2007 USL W-League season
Football league
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The 2007 W-League Season was the league's 13th.
| Season | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Washington Freedom (1st Title) |
| Regular Season title | Ottawa Fury Women (1st Title) |
| Matches | 210 |
| Goals | 748 (3.56 per match) |
← 2006 2008 → | |
The Washington Freedom finished the season as national champions, beating the Atlanta Silverbacks Women 3–1 in the W-League Championship game in Rochester, New York on 7 August 2007.
Ottawa Fury Women finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 11 out of their 12 games, suffering no losses, and finishing with a +38 goal difference.
Changes from 2006 season
Name changes
Two teams changed their names: The Long Island Lady Riders changed their name to the Long Island Rough Riders, and the San Diego Lady Gauchos changed their name to the San Diego Sunwaves.
New teams
Three teams were added for the season:
| Team name | Metro area | Location | Previous affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fredericksburg Lady Gunners | Northern Virginia area | Fredericksburg, VA | expansion |
| Jersey Sky Blue | Northern New Jersey area | Madison, NJ | expansion |
| Washington Freedom | National Capital area | Washington, D.C. | associate member (former member of WUSA) |
Teams Leaving
Five teams folded after the 2006 season:
- Central Florida Krush
- Cincinnati Ladyhawks
- New Hampshire Lady Phantoms
- South Jersey Banshees
- Sudbury Canadians
Carolina Dynamo Women went on hiatus for this season.
Standings
Blue indicates division title clinched
Green indicates playoff berth clinched
Orange indicates bye into the W-League semifinals as hosts.
Central Conference
Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 | Richmond Kickers Destiny | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 28 |
| 3 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 10 | +21 | 26 |
| 4 | Cocoa Expos Women | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 18[a] |
| 5 | Hampton Roads Piranhas | 11 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 22 | −13 | 7[a] |
| 6 | Bradenton Athletics | 11 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 32 | −23 | 4[a] |
| 7 | Fredericksburg Lady Gunners | 11 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 33 | −27 | 4[a] |
- The Fredericksburg at Cocoa and Bradenton at Hampton Roads games were unable to be rescheduled before the end of the season, and were not played due to having no effect on the playoffs.
Midwest Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Lightning | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 8 | +19 | 31 |
| 2 | Michigan Hawks | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 13 | +14 | 25 |
| 3 | Cleveland Internationals Women | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 16 | +14 | 24 |
| 4 | Chicago Gaels | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 39 | 17 | +22 | 22 |
| 5 | London Gryphons | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 41 | −22 | 12 |
| 6 | Fort Wayne Fever | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 27 | −19 | 5 |
| 7 | West Michigan Firewomen | 12 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 25 | −18 | 4 |
Eastern Conference
Northeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Freedom | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 10 | +38 | 37 |
| 2 | Jersey Sky Blue | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 6 | +42 | 36 |
| 3 | Northern Virginia Majestics | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 28 | 26 | +2 | 22 |
| 4 | Boston Renegades | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 21 |
| 5 | New Jersey Wildcats | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 19 |
| 6 | Long Island Rough Riders | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 17 |
| 7 | New York Magic | 14 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 32 | −24 | 6 |
| 8 | Western Mass Lady Pioneers | 14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 54 | −45 | 4 |
Northern Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 9 | +38 | 34 |
| 2 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 16 | +13 | 23 |
| 3 | Laval Comets | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 10 | +25 | 22 |
| 4 | Rochester Rhinos Women | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 28 | −7 | 15 |
| 5 | Hamilton Avalanche | 12 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 42 | −31 | 6 |
| 6 | Vermont Lady Voltage | 12 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 47 | −38 | 6 |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Sunwaves | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 12 | +16 | 25 |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 14 | +7 | 22 |
| 3 | Vancouver Whitecaps Women | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 17 | +7 | 21 |
| 4 | Fort Collins Force | 12 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 31 | −13 | 13 |
| 5 | Mile High Edge | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 16 | 26 | −10 | 11 |
| 6 | Real Colorado Cougars | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 18 | −7 | 11 |
Playoffs
Format
Four teams qualify from the Central Conference, six from the Eastern Conference, and two from the Western Conference.
The Division Winners in the Central Conference will play the second place team of the other division. In the Eastern Conference, the second and third place team in each division will play, with the winner of that match playing the top team in the other division. Finally, the two winners of the latter matches will play for the Eastern Conference championship. The top two teams in the Western Conference will play each other.
The Rochester Raging Rhinos automatically qualify for the W-League Semifinals as hosts. They will play the highest-ranked Conference Champion in their semifinal, with the other two Conference Champions will play in the other.
Conference Brackets
Central Conference
| Central Semifinals | Central Championship | ||||||||
| MW1 | Minnesota Lightning | 4 | |||||||
| AT2 | Richmond Kickers Destiny | 2 | |||||||
| MW1 | Minnesota Lightning | 2 | |||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 5 | |||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women (AET) | 4 | |||||||
| MW2 | Michigan Hawks | 2 | |||||||
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Divisional Round | Eastern Semifinals | Eastern Championship | ||||||||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom | 6 | ||||||||||||
| NO2 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 3 | NO2 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 1 | |||||||||
| NO3 | Laval Comets | 1 | NE1 | Washington Freedom | 1 | |||||||||
| NO1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 0 | ||||||||||||
| NO1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 4 | ||||||||||||
| NE2 | Jersey Sky Blue | 3 | NE2 | Jersey Sky Blue | 0 | |||||||||
| NE3 | Northern Virginia Majestics | 1 | ||||||||||||
Western Conference
| Western Finals | ||||
| W1 | San Diego Sunwaves | 1 | ||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 2 | ||
W-League Championship Bracket
| Semifinals | Championship | ||||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom | 3 | |||||||
| H | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 0 | |||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom | 3 | |||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 1 | |||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 4 | |||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 1 | Consolation | ||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 2 | |||||||
| H | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 1 | |||||||
Divisional Round
| Toronto Lady Lynx | 3–1 | Laval Comets |
|---|---|---|
Marton  47' Ramsdale  48' 57' Morra 70' Harrison 85' |
(Report) | Gagné 7' Busque 54' Bilodeau 83' |
| Jersey Sky Blue | 3–1 | Northern Virginia Majestics |
|---|---|---|
| DiPaolo 8' Dickenmann 19' Griffin 42' |
(Report) | Banks 66' |
Conference semifinals
| Washington Freedom | 6–1 | Toronto Lady Lynx |
|---|---|---|
| Lindsey 13' 26' Welsh 31' Watson 76' Hammond 80' Porto 90' |
(Report) | Harrison 45' Romagnuolo 75' Allysha Chapman 78' |
| Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 4–0 | Michigan Hawks |
|---|---|---|
| Steinmann 14' 74' 45' (OG) Harbrueger 87' |
(Report) | Delvecchio 59' |
| Minnesota Lightning | 4–2 (AET) | Richmond Kickers Destiny |
|---|---|---|
| Mueller 38' Smith 69' 103' 110' |
(Report) | Grier 68' Sauerbrunn 79' J. Parsons 88' Stephens-David 97' |
| Ottawa Fury Women | 4–0 | Jersey Sky Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor 30' 68' Jeffers 44' Laue 71' Hamel 77' |
(Report) |
Conference finals
| Minnesota Lightning | 2–5 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women |
|---|---|---|
| Smith 85' 86' (PK) Storlien (coach)  90' |
(Report) | Latham 4' 30' Schneider 16' Davey 22' Harbrueger 69' Eriksson 74' Hall 85' |
| Ottawa Fury Women | 0–1 | Washington Freedom |
|---|---|---|
| McCormack 23' Hamel 61' |
(Report) | Welsh 24' Huffman 69' |
| San Diego Sunwaves | 1–2 | Seattle Sounders Women |
|---|---|---|
| Epsten 30' 84' |
(Report) | Bridges 34' Patterson 60' |
W-League Semifinals
| Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 4–1 | Seattle Sounders Women |
|---|---|---|
| Latham 44' Minnax 47' Buff 68' Steinmann 80' |
(Report) | Patterson 6' |
| Rochester Raging Rhinos | 0–3 | Washington Freedom |
|---|---|---|
| Kruze 84' Russell 90' |
(Report) | Huffman 10' Moros 29' Lindsey 53' |
W-League Third-Place Game
| Rochester Raging Rhinos | 1–2 | Seattle Sounders Women |
|---|---|---|
| Kinmond 70' Bybee 90' |
Report | Arrant 51' Slawson 75' Smith 90' |
W-League Final
| Washington Freedom | 3–1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women |
|---|---|---|
| Moros 1' Welsh 40' 85' McCarty 88' |
(Report) | Schneider 59' Davey 67' Buff 71' Harbrueger 90' |