The 2014 W-League season is the 20th season of the league's existence, and 11th season of second division women's soccer in the United States. The regular season started on May 10 and ended on July 13.[2][3] The Los Angeles Blues won their fourth league championship, finishing the season undefeated and tie-free. They scored 63 goals and had only 6 scored against them in 15 regular season & playoff games.[4]
| Season | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Los Angeles Blues |
| Matches played | 145 |
| Goals scored | 502 (3.46 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Danica Evans (13) |
| Biggest home win | LAB 7, SED 0 (May 23) COR 7, SED 0 (July 11) |
| Biggest away win | LAB 9, SED 0 (May 16) PRI 9, SED 0 (June 7) |
| Highest scoring | LAB 9, SED 0 (May 16) PRI 9, SED 0 (June 7) |
| Highest attendance | 4,598 WAS vs. BRSE (May 17) |
| Lowest attendance | 35 LON vs. LAV (May 24) |
| Average attendance | 324 (128 of 145 games reported) [1] |
← 2013 2015 → | |
Changes from 2013 season
Name changes
One team changed their name in the off-season:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Previous Name |
|---|---|---|
 Quebec Dynamo ARSQ | Quebec City area | Quebec City Amiral |
Expansion teams
Five teams were added for the season:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Location | Previous Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
 Braddock Road Stars Elite | Northern Virginia | Fairfax, Virginia | expansion [5] |
 Colorado Pride | Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area | Colorado Springs, Colorado | expansion [6] |
| Colorado Storm | Denver-Aurora metropolitan area | Centennial, Colorado | expansion [7] |
 Gulf Coast Texans | Pensacola metropolitan area | Pensacola, Florida | WPSL[8] |
 Sedona FC Strikers | Verde Valley region | Sedona, Arizona | expansion [9] |
Teams leaving
- Three teams folded or self-relegated following the 2013 season:
- Fredericksburg Impact - Fredericksburg, Virginia
- VSI Tampa Bay FC - Tampa, Florida
- Virginia Beach Piranhas - Virginia Beach, Virginia
Merger
- Pali Blues merged with the Los Angeles Strikers to form the Los Angeles Blues.[10]
Standings
As of 7/13/2014 [11]
2014 W-League Champion
2014 Division Title
2014 Playoff Team
Northeastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Spirit Reserves | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 5 | +31 | 32 |
| 2 | Braddock Road Stars Elite | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 16 |
| 3 | New York Magic | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 19 | −6 | 15 |
| 4 | New Jersey Wildcats | 12 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 22 | 28 | −6 | 14 |
| 5 | Long Island Rough Riders | 12 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 20 | −9 | 13 |
| 6 | North Jersey Valkyries | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 20 | −7 | 10 |
Southeastern Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulf Coast Texans | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 11 | +12 | 19 |
| 2 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 19 |
| 3 | Carolina Elite Cobras | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 18 |
| 4 | Dayton Dutch Lions | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 29 | −13 | 9 |
| 5 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 23 | −12 | 4 |
Central Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 3 | +30 | 34 |
| 2 | K-W United FC | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 21 |
| 3 | Laval Comets | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 20 |
| 4 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 18 | −6 | 17 |
| 5 | Quebec Dynamo ARSQ | 12 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 25 | −12 | 6 |
| 6 | London Gryphons | 12 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 28 | −22 | 2 |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Blues | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 4 | +46 | 36 |
| 2 | Colorado Pride | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 7 | +31 | 28 |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders Women | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 22 |
| 4 | Colorado Rush | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 14 | +24 | 21 |
| 5 | Bay Area Breeze | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 19 |
| 6 | Santa Clarita Blue Heat | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 32 | −17 | 12 |
| 7 | Colorado Storm | 12 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 47 | −34 | 3 |
| 8 | Sedona FC Strikers | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 68 | −65 | 0 |
Playoffs
The top two finishers in the Northeastern, Southeastern and Western Conferences and the top three finishers in the Central Conference will qualify for the conference playoffs. The conference winners will play for the 2014 W-League Championship, to be held July 25–27 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[12][13]
Northeastern Conference Playoff
 Washington Spirit Reserves | 6–0 | Braddock Road Stars Elite |
|---|---|---|
Herndon  9'Cox 28'Pardue 49', 83'Bruder 76', 79' | Report |
Southeastern Conference Playoff
| Gulf Coast Texans | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |  Charlotte Lady Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Waters 17' Hurd  40'Jose-Rojas 69'Cruz 87' | Report | Naeher 30' Fortune 41'Lanter 45' |
| Penalties | ||
Waters  Arlitt Oram  Hurd Gomez-Junco | 3–4 | Naeher Fortune Parr O'Brien Etten |
Central Conference Playoffs
 K-W United FC | 1–0 | Laval Comets |
|---|---|---|
| Skeete 45+' Lyon 67' | Report |
| Ottawa Fury Women | 4–0 | K-W United FC |
|---|---|---|
| Rynier 37', 68' Steinledge 49'Moore 80' | Report | Skeete 62' Wheldon 78' |
Western Conference Playoff
 Los Angeles Blues | 2–1 | Colorado Pride |
|---|---|---|
| Andrews 45' Eddy 57'Elby 70'French 75' | Report | Weber 27' King 72'Logarzo 87' |
W-League Championship
Semi-finals
| Ottawa Fury Women | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Washington Spirit Reserves |
|---|---|---|
| Gilliland 90+' | Report | Herndon 63' |
| Penalties | ||
| Hastings Raetzman Gilliland Mottershead | 2–4 | Herndon Pardue Huster Cuba |
| Los Angeles Blues | 4–0 | Charlotte Lady Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Eddy 23', 84' Smith 32'Stengel 68', 71' | Report |
Third Place Playoff
| Ottawa Fury Women | 1–1 no (a.e.t.) | Charlotte Lady Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Raetzman 34' McCarthy 38' | Report Report | Fortune 45' |
| Penalties | ||
| Hastings Gilliland Steinlage McCarthy | 4–1 | Naeher Fortune Parr |
Championship
| Los Angeles Blues | 6–1 | Washington Spirit Reserves |
|---|---|---|
| Stengel 18', 53' French 45'Killion 69'Dydasco 78'Nielsen 84' | Report Report | Yensen 74' |
| Semi-Finals | Championship | ||||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Blues | 4 | |||||||
| 4 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Blues | 6 | |||||||
| 3 | Washington Spirit Reserves | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Ottawa Fury Women | 1 (2) | |||||||
| 3 | Washington Spirit Reserves | 1 (4) | |||||||
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Nation | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danica Evans |  USA | Colorado Rush | 13 |
| 2 | Mallory Weber | USA | Colorado Pride | 11 |
| 3 | Kennya Cordner |  TRI | Seattle Sounders Women | 8 |
| Mele French | USA | Los Angeles Blues | 8 | |
| Katie Stengel | USA | Los Angeles Blues | 8 | |
| 6 | Laylla da Cruz |  BRA | New Jersey Wildcats | 7 |
| Florence Dadson |  GHA | Gulf Coast Texans | 7 | |
| Rose Lavelle | USA | Dayton Dutch Lions | 7 | |
| Civana Kuhlmann | USA | Colorado Rush | 7 | |
| Sara Sanau Ruiz |  SPA | New York Magic | 7 |
Source:[15]
Awards
- Most Valuable Player: Mele French (LAB)
- Rookie of the Year: Chloe Logarzo (PRI)
- Defender of the Year: Amanda Naeher (CHE)
- Coach of the Year: Daniel Clitnovici (PRI)
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Genevieve Richard (LAV)
- Playoff MVP: Sarah Killion (LAB)
All-League and All-Conference Teams
Northeastern Conference
F: Ashley Herndon (WAS), Marisa Park (BRSE) *, Katie Yensen (WAS)
M: Laylla da Cruz (NJW), Serina Kashimoto (NYM), Yoreli Rincón (NJW)
D: Sue Alber-Weber (LIR) *, Sam Lofton (WAS) *, Satara Murray (WAS), Lorina White (NYM)
G: Samantha Depken (NYM)
Southeastern Conference
F: Florence Dadson (GCT), Jade Montgomery (CHE), Maria Jose-Rojas (GCT)
M: Leah Fortune (CHE), Rose Lavelle (DDL), Blakely Mattern (CAR) *
D: Lauren Gorodetsky (ATL), Renee Hurd (GCT), Kailey Mattison (CAR), Amanda Naeher (CHE) *
G: Robyn Jones (CHE)
Central Conference
F: Arin Gilliland (OTT), Christabel Oduro (OTT), Leticia Skeete (KWU)
M: Catherine Charron-Delage (LAV), Arielle Roy-Petitclerc (QUE), Lisa-Marie Woods (OTT)
D: Marissa Duguay (LAV), Melanie Pickert (TOR), Melissa Roy (QUE), Shelina Zadorsky (OTT) *
G: Genevieve Richard (LAV) *
Western Conference
F: Danica Evans (COR) *, Chloe Logarzo (PRI) *, Mallory Weber (PRI)
M: Jessica Ayers (PRI), Mele French (LAB) *, Sarah Killion (LAB) *
D: Rachel Daly (LAB), Danielle Johnson (BAB), Holly King (PRI), Kandace Love (LAB)
G: Anna Maria Picarelli (SEA)
* denotes All-League player