ROCHESTER, NY - On Saturday, February 3rd on the Kick This! radio show on Fox Sports 1280 AM, the Rochester Lancers and Lady Lancers released their new home venue for the 2018 season. Salvatore 'SoccerSam' Fantauzzo - CEO/Founder of Salvatore's Pizzeria and Host of Kick This! - announced that his Lancers organization has reached an agreement with the owners of the Rochester Rhinos (David and Wendy Dworkin) to host their games at Capelli Sport Stadium.
"Aquinas was a great venue last season, but the school will be updating their facility this spring and we are unable to use the stadium there," said Rochester VP of Operations Ashley Maria King.
The Lancers have tentatively scheduled 11 games at Capelli Sport Stadium, which serves as home of the Rochester Rhinos and also hosted the Western New York Flash when they competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It has a capacity of 13,768 and since it opened on June 3, 2006, the venue has hosted a variety of United States Women's National Team matches. The last USWNT match there was on September 18, 2014 when they played an international friendly against Mexico, winning 4-0.
The Lancers organization have also announced their coaching & administrative staff for their National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and United Women's Soccer (UWS) teams. Sal Galvano has been named Head Coach of the Lady Lancers this year. Sal is the Head Coach for the Monroe Community College Lady Tribunes. In 2017, Galvano lead the Tribunes to a 13-3 record and was named the North Region Coach of the Year by the NSCAA.
Kayla Klark Kent-Moreira returns to Rochester as Director of Soccer Operations. Kayla worked for the indoor Lancers for four seasons, WNY Flash of NWSL for two seasons and the 2017 Flash UWS team. Doug Miller returns as Head Coach for the Rochester Lancers in the NPSL. Last year, Doug lead the team to a 6-4-2 record and missed the playoffs by just one point. Salvatore's Pizza returns as the title sponsor of both the Lancers and Lady Lancers.
"We are proud to be the Title Sponsor of this historic sports franchise in the Rochester, NY area," said Fantauzzo. You can contact him by phone at 585-259-5425 or by email at soccersam@soccersam.com.
About United Women’s Soccer (UWS): UWS is a national women’s soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). 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 UWS Director of Communications Jorma Kansanen 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.
METUCHEN, NJ - Not only did United Women’s Soccer (UWS) expand into the Midwest this past season, but the East Conference also grew from six to eight teams for the 2017 campaign. And like the Midwest, said expansion allowed the league office to compile First & Second All-Conference Teams for end-of-season honors. New Jersey were the regular season champions in the conference but Long Island would one-up them in the East Final for the automatic berth into the UWS National Championship. Both sides were recognized when it came to the top individual honors awarded this season.
Coach Of The Year
ADAM WHITEHEAD (Long Island Rough Riders)
Four years after the conclusion of his stellar playing career for the Binghamton University Bearcats, Whitehead was named the new Head Coach of the Long Island Rough Riders prior to the 2017 season. Long Island had a solid 2016 season in the UWS East but under Whitehead’s tutelage, the team won their first game of the 2017 campaign and the long-time women’s soccer organization went on to take the next step up the pro-am ladder. A second-place finish during the regular season gave Whitehead’s team a shot at breaking New Jersey’s unbeaten streak at home in the 2017 East Conference Final. Long Island broke down a stingy Copa defense in a 5-1 win that sent them to the UWS National Championship.
Player Of The Year
KIMBERLY MARRA (Long Island Rough Riders)
Marra was the two-way difference make for the Long Island Rough Riders this past season, playing in the central midfield as both a playmaker and a destroyer while also spending time in the defense. The former Iona Gael (started in 54 of 68 career games) captained the Rough Riders in most of her 10 appearances in 2017 and finished fourth in team scoring (three goals, assist). Lindsay was second in minutes played (810) and turned out to be Head Coach Adam Whitehead’s most consistent player. She was named to the UWS Team of the Week on three occasions - the last time in Week X when Marra scored three goals in two wins to end the season and leap-frog New England into second place and into the postseason.
Defensive Player Of The Year
REBECCA RABER (New Jersey Copa FC)
Raber returned for her second season with New Jersey Copa FC and led the East’s best defense to a stingy seven goals allowed in 10 conference games. New Jersey won their second straight regular season title and Rebecca once again led the team in minutes played - 900 in 2017 (1756 in two seasons) - while also adding two assists. Her 900 minutes played this past campaign was tied with nine other players for tops in all of UWS. Raber was named to the UWS Team of the Week on two occasions, the last time in Week VII when NJCFC notched two wins and outs-cored the opposition by a 6-1 margin. This past offseason, Raber scored the game-winning goal for Durham University in England to win the National Championship.
2017 All-East Conference First Team
F FURTUNA VELAJ (New York Surf)
F CARISSIMA CUTRONA (Western New York Flash)
F HALEY CRAWFORD (Lancaster Inferno)
MF BRENNA BROWN (New England Mutiny)
MF JACKIE BRUNO (New Jersey Copa FC)
MF KIMBERLY MARRA (Long Island Rough Riders)
D JENNIFER CAFFERKY (New England Mutiny)
D REBECCA RABER (New Jersey Copa FC)
D TAYLOR GROTH (Long Island Rough Riders)
D BROOKE SALMON (New York Surf)
GK CAITIE BRODERICK (Rochester Lady Lancers)
2017 All-East Conference Second Team
F JEANINE NUNEZ (New Jersey Copa FC)
F KATE HOWARTH (New England Mutiny)
F ERICA MURPHY (New York Surf)
F ERICA MODINA (Long Island Rough Riders)
MF TESA MCKIBBEN (Lancaster Inferno)
MF ALEXA SCHNEIDER (Long Island Rough Riders)
D SYDNEY CUMMINGS (New Jersey Copa FC)
D TRISHA CLARK (Lancaster Inferno)
D DANIELLE BRAUN (Western New York Flash)
D JENNY BITZER (New Jersey Copa FC)
GK SIERRA BONHAM (New York Magic)
Iron Women Of The Year (most minutes played)
D TRISHA CLARK (Lancaster Inferno)
D REBECCA RABER (New Jersey Copa FC)
D DANIELLE BRAUN (Western New York Flash)
D BROOKE SALMON (New York Surf)
D DYLAN PATTERSON (Rochester Lady Lancers)
About United Women’s Soccer (UWS): UWS is a national women’s soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). 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 UWS Director of Communications Jorma Kansanen 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.
NEW ENGLAND MUTINY 4, NEW YORK MAGIC 0
EAST LONGMEADOW, MA - New England Mutiny forward Kate Howarth took over top spot on the team’s all-time scoring charts in Sunday afternoon’s 4-0 win over the New York Magic (0-7-1). The three-goal performance put the team captain on the top (42 goals, 13 assists, 97 points) and also kept her team in the hunt for a spot in the East Final (Tuesday, July 18). The top two teams in the conference will battle it out for the automatic berth into the United Women’s Soccer National Championship (July 21-22) and New England is still in the mix alongside the New York Surf, Long Island and Lancaster. New Jersey has already qualified as the first team in the conference final.
It only took three minutes for Howarth to tie former Mutiny star and current University of Miami Head Coach Mary-Frances Monroe (36 goals, 21 assists, 93 points) at the top of the team’s scoring chart. The former Hurricane tallied the game-winning goal off an assist from forward Abby Sotomayor - her fifth of the season. In the 20th minute, Howarth took the all-time mark for herself, breaking in on the New York goal and slotting her shot past goalkeeper Sierra Bonham for the 2-0 lead. Three minutes later, defender Brittany Champagne went coast-to-coast and notched her first goal of the season for the 3-0 score. In the 56th minute, midfielder Sharlotte Pernice sent in Howarth on a breakaway for the final tally in the 4-0 victory.
NEW YORK MAGIC 0, NEW YORK SURF 5
BROOKLYN, NY - The New York Surf (5-2-2 East) kept their hopes up of earning a spot in the 2017 East Final on Saturday night at Poly Prep Country Day School, earning a 5-0 road win over the New York Magic and sweeping the season series in the local derby. Two goals each from forward Erica Murphy and midfielder Corinna Ferrante powered the Surf offense while goalkeeper Colleen Hickey made four saves in the victory. Magic goalkeeper Sierra Bonham made six saves in the loss as the hosts were out-shot by a 11-4 margin.
Ferrante opened the scoring in the fifth minute, as she converted on a rebound from a shot by forward Furtuna Velaj. The game would be interrupted at halftime by a lightning delay and remained at 1-0 in the Surf’s favor all the way up until the 72nd minute of play, when Murphy notched the first of two straight goals in two minutes off another rebound from a Velaj shot. Ferrante followed Murphy’s two goals with her second tally of the game in the 75th minute. Midfielder Faith Daley finished the scoring on the night in 80th minute with her unassisted goal.
NEW JERSEY COPA FC 1, NEW ENGLAND MUTINY 0
HOLMDEL, NJ - New Jersey Copa FC (7-1-1 East) booked a spot in the 2017 East Final on Saturday afternoon at Saint John Vianney High School, as 2016 UWS Player of the Year Krystyna Freda tallied the game’s lone goal in a 1-0 win over the New England Mutiny. The defending conference champions will have an opportunity on Tuesday, July 18th to make it back-to-back titles when the top two teams in the East face off for the automatic berth into the 2017 UWS National Championship (July 21-22). At this juncture, it is still to be determined who the second team will be and who will host the conference final, but NJCFC lead the race to host with one game remaining in the regular season.
The Mutiny started the match brightly as forward Brenna Brown had a 1v1 with Copa goalkeeper Kristyn Shea (three saves) but she deflected away Brown’s opportunity with a kick save. In the 22nd minute, New Jersey defender Rebecca Raber cleared a ball out of her half but the New England defense misjudged the flight of the ball and Freda jumped on the bouncing ball, beating Gabby Arruda (one save) to it and chipping her shot over the Mutiny keeper for the 1-0 lead. New England had another scoring chance four minutes after Freda’s goal, but captain Kate Howarth could not tuck her shot under the crossbar on a 1v1 breakaway. The Mutiny made a late push for a equalizer to no avail.
LANCASTER INFERNO 4, ROCHESTER LADY LANCERS 2
MILLERSVILLE, PA - The Lancaster Inferno (4-4 East) guaranteed themselves a winning record at home on Saturday afternoon, scoring three first half goals en route to a 4-2 victory over the Rochester Lady Lancers (0-9-1 East) at Pucillo Field. A three-goal performance from leading scorer Haley Crawford led the Inferno offense on the day, as the hosts were on the attack from the outset. Kelly O'Brien (three saves) went all 90 minutes in goal for Lancaster while Rochester goalkeeper Caitie Broderick finished off her season with five saves in this match (59 total saves). The Inferno have not yet been mathematically eliminated from taking on New Jersey in the UWS East Final (July 18).
The Inferno opened the scoring in the 19th minute of play, as defender Liz Wenger sent midfielder Tesa McKibben in on a breakaway that she converted for the 1-0 lead. The game was delayed by lightning midway through the first half, but after play resumed, Lancaster picked up where they left off. Crawford tallied her first goal in the 39th minute, firing her shot in the top right corner off an assist from McKibben. The James Madison forward broke in on goal just before halftime to make the score 3-0. Lady Lancers midfielder Macaylah Arieno got the visitors on the score board in the 68th minute. The teams exchanged late tallies for the final 4-2 score, with Crawford putting the Inferno back up by three goals.
LONG ISLAND ROUGH RIDERS 5, ROCHESTER LADY LANCERS 1
SOUTH HUNTINGTON, NY - The Long Island Rough Riders (5-1-1 East) got back in the win column in impressive fashion last Friday afternoon, as two goals apiece from forward Morgan Santoro and forward Erica Modena powered the hosts to a 5-1 win over the Rochester Lady Lancers at Saint Anthony’s High School. The prior weekend, Long Island dropped their first contest of the season to conference leaders New Jersey. But that result has not hurt the Rough Riders, as the victory over Rochester keeps them right in the mix for the second spot in the East Final - and an opportunity to win the season series against Copa, as the two teams have split their two games in 2017.
Santoro got Long Island on the score board early in this match, converting on a cross from Modena in the second minute. In the 29th minute, the Adelphi star tallied the eventual game-winner on a through ball from midfielder Taylor Elliott. In first half injury time, midfielder Sofia Sanchez made it a 3-0 game on an assist from defender Taylor Groth as both teams went into halftime. Modena tallied both goals for the Rough Riders in the second half in the 58th & 78th minutes before the Lady Lancers got on the score sheet in the 88th minute via Taylor Wingerden’s third goal of the year. Rochester goalkeeper Caitie Broderick (eight saves) picked up the loss while Melissa Guglielmo and Shannon Robinson made two total saves.
About United Women’s Soccer (UWS): UWS is a national women’s soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). 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 UWS Director of Communications Jorma Kansanen 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.