2009 USL W-League season
Football league season
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The 2009 W-League Season was the league's 15th. The regular season began on May 8 with the Hampton Roads Piranhas defeating the Charlotte Lady Eagles 2–1 in Charlotte. The season ended with 10 games on July 19. The playoffs began on July 22 and ended on August 7.
| Season | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Pali Blues (2nd Title) |
| Regular Season title | Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues (1st Title) |
| Matches | 237 |
| Goals | 827 (3.49 per match) |
| Best player |  Angelika Johansson Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues |
| Top goalscorer |  Laura del Río FC Indiana (18 Goals) |
| Best goalkeeper |  Michelle Betos Atlanta Silverbacks Women |
← 2008 2010 → | |
Pali Blues repeated as W-League champions, defeating the Washington Freedom Reserves in come-from-behind fashion 2–1, which was also how they had won their previous title. Iris Mora was named the Playoffs MVP.
FC Indiana's Laura del Río finished with the most points (40) and goals (18), while her teammate Mónica Ocampo led the league in assists (11). Shannon Lynn, also of FC Indiana, led the league in GAA (0.116) and shutouts (10), and only allowed 2 goals the entire regular season.[1]
Changes from 2008 season
Name Changes
Six teams changed their name in the off-season:
| Team name | Metro area | Previous name |
|---|---|---|
 Cary Lady Clarets |
Research Triangle area | Carolina RailHawks Women |
 Chicago Red Eleven |
Chicago area | Chicago Gaels |
 Colorado Force |
Fort Collins area | Fort Collins Force |
 Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues |
northern New Jersey area | Jersey Sky Blue |
 Rochester Ravens |
Rochester area | Rochester Rhinos Women |
 Washington Freedom Reserves |
Washington, D.C. area | Washington Freedom |
Expansion Teams
Two teams were added for the season:
| Team name | Metro area | Location | Previous affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Flash |
Buffalo area | Buffalo, New York | expansion |
 Quebec City Amiral SC |
Quebec City area | Quebec City, Quebec | expansion |
Teams Leaving
Six teams folded after the 2008 season:
- Bradenton Athletics
- Carolina Dynamo
- Fredericksburg Lady Gunners
- Michigan Hawks
- Vermont Lady Voltage
- West Virginia Illusion
Jersey Sky Blue and Washington Freedom both have expansion teams in Women's Professional Soccer. Washington have chosen to keep their reserve squad in the W-League, while Jersey has sold the rights to their W-League team to New York-based Quickstrike FC, which became Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues.[2]
Standings
Orange indicates W-League title and bye into W-League semifinals.
Purple indicates division title clinched
Green indicates playoff berth clinched
Central Conference
Great Lakes Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 9 | +31 | 35 |
| 2 | Buffalo Flash | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 40 | 10 | +30 | 30 |
| 3 | Quebec City Amiral SC | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 17 | +12 | 28 |
| 4 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 22 |
| 5 | Laval Comets | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 21 | 14 | +7 | 22 |
| 6 | London Gryphons | 14 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 23 | 33 | −10 | 11 |
| 7 | Hamilton Avalanche | 14 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 14 | 35 | −21 | 11 |
| 8 | Rochester Ravens | 14 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 61 | −56 | 1 |
Midwest Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Indiana | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 2 | +61 | 32 |
| 2 | Chicago Red Eleven | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 6 | +31 | 31 |
| 3 | Minnesota Lightning | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 11 | +26 | 23 |
| 4 | Cleveland Internationals Women | 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 28 | −13 | 14 |
| 5 | Fort Wayne Fever | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 40 | −21 | 11 |
| 6 | Kalamazoo Outrage | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 39 | −28 | 8 |
| 7 | West Michigan Firewomen | 11 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 61 | −56 | 1 |
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 3 | +21 | 31 |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Hellenic | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 7 | +17 | 27 |
| 3 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 13 | +6 | 21 |
| 4 | Hampton Roads Piranhas | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 18 |
| 5 | Cary Lady Clarets | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 24 | 23 | +1 | 16 |
| 6 | Northern Virginia Majestics | 12 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 21 | −18 | 4 |
| 7 | Richmond Kickers Destiny | 12 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 41 | −33 | 4 |
Northeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 40 | 9 | +31 | 38 |
| 2 | Washington Freedom Reserves | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 9 | +40 | 37 |
| 3 | Boston Renegades[a] | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 16 | +19 | 25 |
| 4 | Long Island Rough Riders | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 26 | +2 | 19 |
| 5 | New Jersey Wildcats | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 23 | −6 | 19 |
| 6 | Connecticut Passion | 14 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 20 | 33 | −13 | 14 |
| 7 | New York Magic | 15 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 45 | −37 | 6 |
| 8 | Western Mass Lady Pioneers | 14 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 44 | −36 | 0[b] |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pali Blues | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 9 | +16 | 30 |
| 2 | Colorado Force | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 18 |
| 3 | Real Colorado Cougars | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 15 |
| 4 | Seattle Sounders Women | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 15 |
| 5 | Vancouver Whitecaps Women | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 14 |
| 6 | Ventura County Fusion | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 22 | −9 | 11 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Legends | 12 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 20 | −5 | 9 |
Playoffs
Format
The Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues earned a bye directly to the W-League Semifinals. The Washington Freedom Reserves were moved into the top spot in the Northeast Division, and the Charlotte Lady Eagles received the division's second playoff spot (the Boston Renegades were the original holders of the second spot, but declined to enter).
The Central Conference will have 5 playoff spots. The second and third place teams from the Great Lakes Division will play each other. The winner will play the Midwest Division champions, while the Great Lakes Division champion will play the second place team of the Midwest Division. The winners of those games will play to determine the conference champion. The Eastern Conference division champions will play the second place team of the opposite division, the winners facing off to determine who goes to the W-League Semifinals. The Western Conference will have their top two teams facing off to determine their conference champion.
The W-League Semifinals will put the regular season champion against the lowest seeded conference champion, and the higher-ranked conference champions against each other. The winners of these games will play in the championship, while the losers will play in the Third Place game.
Conference Brackets
Central Conference
| Central Divisional Round | Central Semifinals | Central Championship | ||||||||||||
| MW1 |  FC Indiana
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| GL2 | Buffalo Flash
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| GL2 | Buffalo Flash
| 5 | ||||||||||||
| GL3 | Quebec City Amiral SC
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| MW1 | FC Indiana
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| GL1 |  Ottawa Fury Women
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| GL1 | Ottawa Fury Women
| 4 | ||||||||||||
| MW2 | Chicago Red Eleven
| 2 | ||||||||||||
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Semifinals | Eastern Championship | ||||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom Reserves
| 2 | |||||||
| AT2 |  Tampa Bay Hellenic
| 1 | |||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom Reserves
| 2 | |||||||
| NE2 | Charlotte Lady Eagles
| 1 | |||||||
| AT1 |  Atlanta Silverbacks Women
| 1 | |||||||
| NE2 | Charlotte Lady Eagles
| 2 | |||||||
Western Conference
| Western Finals | ||||
| W1 |  Pali Blues
| 5 | ||
| W2 | Colorado Force
| 2 | ||
W-League Championship Bracket
| Semifinal | Championship | ||||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom Reserves (AET/PSO)
| 0 (3) | |||||||
| GL1 | Ottawa Fury Women
| 0 (1) | |||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom Reserves
| 1 | |||||||
| W1 | Pali Blues
| 2 | |||||||
| WL | Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues
| 0 | |||||||
| W1 | Pali Blues
| 4 | |||||||
Divisional Round
| Buffalo Flash | 5–0 | Quebec City Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
Ruiz  26'Sutton 34' 60'Mosebo  44'Lasek 79'Craft 81' |
Report |
Conference semifinals
| Washington Freedom Reserves | 2–1 | Tampa Bay Hellenic |
|---|---|---|
| Tegeler 42' Lenczyk 67' |
(Report) | Gordon 58' |
| Ottawa Fury Women | 4–2 | Chicago Red Eleven |
|---|---|---|
| Evans 20' Hearn 31' 76' 82' |
Davison 11' Cooper 90' |
| Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 1–2 | Charlotte Lady Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Hall 76' Yempuku 84'Ford 90' |
(Report) | Ozimek 85' 88' |
| FC Indiana | 3–0 | Buffalo Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Leyva 13' 45' (PK) Del Rio 26' |
Mosebo 45' |
Conference finals
| Washington Freedom Reserves | 2–1 | Charlotte Lady Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Lenczyk 76' 85' |
(Report) | Swinehart 25' Swift 79' |
| Pali Blues | 5–2 | Colorado Force |
|---|---|---|
| Press 11' 75' Mora 67' 90' 90+'O'Hara 88' |
(Report) | Marshall 60' 72' |
| FC Indiana | 1–2 | Ottawa Fury Women |
|---|---|---|
| Lyons 11' |
Moore 20' (OG) Thomas 76' (OG) |
W-League Semifinals
| Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues | 0–4 | Pali Blues |
|---|---|---|
| Gunning 75' |
(Report) | Taylor 14' Mora 45'O'Hara 50'Cheney 65' 69' |
| Washington Freedom Reserves | 0 – 0 AET | Ottawa Fury Women |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Romagnuolo 32' Percival 47'Evans 50' |
|
| Penalties | ||
Matute  Toulouse Miskel |
3–1 | Moorwood  Percival Wetzel Evans |
W-League Championship
| Washington Freedom Reserves | 1–2 | Pali Blues |
|---|---|---|
| Matute 14' |
Billingsley 14' 37' Mora 86' |
Awards
The finalists for W-League MVP, U19 Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Defender of the Year were announced on August 3, 2009, with the winners to be announced on August 5. The Goalkeeper of the Year was announced on August 3.[4]
Most Valuable Player Finalists
Angelika Johansson, F, Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues (Winner)
Laura del Río, F, FC Indiana
Amber Hearn, F, Ottawa Fury Women
U19 Player of the Year Finalists
Defender of the Year Finalists
Goalkeeper of the Year
Coach of the Year Finalists
Fabien Cottin, Quebec City Arsenal (Winner)
Tony Anglin, Chicago Red Eleven- George Fotopoulos, Tampa Bay Hellenic
- Jesse Kolmel, Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues
All-League and All-Conference teams
Central Conference
F: Laura del Río*, IND; 
Amber Hearn*, OTT; Caroline Smith, MIN
M: 
Gemma Davison*, CHI; Jennifer Hance, OTT; 
Fatima Leyva, IND; Rosa Tantillo*, BUF
D: Jenny Jeffers, CHI; Ria Percival*, OTT; 
Clare Rustad, TOR
G: 
Shannon Lynn, IND
Honorable Mention: Margaret Allgeier, D, FW; Haley Ford, D, CLE; Christina Julien, F, LAV; Melissa Lesage, F, QC; Heather MacDougall, M, HAM; Courtney Nash, M, WMi; Anna Stinson, M, KAL; Jenn Wolbert, G, LON; Casey Zimny, D, ROC
Eastern Conference
F: Angelika Johansson*, HV; Jen Parsons, WAS; Brittany Tegeler, WAS
M: Lindsay Ozimek, CHA; Christina Rife, CHA; Megan Tomlinson, ATL
D: Casey Brown, BOS; Ashleigh Gunning*, HV; 
Philisha Lewis, TB; Brittany Taylor*, HV
G: Michelle Betos*, ATL
Honorable Mention: Mary Casey, G, NV; Brooke DeRosa, M, LI; Shaneka Gordon, F, HR; Robyn Jones, G, NJ; Courtney McMahon, M, NY; Rachel Richards, M, WMa; 
Furtuna Velaj, F, & Lindsay Vera, F, CON; Jennifer Woodie, D, RIC
Western Conference
F: Iris Mora, PAL; Jodi Ann Robinson, VAN
M: Michelle French*, SEA; Tobin Heath, PAL; Nikki Marshall, COL; Carmelina Moscato, VAN; Nikki Washington*, PAL
D: Jenea Gibbons, LA; Kelli Smith, SEA; Leah Tapscott, PAL
G: Katie Hultin, SEA
Honorable Mention: Kay Hawke, G, VEN, Taryn Hemmings, M, RC
* denotes All-League selections. [4]