USL Press Release
Friday, October 24, 2008
Mid Atlantic
The standard set by Parsippany’s previous players, including U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup midfielder Ingrid Wells, has been well absorbed by this ’92 team. Parsippany SC won the Mid Atlantic Division with a 9-0-1 record. That one tie came in the form of a 0-0 draw with their biggest Super Y-League rival, the Washington Freedom. Parsippany opened the season by outscoring their first five opponents 23-0. The team’s offense cooled off in the second half of the season but the results remained the same, winning three consecutive one-goal games before thumping SuperNova 5-1, in the penultimate match of the regular season.
The Freedom advanced out of the 11-team Mid Atlantic Division with a record of 7-1-2. Their only loss came in the last match of the regular season, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Long Island Rough Riders. Both of the team’s draws were of the 0-0 variety. The first was the aforementioned draw to the Freedom. The second was to TSF Academy, who finished third in the division. The Freedom shut out their opponents in five of their 10 matches this season. They ended the regular season with five goals allowed, second behind Parsippany. Their offense posted 32 goals for an average of 3.2 goals per match.
Midwest
TKO Premier, a subsidiary of the USL W-League Kalamazoo Outrage, finished the regular season with a record of 7-0-1. In eight matches the club netted 25 goals while allowing only nine in just their first season of USL Super Y-League competition. The second Midwest qualifier was the Chicago Magic, who TKO bounced twice this season: 3-1 at home and 2-1 in Chicago. TKO’s only draw of the season was to the Toronto Lynx on Sunday, June 29. That match ended 2-2 and the Lynx finished the summer with a record of 2-4-2.
The Magic hold an edge in playoff experience due to their 2007 U15 North American Semifinal appearance in which they went 2-1-0 in group play before losing 1-0 to BW Rhode Island, the lone New England Division team that made it to the finals last season. Chicago’s record this season was 5-2-0 and luckily for them, they will not face TKO Premier again unless both sides advance to these finals on Tuesday, November 25.
Northern California
MPS Boston, coached by Mark McDevitt and Sarah Dooley finished atop the New England Division with a record of 10-1-1. The team allowed only four goals all season for a goals against average of 0.33 heading into their first match of the North American Finals with Coastal WFC. The team’s only loss was to the Ottawa Fury, 2-1 north of the border. The Fury also accounted for MPS Boston’s only draw of the season, a 0-0 final. MPS outscored their first eight opponents by a decisive 40-0 mark, a period in which they averaged five goals per game.
The Ottawa Fury is an 8-2-2 team who placed second in the seven-team New England Division this summer. They are led by a stout defense that allowed just five goals in 12 matches this season. That defense is one of the most improved units during the offseason as the same team allowed 11 goals in 12 matches last season at the U15 level. Their offensive production also rose from 15 goals in 2007 to 24 goals this season. The Fury will open North American Finals group play with a 5:00 PM match with Midwest Champion, TKO Premier on Friday, November 21.
Northwest Division
Two subsidiaries of the Vancouver Whitecaps development system, Mountain and Coastal WFC have qualified out of the Northwest. Head-to-head the teams split their season series. Coastal took the first match of their season, 1-0 over Mountain at home while Mountain got revenge towards the middle of the season by way of a 2-1 win on their pitch. Mountain prevailed against the remainder of the division to claim the Northwest title due to a 0-0 stumble Coastal suffered to Thompson Okanagan. As a result of Mountain’s two 3-0 wins over Thompson, the highlanders took the division by a two point margin. Coastal will begin their trek towards a North American Semifinals berth against MPS Boston. Mountain faces the Chicago Magic in their first match of group play.
South Atlantic
Much like the Parsippany SC side that draws experience from their storied ‘88 girls, the South Atlantic Division Champion Triangle FC has a strong coloration with their Super-20 League side. One direct tie comes in the form of Mollie Pathman, who was named the Super-20 League MVP as a 16-year old. The prospect midfielder should provide a calming presence in the center of Triangle’s formation during the North American Finals. Pathman however, was not the only factor in Triangle’s South Atlantic Division Championship. The team allowed just five goals in 12 matches this season, including seven games decided by one goal or less to begin their season.
The second team to qualify out of the South Atlantic Division was FC Fredericksburg, who finished with a regular season record of 6-2-3. Looking at Triangle and Fredericksburg’s schedule, the parity of the South Atlantic Division is resounding. The Gunners played in only two matches that were decided by more than two goals. Despite that level of competition, Fredericksburg went unbeaten through four games in June, including a 1-0 win over Triangle.
