W-League Semifinal Preview: MN Aurora FC vs. McLean VA
Minnesota Aurora FC once again made history on Wednesday night, becoming the lone undefeated club in the W League with a comeback 2–1 win against Indy Eleven in front of 6,200 fans. Two penalty kicks and a Beckham-like goal were defining moments of the match.
Minnesota nearly fell behind after an accidental handball during a clearance attempt by Addy Symonds resulted in a penalty kick opportunity for Indy Eleven in the 25'. Maddy Williams, whose name you may remember from our preview, sent in a clean shot, but could not beat goalkeeper Sarah Fuller.
Ella Rogers had better luck in the run of play, just ten minutes later. She caught Fuller off balance and found the upper corner, her second goal of the season.
Trailing 1–0 at halftime to a tough, direct, no-nonsense squad, Aurora turned things around in the second half the way they do best — With a light-hearted yet dramatic flair.
First came Morgan Turner’s goal, bending it like Beckham.
The 50th minute equalizer made TCO Stadium erupt and Minnesota was back in it. What could possibly happen next, with both sides proving they were worthy of an undefeated season? It got weird.
In the 66', Mayu Inokawa, in her first start and third appearance for Minnesota, stepped up for a penalty kick. When asked how the centerback came to start and to show off a unique PK style, head coach Nicole Lukic explained,
Well, we had an injury [to Cha]. So we needed to fill that spot and she’s a natural centerback so we needed a little bit more of a defensive player to hold that space in there. So that’s why we went with her and then we’ve kind of made an order of PK takers in case we go to the penalty shootout and hers has been the best and I think the player just knew she was on the field and they wanted her to have it.
Inokawa’s unique approach definitely cements her in the supporters’ memory bank and it has caught the attention of casual fans as well. Watch with the sound on for the full effect:
Indy didn’t make it easy, but Minnesota earned every bit of ground they gained and came away with the win. Fuller explained:
We tied our first game that we ever played together. And I think since then we’ve had a chip on our shoulder and, you know, we’ve just wanted to show what we were capable of. We knew this was going to be a tough team. We knew that from the start and I think we owned up to it. And we played amazing. I mean, maybe it wasn’t the best first half, but we came back and it’s just, yeah, it speaks to the tenacity and the grit of this team.
Minnesota will need that grit on Sunday against McLean Soccer of Virginia.
Though MN Aurora FC is the only remaining undefeated club, McLean is not far behind. Finishing the regular season 9–1–0 and 27 points, eight points clear of second place Christos FC, McLean dominated the Mid Atlantic Division, not losing until their final match of the regular season. They continued that tear on Wednesday when they defeated Morris Elite SC 8–0.
McLean scored a total of 32 goals in the regular season while conceding just four. Like Minnesota Aurora, the club’s goals are spread out among a number of players. Leading scorers Makenna Morris (4 appearances) and Aleigh Gambone (7 appearances) have seven goals each while 13 other players account for one or two goals apiece.
Goalkeeper Cayla White conceded those four goals in five appearances, but still kept a .765 save percentage. Ella Gantman, who made six appearances in goal, marked 19 saves in the regular season and played all 90 minutes against Morris Elite where she kept another clean sheet without having to make a single save.
Sunday afternoon could well be a battle of the goalkeepers, but the two deep squads with impressive scoresheets will certainly put on a show.
The semifinal match kicks off at 3 P.M. CST and can be stream on the CBS News Minnesota app and Eleven Sports.
