Ryan’s Weekend Recap
UPSL
In UPSL Division One action, 2020 newcomer Alaska Timbers kicked off The Last Frontier Conference season against 2019 Conference champion Arctic Rush. If there were any nerves for the league rookies, it certainly didn’t show in their on-the-pitch performance.
In the eighth minute, Arctic was dispossessed of the ball after a promising sequence in the attacking half, and the Timbers countered with a through pass through the middle to a just barely onside forward who split the nearest defenders, then calmly slotted away the opening goal of the match in a 1v1 with the Rush goalkeeper. The Timbers would take full advantage of the momentum switch from there on in the first half, seizing on a sloppy clearance by Arctic on a Timbers corner to slip a goal through heavy traffic in the box for their second score. Three minutes later, a near deja ‘vu moment for the Timbers as they crossed a free kick opportunity from the near corner into the box, Rush made the initial touch, but again with a poor clearance, and Timbers struck for their third goal into an all but wide open net.
The second half would see Timbers continue to dominate possession with sustained attacking sequences of play, clearly using their advantage on the scoreboard to work on their hold-up and crossing play while wearing down the flustered Arctic defense chasing the ball. In the 56th minute, the Timbers would slip a through pass into the penalty area, where the forward chipped the keeper for Portland Timbers Alaska affiliate to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Arctic would find some attacking rhythm late, due in large part to the tireless efforts of their forwards and wings chasing plays back deep int the defensive half and countering together down the wide boundaries of the pitch. They were rewarded with a goal to salvage some positives going into their next match, while the Timbers, for now, are certainly sitting comfortably in the driver’s seat for the conference title in 2020.
Alaska Timbers 4, Arctic Rush 1
Up Next:
Arctic Rush @ MatSu Utd FC (Formerly Alaska City FC), Sunday, June 28th
Alaska Timbers vs MatSu United FC, Sunday, July 12th
Other UPSL Action
Division One:
Division Two:
UWS League 2
The inaugural season of United Women’s Soccer’s League 2 kicked off in Central Florida with Unity FC and Orlando FC Royals.
Unity FC opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a low cross from just outside the penalty area being toe’d into the bottom corner of the goal in a baseball-like sliding effort from the center forward. The Royals and Unity would then trade a flurry of chances and near-goals through the next twenty minutes in an even match, until Unity had free kick in the 32nd. The Unity FC kicker drilled a shot through the Royals’ defense and buried it outside the goalkeeper’s reach just inside the left post. The Royals countered with a gifted 1v1 chance, but the Unity keeper stood on her head and left the Royal without a score at the end of the half.
The second half saw the Royals step up their attacking play, but remained goalless despite a number of early chances. The Royals received a penalty kick opportunity in the 48th, but they failed to convert, and Unity FC scored again on the counter in the 53rd, all but putting the match out of reach at 3-0. The Royals would continue to dial up the attacking pressure, registering another 6 scoring chances before finally scoring with a strike launched from 35-40 yards out that will probably be a favorite for UWS goal of the year.
The Royals would come away empty on another 6 scoring chances, while Unity would again counter in the 84th minute with a well timed through pass and 1v1 opportunity for their 5th goal of the match. After 90 minutes, despite having a 16-11 advantage in shots taken, the Royals would fall to Unity FC by three goals.
Unity FC 4
Orlando FC Royals 1
Up Next: Unity FC vs SportsParadize SA, Saturday, June 27th
Other Matches: Gulf Coast Premier League newcomers Crescent City FC played the NPSL’s Port City FC to a 0-0 draw Saturday evening in an inter-league friendly match.
