D.C. United Women Advance to W-League Semifinals

D.C. United Women won two games this past weekend setting themselves up for a W-League semifinals match against Ottawa in Ontario next Sunday.

TAMPA, Fla. – The participants for the 2012 W-League Championship presented by Umbro have been set, with the D.C. United Women, Quebec City Amiral and Pali Blues set to join the host Ottawa Fury for Friday’s semifinals at the Algonquin College Soccer Complex in Ottawa, Ontario. The semifinal winners will advance to the 2012 W-League Championship final at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Both of Friday’s semifinal matchups and Sunday’s championship will be available live on USL Live on UNATION (www.uslnation.com).

The Pali Blues earned their third trip to the final four in their five-year history thanks to a 1-0 victory against the Seattle Sounders Women in Sunday’s Western Conference Final.  Lynn Williams scored the lone goal of the match for Pali, which used the league’s stingiest defense to keep Seattle off the board.

Pali will enter the championship weekend as the top seed and will face the No. 4-seeded Quebec City Amiral, who earned their first trip to the W-League Championship via a thrilling penalty-kick victory against the Laval Comets in the Central Conference playoffs Sunday. With the game knotted at 1-1 following regulation and overtime, Quebec City prevailed 5-4 on PKs to advance.

 

The No. 2-seeded D.C. United Women captured their first Eastern Conference title in only their second season Sunday with a clinical 3-0 victory against the Charlotte Lady Eagles, and will face No. 3-seeded Ottawa, which finished the regular season atop the Central Conference standings at 10-2-0. Ottawa is always formidable on its home turf, having its 30-game home undefeated streak snapped the final weekend of the regular season.

Of the participants, Pali is the only squad to have captured a W-League title, having taken back-to-back crowns in 2008-09. Ottawa previously hosted the W-League Championship in 2004, with the Vancouver Whitecaps taking the crown. Since joining the W-League in 2000, the Fury have amassed a record of 126-25-16 collecting nine division titles, five conference championships, seven final four appearances and three appearances in the championship final.

The Algonquin College Soccer Complex is the year-round home of the Fury, and the $5.4 million soccer-specific facility provides an intimate environment for fans.

2012 W-League Championship presented by Umbro

At Algonquin College Soccer Complex

Ottawa, Ontario

Semifinals

Friday, July 27

#4 Quebec City Amiral vs. #1 Pali Blues, 4:30 p.m. ET

#3 Ottawa Fury vs. #2 D.C. United Women, 7:30 p.m. ET

Consolation

Sunday, July 29, 1 p.m. ET

Championship

Sunday, July 29, 4 p.m. ET

W-LEAGUE

The W-League is the first and longest-standing women’s soccer league in North American, featuring the highest level of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. With emphasis on quality ownership, retention, league standards and player development, the W-League is the strongest, most sophisticated and best organized women’s league on and off the field. The 2012 W-League campaign features 30 teams in three regional conferences playing 12-14 regular season matches. In addition to the league’s international and professional stars, elite amateur players have the opportunity to compete in the W-League while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. The league is recognized throughout the world for providing superior competition for female players, while offering affordable family entertainment for fans throughout North America.