WPSL COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

Two heavy-hitters kick off the Week 5 Matches of the Week when 10th-ranked Sioux Falls City FC and No. 9 Minnesota Thunder square off in a Northern Conference top-of-the-table clash Friday night. 

No. 19 West Florida Flames takes on the regionally ranked Jacksonville Armada FC in the South Region Match of the Week Saturday afternoon. Out West, Napa Valley 1839 FC hosts Iron Rose in a Pac North Conference fixture and on Sunday, the East Region MOTW features Metropolitan Conference rivals STA and Downtown United Soccer Club in the second game of the home-and-away series to open the season for the two clubs. 

 

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FRIDAY, JUNE 7

CENTRAL REGION MOTW

(9) SIOUX FALLS CITY FC vs (10) MINNESOTA THUNDER

Riding high after a 7-0 win over Rochester United FC to open the season, followed by a 3-1 win at Joy AC, Sioux Falls City FC (2-0-0) sits tenuously at the top of the Northern Conference table, even on points with Friday’s opponent, ninth-ranked Minnesota Thunder. 

Sioux Falls’ plus-four goal differential gives it a tenuous place at the top of the Northern Conference table going into Week 5. Mia Mullenmeister (Utah State University), who won Central Region Player of the Week, leads the club in scoring with five of the 10 goals City has scored in its two opening matches. Sioux Falls City FC is ranked 10th in the National Power Rankings, and fifth in the Central Region. 

With shutout wins over Joy AC and Mankato United Soccer Club, Minnesota enters Saturday’s Match of the Week having played at 15th-ranked Salvo SC midweek and then turns around and faces St. Croix Legacy on Sunday. 

Two players: Kaitlyn MacBean and Paige Kalal account for all five of Minnesota’s goals this season. MacBean (Penn State University) has three goals and Kalal (University of Minnesota) has two on the season. 

This is the third all-time meeting between the two clubs. Minnesota leads the series 2-0-0, with a 3-2 win in 2022 and a 3-1 win last season. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM CDT, Friday, June 7 at Bob Young Field at the University of Sioux Falls Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, N.D.

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SATURDAY, JUNE 8

SOUTH REGION MOTW

(19) WEST FLORIDA FLAMES VS JACKSONVILLE ARMADA FC

The West Florida Flames is no strangers to title races. Last year, in the club’s inaugural WPSL season, the Flames were divisional champions, going 5-1-2. Four games into the 2024 season, the Flames (2-0-2) sit atop the Sunshine Conference table, leading Saturday’s opponent, Jacksonville Armada FC (2-1-1) by a single point. 

Jacksonville enters this week’s Match of the Week having suffered the first loss of its debut WPSL season, 2-0 at Cape Coral Cyclones. The loss was the second of back-to-back road games after beating the Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions FC 4-0. Paige McSwigan opened the scoring from the penalty mark in the 35’ with the first of her two goals in the match. Bella Ruggiano doubled Jacksonville’s lead moments later. Olivia Jarrell (post-collegiate) rounded out the scoring with her first goal of the season with five minutes to play in the match. 

McSwigan (University of North Florida) leads Jacksonville in scoring with three on the season, followed by Ruggiano (Jacksonville University) with two. Jacksonville enters Saturday’s match ranked ninth in the South Region. The club has been in the region’s Top 10 all season. 

West Florida is coming off back-to-back draws in Week 4. After wins over Seminole Ice and AGC Football to open the season, the Flames’ previously potent attack was neutralized in a 0-0 draw at home with FC Prime, which sits one point out of first place, tied with Jacksonville with seven points. 

Less than 24 hours later, the Flames traveled across the Florida peninsula, playing Dade County Football Club to a 1-1 draw. After surrendering an early goal, Sydni Dennis pulled West Florida back level in the 53’ minute for the hard-fought point on the road. The Flames are proving to have one of the most balanced offenses in the entire WPSL. Eight different players account for the eight goals the club has scored so far this season. West Florida enters Week 5 ranked 19th in the National Power Rankings and fourth regionally. The club peaked at No. 7 nationally and third regionally in Week 3. 

This is the first meeting between the two clubs. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM EDT, Saturday, June 8 at Southern Oaks Stadium on the campus of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. Watch the game on WPSL TV here. 

 

WEST REGION MOTW

NAPA VALLEY 1839 FC VS IRON ROSE FC

Focus turns to the Pac North Conference in the West when Napa Valley 1839 FC (1-2-0) hosts Iron Rose FC (1-0-2) Saturday afternoon. Napa Valley enters Saturday’s match in the middle of the Pac North Conference table, trailing Iron Rose FC by three points, and conference leaders, San Francisco Nighthawks, by six. 

After starting the season with a 3-2 home win over San Francisco Elite Soccer Club, Napa fell 5-2 to FC Davis. Going into Saturday’s match, Napa Valley is going to have to overcome the heartbreaking midweek loss on the road to Lamorinda United. 

After going down a goal in the sixth minute, Kim Garcia pulled Napa level in the 8’ minute, and then put Napa in the lead with her second goal of the match in the 20’. Garcia (CSU Bakersfield) netted her third goal of the game—and fifth of the season—in the 28’ minute to again pull Napa Valley in the lead. Lily Terc opened the second half with her second goal of the season to give Napa Valley the lead for the third time of the game after Lamorinda equalized moments before halftime. But the well ran dry for Napa, conceding the tying goal in the 66’ minute and the winner in the 77’. Garcia leads the club with five goals this season, followed by Terc (Sonoma State University) and Samantha Fenske (Saint Mary’s College) with two goals each. 

Based in Roseville, Cali., just north of Sacramento, Iron Rose FC kicked off its inaugural WPSL season with a pair of draws, 1-1 at San Francisco Elite Soccer Club, and 1-1 at FC Davis. The club’s first WPSL win came at the expense of Nevada Futbol Club. Lakelee Perkins (UC Davis) opened the scoring in the 19’ minute, followed by goals by Shea Ryan in the 39’ and 64’ minutes. Samantha Tristan closed out the scoring in the 71’ minute to give Iron Rose three points on the day. Ryan (Oregon State University) and Tristan (UC Davis) lead all Iron Rose scorers with two goals each on the season. 

This is the first meeting between the two clubs. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM PDT, Saturday, June 8 at Justin-Siena High School in Napa, Cali. 

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SUNDAY, JUNE 9

EAST REGION MOTW

DOWNTOWN UNITED SOCCER CLUB vs STA

The Metropolitan Conference closes out the weekend’s action when Downtown United Soccer Club and STA clash in the second leg of the rivals’ home-and-away series this weekend. 

STA (1-0-0) enters the weekend’s double-header with a 4-0 win over New York Dutch Lions FC under its belt, while DUSC (0-0-0) kicks off the season at STA Saturday night before opening its home schedule with the return leg of the series on Sunday in this week’s East Region Match of the Week. 

One of New York City’s premier youth soccer clubs, Downtown United Soccer Club has yet to post a loss as it enters its fourth season, posting a 20-0-4 all-time WPSL record. The club finished 2023 atop the Metropolitan Conference with six wins and two draws, outscoring opponents 24 to five, finishing the season ranked 13’ nationally and fouth in the East Region. DUSC entered 2024 ranked 11’ nationally and fourth in the East in the Preseason Power Rankings. 

STA, based in Morris, N.J., kicked off its fourth WPSL season last Saturday with a 4-0 home win over New York Dutch Lions FC. Sydney Masur opened the scoring in the 34’ minute off an assist from Briana Esteves (Fairleigh Dickinson University). Jill Rosenfield (University of Rhode Island) doubled STA’s lead four minutes later. Jaiden Schultz (Boston University) opened the second half with a goal to put the hosts up by three; Masur (Indiana University then closed out the scoring with her second of the match and the season in the 64’ minute. 

This is the third all-time meeting between the two clubs. DUSC has the lone win in the series, 4-0, in 2022. The two clubs played to a 1-1 draw last season. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM EDT, Sunday June 9 at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx, N.Y.