Bigger, stronger, faster - that was the theme of Thursday’s 2-0 exhibition victory by the Washington Freedom over the Fort Collins Force at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

The two teams belong to the W-League, but many of the similarities end there. The defending champion Freedom had the edge in size, strength and speed. That was apparent to the eye, and it was apparent on the field.

Emily Janss, who is listed as a midfielder but played significant stretches at right back, toe-poked the ball past Force keeper Kara Linder in the 23rd minute.

And in the 47th minute, Washington extended its lead to 2-0 on a beautiful goal.

Immediately following a Fort Collins free kick in the Washington end, the Freedom was ready for a quick transition, and forward Jen Parsons raced onto a long ball up the right wing. Parsons beat an onrushing defender to the ball and used her momentum against her. She tapped the ball to herself past the defender and found acres of open space in the right corner of the field.

Her cross to 5-10 striker Christie Welsh was spot-on, and Welsh’s header drove Linder back into the left corner of the net.

It was a big-league goal by a big-league team.

But the play on the field wasn’t the only place the Freedom has an advantage over the Force.

By looking at the rosters, it is clear the Freedom has more experience. Washington has five players with national team game time in its lineup, compared with three for the Force. And of those three, one was a guest player (Marci Miller-Jobson) and one was missing because of a U.S. U-20 camp (Nikki Marshall).

Washington also has an edge in a cache of intangibles. The match was the first this season for the Force, the first time this lineup has taken the field together.

The defending champs, however, have been around since the days of the WUSA and have been able to retain a core of players through the years. The Freedom has been together longer, has been playing in the same system longer and with the same coach longer.

"Geography, coaches, connections, region," said Melanie Fitzgerald, director of the W-league. "Some coaches are looking for development of younger players, and some coaches are scouting internationally."

And that would be a reference to Washington coach Jim Gabarra, who was in that position with the team when it was in the WUSA and will be in that same position when the Freedom begins play in the new league, Women’s Professional Soccer. The presense of Gabarra, who coached national team star Abby Wambach, draws top-quality players from top-quality programs: Syracuse, Villanova, Virginia, Illinois, Maryland, UCLA, UConn, Duke, Penn State. ...

And a lot of these players are viewing this season as an audition for WPS.

The Force has a roster dotted with players from high-quality programs such as Colorado, Nebraska, Cal State-Fullerton, North Carolina and many regional schools such as the University of Denver, Montana and South Dakota. But therein lies the rub: The Force found out shortly before the game that North Carolina recruit Emmalie Pfankuch and teammates Erin Bello and Emily Davidson would not be allowed to play because they haven’t yet begun their college careers.

It would have been an NCAA rules infraction had the three taken the field with Miller-Jobson, who is the coach at Baylor. The Force also has two Baylor players who it knew wouldn’t be able to play because of rules against athletes playing in games with their coaches.

The bottom line is that the pitch wasn’t level on Thursday night. And that’s how the game played out.

The Freedom won most 50-50 balls, and the game was played mostly in Fort Collins’ half. Parsons, Welsh, Australian national teamer Kele Golebiowski and their teammates were much more organized and comfortable in their offense.

But despite all those odds, Fort Collins held tough. The backline, anchored by Sally Cole and Carly Peetz, was up to the task. Despite being under attack for most of the game, Fort Collins gave up only the two goals. And the defense, for the most part, kept shots away from Linder.

Only once was the CU keeper pushed to the limit.

In the 51st minute, Linder made a spectacular save on a shot by Parsons, who had picked out her spot in the far, top corner of the net. Linder dove to her right and tipped the ball up, where the crossbar did its job and deflected the ball out of harm’s way.

Including the two Washington goals, this may have been the play of the game.

The Force’s best chance to score may have come midway through the first half. Lisa Kosena pounced on a loose ball at the top of the box and drilled a shot to the left side of the goal. It forced Washington keeper Kati Jo Spisak to dive to her right to knock the ball down.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME: One was chosen for each team, and Parsons got the nod for Washington. I can agree with that. Cole was the official pick for the Force, but I may have split the honor between Cole and Peetz. Peetz patrolled the middle of the defense with a strong leg and a large presence, even among the redwoods of the Freedom.