points through four matches played. Brittany Henderson stopped eight shots for Worcester while Lysianne Proulx made seven saves for the home side.

WESTERN NEW YORK FLASH 2, LONG ISLAND ROUGH RIDERS 5

BUFFALO, NY – The Western New York Flash defeated Long Island 3-1 in Week II and were looking for a similar result as they welcomed the Rough Riders to D’Youville College for their home opener. And the Flash needed only two minutes to take the lead as Erica Hubert smashed in the opener as Taylor Bennett’s long throw-in created chaos inside the box. The hosts nearly had a second goal just six minutes later but Maddie Pezzino’s shot hit the bar and stayed out. Long Island found the equalizer in the 29th minute as Kayla Saager’s free kick found the back of the net and only moments later, reigning UWS East Conference Player of the Year Kim Marra hit a well-weighted ball into the path of Morgan Santoro, with the former Adelphi striker finishing off the sequence to give her team a 2-1 lead. Long Island extended their lead to 3-1 in the 58th minute as Francesca Venezia combined well with Santoro before the former Boston College Eagle slotted one past Flash ‘keeper Megan Tock. The Rough Riders’ would not look back from there as Santoro and Venezia each scored again inside the final half hour while Carissima Cutrona pulled one back for the host Flash as she scored her third goal of the season via a second half penalty kick goal.

CONNECTICUT FUSION 2, INFERNO RUSH 0

FARMINGTON, CT – The expansion Connecticut Fusion continued their strong start to the 2018 campaign as they hosted the Inferno Rush on Saturday evening and came away with their third successive victory. After netting a spot on the Week III UWS Team of the week with a pair of goals against Rochester, former Irish Youth International Haley Nolan gave the Fusion a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute, finishing off a Shauny Alterisio ball. The other two-goal scorer in last week’s victory at Rochester, Tori Sousa, got in on the fun as well as she scored the insurance goal in the 54th minute. And that was all the help that goalkeeper Meghan Dalton needed as she stopped five shots en route to her first solo clean sheet of the season, after combining for a dual shutout with Ashley Cavanaugh in Week III. Inferno’s Kelly O’Brien made three saves in the loss as now her side will look to try and gain some revenge as they host the Fusion in Week V.

NEW JERSEY COPA FC 1, NEW YORK SURF 1

WEST WINDSOR, NJ – It was a key match for both New Jersey and New York as either side came in looking for three points and getting back into the East Conference race. Only a handful of chances for either team in the opening minutes before New York struck the opening goal. Former NYU Violet Melissa Menta finished off one from close distance, giving the visitors a one-goal lead in the 24th minute. The score remained 1-nil to the Surf to start the second half but only five minutes after the re-start, the home side equalized on a fortunate bounce. Alexis Williams laced in a cross from the flank that ricocheted off of a Surf defender and found the back of the net. The chances started to pick up as the second half wore on for both sides but with five minutes left to go in regulation, the referee stopped the match with dangerous weather conditions brewing in the area. After a delay, the final few minutes were called off due to severe weather barraling through the mid-Atlantic region and the game ended as a 1-1 draw. Having points shared between the two sides wasn’t the worst thing to happen for either team, but both teams remain in the bottom half of the conference standings heading into Week V.

SUNDAY, JUNE 3

ROCHESTER LADY LANCERS 1, LONG ISLAND ROUGH RIDERS 1

ROCHESTER, NY – It was a rainy Sunday afternoon in Rochester as the Lady Lancers took to the Marina Auto Stadium pitch for the second straight weekend, looking for a little redemption after falling 4-0 to Connecticut last weekend. They welcomed Long Island, who came into the match on a high after bagging five goals against Western New York on Saturday night. But with the Rough Riders’ short turnaround and the less-than-ideal conditions, the match took a little while to find its rhythm. The hosts went ahead in the 27th minute as Brooke Barbuto, who was fouled inside the area by Long Island’s goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty, calmly slotted home a penalty kick for her fourth goal of the season. The Lady Lancers continued to push as Dori Rizzo created a couple of chances for herself throughout the rest of the first half, but couldn’t add to the lead. But the Rough Riders found their equalizer inside the final 20 minutes as Rochester’s goalkeeper Caitie Broderick misjudged a long free kick, allowing Laura Gomez to easily put the loose ball home. That wrapped up the scoring as the teams shared the points, concluding a four-point road trip in the Western New York region for the Rough Riders.

About United Women's Soccer:

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 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.