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Week VIII Preview: UWS West

06/28/2018, 12:30pm EDT
By Admin

LAGOC, So Cal square off twice, SAC look to sweep CFWFC

Friday, June 29

LA Galaxy OC Women vs. So Cal Crush FC

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

This is the first of two meetings on the weekend between LA Galaxy OC Women and So Cal Crush FC, as after Friday's match in Irvine, the two sides will complete the home-and-home on Sunday afternoon. Both teams are operating on different ends of the spectrum in terms of form as LAGOC are currently riding a three-match winning streak and became the first team in nearly two years to defeat Santa Clarita in regular season action by taking a 2-1 victory at home last Friday. Head Coach Scott Juniper is getting goal production from a number of players over the last three matches, with Sherifa Sumaila scoring three goals and both Miku Sunagu and Jordan Marada each netting a pair. Combining having multiple offensive weapons to choose from and getting consistent play in defense, including having Natalie Jacobs being named the UWS Defensive Player of the Week in Week VI, they will feel good about getting six points this weekend and closing the gap on the leaders.

So Cal are operating on the opposite end of the form spectrum and are looking for their first positive result since their opening match draw against Colorado on May 18. But there is no better time than the present to try and nab a result against the one of the best in the West. The Crush have played very competitively against the top teams in the conference but getting goals have been a problem spot. Since that 2-2 draw against Colorado on May 18, Kurtis Millan’s team went four matches without scoring a goal before seeing that drought come to an end last Sunday with Eva Dixon netting a pair of first half tallies. But, its taking the small victories in the grand scheme of things so combining the fact that So Cal can be a very tough team to break down and building on Dixon’s offensive performance from last Sunday, they can be up for the challenge in the first of two meetings against LAGOC.

Saturday, June 30

Calgary Foothills Women’s FC vs. Santa Clarita Blue Heat

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

This is round two of the 2018 season series between Calgary Foothills WFC and Santa Clarita Blue Heat and while both teams found a way to get three points during double-match weeks last week, it was Santa Clarita who defended their home turf with a 2-0 victory over CFWFC. The Blue Heat were stunned just two days earlier by losing for the first time in nearly two years in regular season action to LA Galaxy OC but responded beautifully by closing down shop in the midfield against Calgary and took advantage of their opportunities. Haley Gonzales gave the Blue Heat the lead in the 60th minute and Yolanda Albalat secured the three-points with an 88th minute tally. But, even with the momentum gained from that result, this match is a must-win for Santa Clarita if they want to keep their hopes alive to three-peat as West Conference Champions. They currently trail Calgary by five points but do have two more matches after this weekend while CFWFC only have one. So, a win for the Blue Heat will set up a frantic last two weeks but a loss or a draw will all but eliminate them from postseason play.

This will be the first time this year that Troye Flannery’s Calgary team will have to bounce back from adversity. Last weekend was not a memorable one for his side as despite getting a 2-0 victory against last place So Cal two days before the Santa Clarita loss, they were pushed to the limit against the Crush and needed two goals inside of the last ten minutes to seal the points. So this weekend’s match will be a true identity revealer for CFWFC as they can either rise to the challenge or wilt under the pressure. The one thing they do have going for them is that they are a perfect 3-0-1 at the Calgary Soccer Center this season and 5-1-2 all time at home in UWS play. So if they can learn from their defeat last week and feed off the energy in playing at their home park, Calgary can be back in business.

Sunday, July 1

So Cal Crush FC vs. LA Galaxy OC Women

4:00 PM PDT – Crescenta Valley H.S. (La Crescenta, CA)

After Friday night’s match in Irvine, So Cal Crush and LA Galaxy OC Women will meet 55 miles north in La Crescenta to finish off the weekend home-and-home. This match will be imperative for LAGOC as they will know exactly what they need to do to keep their postseason hopes alive. If LAGOC sweep the weekend against So Cal, they will have a chance to go level with Calgary at the top of the table with a win when they meet in Week IX. But, if Calgary wins their match against Santa Clarita and if LAGOC drop any points this weekend, their title-winning scenarios range from having to win their final two matches outright, having to win both remaining matches and to get help elsewhere to even seeing their title chances come to an end entirely this weekend. 

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.

Tag(s): News |   West  Foothills WFC  Santa Clarita Blue Heat  So Cal Crush  LA Galaxy