WPSL North Lakes Conference Championship Preview
FC Milwaukee Torrent v St Croix Legacy - Wednesday July 2nd - 8:30pm, Uihlein Soccer Park, Milwaukee, WI
This is a brand-new conference, and for the teams in the Land of the Lakes Division, it is also the first-ever Conference Final, as the Northern Conference had previously only had one division. Added to that, St Croix Legacy has played twice in the past week to even qualify for the Conference Championship. That scheduling quirk meant that the team from the Eastern side of the Twin Cities metro has played from behind in the standings for almost the entire season, with Salvo and the Thunder squad (who opted out of postseason play) setting the pace at the top and a competitive slate of team performance overall. Tatum Trettel of Shoreview, MN leads the way with 7 goals and Amara Smith from Lake Elmo, MN offering assists and 5 goals of her own.
Nathan Klonecki, Executive Director of St Croix Soccer Club spoke to us after they qualified:
We are excited to represent the North Lakes Conference at the WPSL playoffs next week.
In watching the FC Milwaukee Torrent team they are a strong team and we know it will be difficult but with this Legacy team we will definitely give all of our effort.The St Croix Legacy being in our 3rd year in WPSL we have had seen growth every year on and off the field. The roster is very young and using many of our St Croix SC youth players and then adding other local talent has been a fun season for everyone involved. The coaching staff (Marcos Rodriguez-Sporting Director/Head Coach, Phil Walczak- Asst Coach, and Kate Paetz- GK coach) has done a fabulous job!
In the Lake Michigan Division, it has been a three-way fight for the one spot between FC Milwaukee Torrent, Milwaukee-based Bavarian United and Green Bay Glory. The battle went down to the last week, when Torrent, Bavarians and Glory faced each other directly. It was Torrent that emerged from the gauntlet, shutting out the Glory's division leading offense on their way to an unbeaten regular season. They boast a longer history than Legacy, having joined the WPSL in 2018 and won their Conference in 2023.
Women's Head Coach and Club Owner, Andreas Davi spoke to us before the match:
We are happy that we won the division for four years in a row now and look forward to the conference final. The roster is very deep this year and it will be interesting to see where this journey goes.
USL League 2 waves goodbye to the Deep North
In the 30-year-old USL League 2, the Heartland Division of the Central Conference is our focus - with that conference the initial focus of any playoff run. Its former neighbor to the East has subsumed the Deep North division. Into the Heartland's Chicagoland base come a trio of Minnesotan clubs and one from Wisconsin. Out go the defending Deep North champions, Thunder Bay Chill, who have gone on hiatus, and Bavarian United, which focuses on UPSL and the Midwest Premier League. Out of the Heartland are St. Charles FC (who are not listed) and national runner-up Peoria City (who move to the Great Plains division).
None of the four playoff qualifiers from the Heartland or Deep North in 2024 are in the Heartland this season. The Central has five divisions.
From the Heartland
Chicago City Dutch Lions are a joint-venture of the operators of two previously separate USL clubs, Chicago City SC and Chicago Dutch Lions (who were one of 11 Dutch Lions teams fielded by the franchise across the USA). CCSC are an established youth operation in the area. Dutch Lions lost all 12 of their games last season, City managed two wins and 2 draws but only managed 6th place.
Joliet-based Sueño FC are a newcomer from last season, when they finished 5th of 7 in the Deep North.
River Light FC were 3 points outside a playoff spot from their base in Aurora, Illinois, with a 7-3-2 record.
From the Deep North
The storied crows of Minneapolis City SC finished 5th of 6 teams in the Deep North last season with 5 wins and 7 losses from a topsy-turvy season.
Their neighbors to the East, St. Croix Legends finished fourth, with a 5-2-5 record.
RKC Third Coast in Racine, WI finished two points short of the second playoff spot last season, with a 6-1-5 record.
Rochester FC finished bottom of the division, with a 2-1-9 record.
Prospects
With the playoff field yet to be established it is difficult to make predictions. However, the absence of all four of last year's playoff representatives would suggest a path for a different club (and maybe some from the Northland) to playoffs. Stay tuned.
USL-W Spotlight: Minnesota Aurora finishes home schedule with pair of massive wins
After throttling the Chicago Dutch Lions on the 16th of June, Minnesota Aurora capped off their home schedule last weekend with a Thursday-Saturday set of matches, capping off a three match homestand. The opening game of the swing saw Aurora take down Bavarian United 5–0 in a dominating performance. On Saturday afternoon, Aurora hosted their annual Pride Night match, defeating Chicago City SC 4–1 in another outstanding performance. The wins kept Aurora on top of the Heartland Division table exiting the weekend, but were not without their moments of adversity.
The Thursday night opener had a 6-2-0 (W-D-L) with 20 points Aurora squad face off with Bavarian United SC for the first of two times on the season. Bavarians entered the match at 4-1-3 with 2 consecutive losses coming into the match and only one substitute on the bench. Just 13 minutes into the match, Aurora scored their opening goal of what would become five on the night after a Katie Duong to Mariah Nguyen to Julia Sattler combination.
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Aurora took a 4-0 lead into the break after goals from Katie Duong, Saige Wimes, and Addy Weichers. The Katie Duong show continued with her snatching Aurora's fifth goal of the evening in the 77th minute on a wonderful curling shot off a free kick. Duong finish the night with a brace and two assists, outdoing her outstanding performance from the previous weekend against Chicago Dutch Lions.
"I've just been having so much fun playing here. It's been really fun to play with this team, I think just starting to find my rhythm and the rhythm with the team as well has been super fun these last couple games," Katie Duong said about her performances against Bavarians and Dutch Lions.
After one day of rest between, Aurora returned to the pitch on Saturday afternoon to face off with Chicago City SC in their second clash of the season. After drawing in Chicago earlier in the season, Aurora looked to rebound with a big win at home in Eagan.
Just two minutes into the match Katie Duong scored another goal on the weekend on yet another beautiful free kick goal.
https://twitter.com/EqualTimeSoccer/status/1804608618274140396
Mariah Nguyen put in the second goal of the first half to put Aurora up 2-0 heading into the break. In the second half Chicago scored their only goal of the evening on a penalty kick after Julia Sattler was called for a foul inside the box. Two minutes later in the 57' Mariah Nguyen earned herself a brace and put Aurora up 3-0, while Kelis Barton finished off the scoring for the hosts.
"These fans are amazing and hearing hearing all the younger girls scream number 51 is really really fun, especially when I'm taking throw in so now really grateful for the crowd," defender Kelis Barton said after defeating Chicago City. "Really grateful for our community. So good pride night turnout and yeah, despite the weather I'm glad we got a good dub and took care of business."
Minnesota Aurora (8-0-2 | W-L-D) heads to Wisconsin this week for a two game swing in the Badger State. Thursday night is a rematch between Aurora and Bavarian United SC. Bavarians (5-4-1) are already out of the playoff race, but will attempt to make the final weekend a difficult one for Aurora. Minnesota currently leads second place River Light by a single point but can clinch the Heartland Division with a win on Thursday night.
"We're taking it game by game. We've said that the whole season. We're into Bavarian on Thursday night and then RKC on the weekend. So one game at a time on half at a time," Aurora coach Colette Montgomery said. "We're not getting ahead of ourselves. I think this group has done really well in staying locked into the task at hand.
Photo Gallery: Aurora vs Bavarian United
Bavarian United SC
Minnesota Aurora FC defeated Bavarian United 5-0 on Thursday night at TCO Stadium. Here our our photos from the match.
USLW Heartland Overview
The USL W League is returning for its third season in 2024, continuing its overall expansion. Even with the continued expansion, the Heartland Division retains most of its shape from 2023. The only loss the division saw was Green Bay Glory heading back to the WPSL after two seasons in USLW.
Bavarian United
A former WPSL side entering their third season in USLW, the Bavarians will look to rebound off a middle of the road season in 2023. The historic suburban Milwaukee side continues to play their home matches at Heartland Value Fund Stadium in Glendale, WI.
Chicago City SC
Another former WPSL side, also playing their third season in USLW, last years division runner-up Chicago City has their work cut out for them in 2024. City's history has seen the side perform relatively inconsistent over the years, though City has continued to get better each season. CCSC will move their home ground from the Lions for Hope Complex to Loyola University's Hoyne Field.
Chicago Dutch Lions
Another former WPSL side, the Dutch Lions looked nearly dead just two seasons ago. In their final WPSL season in 2022, CDL finished the season at 2-6-0 and lost their final four matches 20-2. Enter last season with the Dutch Lions joining the W League and rebounding to a 7-4-0 record, finishing third in the Heartland Division. The Dutch Lions will once again make their home from the Spartan Athletic Park in Aurora, IL.
Minnesota Aurora
Aurora return for their third season of play and are clearly the team to beat both on and off the pitch. In both seasons of USLW play, Aurora has captured the Heartland division title with ease. Massive crowds at TCO Stadium in Eagan have made their home ground a fortress. But both seasons ended in disappointment with Aurora falling in the 2022 USLW Final and in the 2023 conference final. It's safe to say Aurora have a chip on their shoulder heading into the season.
RKC Third Coast
Last season's expansion side, RKC Third Coast had a disappointing first campaign in 2023 going 3-8-0 and finishing in fifth place. RKC hosts their games at Pritchard Park in Racine, WI.
River Light FC
The only expansion side in the division for 2024, River Light keeps the division size exactly at 7 following the departure of Green Bay back to the WPSL. River Light will join the Chicago Dutch Lions using the Spartan Athletic Park in Aurora, IL as their home ground.
Rochester FC
One of the only two teams in the Heartland located west of the Mississippi, Rochester FC are desperate for a better campaign after a poor run last season. A 1-11-0 record handed the Loons the divisions wooden spoon by 6 points in 2023. Rochester FC returns to Rochester Regional Stadium on the east side of the city for the second USLW season.
USL League Two Deep North Preview
The Deep North division of United Soccer Leagues League Two stays largely unchanged, save for the departure of FC Manitoba in Winnipeg. Here's a look at the League Two landscape.
Thunder Bay Chill
The Division winners are back, having accumulated nine wins, two draws and only one loss on their way to the Conference Semifinals. They eventually lost to Des Moines Menace in extra time.
Minneapolis City SC
The Crows finished second bottom in the Divisional table, with a record of three wins, three draws and six losses. Nonetheless, the non-playoff positions in the table were congested.
St Croix Legends
On the eastern edge of the Twin Cities metro in Stillwater, the Legends finished with five wins, six losses and a draw.
Rochester FC
The Loons in Southern Minnesota (as opposed to the MLS team) have had a busy off-season absorbing their NPSL-playing neighbors Med City FC and it will be interesting to see how the roster composition is impacted by a separate pool of players. RFC managed four wins, six losses and two draws.
Bavarian United
The legendary Bavs have racked up National Amateur Cup championships from their base in metro Milwaukee, but only managed one win in the USL L2 last season - their first in the league.
RKC Third Coast
The considerably younger Racine, WI based Third Coast made the playoffs in their debut season, but were up against Des Moines Menace and did not make it past that first round match. Their regular season record was eight wins, three losses and a draw.
Photo Gallery: Minnesota Aurora vs Bavarian United
Bavarian United SC
Bavarian United scored an early goal and held strong for most of the first half, but Minnesota Aurora came back to win with a decisive 5-1 finish in Saturday’s Pride game at TCO Stadium. Here are our photos from the pitch.
Aurora Thrive On Adversity, Add 5-1 Win Over Bavarian United
As a club more accustomed to creating adversity than facing it, the pitch was switched on MN Aurora this week but they emerged stronger, outscoring two Wisconsin opponents ten to one, despite a late venue change midweek and an early conceded goal that silenced TCO Stadium on Saturday night.
Poor air quality in the MSP area and throughout the state due to Canadian wildfires moved Wednesday night's home match against Green Bay Glory to an indoor venue, with no fans and no media. However, MN Aurora FC partners Eagan TV and Fox9 rallied to make the streaming show go on. Aurora won 5-0 with two goals from Cat Rapp and one each from Hannah Adler, Kylie Olsen, and Sophie French.
"I think overall, I mean the staff was probably the most stressed out because, myself included, we were the ones managing a lot of the changes and we tried to keep that off the players on Wednesday and I think we did a good job of that so they were able to just adjust to the location," head coach Nicole Lukic said on Saturday. "I think we gave them enought heads up, at four o'clock like - hey, something might happen, it might be different - like getting in that mindset and I thought that worked really well."
While Aurora proved they can do it under the dome of Stillwater's St. Croix Valley Rec Center on a pitch lined with youth soccer goals and lacrosse creases, the squad was eager to return to their true home on Saturday, celebrating Pride at a sold-out TCO Stadium. Aurora repeatedly tested the spectator limits of the Minnesota Vikings practice facility in 2022 and their sophomore year has been no different, despite all the Wednesday evening matchups. Saturday's match drew a season high 6,423 fans. Alas, the adversity continued under a nearly smoke-free sky.
Rather than scoring an early goal to get the crowd going, Aurora conceded one to Bavarian United SC. The Milwaukee-based expansion side sits in third in the Heartland Division, behind Aurora and Chicago City. Everyone watching this match quickly saw why. A high press, a quick defense, and an unshakable midfield, rattled Aurora early, forcing the hosts to defend against tactics much like their own for the first time this season.
Bavarian took control of possession early, testing Aurora's back line and looking for space. In only the 2nd minute they capitalized on a poorly-timed clearance by Abby Ostrem in Aurora's 18, catching centerback Tianna Harris and goalkeeper Amanda Poorbaugh on the back foot. Haley Johnson came through with a cool, calm finish to put Bavarian United up 1-0 and silencing a crowd more accustomed to seeing early goals from the home team.
"Obviously not the best way to start a game, two minutes in to give up a goal and let them kind of run through you," Lukic said. "And then I thought we abandoned our game plan a little bit there for 25 minutes. That rattled us a little bit more than we would have liked."
"They tested us, honestly, the first ten minutes. We had to settle ourselves in I think. I never doubted our team one bit," said centerback Tianna Harris. "We just knew to pick our heads up [after the goal] and let's freaking go."
Harris had a lot of one-v-one defensive opportunities against Haley Johnson, both strong and persistent players. Johnson got through with one but Harris was the one to hold her off through the rest of the match. "I love a challenge," she said. "I think just being a bigger body, I was trying to get something on her and just tried my best to be physical with her because she's a physical girl as well. "
The visitors continued to disrupt Aurora's midfield and managed to raise some tension. Morgan Stone made a few uncharacteristically stiff challenges, getting away with one, but earning a yellow card for another in the 24'. Hannah Adler had a great chance in the 26' but Bavarian goalkeeper Chloe Olson was up for the challenge. In the 29', Cat Rapp finally found the net following a flurry of blocked shots in a crowded box.
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The equalizer woke the crowd and Aurora's offense. Maya Hansen, credited with the assist to Rapp, found the go-ahead goal in the 33'. She made collecting and settling a long ball from leftback Abby Ostrem look easy, and added a clinical finish.
Hannah Adler added the insurance goal before the halftime whistle, following up her own scuffed first touch on a pass from Mariah Nguyen to tap it past Olson. The 3-1 lead was a result of a formation change after the poor start. Lukic reverted to the four-player back line after starting the night with three: "It gave us more confidence," Lukic explained. "We felt this made us feel a little bit more protected whether we needed that or not. Whether it was false confidence or real confidence, I'm not sure but it definitely worked." The switch led to three unanswered goals in 20 minutes.
"It gave us another number in the wide spaces which is where we kept finding the ball without a lot of support and ability to move forward. So overall I think it really helped us, just to settle down and get back into our settings."
Both teams came out fighting in the second half, Bavarian continuing to press while Aurora probed for shots. However, just a couple minutes in, everyone had another chance to regroup. A collision in Aurora's half in the 47' between Addison Weichers and Bavarians' Hannah Kroupa resulted in a five minute stoppage of play. Kroupa took the worst of the aerial head-to-head impact, suffering a laceration on her forehead that took a few minutes to control. Weichers was checked out and returned to the pitch as the stadium crew and athletic trainers managed the blood spilled on the turf and on Kroupa, who did not return to the game.
Aurora scored two more in the second half but Bavarian continued to make them work for it. Nguyen's goal in the 62', assisted by a long range cross in from Eli Rapp, may have secured the game as momentum, both on the pitch an finally shifted fully in Aurora's favor.
Aurora continued to display their depth and versatility putting a fifth goal from a fifth goalscorer in the 76' Harris got her head on a corner served in by Weichers and notched her fourth such goal of the season. Harris earned Star of the Game honors for the finish but credited the service for the opportunity.
"I love defending but attacking, that's my thing. I love it. So when I get the chance in the box and honestly, great service is provided -- me and Addy [Weichers] have kind of developed a little bit of a bond and she basically just puts it right on my head. I don't have to do too much. She's amazing."
It all came together on Saturday night, just as it all came together on Wednesday, and Aurora FC is embracing the circumstances thrown at them this season. Harris explained: "All those types of adversity are prepping us for playoffs. So we kind of look at it like, listen, this is what they gave us. We're gonna take it, make the best out of it. And I think we're just getting ready for playoffs and all of this is just part of the plot, I'm telling you."
Aurora's next chapter will be on the road. They will travel to Racine on Wednesday for a second meeting with RKC Third Coast and then to Milwaukee on Saturday for a rematch with Bavarian United. Saturday's win puts more distance between first place Aurora (24 points) and second place Chicago City (16 points), but Bavarian is still in a close third (13 points).
