Northern Lights Football | WPSL Spotlight: Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy

Wednesday

Minnesota Thunder 8-0 Manitou FC

Doubles by Grace Estby and Caroline Bailey and single goals from Isabela Engle, Maddie Poor, Paige Peltier and Paige Kalal rocketed Thunder past Manitou.

St Croix Legacy 0-3 Salvo SC

St Croix made Salvo work in the opening hour, but a penalty kick from Khyah Harper broke the deadlock. The visitors added goals from Katelyn Beulke and Maddie Ishaug to close out a league leading fifth win, in the back and forth fight for the Northland’s playoff spot with Sioux Falls City.

Friday

Dakota Fusion FC 2-0 Manitou FC

This is Fusion’s first WPSL win since July of 2019 – a season when they accumulated the only two wins in team history. According to my research and the records of our predecessor E Pluribus Loonum, this is also their first ever clean sheet in 6 years of WPSL play. So the magnitude of this win may reverberate much further than just the 2024 standings for a club slated to launch a pro side in 2026.

As for the match on this humid Moorhead evening, Manitou travelled with just twelve players and Mandan, ND’s Sarah Burgum provided both the goals in a match otherwise dominated by shots nestling in the gloves of both goalkeepers.

A frenetic start saw Manitou’s first corner with only 2’30 on the clock, Fusion would have their first shot on goal right after and would break the deadlock after only 4 mins as Burgum tapped in a ball squared perfectly from the left wing. Manitou again put pressure on Fusion keeper Quinn Carter although after some last ditch defending a Manitou corner was only softly headed to Carter. Fusion again had their turn to attack and in the ninth minute, pressure down the left wing only resulted in a shot high and wide of Finja Poecher in the Manitou net.

A sustained period of pressure by one team would be returned with a five minute spell by the other team, although neither could find a way past the goalkeepers with mostly long-range shooting.

Switching strategies, Manitou very nearly unlocked the defence with a Route 1 ball, only to see Carter sprint off her line to clear.

As the first half drew to a close, however, the hosts applied some repeated pressure driving in from the right wing including one noteworthy blast in the 37th minute which saw Poecher deny at full stretch. Three minutes later, Burgum knifed her way through midfield and clipped a ball in on the run from the edge of the area for her, and Fusion’s, second.

A superb solo effort on the stroke of half time could have made it 3-0, but the shot was repelled by the Manitou defense.

The second half started with Burgum missing a connection from Sabrina Amezcua which would have meant her hat trick. Amezcua also deserved a statistical mark for the harrying she had given Manitou. With fifty minutes elapsed, a right wing free kick from Manitou brought their best chance of the game, ricocheting down off the crossbar but bouncing away from goal. Perhaps Fusion’s best chance of the second half came when a corner flew in from the right and somehow missed everyone on the goal line. All in all, it was a high-pressing, high-energy win for the Fusion and a week that Manitou FC will want to forget.

Rochester United SC 0-1 Mankato United SC

Avery Korsching was the difference in the 88th minute, with a breakaway for the visitors.

Saturday Spotlight Match

Joy Athletic Club 1-1 St Croix Legacy

Dare Kroeten equalized two minutes after a St Croix lead given by Lexi Huber in the 53rd minute.

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

St Croix Legacy's Jordan Jeffers (2) passes the ball in midfield against Joy Athletic on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's Aliviah McClinton (19) crosses the ball against St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's Brooke Quam (12) takes a corner in their game against St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Emily Hinze surveys midfield for St Croix Legacy against Joy Athletic on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's goalkeeper Sydney Potter clears versus St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

St Croix Legacy's Emily Hinze (22) drives the ball forward in their match versus Joy Athletic on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

St Croix Legacy goalkeeper Kendall Ellis clears the ball during their match with Joy Athletic on June 15th 2023 (Photo: Ben VanWyk)

Joy Athletic's Ella Bryant (10) shields the ball from St Croix Legacy's Emily Hintze (22)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's Dare Kroeten is congratulated after scoring a goal on June 15th 2024 against St Croix Legacy

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's Ella Bryant (10) crosses the ball in from the right during their match with St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's Ashley Bennett looks to cross the ball during their game versus St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben VanWyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

St Croix Legacy's Emily Hintze (22) passes the ball forward during their game against St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben VanWyk)

St Croix Legacy's Emily Hintze (22) passes the ball upfield during their game with Joy Athletic on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben VanWyk)

St Croix Legacy's Kathleen Praetz (0) clears the ball from her penalty area in the air during their match with Joy Athletic on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben VanWyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic (in the foreground) and St Croix Legacy (background) huddle at half time during their match on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben vanWyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's Annabelle Abruzzo winds up for a long distance shot on the goal of St Croix Legacy during their match on June 15th 2024. (Photo: Ben vanWyk)

St Croix Legacy's Denise Hamdan (6) looks to cross from the right flank during their game with Joy Athletic (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's Sydney Potter holds the ball during their match with St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben vanWyk)

Joy Athletic's Sydney Potter (1) clears the ball during their match with St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben vanWyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Joy Athletic's Sydney Potter (1) clears the ball during their match with St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben vanWyk)

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

St Croix Legacy's Jordan Jeffers prepares for a throw.

Joy Athletic v St Croix Legacy on June 15th 2024 (Photo: Ben van Wyk)

Sioux Falls City 5-0 MapleBrook Fury

City continue to apply pressure at the top of the Northern conference, with goals from five different scorers: Hailee Christensen, Jordan Tenpas, Katharina Oelschlaeger, McKenna Lehman and Mia Mullenmeister.

Sunday

Mankato United 6-0 Dakota Fusion

On a hot and humid day in Mankato, the home side rolled over Fusion. Goals were scored by Anna van Wyngarden, Avery Korsching, Jadyn Chee, Mia Deprenger, Marit Klagge and former Fusion player Maria Zanotti. Clare Longueville shut down the few chances the visitors had.

Coming Up

Saturday

Manitou FC v Joy AC

MapleBrook Fury v St Croix Legacy

Sunday

Minnesota Thunder v Dakota Fusion

Sioux Falls City v Mankato United

Rochester United v Salvo

Wednesday

Friday

Saturday Spotlight Match

Sunday

Coming Up

Tuesday

Wednesday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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