WPSL Central Playoff Preview
The #1 team in the country, Sioux Falls City FC, host the Central Region's playoffs over the weekend.
Saturday
(National Ranking/Regional Ranking)
#1/1 Sioux Falls City v FC Pride
Sioux Falls City's Katharina Oelschlager leads the deepest and most prolific attack in the region, while Cambell Fischer has only conceded 1 goal as a starting goalie all season. On the other hand, FC Pride finished the season with a record of 6-1-4 (W-D-L), while scoring the same number of goals as the division's top team, FC Dayton. Pride moved on to South Dakota with a road victory against the previously undefeated Lake Michigan Division winners FC Milwaukee Torrent.
#7/5 Colorado Pride v #15/7 Union KC
Colo Pride were a high-scoring winner of the Rockies Division of the Mountain Conference, knocking in 38. Bello Omowunmi, with 13 goals and Abby Stassi with 6, have been the biggest contributors. Union KC (8-1-1) won the Heartland Conference and thus a spot in the playoffs but are middle of the pack in scoring and in goal difference across the region.
NISA Independent Cup : 1st Round
Less than 24 hours after an away game with MN Blizzard ended 8-0 to Dakota Fusion, the #1 seed in the NPSL Midwest Region faced an altogether more challenging opponent in UPSL/MASL side Vlora FC on Sunday afternoon. Despite missing the UPSL Premier Division playoffs, Vlora have made a season of eye-catching cup contests - often on the road.
This was the first round of the Great Lakes Region of NISA Independent Cup, a cluster of regional mini tournaments which each have a winner and a participating NISA professional side. In the case of the Great Lakes, that is Michigan Stars FC - although they are on the 'other side of the bracket' from tonight's combatants.
After an opening 18 minutes dominated by Fusion, the hosts went ahead through Nicolo Lai, finishing a passage of pinball in the box. Five minutes later, the visitors took advantage of an errant header by a Fusion defender across the box to head themselves level through Tensing Walker.
Vlora goalkeeper Mitchell Wolff then kept his team in the game before the visitors ended the first half in the ascendency but tied on goals, including hammering the ball off the crossbar from 20 yards away.
Oliver Benson dribbled through multiple defenders but Wolff blocked his shot, point blank.
Fusion began the second half on the front foot, and a shot across the goal very nearly resulted in an own goal, ricocheting off the post. In the 50th minute, the referee missed a Fusion penalty kick - instead ruling that the foul took place outside the area. He placed the ball literally on the penalty area line.
There was a 20 minute period of back and forth pressure before a defense splitting pass was squared to James Narke for the cushioned tap in to put Fusion back on top in the 76th minute. Both sides had free kicks but no clear chances and it was Fusion who moved on.
Speaking to us after the match, Dakota Fusion head men's coach Alex Trent said
While I would have liked for us to play better and finish our chances in the first half, finding a way to get a result and overcome more adversity is a good sign that the guys are growing and maturing. A lot of guys stepped up today with us putting out a completely different lineup than in our game last night. Really proud of James Narke getting the winner after the long journey he has been on this summer with us to get back into playing after several years out of the game - he has been a huge part of our success day to day during the season and now on the field recently which is a testament to his hard work and commitment to this summer experience.
Coming Up in the Independent Cup
Dakota Fusion face a road trip to Wauwatosa, WI to play Milwaukee Torrent (who play in the Gateway Conference of the NPSL) on Friday 19th.
NPSL Round-Up: July 1-6
Tuesday:
Siouxland United 3-1 Sioux Falls Thunder
A 43rd minute goal by Lucas Foreman and two from Ben Shields were countered by a goal by Simon Woods for Thunder.
Dakota Fusion 6-1 Minnesota TwinStars
A strong wind blew left to right, in the faces of Fusion, at the backs of TwinStars for the first half. It was a broken opening 10 with multiple TwinStars down and Chigoze Eneje out injured a couple times.
Fusion had three different players shoot on target before Rich Busmeister scored for Fusion in the 18th minute. TwinStars scored direct from the kick-off, wind assisted by Carlos Boquin, over the head of Devine, who was upfield congratulating the goalscorer. Both sides had chances but it was Busmeister who made it 2-1 in the 30th minute, finishing off a passage of close passing down the middle, slotting it calmly past the keeper into the corner.
In the 40th minute, a Fusion corner was recycled and Sho Toda ran in on goal but was tackled by Balakiyem Katanga in the TwinStars goal, leaving both down and the goal empty. Ryosuke Miyata chipped the ball in.
Jino Agbassa made it 4-1 off a neat passage of play just to the right of center, again calmly dispatched. James Narke curled one off the post before Telvin Vah cushioned the ball and slotted it home in the 61st minute from the top of the box to make it 5-1. Will Devine stopped TwinStars at point blank range a few times before the last goal came close to the end, Vah with his second, off a neat interchange.
The result seals the #1 seed for Fusion, and a home playoff game against the #4 team in the North, which was yet to be settled.
Speaking to us after the match about the season to this point, Fusion head coach Alex Trent said:
Minnesota Blizzard 2-5 Joy Athletic
Bennett Kouame opened the scoring but Carter Hermanson equalized for Blizzard. Philip Caputo scored twice to put Joy back on top for good, despite an Ashton Frost goal. Zinedine Kroeten scored a penalty and Caputo finished his first half hat trick. The result, and the TwinStars loss, put Joy in 3rd and moved TwinStars down to 4th, with the two teams meeting on Saturday.
Saturday:
Minnesota Blizzard 0-8 Dakota Fusion
The Blizzard bid farewell to their inaugural season with a hammering by the #1 seed in the Midwest region, Dakota Fusion. They are ranked #7 in the national poll, with that seeding determining who hosts. So stay tuned. In tonight's match, Richard Busmeisters scored two, Brandon Garcia also got two (one from the penalty spot), Inshun Han, Sho Toda, Alex Benitez and Rysuke Miyata all scored.
Siouxland United 3-2 Duluth FC
Duluth finish the season down to 10 men after the dismissal of their goalkeeper, Zeke Foltz, although the loss essentially does nothing to the standings.
The BlueGreens took the lead through Dylan Sumner but Ben Shields equalized. Liam Pritchard put the away side back ahead before Kenny Hewitt equalized. Following the red card for Foltz, Marcus Horwood scored to make it 3-2.
Minnesota TwinStars 4-2 Joy Athletic Club
A Joy AC win, which was on the cards in this exciting end-to-end game at one point, would have moved Joy into second place and the Outlaws into the #4 seed.
TwinStars goals came from Sadra Golzarian, Abdousalam Akinola and David Diawara twice. Joy's goalscorer information is pending.
Coming Up:
Wednesday
#1 Dakota Fusion FC v #4 Joy Athletic Club
Fusion beat Joy 4-0 in the regular season version of this match, and remain unbeaten.
#2 Duluth FC v #3 Minnesota TwinStars
The BlueGreens hammered TwinStars in the regular season edition of this match-up, so they will be hoping for a better trip up to the banks of Lake Superior this time around.
Saturday
Top remaining seed hosts the other winner for the Conference Championship.
WPSL Central Region Playoffs Preview
Playoffs! In the Northland!
As part of the planned rotation between regions, it has long been known that the Northern Conference's winners this year would not only seal that conference's only spot in the playoffs, but would also host the Central Regional finals. This year there is only one Conference Championship in the Central Region.
FC Pride (who finished third in the Gateway) play Lake Michigan winners Milwaukee Torrent for the Midwest Conference on Sunday for a place in Sioux Falls.
Sioux Falls City in the Northern Conference and the Heartland division winners Union KC are spared that extra game, Rockies division winners Colorado Pride have won the Mountain Conference's spot in the Central Region's final four.
I will be investigating how clubs qualified for the postseason without winning their conference.
MN Aurora FC dances into third postseason appearance
Minnesota Aurora FC danced into their third consecutive postseason berth last week with a pair of road wins that clinched the Heartland Division and added to the franchise's records. Aurora will have to get through a rematch with Indy Eleven on Friday to advance to the Conference final on Sunday but, both players and coaches like their chances, especially if they hold to their one-match mentality.
Rewind: Path to Playoffs
June 27 (Milwaukee, Wis.): Bavarian United FC 0-7 MN Aurora FC
Aurora clinched their playoff spot with a shutout against Bavarian but they had a slow start, not finding the net until the 27th minute. Saige Wimes' goal, which came from a Bavarian turnover, opened the floodgates. A Katie Duong penalty kick and a strike from Mariah Nguyen to finish a box-to-box team goal (Kelis Barton to Wimes to Nguyen) sent Aurora into the break with a 3-0 lead.
Wimes scored a brace in the 52nd minute (4-0). Substitute Sophie French scored in the 56th (5-0) with a strike from distance after another turnover and again in the 72nd on a cornerkick served by Katie Duong (6-0). Giada Zhou added yet another banger in the 86th to end Aurora's night with a 7-0 win.
June 29 (Racine, Wis.): RKC Third Coast 0-14 MN Aurora FC
On Saturday, it took a heavily rotated Aurora only six minutes to find their first goal. Once again, Katie Duong sent a beautiful ball into the box, finding Tess Werts who chipped it over the shoulder of RKC goalkeeper Ella Kratochvil (1-0). Kratochvil made five saves before Giada Zhou doubled Aurora's lead in the 33rd minute following a poor clearance. French and Duong each added a goal before the break. The second half escalated more quickly.
Cat Rapp tallied four goals in 19 minutes (51'Klecezewski. “Two games, as we continue to prepare for the playoffs. We came focused on our attacking objectives and prepared ourselves for some great opponents coming up.”, 53', 62', 70'), book-ending three more goals from Wimes (57'), Lydia Ruppert (57'), and Kaylie Chambers (67') which put Aurora up 11-0 with twenty minutes still on the clock. But it didn't end there. Morgan Stone, a Chambers brace, and Sofia Bush, made it 14-0 on the night. If not for 'keeper Kratochvil the final tally could have been well above 20, but 14 marked a new franchise record goals-per-game for Aurora. Cat Rapp's haul (4 goals - a hat trick plus one) was also a franchise first.
Depth In Action: 21-0 Weekend
While players like Cat Rapp, a three-year Aurora vet, and Katie Duong, a 2024 signing (who has now scored in seven straight matches) continue to put on standout performances match after match, the 21-0 weekend showed the depth and creativity of the squad. The final weekend of the regular season saw veterans and newcomers climb the franchise leader boards:
https://twitter.com/MNAuroraFC/status/1808168760609546696
And, while the score may be excessive, it is also preparation. Assistant Coach Tom Klecezewski said, "We came [to Wisconsin] focused on our attacking objectives and prepared ourselves for some great opponents coming up.”
Central Conference Playoffs
Detroit City FC won their bid to host the Central Conference playoffs at Keyworth Stadium. On Friday, July 5, Aurora (1st seed) will play Indy Eleven (3rd seed) while host Detroit City (2nd) will play wild card River Light (4th). No, this is not a seeding error: USL-W's 2024 playoff structure states that inter division match-ups will be avoided in the first round whenever possible. Thus, the Heartland Division's 2nd place finisher, River Light, will not face 1st place MN Aurora, despite being assigned the 4th and 1st seeds, respectively.
After training on Wednesday, a portion of which was open to the media, coach Colette Montgomery was asked about having to travel for the first playoff game despite Aurora earning the first seed. She gave a well thought out response about the league's goal to expand the various marketplaces within the league and to give clubs with the means to host a chance to do so. Montgomery added that clubs like Aurora have a role to play in other markets, not just their own, and she hopes they can "maybe influence some young boys and girls in Detroit to play soccer and love the game."
A change of scenery brings new excitement - and challenges - to the game for players. Defender Lillie French told NLF, "It's also exciting to play out in a different stadium. I can't wait. I love playing at different places. Obviously I wish we were home but, it's nice to see something new. It's like a challenge." As for their opponent, the squad is not caught up on past results. "I'm excited to get outside of our division and play a team outside just to see what that competition is like and I know that Aurora has faced this team in the past, but you know, every year it's different so I'm excited to see that."
Indy Eleven isn't a completely new opponent for Aurora. The Valley Division side beat Aurora on their way to winning the championship trophy in 2023. While some standout players remain (most notably goalkeeper Nona Reason and forward Katie Soderstrom), Indy's 2024 division title was followed by the departure of head coach Paul Dolinsky.
Still, Aurora's staff has done their homework. "We've scouted them well. We know what they do well. We lock into what we want to do and we take our game to them," Montgomery said. "Hopefully we get that finished."
"Returning players have really brought that kind of unfinished business perspective to this. And I think that really drives the squad as a whole. We know that we're grateful for what's been done. And we're not content to leave it where it is. And so we're going to do our best to put out the best performance this weekend." - Colette Montgomery, Aurora Head Coach/Sporting Director
Unfinished Business & the Aurora Way
Lillie French, who joined Aurora's roster in June following a season with Heidelberg United FC (Melbourne, Aus.), has a unique perspective on the match-up. She watched her twin sister, Sophie, play in the match against Indy last season. She watched the 'unfinished business' mindset in action as she joined the squad for training under Montgomery in 2024. Now, after playing in a handful of games herself, Lillie is confident in the mixed team of veterans and newcomers who bring the intensity day after day:
"I think we have such a strong crew and all the girls on the team are so, so strong and so skillful that I think, going into playoffs, it's just another game for us. I mean there's high stakes, but we're just going into it like it's just another opponent. Like we got this, focusing on us - not really on the [opposing] team, just focusing on what we do and then trying to execute that. So we're really excited."
Aurora worked hard to match in 2024 the successes of their first two seasons. A whole new coaching staff and a nearly even mix of new players and returning/third-year players, had to work together to bring another undefeated season to fruition.
"Coach Lukic and her staff have built that tradition of the high press and being relentless and going after lots of goals and scoring," said Montgomery. "We all know that in sports really, the difference between being at a good level and being at the highest level comes down to mentality. I'm really proud of this group. The way that they really build that tenacity and resilience, the willingness to do the work off the ball and on the ball, play with freedom and creativity and ,as easy as it is to say that, it's very hard to create an environment where players have ownership over that. So disciplined defense can lead to creativity in the attack. It's hard to do that. But I believe that together we've created that environment and are really thriving."
On Friday, Aurora will have to find a way to carry that tenacity forward into the postseason. The club entered their third season with two division titles, one conference title, and a championship runners-up finish to their name. So far in 2024, they have added a third division title. Winning out this weekend to add another conference title would be a balm on the sting of 2023. Winning it all would remove chips from a few shoulders. But first, Friday...
Up Next
Conference semifinal: Minnesota Aurora FC v. Indy Eleven (match info courtesy of MNAFC):
Gallery: Aurora 2 vs Tonka Fusion Elite 2
Month: July 2024
Here are our photos from the Aurora 2 vs Tonka Fusion Elite 2 game on June 27th at Concordia in St. Paul.
USL League 2 Spotlight: Minneapolis City v Rochester FC
Minneapolis City SC 2-0 Rochester FC
Goals by Eli Goldman and Ryan Keefe
All pictures from Jason Morales Ortiz
UPSL Men's Playoff Final: 18x26 Academy v St Paul Blackhawks
18x26 Academy 2-1 St Paul Blackhawks
After a postseason of upsets, 18×26 seized the trophy for UPSL Men’s Midwest West Premier Division and moved on to play in the National bracket against Dodge City Toros of the Midwest South at the weekend.
All photos by Jason Morales Ortiz.
WPSL Spotlight: St Croix Legacy v Sioux Falls City
Sioux Falls City FC completed their perfect season with a win over St Croix Legacy. The winning goal came from Taylor Thomas. The other results from this round are covered here
WPSL Wrap-Up: Week 8
The battle for the North was all set up for a showdown on Friday, albeit with an unexpectedly tight result in Maple Grove.
Wednesday
St Croix Legacy 1-0 Mankato United
This was a Spotlight Match of the week, full gallery here.
Minnesota Thunder 11-2 Rochester United
Caroline Bailey scored a hat trick, Kiya Gilliand scored two and Vesna Dennison, Taylor Heimerl, Paige Peltier, Paige Kalal, Izzy Engle and Allison Flies all scored once for Thunder. Kylie Miranto and Sydney Tucker scored for the Lions.
MapleBrook Fury 0-1 Salvo SC
A penalty kick from the prolific Khyah Harper kept Salvo's season perfect.
Friday
Dakota Fusion 0-4 Joy Athletic Club
A strong second half by the Goats, yet another defeat for Fusion. Brooke Quam scored twice, Ashley Bennett and
Sioux Falls City 1-0 Salvo SC
Mia Bosch sealed the Conference title, and hosting rights for the playoffs, with a winner in the 60th minute, from a Mia Mullenmeister pass and off a despairing Ayden Gagner in the Salvo net.
Saturday
Mankato United 5-0 Manitou FC
Jadyn Chee, Kelsey Heller, Lucy Weninger, Ava Stanchina and Marit Klagge all scored for United.
Sunday
Dakota Fusion 0-2 Rochester United
Rochester United travelled to Fargo with only 11 players but matched up with a team who rostered only 12.
A back and forth opening few minutes marked by few chances, often only just missed by both sides.
Right on half time, a free kick for Rochester, bounced high over the Fusion keeper Quinn Carter but was somehow scrambled clear.
Fusion’s Sarah Burgum, missed a chance, over the crossbar, from inside the 6 yard box and only ten minutes later, Rochester United had a two run lead. Sydney Tucker benefited from a long ball down the middle which bounced free of the Fusion offside trap, slotting past a disgruntled Carter. Two minutes later, Kylie Mirango made it 2-0 to the visitors, slapping home a ball which found her in the six yard box from a midfield free kick.
Fusion finished the game on the front foot but failed to spoil the clean sheet. With that result, the team from Fargo-Moorhead head to MapleBrook next week hoping for a two win season but with the chance for a transformatory three-win season gone by the way.
Joy Athletic Club 1-0 MapleBrook Fury
Ashley Bennett scored the winner in the Goats last game of the season. Ben VanWyk has a full Spotlight gallery here
St Croix Legacy 0-1 Sioux Falls City
Taylor Thomas's early strike is enough to give the Northern Conference Champions a perfect regular season. Jason Morales Ortiz has the Spotlight coverage here.
Coming Up:
Sunday July 7th:
MapleBrook Fury v Dakota Fusion
WPSL Spotlight: Joy Athletic Club v MapleBrook Fury
Ben VanWyk brings our WPSL spotlight to the match up of MapleBrook Fury and Joy Athletic.
The rest of the week’s coverage, including multiple other Spotlights, will be published soon.
