MN Aurora FC’s fairytale season continues with historic quarterfinal v. Indy Eleven
On Wednesday night, MN Aurora FC will make its postseason return to TCO Stadium to host an inaugural USL-W quarterfinal match. The undefeated upstart Minnesota team, which a year ago was but an idea discussed by friends on a brewery, enters the postseason on an eleven-game win streak. Though their quarterfinal opponent is on an undefeated run of its own, MN Aurora has a unique momentum.
After conceding a late equalizer to Green Bay Glory in the home opener on May 15, Aurora went on a winning tear. Though conceding late had become a habit through the first half of the season, the squad grew through it and found their footing as the season drew on. It was just as head coach Nicole Lukic hoped following the club’s first win at home on June 10 (4–0 v. Chicago City SC).
“To be honest, [conceding late] is turning into a trend for us which it really shouldn’t when we’re up by two goals. So I think that’s just going to take some more maturity, some more time together, and hopefully we can continue to work on feeling more comfortable as minutes eat away in the game as a group.”
The ultimate test was a two-match rematch in Green Bay to close the regular season. While Aurora had already clinched the Heartland Division title on points, an undefeated season was still at stake going into the games on July 7 and July 9 and at least one postseason appearance was locked into their calendar. Minnesota exorcised any lingering thoughts of that inaugural match.
Minnesota outscored Green Bay 7–1 on the weekend. A 2–0 win by Lukic’s top lineup on Thursday night set the stage for a little experimentation and celebration on Saturday morning. That final matinee was a 5–1 goal fest in which Addie Symonds logged the club’s fastest goal (just 30 seconds after the starting whistle), Morgan Turner logged the club’s first hat trick, and Kristelle Yewah scored her first on the season becoming the 14th goal scorer among the team’s 21 field players.
With these final wins on the board, MN Aurora closed the regular season with 34 points, a 2.83 points per game average (runner-up Green Bay Glory registered 21 points, 1.75 points per game), and a plus-27 goal differential (36–8). Aurora is one of only three undefeated clubs across the league, a feat accomplished with a total-team approach. Indy Eleven, another undefeated side and Aurora’s opponent on Wednesday, is built a little differently.
W League announce the addition of Indy Eleven in September of 2021. The franchise has fielded a men’s team since 2013 (well-known to fans of the NASL-era MN United FC) and joined USL-Championship in 2018. Youth and women’s expansions followed.
One of eight teams in the Great Lakes Division, Indy Eleven closed the regular season with a 3–0 win at home over Detroit City FC to finish with a 10–0–2 record (2.67ppg). They roll into the postseason with a five-match winning streak and a plus-24 goal differential (31–6). Without digging any further into their stats, Indy Eleven looks pretty similar to Minnesota. The difference though is in how they accomplished it.
As noted, Minnesota Aurora FC has 14 different goal scorers, with 10 of them accounting for 21 of the club’s 36 total goals. Indy Eleven on the other hand tallied 31 goals, 10 of which came from 7 different scorers. The other 21 goals?
Katie Soderstrom leads Indy’s scoring with 11 goals in 10 appearances (1 assist, 28 total shots). Soderstrom will enter the 2022 fall season as a redshirt senior at Butler University (Indianapolis, IN). In 2021, the midfielder registered her 28th career goal, sixth all-time for Butler women’s soccer.
Just behind her on the leader board is forward Maddy Williams with 10 goals in 12 appearances (plus 1 assist, 42 total shots). The Purdue University alum spent the 2019–2020 season with Real Zaragoza in Spain’s second division where she scored 13 goals. An injury and then the Covid-19 shutdown cut short her time with the club.
A slew of Indy players are tied for third with two goals apiece, but combine with Soderstrom and Williams for a lethal offense. Indy’s defense is strong as well, with starting goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood registering 46 saves in 747 minutes/10 games, and a GAA (goals against average) of 0.72 and 6 goals against. (Minnesota’s Sarah Fuller is credited with 28 saves in 765 minutes /10 games played; and a 0.59 GAA with 5 GA.)
Wednesday night’s quarterfinal will be a historic match-up. Two brand new clubs, both undefeated in the regular season, need to keep the goals going to move on in the inaugural USL-W postseason. There will be no second chances. Indy Eleven has two top-class scorers and a solid spine. Minnesota Aurora FC has a tested core and a deep squad of versatile players ready to rise to the occasion. Minnesota also has homefield advantage.
MN Aurora FC will kickoff against Indy Eleven at 7pm CST. If you can’t be at TCO Stadium, you can stream the match (and three other quarterfinal matches being played on Wednesday evening) on Eleven Sports.
