WPSL Wrap Up: Week 6

Wednesday:

Milwaukee Torrent v Chicago City SC

Torrent have fought their way back into rhythm, and they followed last week’s 2-2 draw with the Illinoisan with another draw. City scored in the 83rd minute and looked set for a win but Milwaukee brought all their firepower back to the pitch to secure the equalizer in the 86th minute through Aubrey Krahn

Friday:

Minnesota TwinStars v Milwaukee Torrent

Three comebacks in a row for a seven match unbeaten streak for the team from Wauwatosa. Torrent didn’t leave it so late against the Dragons, scoring the leveller in the 45th minute to cancel out Connors’s goal.

Saturday:

Dakota Fusion FC v Chicago City SC

Dakota Fusion had come within 5 minutes of claiming their first ever win but any momentum was not continued as they welcomed into Moorhead a Chicago City SC club which had given up a late lead against Milwaukee. The referee decided early that accidental ricochets onto arms would be punished as foul play. While this was evenly enforced, it punished Fusion most clearly as the ball shot up at point blank range off a players foot onto her arm and the referee pointed to the spot with only 12 minutes on the clock and Jade Eriksen Russo converted. City kept up the pressure and Eriksen Russo’s winding run into the box was saved, only to see the ball passed straight back through for her to tap the ball in, in the 23rd minute.

City turned their 2-0 half time lead into 3-0 in the 57th minute as they fought through pressure and Shannon Williams blasted a goal from the left edge of the area past Haley Hillstrom into the bottom right corner of the goal. Fusion punched back only two minutes later as a short goal kick pass to the City right back was turned over and the ball was passed to Mallory Fenske, who backed into the left edge of the box and chipped the ball over the City keeper into the top corner to score Fusion’s only goal . Chicago City wrapped up the win with a fourth, from Jamie Karch, pretty much repeating Williams’s goal, in the 85th minute.

Apologies if the names are attached to the wrong City goals, it was hard to pick out jersey numbers.

Sunday:

Dakota Fusion FC v Fire 98 SC

In many ways this matchup epitomises two issues for the home club. One is that Fargo-Moorhead is a small population base. The second is that even with two Division 1 schools in the area and several D2 schools as well, being a Summer league means people are more likely to be going home to the Twin Cities from North Dakota State and North Dakota than they are to be coming home to Fargo. Proving that last point, Maddie Frick began the scoring in the 3rd minute off a corner provided by Mariah Haberle - from Plymouth but at school at NDSU. Mankato’s Jenny Vetter doubled the Fire lead in the 23rd minute after passing a fullback and beating Haley Hillstrom at the near post. It was 3-0 just before the half through Maddy Griess. The Frick/Haberle duo combined again in the 47th minute to make it 4-0. The visitors’ fifth came via Annie Williams catching Hillstrom off her line and chipping into the goal in the 52nd minute, before the Fire’s scoring was completed in the 55th minute, capping a happy return to Fargo-Moorhead for Mariah Haberle. Kristyn Aldridge (University of Jamestown) pulled a goal back in the 75th minute after a neatly played counter attack but there was no way back.

Fusion conclude their inaugural season in WPSL with only six goals scored, four of which were in one game.

Peculiar scheduling means that Fire have a home game yet to come.

Week 7 Schedule*:

Saturday:

Fire SC 98 v Minnesota TwinStars

Both teams finish the season this weekend without anything to play for as the undefeated Red Stars Reserves will make the WPSL Playoffs, as only the conference winner advances. Fire 98 and the Dragons will still come out trying to cap their seasons with a win in the second game of the Twin Cities Derby. Last time the two teams met Fire 98 laid a 6-1 beatdown on the Dragons in Minnetonka. A win for Fire 98 will secure second place in the North Conference in their inaugural season while a TwinStars win will help get away from that 6-1 defeat they were given earlier in the season.

Sunday:

Milwaukee Torrent v Chicago Red Stars Reserves

As detailed above, only the conference winners advance to the WPSL playoffs, and that is emphatically the stacked roster of Chicago Red Stars Reserves. This remains an intriguing matchup, however, since the home team are on an unbeaten streak of 7 games and could play spoiler against a club which has not yet dropped a single point.

*For exact kickoff times, locations, and tickets, visit the websites of the home club, which can be found by clicking the bolded team