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Playoffs 2018

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2018 UWS All-Southwest Conference Awards

07/31/2018, 11:45am EDT
By Admin

HOU sweep the inaugural Southwest Conference accolades

METUCHEN, NJ - For the second straight season, United Women's Soccer added a new conference and in 2018, the Southwest Conference was born. The five-team division was based solely in the state of Texas and saw a familiar team to the league, the Houston Aces, become it's first conference champion. After spending the first two season of UWS play in the West Conference, the Aces ran right through the competition in the Southwest, winning all eight of their games and outscoring their opponents 53-3. And if that wasn't enough, they claimed their first league title with a 1-0 victory over the Inferno Rush in the UWS National Final.

Southwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year - Gisela Arrieta (Houston Aces)

The Colombian international had a season to remember in 2018 as she led the UWS in scoring with 15 goals and 31 points. After going goalless in the Aces' opening match, the Graceland University product went off, scoring in seven straight matches with five of those being multi-goal games. Then she carried the form into the postseason where she made defenses cringe in trying to defend her. She scored the equalizing goal in the UWS National Semifinal victory over Calgary and then despite not scoring in the Final, she created several good chances against Inferno Rush and opened up space for the rest of her attacking unit. Houston will hope that they will see a replication of her 2018 success in 2019 as this was a special year for her.

Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year - Natalia Ariza (Houston Aces)

It was a solid campaign in the back for Natalia Ariza as she featured in every match for the Aces and was an integral part of holding opponents to just three goals throughout the regular season. In addition to scoring three goals during the regular season, the UWS National Championship weekend was when the 2012 Olympian shined the most in squaring off against two quality opponents in Calgary and Inferno. She handled the pressure of a major competition with great composure and hardly missed out on a challenge that entire weekend, including leading the side to a clean sheet over 120 minutes in the Final against the Inferno Rush.

Southwest Conference Coach of the Year - Gui Ferreira (Houston Aces)

After the Aces ran right through the Southwest Conference in the regular season, Gui Ferreira lead the Aces to their first UWS league title in impressive fashion. With their perfect season and setting new records for most goals scored and least goals conceded in a season, Ferreira nets his first Coach of the Year accolade in UWS.

2018 UWS All-Southwest Conference Team

GK: Anna Hughes (Houston Aces)

D: Shauna Peare (Houston Aces)

D: Carina Baltrip-Reyes (FC Austin Elite)

D: Natalia Ariza (Houston Aces)

MF: Tatiana Ariza (Houston Aces)

MF: Emily Jorgens (FC Austin Elite)

MF: Marina Diaz Leal Arrellaga (Houston Aces)

F: Gisela Arrieta (Houston Aces)

F: Christina Arteaga (FC Austin Elite)

F: Julie Gavorski (Houston Aces)

F: Mackenzie Scovill (North Texas Image)

2018 UWS All-Southwest Conference Honorable Mention

D: Alexia Salas (North Texas Image)

D: Jennifer LaPonte (Houston Aces)

D: Natalya Ramirez (North Texas Image)

M: Paige Hayward (Houston Aces)

M: Miah Zuazua (North Texas Image)

M: Sabrina Munguia (HAR FC)

F: Kimberlin Palacios (FC Austin Elite)

F: Desiree Morgas (ASA El Paso)

2018 UWS Team of the Week selections (Combined by Team)

FC Austin Elite:

           DEF: Carina Baltrip-Reyes (Week VII)

           MID: Emily Jorgens (Week IX)

           FOR: Jayme Woodfill (Week VII hon. mention), Christina Arteaga (FCA, Week IX)

ASA El Paso:

           FOR: Desiree Morgas (Week V)

HAR FC:

           MID: Idalys Rea (Week X hon. mention)

Houston Aces:

           DEF: Shauna Peare (Week VIII)

           FOR: Rachel Owens (Week IV), Gisela Arrieta (Week V hon. mention, Week VII), Julie Gavorski (Week VI)

North Texas Image:

           DEF: Alexia Salas (Week VIII hon. mention)

           MID: Miah Zuazua (Week IX)

           FOR: Mackenzie Scovill (Week V hon. mention)

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.

Week X Preview: UWS Southwest

07/12/2018, 3:15pm EDT
By Admin

HOU look to cap off a perfect regular season

SATURDAY, JULY 14

ASA El Paso vs. HAR FC

6:00 PM MDT – Socorro Stadium (El Paso, TX)

ASA El Paso and HAR FC met back in the first weekend of Southwest Conference matches back on June 3rd and it was HAR FC who scored a 3-2 victory at the Houston Sports Park. Now these two teams will wrap up their respective seasons out in West Texas. It has been a challenging season for ASA, as they’ve dropped their last four matches since defeating FC Austin Elite 5-4 back on June 9th. Last weekend, they conceded 16 goals in two games as they fell 8-1 to FCA and 8-0 to North Texas. But this team has been a much better side at home this year and will hope that a little home cooking, plus a week to recover and work on their defensive shape, will yield them a positive result.

HAR FC put together two performances last weekend that they would be very happy with. On Saturday, they lost to Houston 4-0 but unlike many of the Aces’ opponents this year, they shut it down defensively in the second half and didn’t let the leagues’ highest scoring offense inflate the scoreline. And on Sunday, the team snapped their five-match losing streak with a strong 3-1 victory over a very good FC Austin Elite side. Idalys Rea got HAR FC on the board in the first half and then Kate Edwards and Sophia Manibo each scored within the first 15 minutes of the second half to put the contest away. Salma Ghazal picked up the win in net with a five-save effort and now they will look to finish off the season the way that they started it, by taking a result against ASA El Paso.

Houston Aces vs. North Texas Image

7:00 PM CDT – Houston Sports Park (Houston, TX)

The Southwest Conference Champion Houston Aces found out last week that Calgary Foothills Women’s FC will join them at the UWS National Championship, as Calgary clinched the West with a win over LA Galaxy OC Women. After learning that news, Houston breezed through HAR FC with a 4-0 victory to keep their perfect season alive. This week, they will face a good test that will get them ready for the National semifinals as they take on North Texas Image. When these two teams met back on June 9th, the Aces needed three goals in the second half to put the match away as UWS leading scorer Gisela Arrieta bagged two to ice the game off. Now on their home turf, they will look to put in another confident performance in their preparations for next week’s National Championship.

Ever since their first match against the Aces, North Texas have gone on a nice run by winning four of their last five games, only losing 2-0 to FC Austin Elite. The Image picked up a resounding 8-0 victory over ASA El Paso last week and saw Miah Zuazua get a nod on the Week IX UWS Team of the Week with her three-goal, three-assist performance. Even though the Image have known for a couple weeks that their quest for a Conference crown was cut short due to the Aces’ brilliance this season, they can play a spoiler role in their opponents preparation for the National Championships by traveling down to Houston and coming away with a result. Which, that will be all the motivation that Joe Soliz’s side need to get the job done.

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.

Week IX Roundup: UWS Southwest

07/09/2018, 1:45pm EDT
By Admin

NTX put eight past ASA, HAR FC snap skid against FCA

SATURDAY, JULY 7

FC AUSTIN ELITE 8, ASA EL PASO 1

ROUND ROCK, TX – Both FC Austin Elite and ASA El Paso were looking to get their two-match weekend off to good starts but it was the hosts who powered home eight goals en route to three points on Saturday night. Kimberlin Palacios gave FCA the lead in the 22nd minute as she finished off Christina Arteaga’s ball for her third goal of the season. That lead was short lived however as ASA El Paso got an equalizing tally minutes later from Valeria Rey in the 27th minute. Palacios got her team back in front in the 38th minute and after assisting Palacios’ second strike, Emily Jorgens got herself in the goal column in the 44th minute. The hosts took that 3-1 lead into the locker room and never looked back as they put the ball into the back of the net five times in the second half. Christina Arteaga scored a hat trick in the second stanza, tallying goals in the 46th, 66th and 76th minute while Palacios rounded out her three-goal night on the hour mark. Gretta LaCouture added her name to the scoresheet with a 74th minute goal while Jorgens, in addition to her first-half goal, had four assists on the night. Maya Dossing stopped five shots in 77 minutes for FCA before Katarina Buck saw out the remaining minutes.

HAR FC 0, HOUSTON ACES 4

HOUSTON, TX – The Houston Aces made it seven wins in seven games on Saturday night as they defeated HAR FC 4-0 on the strength of Gisella Arrieta’s two-goal effort. The Colombian international wasted little time giving her team the lead as she tallied her 11th goal of the season in the fourth minute of action, finishing off Tatiana Ariza’s service. Ariza added to the lead in the 37th minute with her fifth goal of the season before Arrieta scored her second just minutes before half time. Credit the HAR FC defense as they were able to keep the Aces attackers at bay throughout the second half, as the Conference Champs had been able to put teams away with quick-fire goals in the later stages of their previous matches. But the Aces could only score once more in the second half through Isabella Echeverri Restrepo’s 77th minute strike. Cailey Croson was a big reason in keeping the Aces’ attack quiet as she stopped seven on the evening, despite taking the loss. Lauren Lovejoy and Anna Hughes split the minutes in goal for Houston and each made one save on the night.

SUNDAY, JUNE 8

HAR FC 3, FC AUSTIN ELITE 1

HOUSTON, TX – HAR FC snapped a five-match losing streak with a 3-1 victory over FC Austin Elite on Sunday night, picking up their first win since their opening weekend result over ASA El Paso. Idalys Rea gave the hosts the lead in the 17th minute and HAR FC probably felt like they could have carried more than just a one-goal advantage into halftime if it wasn’t for the five saves Katarina Buck made in the FCA goal. But as Maya Dossing came in to take over the reigns in goal for FCA in the second half, HAR FC broke through with two goals inside of 20 minutes after the restart. Kate Edwards scored within a minute of the second half kickoff and Sophia Manibo made it 3-0 in the 56th minute with her first goal of the season. After a one-goal, four-assist performance on Saturday against ASA El Paso, Emily Jorgens capped off her impressive weekend by scoring in the 66th minute. But it wasn’t enough to deny HAR FC their second win of the campaign. Salma Ghazal earned the win in goal for the hosts, stopping five. 

NORTH TEXAS IMAGE 8, ASA EL PASO 0

DUNCANVILLE, TX – After traveling out to El Paso last week and winning 3-0, North Texas made short work in taking the season sweep over their West Texas rivals on Sunday night, winning 8-0 to jump into second place in the Southwest Conference. It was a night to remember for Miah Zuazua as the University of Southern Mississippi striker tallied a pair of goals and assisted on three others to lead the Image. She facilitated each of North Texas’ first two goals on the night, setting up Jessica Dowse’s fifth minute goal and Tameir Grosvenor’s strike in the 11th minute. Then it was Zuazua’s turn to find the back of the net as after her team earned a penalty kick in the 31st minute, she stepped up to put it home. After taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room, NTX added five in the second half, highlighted by a brace from substitute Melinda Pina. NTX goalkeeper Cindy Castillo made nine saves for the clean sheet while Meagan Smith made nine saves in 77 minutes of action for ASA El Paso. 

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.