I hope I'm wrong, but things do not look good for the women's professional game in this county.
Fourteen months ago, Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), announced that the Western New York franchise would give it eight teams in 2011 - this after it had lost L.A. Sol and St. Louis Athletica. But in October 2010 the league champion FC Gold Pride, a West Coast team, announced it was shutting down and a month later the Chicago Red Stars folded.
U.S. Soccer by-laws require professional leagues to have six teams but it granted WPS a waiver in 2011. Then a month ago, in a terse two-sentence press release, the league announced the termination of the MagicJack franchise, leaving five teams, all on the East Coast. (The owner of that team has sued WPS.)
Now, as reported by Jack Bell in today's New York Times, , U.S. Soccer gave WPS 15 days to secure a sixth team for 2012 before deciding whether to extend the waiver. If another franchise is not found, it seems certain the league will lose its certification as a D-1 level professional league. Jack Cummings, one of the league's founders, said the damage caused by decertification would be "irreparable.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Sudden death - season over for HMHS girls
Nov,. 15, 2011 -- The end took your breath away.
One moment the Haddonfield girls were battling evenly for a spot in Saturday's state final at TCNJ. In the next, Robbinsville's Christine Levering took a perfect pass from Erin Sutphen on the right and put the shot where coaches hope all their players will shoot - low and into the left corner beyond the reach of Haddonfield keeper Kellie Riley 3:16 into the first OT.
Golden goal. Game over, season over and in the case of many seniors, soccer career over.
The girls probably didn't think of it this way when it ended, but it was quite a season for Haddonfield. A 24-2 slate with the two losses coming to Group 4 state champion Lenape in the South Jersey Coaches Cup final and Group 2 runner-up Robbinsville in the state semi-final is nothing to be ashamed of.
Haddonfield took an early lead in the game at Bishop Eustace on Maddie Kiep's header off a corner from Kylie Kirk in the 8th minute, then had two more chances in the next five minutes but failed to build the lead. Levering tied the score seven minutes into the second half and the momentum swung to the Ravens. Other than a shot by Kirk with 21:40 left that Robbinsville defender Mollie O'Kane cleared off the line, Robbinsville had the better of the play and did not win in regulation largely due to the stellar play of Kellie Riley in the Haddonfield goal.
So Haddonfield went home for the year and Robbinsville advanced to the final at The College of New Jersey, where it lost, 2-1 to Ramsey - on a golden goal.
One moment the Haddonfield girls were battling evenly for a spot in Saturday's state final at TCNJ. In the next, Robbinsville's Christine Levering took a perfect pass from Erin Sutphen on the right and put the shot where coaches hope all their players will shoot - low and into the left corner beyond the reach of Haddonfield keeper Kellie Riley 3:16 into the first OT.
Golden goal. Game over, season over and in the case of many seniors, soccer career over.
The girls probably didn't think of it this way when it ended, but it was quite a season for Haddonfield. A 24-2 slate with the two losses coming to Group 4 state champion Lenape in the South Jersey Coaches Cup final and Group 2 runner-up Robbinsville in the state semi-final is nothing to be ashamed of.
Haddonfield took an early lead in the game at Bishop Eustace on Maddie Kiep's header off a corner from Kylie Kirk in the 8th minute, then had two more chances in the next five minutes but failed to build the lead. Levering tied the score seven minutes into the second half and the momentum swung to the Ravens. Other than a shot by Kirk with 21:40 left that Robbinsville defender Mollie O'Kane cleared off the line, Robbinsville had the better of the play and did not win in regulation largely due to the stellar play of Kellie Riley in the Haddonfield goal.
So Haddonfield went home for the year and Robbinsville advanced to the final at The College of New Jersey, where it lost, 2-1 to Ramsey - on a golden goal.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
HMHS Suffers First Loss in Coaches Cup Final
The Lenape girls showed why they are ranked #1 in South Jersey with a 4-1 win over second-ranked and previously unbeaten Haddonfield in the Coaches Tournament final at Eastern High School yesterday.
Despite general domination by the Indians, the game was closer than the score indicates and a different bounce here or there could have created a different result.
Although Lenape controlled play in the first 10-15 minutes, the Bulldogs had a golden chance in the 20th minute but couldn't knock a loose ball into the net when it was still 0-0. Less than two minutes later Rachelle Ross knocked home a rebound to put Lenape up, 1-0 and with 14:35 until intermission Katie Rigby drilled one into the left side of the goal to make it 2-0.
With 7:48 left in the half, Katie Johnson headed a corner kick from the right side over the bar and less than three minutes later Haddonfield could not score on a corner kick from the left that was placed right in front of the goal.
Haddonfield narrowed the gap to 2-1 with 26:30 left when Lauren Roberts scored off a trademark long throw-in from Olivia Blaber. But Courtney Kovac's goal in the 60th minute, which seemed to roll off Kellie Riley's outstretched fingertips, restored the two-goal cushion. The Indians sealed the win 10 minutes later when Emmy Duffy scored.
"Sometimes we have good games and today we had an excellent game," Rigby told Marc Narducci of the Inquirer after the game. No argument from that assessment here. Lenape, now 20-2-1, deserved to win, but Haddonfield showed why they merit their high rankling.
The Bulldogs face West Deptford Monday in the state play-offs.
Despite general domination by the Indians, the game was closer than the score indicates and a different bounce here or there could have created a different result.
Although Lenape controlled play in the first 10-15 minutes, the Bulldogs had a golden chance in the 20th minute but couldn't knock a loose ball into the net when it was still 0-0. Less than two minutes later Rachelle Ross knocked home a rebound to put Lenape up, 1-0 and with 14:35 until intermission Katie Rigby drilled one into the left side of the goal to make it 2-0.
With 7:48 left in the half, Katie Johnson headed a corner kick from the right side over the bar and less than three minutes later Haddonfield could not score on a corner kick from the left that was placed right in front of the goal.
Haddonfield narrowed the gap to 2-1 with 26:30 left when Lauren Roberts scored off a trademark long throw-in from Olivia Blaber. But Courtney Kovac's goal in the 60th minute, which seemed to roll off Kellie Riley's outstretched fingertips, restored the two-goal cushion. The Indians sealed the win 10 minutes later when Emmy Duffy scored.
"Sometimes we have good games and today we had an excellent game," Rigby told Marc Narducci of the Inquirer after the game. No argument from that assessment here. Lenape, now 20-2-1, deserved to win, but Haddonfield showed why they merit their high rankling.
The Bulldogs face West Deptford Monday in the state play-offs.
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