WPS Weekly Update
August 4th – St. Louis Athletica became the second WPS team to clinch a playoff spot this past week. Washington’s loss to FC Gold Pride on Saturday secured Athletica a spot in the playoffs, while their own victory over the Boston Breakers later that same day earned them the No. 2 seed.
In Saturday’s contest between the two powerhouses, Eniola Aluko drilled a goal past Boston Breakers’ keeper Alli Lipsher in the 36th minute to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. At the half, St. Louis Head Coach Jorge Barcellos informed his team that Washington’s loss had ensured them a playoff spot and they were just 45 minutes away from earning second seed. The motivation to win paid off, and Athletica managed to hold off the Breakers until the final whistle to capture the victory. Earning second seed makes St. Louis a host of the WPS Super Semifinal on August 19 at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park.
FC Gold Pride’s 3-2 win over the Washington Freedom Saturday breaks a 10-game winless streak for the Gold Pride. After being eliminated from the playoffs last week, the Pride showed their true colors on Saturday in a back-and-forth scoring battle. Although the Pride cannot advance, they still have a large impact on the final four standings, as they prevented Washington from clinching a playoff spot and can affect Sky Blue’s playoff hopes in their matchup this Wednesday.
The Washington Freedom, Boston Breakers, and Sky Blue FC all remain in the running, but only two will advance past next weekend. Only five regular season games remain, three of which have playoff implications for the contenders. The results of Sky Blue vs. FC Gold Pride on Wednesday, Freedom vs. Sky Blue on Saturday, and the Boston Breakers vs. the LA Sol on Sunday will determine which teams will advance to the post-season tournament. Visit www.womensprosoccer.com to see the playoff schedule of games!
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