It took an extra 30 minutes of action, but FC Olympia secured its ticket to its first appearance in the USL W League Western Conference Final after surviving a grueling battle against Oakland Soul, 2-1, on the road at Pioneer Stadium, California State University East Bay, in Hayward, CA, on Friday night, July 5.
In the only playoff match that has gone to extra time so far, the determined Artesians, despite suffering from the non-availability of some key players in their defense, held their ground and went toe-to-toe with the undefeated #2 seed of the NorCal Division in front of their loud and passionate fans and support groups. The match featured first starts for goalkeeper Bre Norris and Philippine national women’s team defender Katana Norman.
After a goalless opening half, FC Olympia’s top goalscorer, McKenna Martinez, drew first blood in the 59th minute. After intercepting a lazy pass from the backline, she burst on a 40-yard solo run, beating her defenders and lofted the ball past Oakland keeper Layla Armas to make it 1-0.
Oakland responded quickly and equalized just less than five minutes later. A Thierry Henry-esque finish from Jordan Geis tricked the Artesian defense and finished past Norris, who had a good game keeping Oakland at bay apart from that goal. The score remained 1-1 until sunset coincided with full-time.
In extra time, the hyped-up home crowd was silenced in the 94th minute after an Artesian corner was converted to a goal. A scramble in the box found Kait Raffensperger on the in-swinging corner from Maia Tabion, and an Oakland defender deflected the shot into her own net. This own goal gave the advantage to the visitors early in extra time, with the final scoreline standing at 2-1.
Oakland Soul tried to get back to the game, with their closest chance happening in the 109th minute in a one-on-one situation where Jordan Geis faced the keeper alone. But Norris, in her first outing for the Artesians, came up big with a miraculous reflex save to keep the advantage to FC Olympia up until the final whistle.
The postseason win is the first in the Artesians' history. They previously lost against California Storm in Davis, CA, 1-0, in the West Coast semifinal last year. Cal Storm, however, did not survive its first-round playoff game this year on Friday. They were downed by the Colorado Storm, who will now take on the Artesians in the Western Conference Finals.
Good luck again FC Olympia! Oly Oly Oly!
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