USL W League: Week 2 Recap
Kalamazoo 3 - 1 Cleveland Force
Greeneville players celebrate after a first half goal.
Greeneville Liberty 2 - 0 FC Carolinas
It was a big win for Greeneville as the club kicked off its second season in the W League. It didn’t take long for Liberty to jump out to a lead, when in the 12th minute, Julie Mackin lofted a pass into the box to Marcella Helena who would bury her shot for the opening goal. The Brazilian attacker would net her second goal before halftime to give the home side a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Greeneville Liberty Head Coach Julie Carlson was fired up after the win. “I’m very proud of them. I mean they were very resilient; they followed the game plan, which was just to be very disciplined. Some of the non-negotiables we had were just to be very disciplined defensively, first, and I told them a goal is going to come you just have to be patient.”
Stockton Cargo 3 - 2 Marin FC Sirens
Stockton Cargo gets its first win of the season, knocking off Marin FC Sirens 3-2 in a tightly contested match that looked like it would end with an opposite result at half. Sirens were up 2-0 at halftime and looked to be in control. Stockton would battle back with goals from Brewah, Ceja and McMahon to win the club’s first match of its existence.
Palm City Americans 0 - 2 Tampa Bay United
Tampa Bay went on the road and got 3 points against the Angry Eagles. Jordan Green would score the first and Megan Rucker converted a free kick for the second. It’s a big first win for Tampa Bay with a second match coming quick in the midweek. Palm City drops its second straight to start the season.
Oakland Soul 1 - 0 The Olympic Club
So one super smart thing the Soul are doing this season is making sure to tie their women’s side to their men’s side (Oakland Roots) with matches like this one, where they play a double header and tickets are sold as a joint package. The cross promotion would pay off when over 5,800 fans would show up for the match against Olympic Club. The winner in the 1-0 contest would come from Kaytlin Brinkman. Soul wins (as did Roots) and everyone went home happy in Oakland.
Glens have crushed Academica, but how well will they play against the rest of Nor Cal.
Academica 0 - 5 SF Glens
Glens crushed Academica in their last match, but could they do it again on the road. The answer was a resounding yes! After a scoreless first half, the goals would start coming. Nadia Gomes and Maddy Samilo scored braces, while Kaylee Kim added a goal of her own. Isa Bañuelos got another clean sheet between the pipes.
Asheville City SC 1 - 1 NC Fusion
Riley Thompson scored early for the homeside, just 3 minutes into the match, but NC Fusion would get an equalizer in the first half. Aaryn Gabriel would even it up in the 31st minute by doing both sides of the work on a penalty (drawing and scoring). The match would end with that scoreline and the two clubs would split the points.
Detroit City 0 - 0 Flint City AFC
4,743 fans showed up for this match, but didn’t get any goals. Knowing Keyworth fans, they were just as loud rooting for their home team. It will be interesting to see how both of these teams emerge from this match and what splitting the points could mean at the end of the year.
Christos FC 1 - 0 Virginia Marauders FC
This was a tight one, with plenty of chances for both of these Mid Atlantic clubs. The difference was a Baylee DeSmit goal on a one-on-one with the keeper in the 14th minute. Virginia slips into the second spot in the division, while Christos sits in first after one match.
King’s Hammer FC 3 - 1 St. Charles FC
Coming off their opening match loss to Lexington, King’s Hammer was looking to start off their home opener right. It didn’t take long for that to pay dividends, when Avery May scored in the 6th minute, capitalizing on an error by the St. Charles’ keeper. Sydney Rhodes would add a second just three minutes later on a corner kick. And though St. Charles would get one back just before half, but couldn’t unlock the King’s Hammer defense. Natalie Bain would add an insurance goal in the second half. The win is a big one for King’s Hammer, getting them back to .500 for the season. St. Charles falls to 0-2.
Capital FC Atletica 4 - 0 Lane United FC
It was a big day for Capita FC Atletica, setting the pace for the Northwest Division with a massive 4-0 win over Lane United. Four goal scorers would all tally in this one for Atletica: Fatima Jimenez, Rin Choi, Maria Juarez, and Rylee Loewn.
Oly Town FC 2 - 0 PDX FC
It was another double header in this one, with the Artesians hosting PDX FC. The men won the opening match and the women followed suit, hanging two on PDX FC. The opening goal came from Kendyl Sarver in the first half, while Suzuka Yosue would add an insurance goal late in the second. After the match, coach Chris Wells noted that this team could be even better. “It was definitely promising knowing with a little more continuity and chemistry, we could become a very dangerous team going forward.”
Plenty of reasons for AFCAA to be smiling. Image credit: jbolandphotography
AFC Ann Arbor 2 - 1 Kalamazoo FC
Brooklyn Whitehead would be the difference in this one. The forward, who plays her college ball for the Toledo Rockets, would score twice, once just before and once just after halftime, giving AFC Ann Arbor enough to win over Kalamazoo. Though beaten twice in goal, GK Cailynn Junk would prevent a penalty in the first half. Kalamazoo’s only goal would come in extra time, but it would not be enough to prevent the first loss of the season.
Southern Soccer Academy 0 - 0 South Georgia Tormenta
Big matchup between Tormenta and SSA saw scoring chances for both sides but neither could convert. Given how tight this South Central Division was last season, matches like these could play a big role in deciding who finishes on top at the end of the year.
Chattanooga Red Wolves 3 - 1 Tennessee SC
After falling behind, the Red Wolves would find the equalizer just before halftime, when Mackenzie Smith found the net. Early in the second half, Grace Morris headed in the ball from a beautiful corner kick to put her club ahead. In the 69th minute, Jayla Gillespie would beat her defender on a breakaway and calmly slot it past the keeper for another insurance goal. The win puts the Red Wolves into the top spot in the South Central Division, where the team finished second, edged out by eventual champion Tormenta.
NC Courage U23 5 - 1 Wake FC
This one was not close at all, as the Courage U23 squad won handily, 5-1 over Wake FC. Olivia Lebdaoui scored a brace in the first half, and Taylor Chism, Katie Groff and Izzy Brown all added a goal of their own. Wake managed a single goal in the first half, but couldn’t keep up with NC Courage.
FC Carolinas 0 - 3 Asheville City
After a scoreless first half, Asheville City would find gold with a three goals from two second half substitutions. Nao Kawasaki would come on at the half and have an almost immediate impact, scoring twice (63’, 67’). Laura Greb would sub on in the 72nd minute and score almost immediately, getting on the end of a pass from Ilana Izquierdo. Three goals would be more than enough for Asheville to take home three points from its opening match of the season. Grace Laws earned the clean sheet in goal with a couple of important saves.
FC Miami City 1 - 0 Miami AC
Big win for Miami City, who now sit in first place in the Southeast Division. 2 matches, 2 wins, and only a single goal conceded. Great start to the season.
Greenville Liberty 2 - 3 NC Fusion
The weather refused to cooperate in this one, but that didn’t stop visiting NC Fusion from getting a win. Liberty came into the match riding high after a 2-0 win in its first match. Molly Dwyer would score early, netting a rebounded shot and giving the home side the lead. Fusion would even it up with a header in the 20th minute. In the 27th minute, the visiting side would score again to take the lead into the half. Sarah Jacobs would volley a shot into the net in the second half to bring the score even, but Tori Paul would answer soon after to put the visiting side up again. Weather would end the match soon after.
- Dan Vaughn