The women booters of FC Olympia are declared Queens of the Northwest again as they wrap up the 2024 USL W League Division qualifiers last weekend unbeaten again, while also booking their return to the USL W national playoffs as one of the best 16 semi-professional teams in women’s soccer in the USL.
The Artesians booked the championship and the playoff spot in front of a record home crowd at South Sound Stadium last Friday, June 28 as they blanked a rigid Tacoma Galaxy, 2-0, before dropping points away from home with a 1-1 draw against second-placers United PDX FC last Sunday, June30.
They finished the season with nine wins, one draw, and zero defeats while amassing 46 points in total and +41 goal difference from 45 goals fired while only conceding four times in 10 matches.
This is a massive achievement for FC Olympia, who were also champions of the division last year in their maiden season, where they finished with an 8-2-0 win-draw-loss record, as they return to battle the best of the rest of the United States.
Details for their first opponent for the national playoffs will be announced on a later date, though the Artesians will most likely face a California-based team just like in 2023 against Sacramento-based California Storm SC according to the USL W League’s preliminary bracketing system.
The title for the best side of the USL W Northwest Division stays at Olympia as the Artesians win as division champs again after a 2-0 win over Tacoma Galaxy in front of a record home crowd in the South Sound Stadium last Friday.
A strong home contingent of 473 spectators, the biggest in two years of USL soccer in the locale, were at the back of the team as they watched the Artesians clinch the lone playoff spot for the division again from a worldie of a goal from Maia Tabion and a deep stoppage time insurance goal from Bailey Gourdine.
New Zealand international Murphy Sheaff had the whole shift in goal and was vital for keeping the clean sheet including a crucial save from the penalty spot in the last piece of action in the game.
Sporting the Afterglow kit for the first time this season, FC Olympia were dominant at the start as expected but were just stifled by the visitors' compact defense as Tacoma parked the bus and pressed high, though the Artesians had their best chances early on through attempts from Sadie Sider-Echenberg and top scorer McKenna Martinez just wide.
But magic came in the 35th minute as Maia Tabion followed up her Beckham-esque free kick in last time’s home match against United PDX FC with another curler, but now in open play as an unmarked Tabion swings a right-footed strike swerving into the top corner of the net – in a spectacular goal that virtually no keeper can catch to make it 1-0 to FC Oly before halftime.
It took some time for FC Olympia to get the insurance goal due to a persistent Tacoma Galaxy who won’t go out without some fight, but it finally came deep in the 90th minute as substitute Bailey Gourdine flicks a dummy of a shot to outsmart the Tacoma keeper Shelby Stordahl to seal the win and the national playoff for the Artesians.
Deep into stoppage time, late drama came as Mary Karolak fouls Tacoma’s Kayden Perigo in the box, forcing the referee to call a penalty, before Perigo’s penalty was predicted easily by Murphy Sheaff, who came clutch in the final moments of the match, handling the final kick of the game in her safe hands.
United PDX FC stunned the celebratory division winners with the opening goal scored by Leonie Weber in the 27th minute and held that lead up to halftime, as they tried to spoil the unbeaten season the Artesians were having.
But the determined Artesians roared back with Ameera Husseen finding the equalizer with her goal in the 84th minute, before time ran out for the Artesians to find the winning goal for what could have been an undefeated sweep this season.
Despite that, FC Olympia still has not lost to a Northwest Division side in two seasons now and has been unbeaten with a 9-1-0 win-draw-loss record to cap off the division this 2024.
Good luck on the playoffs, FC Olympia!
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here