USL News Release

 

Sunday, August 7, 2005

 

WEST WINDSOR, NJ -- The 2004 finalist New Jersey Wildcats blanked the regular season champion Ottawa Fury 3-0 to win the 2005 W-League Championship on Fox Soccer Channel, avenging their only loss of the last two seasons in front of an overflow crowd of 2,233. The defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps won the Third Place match at the W-League Championship Sunday 3-1 against the Central Florida Krush.

Three minutes in a long ball forward from Diana Matheson to 2005 league scoring champion Rhian Wilkinson, who scored both goals in their 2-1 semifinal win over Central Florida, created the first scoring opportunity of the match, but England international Rachel Unitt chased the play down to beat her to the ball at the top of the box and knock it away.

Unitt would score on a fantastic play in the 14th minute to give the Wildcats the lead with what would prove to be the winner. A giveaway in the right corner went to Kendell Fletcher, who sent it into the box to Christie Welsh. Welsh flicked a header up and Unitt took a touch with her left foot, turned and blasted a point blank shot from five yards just off the bounce that Canadian international goalkeeper Taryn Swiatek could not get a hand on as it ripped into the back of the net.

A corner from England international Rachel Yankey in the 20th nearly resulted in a 2-0 lead when it went to the far side and was sent back into the middle by US youth international Kacey White. Swiatek was unable to catch it coming off her line and the ball fell to Unitt, whose header from her knees was cleared off the line by Ottawa defender Marie-Eve Nault.

A long ball from Carmelina Moscato at the left touchline found its way behind the New Jersey defense in the 34th minute to create another dangerous chance for Wilkinson, who let the ball take a bounce and sidestepped Unitt, who missed the ball as she flew in looking to break up the play. Wilkinson was then one-on-one with Canadian international goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, who made a critical diving stop at point-blank range at the penalty spot.

Two minutes into the second half, the ball fell to US international Heather O’Reilly, who ripped a 22-yard shot just inside the right post that Swiatek made an outstanding diving save to knock away.

In the 61st minute Matheson slotted the ball from the middle out to Wilkinson, who was all alone coming into the box from the right, but as she went shoulder-to-shoulder with Rochelle Willis of New Jersey she was unable to put a full effort behind her shot to beat LeBlanc from the spot.

Immediately at the other end of the field O’Reilly drove past Jenine Stangier into the box along the left side endline and was taken down by Nault, earning a penalty kick which was converted by White to the left post a minute later in the 63rd.

In the 70th minute O’Reilly put the game well out of reach with a great individual effort. A long ball directed her way at left touchline was nearly cleared by Stangier out of play, but took a deflection off the outstretched foot of O’Reilly that sent the ball behind the defense to the top of the box where she chested it forward to herself and blasted home a commanding three goal lead from the spot as two Ottawa defenders crashed in on the play.

Three minutes later Jamaican international Alicia Wilson took a nice shot from 19 yards out that Swiatek had to stretch out to stop.

New Jersey continued to control the match as it wound down with Kelly Hammond and Yankey striking near goals in the 81st and 82nd minutes.

White was honored as the W-League Championship Most Valuable Player for her efforts this weekend. In addition to the goal and assist against Ottawa, she also had a goal and assist in Friday’s 2-1 semifinal victory over the defending champion Vancouver Whitecaps that avenged last year’s loss in a penalty kick tiebreaker after a scoreless 120-minute affair.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” said White. “The team has worked so hard all year. It’s just great to finally be here in front of our home crowd and bring one home for New Jersey.”

“The feeling is tremendous right now,” said Ottawa Head Coach Charlie Naimo. “We weren’t really thinking about last year to be honest. We just cared about this year and tonight’s game.”

“I’m kinda torn cuz on nights like tonight everybody is celebrating and I feel for the players that didn’t get an opportunity to in between the lines they’ve been so important to us all year long and there is no way we can ever prove how important they are to us,” added Naimo, who was without US international Lindsay Tarpley (injury) and Canadian international Christine Latham (visa issues). 

“The leadership is tremendous. We were very mature in back this year with Cat Reddick and Karina LeBlanc and it certainly showed in the amount of goals we allowed this year. The team completely respects and listens to what they have to say. Ultimately it is the defense that wins championships,” said Naimo about the wealth of international stars on the roster.

In attendance for the W-League Championship this weekend were US and Canadian National Team coaches Greg Ryan and Even Pellerud. 

“The standard of play has been very, very good,” said Ryan “I’ve been so impressed and just enjoyed being a fan of the game this weekend and watching the W-League Championship.”

“It’s critical for our players,” added Ryan of the importance of having his players in the league. “As you see from so many Canadian National Team players out there its critical for all of these players to get this kind of high level experience and its just gonna help them improve. We’re a very young team now so it will help our young players continue to grow.”

“I think its fantastic,” he said about the inclusion of internationals from abroad. “Rachel Yankey is such a special player and she’s so much fun to watch. And our players are learning a lot from seeing a player like that play and she’ll learn a lot from them too.”

Pellerud, whose side will face current defending World Cup champion Germany September 1, felt the tournament was a key evaluator for his selection of players.

“This tournament is good for me because the tournament is strong and very even teams. It is competitive here so the games mean something for them so there is a good way of assessing my players in a competitive environment.”