Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora v Chicago Dutch Lions
USL W League
With a hat trick from midfielder Hannah Adler (10), Minnesota Aurora defeated Chicago Dutch Lions 6-1 on Wednesday’s match at TCO Stadium.
MN Aurora Showcases Depth, Creativity in 10 Goal Rout of RKC
Minnesota Aurora FC improved to 3-0 on Wednesday night, scoring ten unanswered goals against RKC Third Coast, the expansion side from Racine-Kenosha (WI). Aurora is the second W League team to score double-digits in 2023 (but the first to not concede) and the fourth to do so since the league began in 2022.
View our full photo gallery here
Aurora returned home to TCO Stadium in Eagan on Wednesday night, carrying three points from the weekend's match against the Chicago Dutch Lions. Head coach Nicole Lukic made some significant changes to the lineup, sending out all three Rapp triplets and giving Ari DelMoral her first start of the season, but the attack and backline remained unchanged. This tested scoring squad faced a thin RKC lineup - due to transportation constraints they traveled with only two substitutes due, including a goalkeeper, on one of the hottest and most humid nights so far of this Minnesota summer.
Cat Rapp and Maya Hansen kept their attacking connections alive in this match, opening the scoring when Rapp found an unmarked Hansen in front of goal in the 3'. The squad celebrated by sitting on the endline to "row the boat." Rapp added her own in the 9', putting Racine's back line on notice with a 2-0 deficit inside of 10 minutes. As Aurora players put on a more subdued celebration, RKC's goalkeeper and defenders huddled, soon joined by most of their midfielders. From Aurora's first offensive press (which started from the whistle), RKC was flooding their box with defenders with the intention of bunkering against Aurora's possession and presumably to start their own attacks on the counter. However, a bunker only works if those involved are marking the opponent well, and in this instance, RKC was not successful on that front; rather every defender was repeatedly caught ball watching, perhaps expecting a teammate to step up to the ball. They came out of the huddle with a more concerted plan, beginning to go two-v-one with whoever was in possession in their attacking third. That didn't work either.
Goals Goals Goals
Captain and rightback Makenzie Langdok is not to be deterred by a double-teaming defense. Langdok led much of the offensive efforts on the wing and in the 19' she juked her two defenders and beat a couple more before finding Hansen fully unmarked in the box. 3-0 Aurora. And it continued. Cat Rapp found Hansen again in the 31' for the team's fourth goal and Hansen's third. With a hat trick and two-thirds of a game left to play, Aurora did not let up. The team celebrations, however, stopped after the third goal, reduced to high fives and hugs as they jogged to the center circle for the restart.
Ari DelMoral got her first goal with a banger from 18 yards out into the upper right corner. RKC keeper Greta Harms made a leaping effort to stop it but simply could not get there. 5-0. Morgan Stone, the squad's leading scorer in 2022, nabbed her first goal of the season with a clean finish in the 44'. Officials added two minutes to the half, simply to make up for the three-minute water break, but it felt a bit ridiculous given the scoreline. The two minutes were relatively quiet - Aurora went into the locker room up 6-0.
Both teams made wholesale changes after halftime. Lukic sent in Taylor Kane for Amanda Poorbaugh, giving Kane her first minutes of the 2023 season after keeping her out of the first two games as a precaution following a minor thumb injury suffered in preseason. Also subbing in were: Vienna Behnke for Rami Rapp, Hannah Adler for Cat Rapp, Kylie Olsen for Langdok, Lydia Ruppert for Nguyen, Sophie French for DelMoral, and Kaitlyn MacBean for Hansen. RKC also used all two of their subs, most notably replacing Harms in goal with Mia Guyton.
Guyton immediately faced Aurora's attacking gauntlet: French scored in the 49' (her first of the campaign), Tianna Harris in the 54' (her first for the club), and Adler in the 56'. MacBean, credited with the assist on Adler's goal, scored one of her own in the 63'. And to mix things up, Stone added a yellow card in the 51'. "It's nice to see a variety in goals and goal scorers," Lukic said. "It helps us as we continue through the season to make players feel good, that they can be the person to score on any given night."
On her first half hat trick, Hansen said, "I think my mentality was, if it comes, it comes, but obviously I was striving for that. That's a cool achievement and obviously wouldn't be possible without my teammates. I mean, they really put them just, like, on a platter for me. They made my job super, super easy, but yeah, that's a cool accomplishment to have for sure."
The win, and the ten goals scored in an hour of play, secured first place in the Heartland Division, a tie on points with Chicago City SC broken by Aurora's goal differential - 19GF/0GA well ahead of CCSC's impressive 10GF/1GA. RKC, already at the bottom of the table despite having played one more match than Aurora, saw their goal differential plummet further, with 1GF/23GA giving them a -22 GD.
Hansen cited squad quality, both on and off the pitch, as a key factor in Aurora's success just three matches into the season. "The new players have been extremely easy to integrate into our team from last year. You can really tell that Nicole [Lukic] and the coaching staff paid attention to who these people are as people, not just as players. So who they are off the field makes it really easy to play with them on the field and that chemistry kind of just flows super naturally." She also said that that chemistry has improved in-game communication (one of the factors Lukic said played into some sloppy play in the opening match): "I think we have good success as the year has continued to progress, just learning how each other plays so that communication kind of becomes a little less needed."
USL-W Context
While Aurora's supporters, MN Revontulet, chanted "We want 11!", some comments on twitter suggested that the home side should have let up, shifting their focus to possession rather than scoring. But what is the appropriate way to respond in a match that so clearly displays the gap in resources between two teams elevated to the same league and division? RKC has potential but did not have the same resources to build out when promoted from club soccer to USL-W as Minnesota Aurora had from their start in 2022. With an already thin squad, and without the resources to travel with more than a couple subs, RKC faces an uphill battle as they integrate into the W League. While a ten goal rout seems excessive, the club did not join the league to play soft - Aurora letting up would have been disrespectful in that sense.
But Aurora is also a regional anomaly. While the club routinely led the division in scoring in 2022, Wednesday night's performance produced double the goals of their highest-scoring match last season, a 5-1 win over Green Bay. While preseason began with talk about how Aurora might fare in a much-expanded league, the club's stats just three matches in rival those of a club Lukic cited as an illustration of the league's growth and improved quality. San Francisco Glens FC leads the Nor Cal Division with six wins from six matches played (Nor Cal began the season a couple weeks earlier than Heartland for obvious reasons) and a goal differential of 24 (27GF/3GA). In last place, eighth, is Academica SC with five losses in five games and 2GF/24GA, matching RKC's -22 goal differential. The gap in resources and the talent pool in the Nor Cal Division is similar to those in the Heartland.
It's Still Early
MN Aurora will travel to Rochester on Sunday, June 4, to face the Loons again. Rochester FC has not earned any points from their first three matches and five of their eight goals conceded thus far were scored by Aurora in the season opener. They sit one place above RKC but, unlike RKC, have yet to score a goal of their own. They also had a thin squad when they traveled to TCO Stadium, sitting a handful of players who suffered injuries in preseason, but have put up a fight in every match. Aurora's bench and adaptability will keep them on the front foot as division play continues, but there is still time for clubs like RFC to catch up.
Sunday's action kicks off at 3 P.M. EST from Rochester Community and Technical College. MN Aurora will then return home to host the Chicago Dutch Lions on Wednesday and before traveling to play Chicago City SC on Sunday.
Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora vs RKC Third Coast
USL W League
Minnesota Aurora sailed to a 10-0 win against RKC Third Coast on Wednesday night. Here are our photos from the pitch.
MN Aurora Score Four on the Road, Take Three Points from Chicago Dutch Lions
In their first road match of 2023, Minnesota Aurora out classed Chicago Dutch Lions at a fitting location, Aurora University in Aurora, Illinois, shutting out their hosts 4-0 and taking the top spot in the division with a game in hand.
Head coach Nicole Lukic made only one change from Wednesday's opener, slotting Jelena Zbiljic in on the right wing for Sophie French, placing all four goalscorers from Wednesday in the XI. The Lions had one more game under their belts going into Saturday but with mixed results, opening the season with a 2-1 win over RKC and a 1-0 loss to Chicago City. Their two goalscorers from that opening match, Katrina Barthelt and Anna Stiffler, earned another start against Minnesota, but neither could overcome Aurora's stingy defense. Goalkeeper Caitlin Richards, who had conceded only two goals in two games, made some solid saves on the night but could not hold off a tested Aurora press. The Aurora Way continues in Year Two.
Saturday's goals were not as fast and furious as Wednesday's but they are just as stunning. Kennedy Faulknor got it started in the 21st minute with a rocket from 35 yards out, burying a postage stamp goal past a leaping Richards.
“Their defense was dropping off, and I had a lot of space,” said center back Kennedy Faulknor. “I thought I’d try to take the shot, and it went in!”
https://twitter.com/MNAuroraFC/status/1662619385620488193
Following the goal, both sides spent far more time working the midfield, with Chicago becoming more physical and Aurora stretching their press a bit rather than camping out in the final third. The second goal came in the 38th when Mariah Nguyen, who was a thorn in the side of CDL's midfield, sprinted down the wing and crossed a ball into the box. Maya Hansen was there for the finish, putting Aurora up 2-0. She would do again in the 43rd, after receiving a ball picked out of CDL's midfield by Cat Rapp, and making a central run on goal and going one on one with Richards, forcing the keeper to commit well off her line before sending the ball past her. It was Hansen's third goal of the season and Aurora's third of the night.
The second half was chippy but more even in terms of possession. Aurora's back line did well to prevent Chicago from getting into shooting positions, let alone scoring positions, but they did have to work a little to keep the clean sheet. The best opportunity for the hosts came from a corner, but even that was not incredibly threatening. Mariah Nguyen, the work horse of the left wing, finally got a goal of her own in the 89th minute, putting a bow on the shutout result with a leaping half volley, ending the night 4-0.
The result sees Aurora leapfrog Chicago City SC to first place in the Heartland Division, with identical records aside from a slim margin in goals scored -- Aurora has 9, CCSC 8. Minnesota Aurora will return home to host RKC at TCO Stadium on Wednesday, May 31, at 7:00 PM CST.
Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora v Rochester FC
USL W League
Minnesota Aurora defeated Rochester FC 5-0 at home for the season opener on Wednesday, May 24th, 2023. Here are our photographs from the game.
MN Aurora FC Shuts Out Rochester FC In 5 Goal Opener
(Photo by Seth Steffenhagen/Steffenhagen Photography)
Minnesota Aurora FC opened the 2023 season by hosting expansion side Rochester FC, welcoming the Loons to the league with a five goal shutout. Three returning players tallied four massive goals in the first half to welcome fans back to TCO Stadium, starting what is sure to be a tough season on the front foot.
"Breaking news, the conference champs are still really, really good at soccer," Rochester FC tweeted at full time. The Rochester Loons are one of the Heartland Division expansion sides, bringing some in-state competition to Aurora's calendar. A very young RFC squad put up a good fight, particularly in the second half, but ultimately could not answer the goal tally put up by the Aurora.
Minnesota earned a corner within the first minute, a freekick in the second, struck side netting in the fourth. The first goal finally (yes, finally) came in the 6', a clean finish by Cat Rapp on a cross from Makenzie Langdok. While Rochester took advantage of a few counters, their finishing was not clean or powerful enough to trouble starting goalkeeper Amanda Poorbaugh. But an Aurora offense featuring four returning players (Rapp, Mariah Nguyen, Hannah Adler, Sophie French and Maya Hansen) was no easy match. Mariah Nguyen, who found side netting early, found Hannah Adler in the six yard box in the 14'. Adler settled the ball and sent an inside-of-the-boot finish past keeper Carlota Alcade.
Alcade, who had 12 saves in RFC's 1-0 opening loss against Bavarian SC last week, looked less confident against Aurora. Down 2-0 inside of 15 minutes, it would be a long night for her. A minute after the crossbar denied a Nguyen scissor kick, Hansen found Rapp who slipped past the centerback and beat Alcade again to make it 3-0 in the 35'. Then just after the restart, Adler sent a ball to Hansen whose quick finish made it 4-0 in the 36'.
"It was fun, and I think it helped us settle down a little bit," head coach Nicole Lukic said of the four first half goals. Of Rapp's two goals, Lukic said, "Incredible and not surprising because she's been on fire the last two weeks at training so really happen to see some goals going in for her tonight."
https://twitter.com/MNAuroraFC/status/1661535442506858496
Rapp credited preseason preparation for Wednesday's result:
"We have a mindset and a goal and a plan of what we want to do and because my teammates and all we've been working on for the past couple weeks with coaches and everybody, I was able to just do my job and finish the chances I had."
The score held through to halftime with Rochester growing into the game in those ten minutes but still feeling things out. Aurora's Nguyen tangled with Sera Speltz on the wing a few times, each attempting physical runs.
Each side made three changes to start the half with newcomer Vienna Behnke replacing Nguyen and Lydia Ruppert and Jelena Zbiljic replacing Ostrem and French for Aurora. Emma Knack entered the game for Rochester, replacing Alcade in goal, joined by Becca Cook and Ava Adams. The first half hour of the second half was much like the last ten minutes of the first half with Rochester getting a little more purpose from their possession (Mizutani's freekick attempt in the 53' was high but seemed to renew Rochester's attack) but a took a few more subs for the next goal to happen.
In the 83', after a few well-timed if not powerful shots, Aurora's Kristelle Yewah took advantage of a miscue by Knack, getting behind the keeper and flustering both centerbacks before deflecting a long ball from defender Kennedy Faulknor to Jelena Zbiljic, who tapped it home for the fifth and final goal.
"Incredible ball," Lukic reflected. "Well-weighted, left footed, just floated right into Kristelle's feet."
https://twitter.com/MNAuroraFC/status/1661551215765848065
A five goal shutout with two key players out due to knocks suffered in preseason friendlies (Kelsey Kaufusi - hamstring; Taylor Kane - thumb) is a solid start for a team that expects to score but also concede more in their second season. The crowd of 5,187 fans made the work a little difficult for Lukic and her squad:
"To be honest, I think at times we were still pretty choppy and sloppy through the night and the ball was out of bounds a lot [...] I learned that we're a little more nervous than I thought we would be being back in this environment but that'll come with time and your know, our next game's on the road. So it'd be nice to kind of work on some things and build off of tonight and in a little bit more quiet atmosphere where we can hear each other, because I couldn't even get anything across to the other side of the field today.
Lukic found plenty of things to work on despite the 5-0 result, but this is not a bad problem to have in the first match of a compact but long season. The Aurora face a quick turnaround with match two coming Saturday at Chicago Dutch Lions. But as Lukic noted, that will be a good environment for them to work on communication and any other problems visible in the first competitive runout.
However, as promised in preseason, this 2023 Aurora squad plans to continue scoring and putting on the pressure, even if they [eventually] have to concede a few more goals along the way. They may not all be 5-0 shutouts, but this team is ready to continue the Aurora Way.
Aurora will face the Chicago Dutch Lions on the road Saturday before returning to TCO to host another new opponent, RKC (Racine, WI) in a Wednesday night prime time feature.
Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora vs. Rochester FC
(Photo by Seth Steffenhagen/Steffenhagen Photography)
Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora FC Practice
USL W League
Minnesota Aurora FC held an open practice session on Monday, May 22nd ahead of their season opener on Wednesday night against Rochester FC. Check out our photos below.
USLW Central Conference Recap: Week 1-2
Week 1
Saturday
Cleveland Force SC 1-2 Kalamazoo FC
AFC Ann Arbor 1-5 Flint City AFC
Week 2
Wednesday
St. Charles FC 0-8 Indy Eleven
Lexington SC 2-1 Kings Hammer FC
Thursday
Kalamazoo FC 3-1 Cleveland Force SC
Saturday
Detroit City FC 0-0 Flint City AFC
Sunday
Kings Hammer FC 3-1 St. Charles FC
AFC Ann Arbor 2-1 Kalamazoo FC
Coming up
Wednesday
Kalamazoo FC v Detroit City FC
Midwest United FC v Flint City AFC
Thursday
Racing Louisville FC v Lexington SC
Friday
Bavarian United SC v RKC Third Coast
Saturday
Cleveland Force SC v Midwest United FC
Flint City AFC v Detroit City FC
Sunday
Rochester FC v Bavarian United FC
St. Charles FC v Racing Louisville FC
Chicago Dutch Lions v RKC Third Coast
2023 USLW Central Conference Preview
The 2023 USL W League season is underway in a much expanded league from 2022. USLW has increased the number of teams from 44 last season to 65 this season, having lost five teams and added 26 new clubs to the league. This increase in clubs has seen a few changes in the league for the 2023 campaign. Similar to NPSL, USL2, and WPSL the divisions in USLW will now be split into four different conferences, The Eastern Conference is made up of the returning Metropolitan and Mid-Atlantic Divisions, the Southern Conference consist of the South Atlantic, South Central, and Southeast divisions, all returning from 2022. Brand new for 2023 is the entire Western Conference, made up of 13 clubs split between the Northwest and NorCal divisions. Lastly the Central Conference consists of the returning Great Lakes and Heartland divisions as well as the new Valley Division.
With the increase in teams, divisions, and conferences the USL W League has expanded the playoffs for 2023. The new playoff format will see 16 clubs qualify, double the amount from last season,. Each division is awarded at least one qualifying spot and each conference is awarded a total of four. In the Central Conference the winner of each the Great Lakes, Heartland, and Valley will earn a berth to the playoffs. The final berth will be awarded to the Great Lakes or Heartland division side with the highest points per game at the end of the season.
Great Lakes Division
Clubs: 6
Clubs Lost: 3 (moved to Valley Division)
Expansion sides: 1
Matches: 12
Playoff Spots: 1 (Possibility of 2)
The Great Lakes Division will see quite a shakeup for 2023. Defending champion Indy Eleven have moved over to the new Valley Division along with Racing Louisville and Kings Hammer. Cleveland Force are the only expansion side for the division, rounding out the line-up at six clubs; AFC Ann Arbor, Cleveland Force, Detroit City FC, Flint City AFC, Kalamazoo FC, and Midwest United FC. Three of the six clubs, Detroit City , Flint City, and Midwest United will enter with new head coaches as they see David Dwaihy, Michele Krzisnik, and Joe White take over their sides respectively.
Two (DCFC and FCAFC) of those three sides season all lost more than 50% of their games in 2022 and are wanting to rebound in 2023. Midwest United's new manager will look to push them to top of the division after finishing in second last season. Rob Miller will step behind the bench for Cleveland Force as the women aim to have a better debut campaign then the men's side did last season when they went 1-9-4 with 7 points. AFC Ann Arbor finished mid-table in the Great Lakes division last season and will aim to compete with Midwest United for the Great Lakes title.
Heartland Division
Clubs: 7
Clubs Lost: 2 (not playing in 2023)
Expansion sides: 3
Matches: 12
Playoff Spots: 1 (Possibility of 2)
Changes are a plenty for the Heartland Division as USLW heads into the reborn leagues second season. Three new sides in Bavarian United, RKC Third Coast, and Rochester FC have joined the conference, while the division lost Kaw Valley FC and St. Louis Lions. Bavarian United will have a leg up on expansion sides RCK and Rochester as the Bavarian Women have been competing in the WPSL for the past two seasons.
"Yeah, the league has definitely got better. It's going to be a lot harder to be successful in playoffs."
- Nicole Lukic, Minnesota Aurora head coach
After finishing the season with their only loss coming in the USLW Championship, Minnesota Aurora will look to do one better by winning the league in 2023. For more on Minnesota Aurora you can check out Bridget McDowell's piece on their preseason. Green Bay Glory found their stride in 2022 after multiple years of rough results in the WPSL before joining USLW. The Glory will look to improve upon their second place finish in 2022 to try and dethrone defending champions Minnesota Aurora. Both Chicago sides, the Dutch Lions and Chicago City SC, are returning for 2023. City will also look to be in the hunt as they finished in third, just below Minnesota and Green Bay. The Dutch Lions on the other hand are a slightly surprising return after the women's side forfeited their final two matches of 2022 to Kaw Valley FC.
Valley Division
Clubs: 5
Clubs Lost: 0 (new division)
Expansion sides: 2 (gained 3 from Great Lakes)
Matches: 10
Playoff Spots: 1
2023 sees the debut of the brand new Valley Division as part of the new Central Conference in USLW. Indy Eleven, Kings Hammer, and Racing Louisville come into the division after having played 2022 in the Great Lakes division. Those three are joined by expansion sides Lexington SC and St. Charles FC who's also have expansion men's sides playing in USL1 and USL2 respectively.
“I am super pumped and grateful for the opportunity to be coaching young, passionate and competitive ladies for the Racing W League team this summer. This is a great time to continue development for these ladies and compete at a high level in a professional environment. We will be intentional about getting 1% better every time we step on the pitch in preparation for our league games while also preparing them to go back to their college teams ready to compete at their best for their upcoming seasons.”
- Callie McKinney, Racing Louisville USLW Head Coach
A new division and new teams mean new faces on the pitch and behind the bench. Expansion side Lexington SC will be lead behind the bench by Florida Gators associate head coach Alan Kirkup. Fellow expansion side St. Charles FC will be lead by long time Missouri Baptist University head coach Deno Merrick. Racing Louisville meanwhile will have an all new look on the bench and on the pitch with Callie McKinney taking over the manager role and with most of the 2022 roster departing as well. Vince Gentile returns as head coach of Kings Hammer, who finished second to last in 2022. Indy Eleven enter the season as the division favourites after handily winning the Great Lakes Division in 2022, having not suffered a defeat until the playoffs. Eleven will be assisted heavily in their attempt at winning the division as they return top scorers Katie Soderstrom and Maddy Williams. Soderstrom and Williams combined for 21 goals over the 12 game regular season, with Soderstrom also averaging a goal per game..
Photo Gallery: MN Aurora Preseason Practice
USL W League
Minnesota Aurora preseason practice kicked off this week and the team invited media to attend practice at TCO Stadium on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023. Here are some of our photos from the day.
Photo Gallery: MN Aurora Kit Reveal and Team Welcome
USL W League
On Sunday, Minnesota Aurora hosted a Kit Reveal and Team Welcome event at the Mall of America where the team unveiled their 2023 “Instant Classic” Home Kit, welcomed back returning players, and introduced new players for the 2023 season.
Aurora begins their season with a match against Rochester at TCO stadium on Wednesday, May 24th at 7pm.
The W League is back
Today, in a move which had been suggested by The Athletic, USL announced a new women's amateur league with an old name.
The new USL W League was unveiled with a Selection Sunday-style stream, together with 8 founding members and a strong trend of organizations whose men's sides are within the professional tiers of the USL system. The old W League folded in 2015.
The eight founding clubs are:
- Minnesota Women's Soccer, a brand-new club which will be more fully unveiled this weekend but which already promises "a women majority owner which will be paired with a unique element of community and supporter ownership" and ownership independent of current organizations.
- Kaw Valley FC will be debuting its women's side in USL W. It's men's side currently compete in the USL League Two's Heartland Conference.
- Chattanooga Red Wolves, currently compete in the Southeastern Conference of the WPSL and are the sister of the USL League One side.
- Greenville Triumph, who have a women's academy but no existing senior women's side, and are the sister of the USL League One side.
- Hartford Athletic, another club debuting its women's side in the new league. It's a sister to a USL Championship side.
- Queensboro FC, has yet to debut in either men's or women's soccer but are slated to begin play in both USL Championship and USL W next year.
- South Georgia Tormenta FC, has a female co-owner but no senior women's side at the moment. It is the sister to a USL League One side.
- Washington D.C., heralded as a former member of the original W-League, DC United also has women within its front office.
The league has projected that there will be 30 members of the inaugural season. Stay tuned for more details, especially with regards to our regions.
