Manon Melis Retires from Professional Soccer

Posted on by RJ Allen

In a surprise announcement this morning, the Seattle Reign have announced that Manon Melis, who joined the Reign for the 2016 season, is retiring from professional soccer.

Melis debuted internationally in 2004 and accrued over 100 caps for the Netherlands’ Women’s National Team. She has played in for several teams in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan league and came to the Reign from  Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC, where she played from 2014 to 2015.

While on the Reign, Melis was ranked 7th in the league in goals scored, playing 16 games and scoring seven goals. In Week 16, her performance against the Portland Thorns–scoring two goals for a 3 to 1 victory–earned her a nod from fans and the league alike, as she was named Player of the Week.

Is Bill Lynch the Second Coming of Dan Borislow?

Posted on by RJ Allen

Bill Lynch is not Dan Borislow.

He is not the next iteration of a man who paraded elite athletes for his own amusement until the legal ramifications caught up to him. While we may be inclined to conflate his decision and the greater narrative of the Washington Spirit organization into a sort of convoluted doomsday scenario, Lynch will not cause the imminent implosion of the National Women’s Soccer League. However, we really cannot consider the Orlando Pride’s acquisition of Ali Krieger in exchange for their second-overall spot in the Distribution Ranking Order to be a true “trade” facilitated by the Washington Spirit.

A trade in professional sports implies an exchange of one team’s assets for another that has been negotiated and agreed upon by both ownership groups of concern. As General Manager Chris Hummer could tell you, trades for players or assets in sports are intended to give teams the “best chance at” winning “championships” or whatever the highest honor of that respective sport and league is.

On October 9, 2016, Ali Krieger played the last thirty seconds of her career with the Washington Spirit believing herself about to become an NWSL champion—until Lynn Williams changed all of that. Over the course of a 20-game regular season and a post-season, she displayed unparalleled commitment and class to the NWSL that has not been matched by any other allocated US Women’s National Team player thus far. Over the course of the historic fourth season, the Washington Spirit organization was implicated in a series of rumors of player discontent, petty behaviors, and greater questions of character. With the transaction of Ali Krieger for a likely meaningless slot in the “Distribution Ranking Order,” the Washington Spirit effectively gave up their most valuable player for the sake of Bill Lynch’s pride.

While perhaps not as well-known as Merritt Paulson and Joe Sahlen, Bill Lynch is not an owner unknown to followers of the National Women’s Soccer League after its historic fourth season. To the contrary, he has come into the crosshairs of the larger NWSL audience for his particularly controversial set of hypocritical behaviors.

While the NWSL is hailed as one of, if not the, most LGBTQ inclusive sports leagues around the world, Bill Lynch’s Washington Spirit is the sole team to never have hosted an LGBTQ “Pride Night.” In reaction to calls for an answer to this controversy, he has claimed that he does not want to endorse the personal politics of himself or others by hosting a Pride Night. In classic fashion, he ironically bought his personal politics into the conversation when, at the Spirit-Reign game in September where Megan Rapinoe planned to kneel, he played the national anthem while the players were in the locker room. In response, Ali Krieger coordinated a players meeting to discuss their grievances and published a letter expressing their views that were in vehement opposition to their owner. She had the wherewithal to oppose her owner as an allocated player paid by United States Soccer Federation, whereas her fellow teammates have to rely on paychecks from the team that average 10-20 grand for a six-month season.

Ali Krieger was not “traded” by the Washington Spirit to the Orlando Pride organization in exchange for an equitable amalgamation of assets and terms. Rather, from comments disseminated on a variety of platforms, it is clear she was offloaded for the sake of an owner’s need to control and assuage a perverse superiority complex.

Any and all claims that she somehow asked for a trade are not only definitely false but also besmirch her leadership, sheer athletic ability, and character. When businesses are faced with dissent by an employee with leverage to act in opposition to the goals or politics of the individuals in power, it is the right and privilege of those individuals to dispel and squash opposition. When you’re competing for championships, that’s not the case. The objective is to build the strongest squad with depth in every position. The actions of the Washington Spirit organization in this “trade” do not correspond with this basic logic.

If we’re going to boil this “trade” down into a more generalized statement or larger idea, this was a business decision that is a testament to the immaturity of the National Women’s Soccer League.

Despite this off-season being uncharted fertile ground for growth in the stability and prestige of the United States’ longest-running professional women’s soccer league, this is only the start of the forth offseason. We are still toiling and troubling in pre-kindergarten, with some kids throwing Play-Doh at each other and others not able to able to afford it. The NWSL’s approval of this business transaction is, for lack of a better term, a slap in the face to the talent and stature of Ali Krieger.

However, we shouldn’t be surprised that a transaction of this magnitude, in regards to its utter triviality and lack of logic, has happened, considering the state of the NWSL.

The NWSL is not failing or close to failure; it is a stable league with leaps and bounds to grow beyond its current position. But immaturity on the part of ownership and league leadership is an issue that must be addressed, so as to not stifle its development. There is a fundamental reason for disparity in the assets of different teams within the National Women’s Soccer League, and that is money and expertise. It is not practical or fiscally responsible to ignore the fundamental fact that the business of sports encourages competition and the consequential investment of money.

While the monetary regulations of the NWSL is an entirely different convoluted conversation, it is pertinent to the Ali Krieger trade because she was “traded” as an asset far below her value. To any casual observer of the NWSL or even a bandwagon follower from the World Cup, who only watches highlights of their favorite players, this trade is obviously lopsided. The function of the front office of the National Women’s Soccer League is to facilitate the maintenance and property of the NWSL that arguably reigns as the world’s best women’s soccer league, due to the competitive nature of the league. On any given day, the league’s worst team can draw the NWSL champions or lose to them by a six goal margin (sorry Boston). Amandine Henry did not leave the fur-lined trappings of Jean-Michel Aulas’s hefty pocketbook for a salary cap that is nowhere near her monetary value in European leagues. This “trade” is in contradiction to the best essential selling point and asset of this league as juxtaposed with the Frauen-Bundesliga, Damallsvenskan, and the Women’s Super League.

Bill Lynch is an owner that may not always be a proprietor of the National Women’s Soccer League. As leagues grow and develop in the United States and abroad, clubs foreclose and owners are bought out or forced out. At this point in the development of the NWSL, the Ali Kreiger trade harkens back to the turbulent days of WPS, when Dan Borislow was able to play with salary caps and players like backyard pool toys.

Yes, we’ve moved on from the dark days of power-tripping owners demanding their employees call them “Daddy.” However, we do not forget those days so easily.

The Washington Spirit were 30 seconds away from winning the NWSL Championship. That alone should be enough heartache for the team and its fans. Yet, we’re in the penultimate month of 2016, and the club’s captain—its heart and soul—was just sent away for reasons we can only speculate about. But this trade is more a testament to the present authority of the league, while can easily be stifled or stagnate its own growth. Courtesy of Bill Lynch.

Addendum: The author acknowledges that she did make a considerable number of assumptions about the facts and conditions of the situation. Within the facts that have been provided to the general public, this piece was written as a reaction to the small quantity of information that is publicly available.

Ali Krieger traded to the Orlando Pride

Posted on by RJ Allen

Ali Krieger, former captain for the Washington Spirit, has been traded to the Orlando Pride.  In exchange for her rights, the Orlando Pride have swapped places with the Washington Spirit in the Distribution Ranking Order (DRO). The DRO is how newly allocated players are paired with teams.

Bill Lynch, owner of the Washington Spirit, had this to say in the team’s press release:  “On behalf of the entire Washington Spirit organization, past and present, I would like to thank Ali for her extreme commitment and leadership over these four years. She has played a major role in our efforts to build a strong foundation for the future. We wish her well both on and off the field.”

Orlando head coach Tom Sermanni, who coached Krieger on the USWNT before current coach Jill Ellis took the reins in 2014, was quoted in the Orlando press release as pleased with the results of the trade, saying, “We’re ecstatic to get Ali Krieger to the Club; she’s one of the best players in the country. She’s extremely experienced, a great leader, great personality and a great signing for us leading into 2017, I think she’ll help both on the field and off the field. She’s a real, thorough professional so her preparation will start to influence and help our younger players. Her focus and her quality in her training and play will be a huge asset to the team.”

News of Krieger’s trade broke yesterday, pending league approval, and was made official just before 5 pm EST this evening.

Around the World of WoSo: ACC Title Shared, Manchester City’s Dream Season Ends, Stanford Still Rolling and Another USWNT Roster Announced

Posted on by RJ Allen

Clemson and Notre Dame Share ACC Title:

Clemson defeated Duke over the weekend to take a share of the ACC Title. Sophomore Sam Staab scored the lone goal in the fifth minute of play to finish out the regular season. This is the first conference title for the Tigers since 2000, and second in program history.

Notre Dame ended the regular season by beating Miami 2-0 with goals from senior duo Kaleigh Olmsted and Sandra Yu. The fighting Irish were dominating at home this season, only giving up one goal in 11 games.

Four Teams Remain in ACC Tournament:

The ACC tournament is underway, and it’s already onto the semifinals, with Notre Dame, North Carolina, Clemson and Florida State the remaining competitors. FSU beat Duke 3-2 on penalties while Clemson beat Miami 5-4 on penalties to advance. UNC shocked Virginia 3-0 and Notre Dame beat NC State on an 88th minute goal by junior Kaitlin Klawunder. The Semifinals are on Friday at in Charleston, S.C. as UNC and Notre Dame go at 5:30pm while FSU and Clemson are set for kickoff at 8pm.

Ribeiro leads UConn to AAC Title:

Senior Stephanie Ribeiro netted her 18th and 19th goals on the year as she led Connecticut to a 2-1 victory over East Carolina over the weekend. She also leads the nation in points (49), goals (19) and game winners with 11. This was Ribeiro’s fifth consecutive game with a goal and fifth multi-goal game of the season.

With the win, the #19 ranked Huskies finish the season at 16-2-1. With an impressive 10 wins at home, they have serious home field advantage. They earned their fourth consecutive AAC tournament berth and have the right to host.

Sullivan and Stanford Continue to Impress:

The second ranked Cardinals are on a six game win streak, with California being its latest victim. In those Stanford have tallied 13 goals and conceded three in the process. Junior Andi Sullivan has been a key reason for the Cardinal success, scoring nine goals and grabbing six assists in just 15 games. Sullivan has been showcasing her on penalty abilities, converting four out of four en route to beating Arizona, and Arizona State. Stanford now has 16 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw and currently are first in the PAC-12 standings with nine wins in conference play.

Manchester City’s Fairytale Season Comes to End:

The Ladies of Manchester City have had one memorable season, going unbeaten and earning two trophies along the way. They have the FAWSL leading scorer in Jane Ross, who has been outstanding and consistent all season long. She ends the year with 13 goals and helped the Blues clinch its first title in program history.

This remarkable season came to an end Sunday as City played to a 1-1 draw with Birmingham City LFC to officially be crowned champions. They end with an incredible 16 wins, three draws and no losses. Manchester had no problems sharing the ball, as nine different players getting on the score sheet this season.

USWNT Name Roster for November Friendlies:

Coach Jill Ellis has once again named a 24 player roster for November camp for two games against Romania. The first will be held in San Jose on the 10th, while the second will be in Carson on the 13th. Romania are currently ranked 36th in the world and this will be the first ever meeting between these countries.

Just like the two October games, Ellis has brought in a steady group of veterans and leaving a handful off the roster as well. Among those back after a deserving break include defensive vets Meghan Klingenberg and Ali Krieger. As for the midfield, Megan Rapinoe and Morgan Brian are called in and Alex Morgan has returned after time off. More familiar faces include goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, defenders Kelley O’Hara and Captain Becky Sauerbrunn. The midfield has the Portland Thorn trio of Tobin Heath, Allie Long and Lindsey Horan.

Orlando Pride midfielder Kristen Edmonds gets her first call-up and Western New York Flash defender Jaelene Hinkle is back after a lengthy absence. Portland Thorn goalkeeper as also been called in, replacing Stanford star Jane Campbell. Speaking of Stanford, Andi Sullivan has earned her second call up, making her the only collegiate player on the roster. Chicago Red Star Casey Short has also been called up to camp.

It will be interesting to see if Ellis continues to experiment with a 3-5-2 or if she will put Long (who is used as a midfielder for Portland) at center back once again. Plenty of options for the personnel Ellis have brought in who have shown they can play diverse. Dunn, O’Hara and Christen Press all have the ability to be moved around.

Players will report to camp in the next week and these will be the final two matches in the calendar year for the USWNT.

What’s the difference between FIFA, CONCACAF, and USSF?

Posted on by RJ Allen

When we talk about soccer (or football, if you want to sound like the rest of the world), we often talk about how the governing federations influence the game and how it is run. If you’ve primarily followed women’s soccer, you may have heard of FIFA, CONCACAF, and the USSF (if you’re American) as the three main governing bodies that determine – and often mess up – how the women’s game is developed, funded, and marketed to the world.

However, hearing about them all the time doesn’t really give you a good picture of what the organizations actually do for the game as a whole, and how they work together to make sure the game of soccer is somewhat uniform around the world.

FIFA

Let’s start with FIFA. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Their headquarters are based in Zurich, Switzerland. They are the overarching governing body that sets the rules, regulations, and laws of the game for every level of soccer, from youth programs to international federations, for every country around the world.

Their current President is Gianni Infantino, who was recently elected to replace long-standing former president Sepp Blatter, infamous not only for multiple accusations of corruption but also for his comment on how the women’s game would be more popular if the women wore shorter shorts.

FIFA is an extremely complex organization with multiple levels of governing bodies and more committees than you can shake a stick at. The main thing you need to know about them is that they perform two very important functions for the game of soccer worldwide:

  1. They set the laws of the game, which dictate how the game is played and what the fields of play should look like.
  2. They distribute money to the regional bodies and countries of the world who have soccer federations for the development of national, professional league, and youth programs.

CONCACAF

Next level down from FIFA is not actually the USSF but CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football), which is the regional body that governs USA and its neighbors. CONCACAF runs tournaments at the international level (e.g. the Gold Cup) and at the league level (e.g. the Champions League, where clubs from different leagues in the region play each other).

They also provide the first hurdle for those teams vying for spots at World Cups and Olympics, organizing qualifying tournaments that are supposed to provide a testing ground for any team who wants to advance to a major international tournament. But just how well that the system works depends greatly on whether you are referring to the men’s game or the women’s game. In the men’s game, the CONCACAF international field is full of competitive teams that can (and often have) soundly beaten the USMNT.

On the women’s side, there is… slightly less of a challenge.

The major reason for this is that of the many federations who have women’s teams under CONCACAF’s jurisdiction, only two have consistently dedicated funds for the growth of the women’s game: the US and Canada. 

Basically every other country barely manages to scrape together a team to field, a task made difficult due to spotty youth development, rampant sexism in cultures that look down on women who want to play soccer professionally, and a general unwillingness to pay the players and often the coaches. Though this is not unique to CONCACAF, we do have some of the worst examples in the world.

This results in a lot of qualifying matches that end with the USWNT basically playing a scrimmage against a youth team, padding their goal and assist stats while the goalkeeper makes daisy chains at the top of the 18-yard box. One notable example of this was the Olympic Qualifying match in 2012, where the US beat the Dominican Republic 12-0, a game that saw multiple players record hat tricks.

USSF

Finally, we have the USSF, the United States Soccer Federation. Sunil Gulati is the name you will likely hear the most, as he is the president and the public face of the federation. The USSF is the organization in charge of the day-to-day running of the men’s and women’s National Team programs, facilitating professional leagues, and creating and running youth programs that keep our future bright.

The USSF is the organization which, as you may have heard, is in the process of “negotiating” a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) with the USWNT. It is also directly involved in the pay structure of the NWSL, subsidizing the league by paying the allocated national team players instead of having the teams control their individual salaries. While this is unusual, it was the only way to ensure that everyone would get paid at the start of the league. It was also a way  to “encourage” (read: ensure) National Team players would stay in the country and help build the league, with many players coming back from their European clubs only because USSF promised to match their salary. Additionally, USSF has exercised some control over the NWSL clubs to ensure that allocated players are always available to leave their clubs for NT camps and friendlies, something that European clubs have the right to refuse.

Whether or not this is still a valid set-up now four years into the league is a  topic for a different article. It’s safe to say that until a new CBA is negotiated with the USWNT, the federation’s relationship with the NWSL will remain as it is.

For the record, MLS had no such set-up when it was begun. A product the US winning the 1994 World Cup bid, MLS was set up as part of the agreement for countries to use some of the proceeds to establish a Division One league if one did not already exist. To do this, USSF created a second USSF (United States Soccer Foundation) which is technically a charitable organization that happened to give charitably to the MLS in the first years of its existence, and they were a sponsor for many years afterward. 

There is an allocation process for the MLS, but it is tied to the league, not directly to the USSF, although select USMNT players are on the allocation list, eligible for extra salary funds above the league maxiumum salary cap. Like the allocations in the NWSL, this money is given to them so they can get players who warrant a larger paycheck. For instance, Tim Howard, an allocated player for the Colorado Rapids.

The primary way that the USSF supports the MLS is through Soccer United Marketing (SUM), a marketing company that basically exists entirely to promote the USSF and MLS – though notably, not the NWSL. The connections between the USSF, SUM and the MLS are somewhat shady, and their exclusion of the NWSL from their deals warrants significant ire from many WoSo fans. It also makes it difficult to track how marketing dollars are allocated to the USMNT vs. the USWNT, a key issue in the Equal Play, Equal Pay discussion. 

So, What Can Be Done?

The common characteristic between all of these organizations is that they are still pretty clueless on how to treat the women’s side of the game equally to the men’s. FIFA runs the World Cup and the Women’s World Cup completely differently. FIFA allowed the 2015 tournament in Canada to be played entirely on turf fields, leading to general outrage from the players who understandably hate playing on turf, particularly in the middle of the summer when field temps can reach up to 120°F. The potential for injuries is also greater, and the turf also plays differently enough that many countries who had trained on grass had trouble adjusting. The argument was made that FIFA would never have considered such a set-up for men, a statement supported by history. 

Besides providing substandard playing surfaces, FIFA traditionally has not demanded that the money they give the federations be put to use in women’s programs, except in insignificant amounts. This accounts for part of the disparity in quality of play between the top five women’s teams and the rest of the world, though many countries are finally catching on and catching up. FIFA also puts much less money towards the marketing and the prize money attached to the Women’s World Cup.

Furthermore, until this last year when the leadership of FIFA was shaken up by a slew of corruption and embezzling lawsuits, there was no system in place for women to obtain any positions of power in FIFA. Since those shake-ups, they have taken steps to fix the problem. They are making an effort to appoint women to open positions in various levels of leadership. To their credit, they are attempting to build a base. However, it is still only 15% of the money sent to federations, which is a very small step. And as Julie Foudy pointed out (http://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/2015worldcup/article/13224279/fifa-do-more-develop-women-game-globally), while their words are very encouraging, we need to have some receipts to see how their 10 Keys for developing Women’s football are being implemented and followed. 

This is especially important because many federations, particularly small CONCACAF federations, are still not spending this money fully on women’s soccer. We still have countries that are not paying their players, we still have countries that don’t even have a registration system for their female players, and we have countries to whom the idea of a professional league is up there with the idea of a unicorn. In these countries, FIFA needs to step in and mandate the changes it outlines in its development keys, and then make sure these mandates are being followed. FIFA has said that they’re committed to developing the women’s game, and they need to follow through. This is the essential job of an International governing body. 

The USSF is an interesting case when it comes to equality of treatment. On the one hand, we have probably the best-funded women’s program in the world, leading to our team being a consistent contender in top competitions since the first Women’s World Cup in 1991. We have a youth system that registers huge numbers of girls into their programs every year, youth national teams that compete in the top tournaments at their level, a college system that takes their women’s soccer very seriously, and a professional league in the NWSL that is incredibly competitive. The USA is often considered to be the world leader in all categories considered when it comes to developing the women’s game.

And yet, not everything is rosy in USSF-land when it comes to women’s soccer. The USSF also got caught up in the turf war post-World Cup, after it was revealed that the USWNT played over half their matches of the year on turf fields, including the match in Hawaii that was boycotted after a stadium walkthrough revealed unsafe playing conditions. After the team boycotted, USSF sued them for violating their contract. In contrast, the USMNT played none of their 2015 matches on turf fields, sometimes even requiring that stadiums lay down new sod to provide a grass field to play on. 

Furthermore, five (at the time) members of the USWNT filed a wage discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that they have brought in more money for the federation than the men have and have not been compensated accordingly. While that is still being investigated, they are also in talks with USSF about a new CBA after the old one expired in 2012 and was extended with a Memorandum of Understanding that expires in December of this year. Their main goal is to increase how they are paid to match the men, who have a completely different, much more lucrative, pay system. 

What this all boils down to is this: Leadership needs to improve at all levels to grow the women’s game. If FIFA says they’re going to be dedicated to supporting this growth, they need to act on that. They need to put their money there, and they need to make sure the money is being used for the right purposes. If USSF wants to continue to be the top women’s program in the world, they need to continue leading the way. They have coasted for so long on the coattails of being one of the only in the world to actually support the women’s team, even if it wasn’t equal to the men’s program. Now, they need to take it a step farther and show the world what actual equal treatment looks like. The world needs a model and USSF is perfectly poised to lead the charge.

 

Around the World of WoSo: USWNT Youth Prevail, NCAA DI Conference Champions Crowned and DePaul Shocks Georgetown

Posted on by RJ Allen

USWNT Youth Show Promise:

In the two friendlies with Switzerland over the weekend, the U.S. Women’s National team had five players make their senior debut. Among those were Lynn Williams and Andi Sullivan. Williams became the 20th player in USWNT history to score in her debut while Sullivan showcased her passing ability and grabbed an assist as well. While Coach Jill Ellis has mentioned that this is an experimental time, these two players looked comfortable and ready for the bright lights.

    Two other players who earned minutes were Casey Short and Kealia Ohai. Short was solid on defense while Ohai also managed to score in her first cap; making it the fastest goal in debut at 48 seconds. Getting these minimal opportunities and making the most out of them are crucial for the young players who want to be included in the next cycle.

    In these friendlies Ellis went with a different formation, a 3-5-2; putting Becky Sauerbrunn paired with Short on the outside and Allie Long at center back. While it’s certainly not a look I would want moving forward, I know Ellis is experimenting. Based on these two games our offense looks ready for adjustments, while our defense needs some work. By work, I mean I’m hoping Arin Gilliland gets a serious shot in the next camp. I was surprised when she wasn’t even dressed for the second game. One more player who I thought would get minutes is Danielle Colaprico, a crafty midfielder who has been very consistent this year for Chicago in the NWSL.

    Overall I believe these were successful victories when you look at all the different players involved and formation. One thing that hasn’t changed is the demand for this team; in Utah a crowd of 14,336 showed up while in Minnesota on Sunday over 23K was in support.

Kentucky Upsets #9 Arkansas:

The Razorbacks perfect home record has been broken thanks to the Wildcats of Kentucky.  With a 2-1 defeat, Arkansas falls to 14-4 and 9-1 at home, still impressive nonetheless. Meanwhile Kentucky had previously lost their last four on the road, so coming into the match, surely Arkansas were the favorites.

    The Wildcats opened the scoring in the 23rd minute but Arkansas managed to equalize 10 minutes later. Kentucky would grab the eventual game winner in the 66th minute when Gina Crosetti assisted Zoe Swift to stun Arkansas in front of their home crowd. Arkansas will finish the regular season Thursday at LSU while Kentucky will face Georgia to cap off the regular season as well.

McCaskill Brace earns South Carolina SEC Crown:

    With a 2-0 defeat of Tennessee on Sunday, the Gamecocks are the SEC champions for the third time in program history and first time since 2011.

    They are led by junior forward Savannah McCaskill, who has 17 appearances; scoring 13 goals (career-high) and adding seven assists. She scored both goals to beat the Vols and is having a career year for the Gamecocks. She isn’t afraid to take shots; evidence of that are her team-leading 89 shots. It’s staggering to think the second most shots is senior Sophie Groff with 29. Yet this offense may be centered on McCaskill, this team has spread around the ball quite a bit, having 10 different players score this season.

 Tennessee fall to 10-7-1 and will finish their regular season at Auburn on Thursday. South Carolina improves to 16-0-1 and look to complete this fairytale regular season with another win when they face Ole Miss on Thursday.

#1 WVU Survives Longhorn Scare for BIG 12 Title:   

    The Mountaineers secured their fifth consecutive BIG 12 conference title on Sunday when they shutout the Longhorns 1-0. In their lowest total regarding shots (12) in a single game all season, West Virginia squeaked by on a long range effort late in the game by junior Carla Portillo.  Texas were more than a worthy opponent , creating several scoring chances in the first half, none resulting in a goal of course, but they were resilient all game.

    The Longhorns shouldn’t hang their heads, as many teams were shut out by the Mountaineers this season, 11 teams have failed to score on that defense. Holding the #1 team in the nation scoreless for 78 minutes has to be a small moral victory. Texas played their best game of the year in my opinion, while WVU didn’t play their best. Even so, WVU claimed their eighth straight win and stand at 15-1-1 and will finish the regular season Friday when they host Oklahoma State. As for Texas, they fall to 8-8-1 and look to end regular season on a high when they travel to TCU on Friday.

Auburn Suffers First Road Loss at College Station:

    The 11th ranked Tigers were previously undefeated on the road, going six for six this season and on a seven game win streak. The Aggies are very tough at home this season, earning eight victories in 12 matches and were on a two-game win streak. Something had to give, right?

    A&M struck first in the 54th minute on a beautiful header by Grace Piper, who earned her fourth goal of the season. The Tigers answered a minute later by way of Brooke Ramsier; her fourth goal on the season as well. All four goals by Ramsier have been from set pieces this year. The game winner was a penalty taken in the 82nd minute by Haley Pounds, who grabbed her seventh goal of the season.

    The Aggies improve to 9-7-1 and will finish at Mississippi State on Thursday. As for Auburn, this is a disappointing loss and fall to 12-5-0. With one game left against Tennessee at home, the Tigers can regain momentum heading into the SEC Tournament next week.

DePaul upends #7 Georgetown:

The Blue Demons scored four first half goals to stun the #7 Hoyas. In a 4-1 dominating performance, these top two teams in the BIG EAST seemed to have switched roles in this one. I certainly didn’t have Georgetown losing this one, not to take anything away from DePaul. But considering the Hoyas had won 14 games in a row, I had my reasons for thinking that.

    DePaul were on the scoreboard quickly, proving me wrong immediately. They scored two goals in a matter of 12 minutes to put the pressure on Georgetown on its senior day. In the 31st minute the Hoyas cut the deficit in half but six minutes later the Blue Demons grabbed another to make it a two goal lead once again. The dagger came just before half when senior Abby Reed found her team leading 10th goal of the year.

    This was DePaul’s most impressive win of the season, bringing them to 10-5-2 and they look to finish the regular season at Marquette on Friday. Meanwhile, this was Georgetown’s biggest loss of the season and they fall to 13-2-2. The Hoyas complete the regular season against Creighton on Friday.

Around the World of WoSo: South Carolina Survive, Wilkinson Continues to Shine and NWSL Pair End Year With Injury

Posted on by RJ Allen

Top 5 showdown between Duke and Virginia:

These ACC powerhouses are ranked #4 and #5 respectively, and the Blue Devils backed that up with a big win over the Cavaliers on Saturday. It was a perfect senior night at Koskinen Field, as all six Duke seniors started the game and one scored the game winner. Christina Gibbons was called upon to take a penalty kick in the 63rd minute, and she buried it to grab her fourth goal on the season.

With this important victory, Duke snaps a 10-game regular season losing streak to Virginia. The Blue Devils are 11-2-2 on the season and are still unbeaten in ACC play this year. It doesn’t get any easier for Duke as they travel to Tallahassee to face another tough ACC opponent in FSU on Thursday. As for the Cavaliers, they fall to 10-3-2 and look to rebound Thursday night against NC State.

Arkansas Falls to Auburn in SEC clash:

The 3-2 score line doesn’t really do Auburn justice.  The Tigers controlled this match from the first whistle and never looked back. With three second half goals from Brooke Ramsier, Kristen Dodson and Casie Ramsier, Auburn pushed past #12 Arkansas for a sixth consecutive conference win. For Brooke Ramsier, it was her third goal of the season. Ramsier has come alive as in the last two weeks, tallying two goals and three assists to continue to the Tigers six-game win streak.

Auburn improves to 11-4-0 and has a tough road game ahead in Baton Rouge as they face off with LSU on Thursday. Arkansas only had one loss in the last nine games before losing to South Carolina and now Auburn in the same week. The Razorbacks still have an impressive record at 13-3-0 and look to get back to winning ways. They won’t have to wait too long as they host Missouri (who are on a two-game winning streak) on Thursday.

Tennessee’s Wilkinson shining bright:

Many know this 24-year-old from her rapid success on the New Zealand National team (two Women’s World Cups, two Olympics), but she has had a remarkable career at the University of Tennessee here in the states. The Whangarei native is a great comeback story after getting injured in preseason last year, her senior year. She graduated but was able to return to finish her playing career as a grad student.  

In 63 appearances for the Vols, Wilkinson has 31 goals and 17 assists. She is tied fourth in program history with 10 game-winning goals to her name. This season she has led Tennessee to a 9-6-1 record, while also leading the team with nine goals and adding nine assists.  For me, this is one of the best stories of the year in women’s college soccer. Wilkinson has scored in three consecutive games helping her team to two wins and a draw in that span. The Vols return to action Thursday versus Mississippi State.

Nadim and Dydasco injured as NWSL season ends:

    Portland Thorns forward Nadia Nadim suffered a Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) tear in the semifinal loss to Western New York two weeks ago. The Danish international has played in the NWSL all four years and this season led the Thorns with nine goals. She announced she had surgery last Tuesday to repair. An LCL tear is a result of a crucial blow to the inside of the knee and overstretching the ligament, according to USCF Health. Recovery time takes anywhere between six weeks to three months.

Washington Spirit defender Caprice Dydasco went down in the 17th minute after a challenge from Makenzy Doniak in the NWSL championship game against WNY. Two days later it was confirmed to be a torn left Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and Meniscus for the 23-year-old. These can be caused by many things: twisting of the knee in a swift movement, stopping suddenly or some kind of collision.  Unfortunately this is a common injury among female soccer players. With surgery, Dydasco is expected to be out six to nine months, but each case has a different timeline according to degree of tear and athlete.

I hope both of these players have a healthy recovery and get the rest they need. I’m looking forward to seeing them back on the field next year for their respective clubs.

NWSL players take their talents to Australia:

Entering its ninth year of existence, the Westfield W-League has begun its preseason that consists of practices and a few scrimmages. It’s a popular destination for many players who are in the NWSL and looking for a home in the off-season. Signed to a contract that will last only a few months, it’s time well spent keeping in game shape and sharpening skills.  Of course, many of the Australian internationals return to their homeland at this time every year. Most notable are Boston Breaker Kyah Simon, the Houston Dash’s Lydia Williams, Sky Blue FC’s Sam Kerr, Orlando Pride’s Steph Catley and recently crowned champion with WNY, Alanna Kennedy.

Many Americans have made announcements and are on their way to Australia to start right away. Of the first signed was Katie Stengel (WAS), Alex Arlitt (FCKC) and Seattle duo Kendall Fletcher and Paige Nielsen. Following them was Stephanie Ochs (HOU), Hayley Raso (POR) and Chicago duo Alyssa Mautz and Vanessa DiBernardo.

The W-League season will begin play November 5th.

Gamecocks survive tough test from Gators:

It took 102 minutes to decide a winner between these SEC opponents. With South Carolina dominating every team they face, (boasting a 14-0-1 record) they have more than earned the #2 rank. But on Sunday, the #17 Gators gave them a serious challenge. Florida is no slouch either, showcasing a 10-3 record and had a four-game win streak heading into this matchup.

The Gators have one of the top forwards in the country this season in Savannah Jordan who has 12 goals and seven assists to lead her team. South Carolina’s leading scorer Savannah McCaskill almost matches Jordan’s stats, contributing 11 goals and seven assists. But neither managed to get on the score sheet in this one. Two minutes in to the second overtime, fellow Gamecock Simone Wark got taken down in the box and Senior Chelsea Drennan stepped up and buried it top shelf.

With the win, they are off to the best start in program history. Plenty of former players in attendance, including 2016 Olympic Bronze medalist and recent NWSL champion/MVP Sabrina D’Angelo. South Carolina is back in action Thursday at Vanderbilt, while Florida looks to rebound on Thursday at Alabama.