Ottawa Fury Press Release

July 18, 2010

Ottawa, ON - The Ottawa Fury Men and Women completed a double-header on Fan Appreciation Day in style at the Algonquin College Soccer Complex both posting crucial victories. The Fury Women opened the day with an uncontested 4-0 victory over the Québec City Amiral eliminating the Amiral from playoff contention while the Fury Men punched their ticket to the post season in the evening game of the double-header as they handed the MPS Portland Phoenix a 3-0 loss and coupled with Albany's loss in Long Island the Fury will return to the playoffs for the second year running.

While the Fury Women (8-1-3) had already locked up a playoff position along with the division title the Québec City Amiral (6-4-2) needed a victory to leapfrog Laval for the third and final playoff spot. The two teams played to a scoreless first half that saw Fury striker Jodie Taylor stymied on several occasions by Amiral keeper Marie-Pier Bilodeau who was without question Québec City's best player on the field all game long.

The Fury would continue to press in the second half, but Butt nor Hearn or Taylor could solve Bilodeau until the 63rd minute when Jodie Taylor found space at the back post and poked home her seventh of the season and first goal in over a month. The goal opened the floodgates for the Fury as Gina Pacheco would send Melissa Busque through two minutes later to give the Fury the 2-0 lead effectively ending any hopes of an Amiral comeback. In the 70th minute Jodie Taylor would notch her second of the game when after Pacheco headed a great ball through to her. Christina Julien capped off the Fury's best performance of the season slotting home her own rebound for her 4th goal of the year sending the Fury into the post-season full of confidence.

Ottawa will now travel to Buffalo next weekend to face the Chicago Red Eleven in the Conference Semi-Final for the third time in as many seasons with the Fury coming out victors on both occasions.