FRIDAY, JULY 6

LA GALAXY OC WOMEN 0, CALGARY FOOTHILLS WOMEN’S FC 2

IRVINE, CA – The stakes were high on Friday night as LA Galaxy OC Women and Calgary Foothills Women’s FC squared off in a battle of the top-two sides in the West. Knowing that three points for either side would secure the West Conference regular season title and a spot at the UWS National Championship, both teams held nothing back in a very hot evening in Irvine. After scoring a late equalizer at home last Saturday against Santa Clarita, the visitors carried the momentum into the early stages of this match by taking the lead in the 12th minute. After winning the ball deep in their own area, the visitors built up possession through the middle of the field and Jessica Jones eventually latched onto a searching ball over the top, before firing her third goal of the season past LAGOC goalkeeper Katherine Hess. Despite the near triple-digit temperatures, both teams continued to press and generate chances. But right before halftime, Calgary doubled their lead as Joelle Gosselin picked up a loose ball in the middle of the field and knocked it to the feet of Jones. The former Yeovil Town Ladies midfielder then flicked it onto Alexandria Lamontagne and the former Canadian Youth International did the rest as she split a pair of defenders before firing her shot past Hess. LA Galaxy OC Women came out of the locker room pressing for the entirety of the second half but veteran goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé kept the hosts at bay as she posted an eight-save clean sheet to preserve the result. After finishing second place in their UWS debut in 2017, Troye Flannery’s side took the next step that they wanted to take in 2018 by clinching the conference crown.

SATURDAY, JULY 7

SANTA CLARITA BLUE HEAT 0, REAL SALT LAKE WOMEN 4

SANTA CLARITA, CA – After learning that their quest to three-peat as UWS West Conference Champions came to an end on Friday night, Santa Clarita headed out to face Real Salt Lake Women trying to keep their heads high and put in a strong performance to secure second place. But they quickly ran into a one-woman wrecking crew in the form of Haley North, who bagged a hat trick to lead RSL Women to a convincing 4-0 victory at Master’s University. She struck for the opening goal in the 32nd minute and gave the visitors belief that they needed before heading into the locker room with her second goal right on the stroke of halftime. The hat trick was completed in the 75th minute as the University of Utah product pounced on Grace Johnson’s helper. After setting up North’s second goal, Madison Garlock put her name in the goal column as she scored her first of the season in the 80th minute, with Annie Hawkins notching her second assist of the evening. Winona Frishette posted her first clean sheet of the season for RSLW by stopping all five of Santa Clarita’s shots on target.

SUNDAY, JUNE 8

SO CAL CRUSH FC 4, REAL SALT LAKE WOMEN 1

LA CRESCENTA, CA – In an attempt to try and sweep their weekend road trip to Southern California, Real Salt Lake Women trekked out to La Crescenta to take on winless So Cal Crush FC. But, the rested Crush were ready to take on a weary RSL Women side and came away with their first victory of 2018, taking a 4-1 decision in their home finale. It has been a troubling season for Northern Ireland international Lauren Wade, as she’s been creating many chances all season long but had yet to find her first goal of the season until scoring a late consolation goal in a 4-1 loss to LA Galaxy OC Women last week. But on this Sunday afternoon, Wade came alive as she powered her team with a pair of goals and an assist. Her first came on a counter attack in the 29th minute as she latched onto Taylor Scott’s long through ball and the second came six minutes after the second half restart, as her initial shot was saved by RSLW goalkeeper Winona Frishette but she followed up the effort and tapped home the rebound. Then Wade turned provider a minute later as she linked up with Scott with a cross from the left flank, where Scott poked home her second of the year. Second half substitute Lindsay Kutcher put an exclamation point on the afternoon as she scored on the hour mark in hammering home Eva Dixon’s corner kick. The visitors pulled one back in the 89th minute through Jessica Hixson but overall, it was a result for So Cal Crush to savor as the two teams will battle next Friday in Utah to finish out the campaign.

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.