Flash Begin Quest for NWSL Title
August 23, 2013 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Western New York Flash News Release
Elma, N.Y. - Last Sunday, the Western New York Flash made history by becoming the first regular season champion of the National Women's Soccer League. On Saturday, they start their journey towards another record breaker, a fourth-straight title in a fourth separate league.
The top seeded Flash will host No. 4 Sky Blue FC at 8 p.m. in the NWSL semifinal round at Sahlen's Stadium. Prior to the start of the game, as the regular season champion, the Flash will be presented with the inaugural NWSL Shield by NWSL executive director Cheryl Bailey.
The Flash have earned the No. 1 entering the four-team tournament after owning the tiebreaker over both FC Kansas City and Portland Thorns FC. All three teams were tied at 38 points on the final day of the regular season, with the Flash beating out Kansas City head-to-head and Portland by goal differential.
The Flash aligned themselves for the first place finish with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Breakers in their final regular season game. Samantha Kerr and Abby Wambach scored two highlight-reel goals less than five minutes apart to give the Flash a 2-0 lead entering the locker room. Though the Breakers tallied in the second half, they could not generate more than the single strike and Western New York picked up its 10th win of year.
After spending a majority of the 22-game season at the top of the standings, Sky Blue FC slipped to the fourth slot on the last day of the season. The team earned a point in its final regular season game when Taylor Lytle provided an 83rd-minute equalizer to pull Sky Blue even with Washington at 1-1.
The semifinal game will pit familiar foes against each other, as Western New York and Sky Blue have faced each other four times already this summer. In the season series, the Flash have had the upperhand with a 3-1-0 record against the New Jersey team. The lone loss came on the season's opening game when the Flash fell 1-0 after an own goal. However, the club rebounded with a 2-1 win in their next meeting, then two-straight 3-0 shutouts in the final meetings.
The Flash have shutout opponents eight times this season, keeping five opponents scoreless when playing on their home field, which is where the Flash have been the most successful. With the number one seed, the Flash have clinched home field advantage through the playoffs, and the statistics show that is where the team has thrived this year.
After falling in their home opener, the Flash have not lost another a game at Sahlen's Stadium and own an 8-1-2 record in Rochester. In those 11 games, the Flash have tripled the scoring of their opponents, 21-7. The team is currently riding a seven-game unbeaten streak and will look to move it to eight on Saturday.
The Flash will aim to continue their offensive prowess with the assistance of Abby Wambach, who was honored with the club's Golden Boot and MVP award on Thursday night. Wambach leads the team in both goals (11) and assists (8) after being involved in 19 of the Flash's 36 goals thus far. Midfielder Carli Lloyd has excelled in the goal column as of late, with a goal in four of the last six games.
Entering last week's contest with Boston, the Flash defense had held five-straight visiting teams without a goal; Rhian Wilkinson's 54th minute strike ended that span, which stood at 576 scoreless minutes.
After a season-ending injury to Alex Sahlen, Sarah Huffman shifted back from her midfield role to join Katherine Reynolds, Brittany Taylor and the Flash's Defender of the Year, Estelle Johnson.
The backline stands in front of rookie goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, who leads the NWSL in nearly every category. The Oklahoma State alum tops the league with 98 saves and a .909 goals against average while her 246 shots faced is the third highest for any keeper this year.
Tickets for Saturday's game are available online at wnyflash.com, at the Sahlen's Stadium box office, or by calling (585) 454-KICK. Fans can follow on Twitter at the Flash's Official page (@WNYFlash) or watch the game live on Fox Sports 2 (check local listings). The game will also be available to stream at FoxSoccer2go.com.
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National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 23, 2013
- Reign FC Completes Inaugural NWSL Season - Seattle Reign FC
- Flash Begin Quest for NWSL Title - Western New York Flash
- FC Kansas City Ready for Playoffs - FC Kansas City
- Perez, Tajoner Called to Mexican National Team - Western New York Flash
- Western New York Flash Host Sky Blue FC in NWSL Semifinal Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2 - Western New York Flash
- Red Stars Announce End of Season Team Awards - Chicago Red Stars
- FC Kansas City Host Portland Thorns FC in NWSL Semifinal Saturday - NWSL
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