Saturday, June 9

Inferno Rush vs. Connecticut Fusion

3:00 PM EDT – Millersville University (Millersville, PA)

Last week, Connecticut and Inferno Rush met in Farmington, CT and it was the host Fusion that came out victorious with a 2-0 decision. The recipe for the Fusion over the last couple of matches have been fairly simple, provide service and create opportunities for both Haley Nolan and Tori Sousa, and let them do the rest. And it’s worked. Both scored in the victory over Inferno and both netted a pair of goals in the Week III victory at Rochester. Combining that with the outstanding work by recent UWS Team of the Week honoree’s Kylee McIntosh and Chanel Johnson has provided Tom D’Agostino’s side a real opportunity to grab the reigns of the East Conference as the mid-way point of the season nears.

Inferno on the other hand will not be overly deterred by the result from last week, knowing that it’s tough to beat a team twice in back-to-back weeks. And the Rush will be playing within the confines of their home field for the first time in 2018, beginning a three-match homestand. Francisco Cleaves’ team found the needed spark from Tesa McKibben and Teresa Rynier in the team's Week III come-from-behind victory at the New York Surf, where both netted a goal and provided an assist. If those two can get back to that form, the fortunes could easily swing back in favor for Inferno Rush in the return meeting against the Fusion.

New Jersey Copa FC vs. Worcester Smiles

4:30 PM EDT – Mercer County Community College (West Windsor, NJ)

In the meeting of the two bottom teams in UWS East, it isn’t a time for desperate measures just yet. Especially for New Jersey Copa right now, as they have only played a pair of matches so far this season. But a positive result for either side will be key to stay within reach the teams at the top of the pack. Roberto Aguas’ team will be happy for the way that his team fought back to get a result last weekend in a weather-shortened 1-1 draw against the New York Surf. But now they will need to dig in deep and try to get a result at home before hitting the road for three matches, including taking in the Western New York region swing next weekend.

The Worcester Smiles picked up a split in the home-and-home series with Massachusetts state rival, New England Mutiny, with the home team winning each match. However, Anthony Cosky’s team will be wary of the fact that they saw a second big number of conceded goals fly in as Worcester allowed four last Saturday. But they are also getting some good scoring balance as well, with four different players netting a goal so far in 2018, including Sydney Fisher’s 34th minute winner against the Mutiny in Week III. They will have to be ready to absorb pressure early on against a Copa side that’s looking for three points. But if they can get through the first 15-20 minutes and try to establish their tone, it could turn out to have the visiting leave Central Jersey with points.

Long Island Rough Riders vs. Rochester Lady Lancers

5:00 PM EDT – Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)

Long Island have vaulted up the table since the start of Week IV play, taking four points last weekend in a pair of matches in Western New York. And then, Karim Diallo’s side started Week V early with a Wednesday evening match against New York Surf, taking home a 3-1 victory. After giving up a first half goal, the Rough Riders scored three inside the final half hour, all coming from three-second half substitutes. Taylor Elliott netted the equalizer in the 64th minute, Kerianne Scorce scored the go-ahead goal in the 70th minute and Marisa Garcia rounded out the second half scoring barrage with a stoppage time tally. Now Long Island face Rochester for the second time in 2018, as the two sides drawing last week at the Marina Auto Stadium. But if the hosts can turn one point into three points this weekend, they will have firmly put themselves in contention to possibly repeat as East Conference Champions.

Rochester will have been slightly disappointed in how last Sunday turned out in their meeting against Long Island. The Lady Lancers went ahead in the 26th minute as Brooke Barbuto buried a penalty kick to give her side the lead, only to see it slip in the 73rd minute as goalkeeper Caitie Broderick mis-judged a long free kick into the box, allowing an easy tap-in goal for Laura Gomez. But after what was a troubling 2017 season with the team earning just one point in ten matches and only scoring ten goals, they’ve already surpassed both marks in just four matches, with five points and 12 goals. A large reason for that is having Barbuto and Elin Eklund both amongst the league leaders in goals (4) and points (9) at this stage in the season. And with this being a double-match weekend, four or more points from this week for the Lady Lancers keeps them very much alive in the postseason race.

New England Mutiny vs. New York Surf

5:30 PM EDT – Agawam H.S. (Agawam, MA)

The New England Mutiny have put themselves in second place in the East with seven points (2-1-1) but feel that their record should be a perfect four wins and no losses, after giving up a late equalizer to Rochester in Week II and losing to Worcester in Week III. But the Mutiny got back on the right foot with a resounding 4-0 win against the Smiles. Week IV UWS Team of the Week member Sydney Brackett had an impressive five-point game with a pair of goals and an assist while Kate Howarth posted a multi-goal effort as well. The question for the Mutiny this week is if they can consolidate the win over Worcester with a result against a New York Surf side, who is desperate for points after a mid-week loss to Long Island. If they can do that, they will stay in the thick of the East Conference race at the halfway point of the season.

New York is seeing their hopes for a postseason bid dwindling and need to make a move this weekend if they want to see their season extend past Week X. After an opening week victory at Worcester, the Surf are 0-3-1 with their lone draw coming at New Jersey Copa last week. They’ve already lost a match to Long Island during Week V play, as despite Melissa Menta giving them a lead in the 20th minute, they gave up three second half goals to leave empty handed. Having Menta in good scoring form is a big plus, as the former NYU striker has scored in back-to-back matches, but the team would love to see more goals coming from a number of their quality strikers, including Furtuna Velaj, as her 2017 campaign netted her five goals but just one so far in 2018. The Mutiny and the Surf split their regular season meetings last year, with the home team winning each contest and with this being the only meeting between the two sides this year, a result for the Surf is a needed one.

Sunday, June 10

New York Surf vs. Rochester Lady Lancers

1:30 PM EDT – SUNY Maritime (Bronx, NY)

New York and Rochester will square off in a Sunday afternoon matchup, with both teams looking for three points to keep their hopes for a postseason spot alive. Interestingly enough, the schedule has it that both squads are playing on the road the day before so it will be curious to see what the tempo will be like in the early goings. Both teams’ defensive records have not been the greatest thus far in 2018, as only Worcester have given up more goals than either side. But with Rochester also bolstering one of the highest offensive scoring teams in the league, this match could end up turning out to be a very back-and-forth match for 90 minutes with no one-goal lead ever being safe.

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.