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Defending champs come to Colorado
The defending W-League champion, the Pali Blues from Pacific Palisades, Calif., come to Colorado for two matches, starting tonight.
The Blues play at 6:30 p.m. today against the Real Colorado Cougars, and they travel to Loveland to play the Colorado Force at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Sunday match is the Force’s only afternoon match at the Loveland Sports Park this season.
Pali brings a lineup featuring returning midfielder Leah Tapscott and a host of new players, including top college players and veterans with experience in the WUSA and WPS.
Lauren Cheney and Iris Mora share the team scoring lead with two goals apiece. Cheney, a former UCLA star, scored twice last weekend in a 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders. Mora, a member of the Mexican national team and also a UCLA alumna, has two assists this season.
Pali’s defense is led by Bonnie Young and Jenny Anderson-Hammond. Young and Anderson-Hammond joined the club after starting the spring in Women’s Professional Soccer, Young with the Chicago Red Stars and Anderson-Hammond with New York/New Jersey Sky Blue FC.
The Colorado teams won’t have to contend with three young stars for Pali Blues: Midfielder Tobin Heath, goalkeeper Kristin Olson and midfielder Kelley O’Hara have been called to training camp for the U.S. U-23 national team.
PICTURED ABOVE: Cougars defender Brittney Macdonald heads the ball away from the Force’s Lisa Franke on Sunday in Highlands Ranch. (photo by George Tanner/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
W-LEAGUE RECOGNITION: Force defender Jessica Boots was named to the W-League’s Team of the Week after scoring a goal and contributing to a solid defensive effort against Real Colorado.
FIREPOWER: In its championship season last year, Pali Blues gave up just two goals all season on the way to a perfect 14-0-0 record. So far this season it has allowed four goals in four games.
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