WPSL Wrap-Up: Week 2

Kansas City Current’s reserve squad have proven themselves the class of the Heartland. Milwaukee Torrent lead the Lake Michigan division, MapleBrook lead a close North, and Cleveland Ambassadors and FC Dayton lead their divisions of the Ohio Valley conference.

Friday:

Quad Cities Rush 0 vs KC Current II 12

Two clubs make their debut, with the vastly different models of QC Rush (part of a youth soccer constellation across the US) and Kansas City Current II (the reserve squad of a NWSL expansion franchise) matching up. It wasn’t competitive. Lily Farkas and Brie Severns got hat tricks. Chelsea Wagner and Felicia Knox got braces and Kionna Simon and Caroline Kelly also scored.

FC Milwaukee Torrent 3 vs 0 Bavarian United SC

7 miles separate the aspiring professionals of Torrent from the historic amateurs of Bavarian and the rosters are very familiar to each other, through college ties. It was Torrent who took the lead in the 21st minute, as Haley Johnson latched on to a off-side trap-busting ball down the left side of the penalty area.

Early in the second half, Torrent doubled their lead through Elsi Twombly after a solo counter attack was triggered on the half way line. Twombly lashed another one home in the 69th minute, catching a long free kick as it bounced into the area and Torrent would maintain their lead.

Mankato United 3 vs Joy Athletic Club 2

Despite Mankato having the majority of possession and Jenny Vetter and Kenna Buisman linking up down the left, it was Joy who broke the tie in the 21st minute, a corner powerfully headed home by Allison Wehrman, the first goal in the WPSL life of Joy Athletic. The goats doubled their lead in the 28th minute after a ball down the left was pulled across and Ana Recarte-Pacheco drove into the box before smashing the ball past the Mankato goalkeeper. United halved the deficit when a handball lead to a PK and Vetter slotted it home in the 40th minute.

Joy had the first clear chance of the second half, but a scramble in the area was eventually cleaned up by United. Allie Williams tied the game with a screamer from the top of the penalty area through traffic and into the top corner in the 63rd minute. The comeback was complete when Mankato broke away with the ball from an unsuccessful Joy corner in the 82nd minute, feeding it down the left to Jenny Vetter in midfield, who showed her blazing speed to beat the remaining defenders and place it past the Joy keeper.

FC Pride 1 vs Cincinnati Sirens 3

An interception on the halfway line by Sirens was converted into a goal after a cross floated over the goalkeeper from the right wing and into the net by Kacey Smekrud.

That was it for scoring until the 61st minute, when Makala Woods made it a two goal lead, off a rebound after an initial shot had rattled the crossbar. Four minutes later it was three, as Meghan Creech finished off a neat passage of passing in the penalty area. Pride got a consolation goal in the 90th minute, as Emily Speidel headed in a Maddy Bellaver corner.

Saturday:

Iowa Raptors FC 0 vs KC Current II 7

Current continue to roll. It was 2–0 at half time, with Caroline Kelly scoring both. Kelly scored another three in the second half. Grace Coppinger and Izzy Luebbert also scored.

Beadling Soccer Club 5 vs 5 Ambassadors Cleveland

The first game of the day was a barn burner. Beadling’s goals came from Ellie Coffield, Carolina Lucci, Jillian Kijowski and a double from Sarah Schupansky. Jordan Fusco, Taylor Huff, Anna Rico and a double from Korbin Albert were scorers for the visitors.

Salvo SC 1 vs 0 Manitou FC

Molly Fiedler opened the scoring in the 13th minute for Salvo in the latest Twin Cities derby, receiving the ball on the edge of the box and driving forward before blasting the ball past the Manitou goalkeeper. Despite dominating possession, the home side were unable to rack up any further goals against the new kids on the block.

Rochester United 2 vs 4 MapleBrook Fury

Paige Goaley scored two and there were solo goals from Sydney Johnson and Marie Sennes as MapleBrook took three points from the road trip. Sienna Latta and Ilana Izquierdo answered for United.

Dayton Dutch Lions FC 0 vs 6 FC Dayton

FC Dayton made the short trip from Centerville to West Carrollton and took the lead in the 5th minute through Ava Hall and nearly added a second a minute later. DDL had a sustained period of possession but were unable to challenge the FCD defense. FC Dayton scored their second in the 23rd minute when a short ball was dropped over the Dutch Lions defense and onto the foot of Hall In the 31st minute, it was 3–0 after a cross from the right was volleyed home by Kaylin Helinski at the top of the box. Goal number 4 came courtesy of a right wing cross headed in by Alaina Huber in the 45th minute.

The fifth goal came after a solo counter attack by Leah Firsdon down the left wing in the 68th minute. Dutch Lions had sporadic possession but failed to threaten the FCD goal. It was 6–0 in the 83rd minute, as Jenna Foley completed the rout.

Also worth noting: FC Dayton’s 0–0 draw against Cincinnati Sirens has now been changed to a 5–0 victory. We believe Sirens forfeited the match.

Sunday:

Beadling Soccer Club 2 vs 1 Cleveland Ambassadors

Returning to Southpointe Fieldhouse for the second of the weekend’s matches, the scoring was more restrained. Carolina Lucci scored for the second match in a row and Breana Valentovish also tallied for Beadling. The sole goal for Ambassadors came from Camryn Hartman.

Monday:

FC Milwaukee Torrent 2 vs 1 Midwest Select SA Muskrats

The last match of the weekend saw the Muskrats make their WPSL debut in hot and windy conditions in Wauwatosa, WI. The visitors took the lead in the 18th minute as Ella Scott delivered a corner from the left wing, and it was headed home from the middle of the box by Kaylee Evers. Torrent had their first big chance in the 30th minute headed off the line from a corner. The equalizer came in the 39th minute after a ball from the right pinballed around the area, with multiple attempts from the Muskrats keeper Olivia Kindt interrupted by Torrent touches, and was put home by Elsi Twombly. Torrent then had a chance to go ahead after an Olivia Hanson handball was called in the Muskrats penalty area but Caitlynn Owens’s PK was comfortably saved by Kindt.

Despite an outstanding match for Kindt, it was Twombly who had the final say — playing a free kick from just outside the box through a cluster of attackers and defenders into the goal with 2 minutes gone of the 5 allotted by the referee to cover a hydration break and other stoppages.

Upcoming Schedule: (home teams in bold)

Wednesday:

Lady Victory FC vs FC Pride

Thursday:

Minnesota Thunder vs Rochester United FC

Friday:

MapleBrook Fury vs Dakota Fusion FC

Sioux Falls City FC vs Mankato United SC

FC Dayton vs FC Pride

Saturday:

Ambassadors Cleveland vs Century United

Columbus Eagles vs Beadling Soccer Club