RSS
Pali rolls, clinches Western Conference
The defending W-League champions, the Pali Blues, powered past the Colorado Force 3-0 on Friday night in Pacific Palisades, Calif., clinching the Western Conference title for the second consecutive year.
The Blues improved to 8-0-3, good for 27 points. Second-place Seattle, 3-0-6, can do no better than 24 points.
The Force fell to 1-2-6 and remain at nine points; the team had its seven game unbeaten streak snapped.
Pali got on the scoreboard early. Lauren Cheney lofted a pass beyond Colorado’s back line in the fourth minute, and Iris Mora ran on to the ball and chipped it over Force goalkeeper Maria Del Guercio for a 1-0 lead.
The second goal came in the 15th minute, when Madeline Washington scored on a penalty kick, awarded after she was tackled on the edge of the penalty box.
Pali closed the scoring in the 52nd minute on Washington’s second goal. Her shot near the top of the penalty area struck the shoulder of a Force defender and deflected into the goal.
Colorado had two prime opportunities to score. The first came around the 20th minute, when forward Lisa Franke, shoulder to shoulder with a Blues defender, fired a shot that hit the crossbar.
And with about 10 minutes to play, midfielder Lisa Kosena sent an 18-yard free kick over the crossbar.
Colorado will continue its road trip Sunday evening, when it visits the Ventura County Fusion. The three-game Southern California swing concludes Tuesday night against the L.A. Legends.
Leave your response!