I get that deciding when Week 1 ends is complicated when a league plays matches throughout the week. If you want my logic, I went opening weekend through Wednesday night. I figure after that, you’re moving towards Week 2. To be clear, though, there’s plenty of clubs (even full divisions) who have yet to kick a ball, so we’ll see a lot of clubs start rolling in the near future.

Week 1 Matches

Plenty to be happy about in Oakland with a win in week 1.

Oakland Soul 3-2 Stockton Cargo

The Nor Cal Division is an exciting expansion division for the W League and the quality of the clubs has some experts saying the league champion is coming from Nor Cal. We shall see. But this season-opening matchup between Soul and Cargo is a clash of two expansion sides who had yet to kick a ball as teams, so there was plenty of questions about what we would see. Nayeli Diaz would answer many of those with the opening goal of the USL W League season. Cici Gee would follow up with her own, putting up the home side 2-0 in the first half hour of the match. Alexis Brewah would get one back for Stockton, before Gee would get her brace and put Soul up for good. Haley Bostard would put in a goal for Stockton in the second half, but the visiting side couldn’t find an equalizer. Tons of promise in both of these sides and both should be competitive this season.

Cleveland Force 1 - 2 Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo scored two goals in the first half and that would prove to be enough to get the win on the road against Cleveland. Aniya Hartzler found the net for Cleveland late in the second half, but it wouldn’t be enough to get the win for Force.

Flint City 5-1 AFC Ann Arbor

SF Glens 7-1 Academica

This week, two Glens were named to the USWNT U20 team, Elise Evans and Jasmine Aikey. Congrats to them, of course, but also to the rest of the club for a dominant win over Academica in the opening weekend of action. In a high-scoring match, Nadia Gomes kicked off the scoring in the 5th minute. The goals would keep coming with Miri O’Donnell scoring a hat trick in rapid succession (42’, 44’, 49’). Kaylee Kim, Maia Beltran, and Jasmine Leshnick would also score for the Glens in the runaway win. These two teams will clash again on Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how both clubs respond to a second matchup in close succession.

Virginia Marauders 1 - 0 Northern Virginia FC

Tight matchup in the Mid Atlantic Division decided by a single goal. That goal would come from the foot of Maevyn Jones, who took a slick feed from her teammate through the box and hammered it past the keeper for the winner.

Lexington looked good in its opening win.

Lexington SC 2-1 Kings Hammer

Plenty of people complain about lower league soccer feeds, but I couldn’t find a bad thing to say about Lexington’s broadcast of this match. Stellar work all around. Good angles, good call, quality stuff. This match was really up and down, with both clubs getting chances throughout the match. DeSoto, TX native Tameir Grosvenor would get the opening goal for Lexington. Last year, with Texas Wesleyan University, she scored 14 goals, so she knows what she’s doing. Kailey Utley would get the home side’s second goal, eventually proving to be the winner. Lauren Laake would put a deflected ball into the net for King’s Hammer late in the second half, but the visiting side couldn’t find an equalizer. Shout out to Marz Josephson, GK for Lexington, who really had a great match in goal.

Indy Eleven 8-0 St Charles

Remember that scene in Rocky IV, when Apollo is getting murdered in the ring by Ivan Drago and his trainer is yelling to throw in the towel? Probably not, the movie is 30 years old. Anyway, this matchup was like that. Indy Eleven scored two in the first half, then went on a run in the second half, adding six more goals. Impressive stuff from Eleven. Maisie Whitsett got two goals and an assist and Sam Dewey had a brace of her own. Four other players for Indy scored.

Cedar Stars vs FA Euro New York

As of the time of this article, I can’t find a scoreline for this match. I know the match happened, as FA Euro New York posted a team shot before the match. But no updates since then. When I find a scoreline, I’ll update this post.

My Completely Arbitrary Power Rankings

Week 1

Indy Eleven
SF Glens
Flint City
Oakland Soul
Lexington SC
This will fill out more as we get the rest of the league in action, but so far Indy Eleven is your team to beat!
- Dan Vaughn