The Seattle Stars knocked off Capital FC Athletica 4-0 on Sunday afternoon to win their second straight Northwest Premier League championship. It was a great afternoon of soccer at French Field in Kent with the two best teams, one from the north and one from the south, representing the league. Isabella Castro was named the Finals MVP with two goals for Seattle, who have now won 20 straight games dating back to the beginning of the 2018 season. Read the full recap of the final here.
KENT, Wash. – Isabella Castro came off the bench to score two goals to lead the Seattle Stars to their second Northwest Premier League championship in as many seasons with a 4-0 win over Capital FC Atletica on Sunday afternoon at French Field. Stars goalkeeper Drew Moulton picked up the shutout and the Stars finished off a second straight unbeaten season with another trophy.
The game was delayed nearly 30 minutes due to travel issues for Capital FC, but out of the box, Atletica looked like the aggressor dominating possession for the first 15 minutes of play. But Seattle got their bearings and it was a former Capital FC forward Rita Okoro who put the Stars on top with a bullet from the top of the box in the 20th minute.
On a hot day with the temperature on the turf at French Field reaching nearly 100 degrees, the referee stopped play for a water break in the 25th minute. Almost immediately after play resumed, Isabella Castro unleashed a shot that looked to be heading wide of the goal that somehow spun on frame, barely caught the post and ricocheted into the net for the Stars second goal of the game. The University of Washington senior then scored her second goal just seven minutes later to give the Stars a 3-0 in the 35th minute. For her two goal performance, Castro was named the Finals Most Valuable Player.
Isabella Castro gets her MVP award
Capital FC goalkeeper Alyssa Flores, making her first start of the season, kept the game close with numerous big saves on shots that could have blown the game wide open at any time in the first half. With her keeping the lead to just three goals at the start of the second half, Capital again started off by dominating possession, generating a handful of opportunities against the vaunted Stars defense.
But without anything to show for it and frustration mounting, the Stars turned it on again and made Flores make another couple of outstanding saves before Morgan Castain drove one past her in the 72nd minute to cap off the scoring. Capital could not mount a late comeback and Seattle finished off the shutout to win the championship, 4-0.
The new NWPL Championship trophy, by The Woodcraft Studio
Led by head coach Chris Wells, the Seattle Stars have now won 20 straight games since their 2017 championship game loss to the Washington Timbers and have allowed just six goals in the process. They have outscored their opponents by 61 goals during their two championship seasons.
Capital FC Atletica finished their season with eight regular season and playoff wins and just two losses, both of them coming to the Stars at French Field.
Capital FC Atletica, 2019 Finalists
Seattle Stars goals: Isabella Castro (’28 & ’35), Rita Okoro (’20), Morgan Castain (’72)
Capital FC Atletica goals: None
The Northwest Premier League caps the 2019 season with a fantastic matchup between the #1 seed Seattle Stars and #2 seed Capital FC Atletica. The two teams met once in the regular season with Capital FC taking an early lead at French Field on June 22nd before Seattle scored twice in the second half to take the 2-1 win.
So how did each team get here? Let’s take a look at the two teams…
It was slightly closer than anybody expected, but the Stars fended off the resurgent Washington Timbers 1-0 to advance to their third straight Northwest Premier League Final and will look to repeat as champions against Capital FC Atletica next weekend.
It was a defensive battle between Stars keeper Drew Moulton and Timbers keeper Jessica Selby except for one moment just before halftime when Justina MacDowell broke the scoreless tie and made it 1-0 for the Stars in the 44th minute.
From there, it was all about the defense. Neither team could break through to score again and the Stars and Moulton held on to that 1-0 lead and advance to another NWPL championship game.
The Washington Timbers wrapped up their season with the extremely close one goal loss after a slow start to the season. They also pulled the first first round upset in league history while advancing to the semifinals after being in the league’s basement for the first six weeks of the season.
Seattle Stars goal: Justina MacDowell (’44)
Washington Timbers goals: None
Capital FC Atletica celebrates | Photo: Jeremy McDonald
Capital FC Atletica will make their first appearance in the Northwest Premier League Finals thanks to a 3-1 win over the #4 seed Yakima United on Sunday afternoon in Salem.
Capital started quickly when Choi Ron scored the game’s opening goal just seven minutes into the contest. Yakima tied it up at 1-1 when Delaney Romero scored her second goal of the playoffs off of a pass from Madison Brownell in the 29th minute.
Paige Alexander gave Capital the lead in the 38th minute with an assist from Whitney Pitalo. It would turn out to be the game winning goal with Atletica and goalkeeper Abbey Knoll keeping the Hoppers off of the board the rest of the game. Vicky Cruz finished the game off with a goal in stoppage time of the second half to secure the 3-1 win.
Yakima keeper Brynlee Ward made 10 saves in the loss as Capital held a 12-3 shots on goal advantage. Knoll was only forced to make two saves in the contest.
With the win, Capital moves to their first NWPL championship game and will travel to Kent to face the Seattle Stars, who defeated the Washington Timbers 1-0 on Sunday evening. Game time and date will be announced soon.
Yakima wrapped up their season after their best league finish and their first NWPL playoff win.
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Capital FC Atletica goals: Choi Ron (‘7), Paige Alexander (’38), Vicky Cruz (’90+)
Yakima United goal: Delaney Romero (’29)
Delaney Romero | Photo: Tracie Fowler
In a battle between two teams searching for their first Northwest Premier League playoff win, #4 seed Yakima United scored a late goal to knock off the #5 seed Twin City Union at Yakima Valley College. Natalie Wright scored the game winner in the 88th minute to advance the Hoppers into the semifinals on Wednesday night.
Looking to pull off the second upset of the first round, the Twin City Union jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute when Desiree Arocha unleashed a shot from just outside the box that beat Yakima keeper Brynlee Ward. It would be the only goal that Ward would allow, making six saves in the win.
Yakima’s Haley Wammock punched home a ball after a scramble in the box following a corner kick to level the score in the 26th minute and the two teams went to the break knotted up 1-1.
It looked like Yakima would have a penalty kick for the lead in the 68th minute after the referee called a handball in the box, but after consulting his assistant, the handball was waved off and the Union dodged a bullet.
Emily Sorensen played a fantastic game in goal for Twin City making seven impressive saves to keep the Union tied for most of the game. But in the 88th minute, Yakima finally broke through. Delaney Romero sprinted past a defender into the box and then delivered a pass across the box to a streaking Wright, who put it past Sorensen to give Yakima the game winning goal.
Yakima United advanced to the semifinals and will travel to Salem to take on Capital FC Atletica on Sunday at 3:00 PM.
Twin City’s season came to an end after their highest regular season finish.
READ MORE FROM THE YAKIMA HERALD
Yakima United goals: Haley Wammock (’26), Natalie Wright (’88)
Twin City Union goal: Desiree Arocha (’12)
Better late than never (the holiday threw a wrench in the process), here are your the players that Northwest Premier League operators and coaches voted as their Players Of The Week for Week 8, the final week of the regular season.
OFFENSIVE: Lauryn Peters scored three goals during week 8, including two goals in their home win against Blackhills FC and another in their regular season finale against Seattle. A dynamic player that creates dangerous opportunities throughout the game, the Western Illinois player returned home and proceeded to lead Yakima United to a 5-1 record after an 0-2 and scoreless start to the season. Peters scored 12 goals in six games capturing her second Golden Boot award.
DEFENSIVE: The Washington Timbers fell 1-0 to Washington Premier in the season finale in Vancouver, but goalkeeper Jessica Selby impressed in the performance, keeping the Timbers in the game, allowing just a goal in the 88th minute of play. The Southern Oregon keeper and Mountain View alum made several good saves including pushing an earlier effort that looked to be heading toward the corner wide to keep the game level. Voting for this award came before her semifinal game, but Selby built on her week 8 performance and turned in a shutout in the semis to knock off the very same WA Premier team.
Other nominees:
Offensive: Braeden Small (Seattle Stars), Stephanie Verdola (Seattle Stars), Alyssa Andrews (Washington Premier)
Defensive: Diyonus Walls (Blackhills FC), Alyssa Konarek (NCW Alliance), Amber DiOrio (Seattle Stars)
Jessica Selby | Photo: Alan Moditz
In a rematch of a 1-0 win for Washington Premier just a week earlier, the #6 seed Washington Timbers turned the tables and knocked off #3 WA Premier, 1-0, in the first round of the Northwest Premier League playoffs on Saturday afternoon. It is the first ever upset in the first round of the NWPL playoffs.
Timbers goalkeeper Jessica Selby and WA Premier keeper Kyla Carter kept the game scoreless into the second half until the Timbers finally broke through with a goal by Molly Joyce in the 67th minute. Selby kept WA Premier off the board for the next 23 minutes and the Timbers held on for the 1-0 victory.
The Timbers, Last year’s league runners-up and the 2017 league champions, started the season 0-5-0 but have now won three of their last four games to advance to the semifinals for the third straight season. Because they are the lowest seeded team remaining, they will now travel to face the #1 seed Seattle Stars in the semis next weekend.
The second first round game will be played on Wednesday night when the Twin City Union travel to take on Yakima United at Yakima Valley College at 6:00 PM.
Your 2019 NWPL Regular Season Champions
Every game mattered in the grand scheme of things in week eight of the 2019 Northwest Premier League season and the Twin City Union pulled out what proved to be the biggest win, jumping over the Washington Timbers and Oly-Pen Force to claim the 5th seed in the playoffs. Seattle took care of business to win the regular season title and Lauryn Peters scored three times to take the league’s Golden Boot award with 12 goals.
Here are the recaps from each game in the last week of the regular season…
Yakima United 3, Blackhills FC 1
Lauryn Peters continued her fantastic season leading Yakima United to their fifth win of the season, knocking off Blackhills 3-1. Peters scored twice, in the 30th and 31st minutes, but the Hoppers led Blackhills by just one until Delaney Romero gave them an insurance goal in the 82nd minute. Jocelyn Charette scored the lone goal for Blackhills who were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. For Peters, it was her 10th and 11th goals of the season.
Yakima United goals: Lauryn Peters (’30 & ’31), Delaney Romero (’82)
Blackhills FC goal: Jocelyn Charette (’37)
Twin City Union 4, Oly-Pen Force 1
In a win or go home game for both teams, the Twin City Union took care of business on their home field knocking the Oly-Pen Force out of playoff position with a 4-1 win. TCU took an early 2-0 lead thanks to an Oly-Pen own goal and Jolene Kvinsland’s goal in the 11th minute. They would add goals by Natalie Brown and Madison early to take a 4-0 lead before the Force finally got on the board in the 87th. Emily Sorenson made eight saves in goal for the Union, who jumped up to the fifth spot with the win and finished the regular season at 2-5-1.
Twin City Union goals: Oly-Pen own goal (‘5), Jolene Kvinsland (’11), Natalie Brown (’52), Madison Early (’84)
Oly-Pen Force goal: Celina Madrid (’87)
Seattle Stars 4, NCW Alliance 0
Needing a win to take first in the NWPL’s regular season, the Stars struck early and often on Saturday in a 4-0 win over the NCW Alliance. Breanna Strauss scored in the 2nd minute and Rita Okoro added another in the 8th to make it 2-0. Okoro would add to her total near the end of the first half and Chloe Lamenzo closed out the scoring in the 57th. Lee Erickson earned the shutout in goals for Seattle. The Stars improved to 7-0-0 while NCW Alliance were eliminated from playoff contention and finished the season at 1-7-1.
Seattle Stars goals: Breanna Strauss (‘2), Rita Okoro (‘8 & ’43), Chloe Lamenzo (’57)
NCW Alliance goals: None
Seattle Stars 6, Yakima United 1
On Sunday, the Stars exploded for six goals including braces by Stephanie Verdola and Emily Bunnell to remain undefeated in the regular season, moving to 8-0-0. Sydney Carr started the scoring in the 16th minute but the game was close until Verdola scored in the 42nd and 45th to make it 3-0. Bunnell made it 4-0 in the 53rd before Yakima got on the board with a goal by Lauryn Peters – her 12th of the season – in the 62nd. Bunnell would add one more and Braeden Small finished it off in the 90th minute. Yakima fell to 5-3-0 this season and finishing fourth in the regular season and will host a playoff game next week.
Seattle Stars goals: Stephanie Verdola (’42 & ’45), Emily Bunnell (’53 & ’86), Sydney Carr (’16), Braeden Small (’90)
Yakima United goal: Lauryn Peters (’62)
Washington Premier 1, Washington Timbers 0
It was a defensive battle for two teams vying for playoff seeding until Alyssa Andrews finally broke through in the 88th minute and Washington Premier won their sixth game of the season with a 1-0 over the Washington Timbers. Jessica Selby made seven saves in goal for the Timbers but was bested by just that one goal and Kyla Carter’s eight saves. The Timbers had already secured the 6th seed in the playoffs and finished the regular season at 2-6-0
Washington Premier goal: Alyssa Andrews (’88)
Washington Timbers goals: None
The final week of the Northwest Premier League regular season is upon us and every single team is still alive, fighting for playoff position or the last two playoff spots. That means there are a ton of scenarios to discuss. The top four teams are locked in but could change positions, we have provided the best case and most likely scenarios for them but have broken down all the scenarios for the final two playoff spots. Stay tuned, it could be a wild weekend! And a big thank you to Chris Wells for helping break all of this down.
Week seven of the Northwest Premier League featured some of the most competitive games of the season with every team very much alive for the playoffs and the top teams still vying for the league championship. There were many candidates for the Player Of The Week and it was very close voting and league operators and coaches chose players from the Oly-Pen Force and Blackhills FC as their victors.
Offensive: In a must win situation, the Oly-Pen Force came up big with an 8-0 win over Blackhills FC on Sunday and Isabelle Severns was instrumental in securing the win. The Bremerton native and Klahowya grad scored the first two goals on Sunday and then chipped in with three assists to put the Force in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot with one week left to play. Her speed and finishing was a constant threat all weekend and unselfish play led to many goals for others.
Defensive: It was a tough weekend for Blackhills FC, who allowed a late goal for a draw against NCW Alliance on Saturday and then lost 8-0 to the Force on Sunday. However, Leah Magee stood out under extreme match circumstances, playing 90 minutes on two straight days with a short roster of players, scoring a goal on Saturday and the Timberline High School graduate and PLU senior was inspirational in sustaining a high level of focus, playing physical at speed, and consistently breaking up the Force midfield and back line plays through pass interceptions and tackles on Saturday.
Other nominees:
Offensive: Annouscka Kordom (Capital FC), Jayden Brown (NCW Alliance), Whitney Pitalo (Capital FC), Justina MacDowell (Seattle Stars)
Defensive: Abbey Knoll (Capital FC), Beau Bremer (Seattle Stars), Julia Sattler (Capital FC),
It was a big weekend for the league leaders with Capital FC Atletica facing both the Seattle Stars and Washington Premier, and it was also a big weekend for five teams chasing the final two playoff spots. It was a weekend of heart break and joy for the Oly-Pen Force and after it all played out, the Washington Timbers and the Force currently have the advantage sitting in 5th and 6th place with one week left to play.
Here are the full recaps of this weekend’s six games…
Seattle Stars 2, Capital FC Atletica 1
The Seattle Stars scored twice in the second half including Emily Bunnell’s game winning penalty kick goal in the 82nd minute to remain undefeated, moving to 6-0-0 with two games left to play in week eight. Seattle held the majority of the possession throughout the first half but couldn’t find a goal and allowed Whitney Pitalo to get behind the defense and give Capital a 1-0 lead after the first half of play. Seattle appeared to tie the game on a PK in the 57th minute but the referee waived off the made shot by Mariah Lee and Lee then missed the second opportunity. Nine minutes later, they did finally equalize when Justina MacDowell headed in a beautiful cross. The Stars continued to pressure and eventually won another penalty kick. This time Emily Bunnell scored cleanly and Seattle held on to take the 2-1 victory.
Seattle Stars goals: Justina MacDowell (’65), Emily Bunnell (’82)
Capital FC Atletica goal: Whitney Pitalo (’18)
Washington Timbers 3, Oly-Pen Force 2
In a back and forth game in Bremerton, the Washington Timbers scored last with an 89th minute goal from Sarah Teubner to take the 3-2 win over the Oly-Pen Force. Both teams started quickly trading goals early. Subine Postmas scored for the Timbers in the 2nd minute and Emily Wilkins equalized in the 7th. Andrea DePinto gave the Timbers a 2-1 lead in the 57th but again, the Force tied it up in the 68th with a Lauren Hudson goal. But it was Teubner who finished it off with an assist from Ellie Schmid to give the Timbers their second win of the season and move them into playoff position.
Washington Timbers goals: Subine Postma (‘2), Andrea DePinto (’57), Sarah Teubner (’89)
Oly-Pen Force goals: Emily Wilkins (‘7), Lauren Hudson (’68)
Blackhills FC 3, NCW Alliance 3
Jayden Brown kept the NCW Alliance in the playoff race with goals in the 57th and the game tying goal in the 90th minute in a 3-3 draw against Blackhills at Ingersoll Stadium in Olympia. Blackhills took a 2-0 lead after goals by Leah Magee and Jocelyn Charette but Kendall Kemp got the Alliance to within one at halftime with her goal in the 42nd. Brown then tied the game, 2-2, in the 57th minute. Blackhills took a late lead when Lanie Vinson gave them a 3-2 lead in the 86th minute only to have their heart broken with Brown’s second goal, a 90th minute equalizer. The draw temporarily put Blackhills into a playoff spot with five points and NCW stayed in the hunt with four points.
Blackhills FC: Leah Magee (’14), Jocelyn Charette (’30), Lanie Vinson (’86)
NCW Alliance: Kendall Kemp (’42), Jayden Brown (’57 & ’90)
Yakima United 3, Twin City Union 1
Maddie Brownell, Faith Landis and Baneza Gonzalez each scored in Yakima United’s 3-1 win over the Twin City Union in Centralia on Saturday night. The Hoppers won their fourth game in a row and clinched a home playoff game with the win with two games left to play in week eight.
Yakima United goals: Maddie Brownell, Faith Landis, Baneza Gonzalez
Twin City Union goal: Pending report
Oly-Pen Force 8, Blackhills FC 0
Isabelle Severns scored the first two goals for the Oly-Pen Force and then assisted on three more in their 8-0 romp over Blackhills FC at Gordon Field in Bremerton. Hailey Parker registered a hat trick and Miranda Hoidal, Abigail Nordquist and Emily Wilkins all added goals in the win. Ricci Wiedbrecht played all 90 minutes in goal to pick up the shutout. The win gives the Force six points and they currently sit in the sixth and final playoff spot with one game left to play. Blackhills dropped to seventh place with the loss.
Oly-Pen Force goals: Hailey Parker (’24, ’29 & ’83), Isabelle Severns (‘2 & ’21), Miranda Hoidal (’47), Abigail Nordquist (’66), Emily Wilkins (’90)
Blackhills FC goals: None
Capital FC Atletica 2, Washington Premier 0
It was the Annouska Kordom show in Salem on Sunday afternoon. Kordom scored twice in the second half, first in the 46th minute and then again just eight minutes later in the 54th, to give Capital FC Atletica a 2-0 win and clinch a first round bye and either a 1st or 2nd place finish in their last regular season game. Abbey Knoll played 85 minutes in goal and made five saves for Capital. They finished their season at 7-1-0 with 21 points. Washington Premier fell to 5-2-0 with 15 points.
Capital FC Atletica goals: Annouska Kordom (’46 & ’54)
Washington Premier goals: None
Washington Premier knocked off NCW Alliance on Saturday 6-0, continuing their outstanding Northwest Premier League season. They sit at 5-1-0 with their only loss coming to the Seattle Stars. They have allowed just two goals to teams other than the Stars and sit in third place with games against Capital FC Atletica coming up this weekend. For their efforts, NWPL operators and coaches have honored two of their players with the week six Players Of The Week award.
Offensive: With two more goals on Saturday against the NCW Alliance, Angela Celedon now has seven on the season, good enough for second place in the NWPL. Celedon scored once in the 27th minute and again in the 46th and has been instrumental in leading Washington Premier to a 5-1-0 record. This is the Shoreline Community College product and Wilson High School grad’s second year with WA Premier after spending one season with the Seattle Stars. She scored three goals for WPFC last season.
Defensive: While Celedon and the offense have been plugging along, the defense for Washington Premier has been on point as well, allowing just five goals this season. A big part of that has been Marina O’Loughlin, who earns the POTW award for their shutout against NCW Alliance. O’Loughlin, a Tacoma Community College product from El Cajon, California, has been outstanding on stopping the opposition build up, winning 1v1 battles and makes smart decisions in distribution moving forward.
Other nominees:
Offensive: Lauryn Peters (Yakima United)
Defensive: Anna Hager (Yakima United)
It was some good home cooking in the Northwest Premier League as the hosts of the four games went 4-0-0 and outscored their opponents by a combined 17-0. The top goal scorers in the league kept doing their thing with Yakima’s Lauryn Peters registering a hat trick and Washington Premier’s Angela Celedon and Capital FC’s Whitney Pitalo scoring twice. Whitney Dockweiler (Washington Timbers) and Brynlee Ward (Yakima) both went the distance in goal and each picked up their first shutouts of the season.
Washington Premier 6, NCW Alliance 0
Washington Premier scored three goals over a 12 minute period in the first half and added another three in the second half to take a 6-0 win over NCW Alliance on Saturday afternoon. Cara Mayer started the scoring in the 20th minute and Angela Celedon made it 2-0 seven minutes later. Celedon would add another goal in the 46th minute and now has seven goals this season. WA Premier out shot the Alliance 33-5. Kyla Carter made four saves in her 73 minutes in goal for WA Premier. Meanwhile, Trisha Priest and Adrianna Simmons split time in goal for NCW and made 16 saves between them. The win moved WA Premier to 5-1-0 while the Alliance dropped to 1-5-0.
Washington Premier goals: Angela Celedon (’27 & ’46), Cara Mayer (’20), Sam Larberg (’32), Kayley Cruz (’81), Jamie Makupson (’88)
NCW Alliance goals: None
Photo by Alan Moditz
Washington Timbers 1, Twin City Union 0
Subine Postma scored on a penalty kick in the 74th minute and held on for a 1-0 win over the Twin City Union. It was the Timbers’ first win of the season and they remain alive in the race for the last two playoff spots. Whitney Dockweiler earned the shutout in goal for the Timbers, making four saves. Despite the loss, the Union remain in fifth place, just ahead of Blackhills FC on goal differential and one point ahead of Oly-Pen, NCW Alliance and the Timbers.
Washington Timbers goal: Subine Postma (’74 PK)
Twin City Union goals: None
Capital FC Atletica 4, Blackhills FC 0
Whitney Pitalo scored twice and Capital FC Atletica jumped into first place with a 6-0 win over Blackhills in Salem. Paige Alexander opened the scoring in the 28th minute before Pitalo added her first in the 33rd. Blackhills kept it close thanks to 10 saves by goalkeeper Diyonous Walls but finally broke the game open in the 86th when Annouscka Kordom scored on a penalty kick and Pitalo added her second goal just a minute later. Capital out shot Blackhills 21-3 and did not allow a single shot on goal. Capital moved to 6-0-0 and they jumped past the idle Seattle Stars with those two teams meeting in week seven. Blackhills remained in sixth place at 1-3-1.
Capital FC Atletica goals: Whitney Pitalo (’33 & ’87), Paige Alexander (’28), Annouscka Kordom (’86 PK)
Blackhills FC goals: None
Yakima United 6, Oly-Pen Force 0
Lauryn Peters exploded for a goal just 30 seconds into the game and Yakima United never looked back in a 6-0 victory over the Oly-Pen Force at Yakima Valley College. Peters scored two of the next three goals to register a hat trick and now sits on top of the leader board with nine goals this season. Brynlee Ward went the distance in goal for Yakima and picked up her first shutout of the season. Yakima moved to 3-2-0 this season and now sit on nine points and are in fourth place, five points clear of fifth and sixth place.
Yakima United goals: Lauryn Peters (‘1, ’31 & ’51), Grace Terrill (’50), Natalie Wright (’64), Corynn Vigil (’72)
Oly-Pen Force goals: None
Three teams have staked a claim at the top of the Northwest Premier League standings and the Offensive and Defensive Players Of the Week for week five have been instrumental in getting their teams to that point. This week, club operators and coaches honor a top offensive threat from Capital FC and one of the best goalkeepers this season.
Offensive: With two goals including the equalizer and what proved to be the game winner in Capital FC Atletica’s 4-1 win over the Oly-Pen Force on Saturday, Whitney Pitalo earned the week five offensive award. The University of Southern California alum and Salem native also added an assist to keep Capital FC undefeated at 5-0-0, just two goals behind the Seattle Stars, who are also 5-0-0. Pitalo is the founder of the Capital FC NWPL squad and manages the team.
Defensive: Washington Premier’s Kyla Carter has had a fantastic season registering two shutouts this season so far and has her squad solidly in third place. On Sunday, Seattle scored three times on her in their 3-0 win but the Highline CC and Evergreen State product still impressed stopping a handful of one vs. one opportunities, making numerous diving saves and playing strong on set pieces to earn the award.
Other nominees:
Offensive: Alyssa Andrews (WA Premier)
Defensive: Emily Sorenson (Twin City Union), Makenzie Pineda (Capital FC Atletica)
It was a huge weekend for the Seattle Stars, who didn’t allow a goal in two games and took over first place with six big points including a 3-0 win over the previous league leader, Washington Premier. Meanwhile, Blackhills knocked off the Washington Timbers and moved into a playoff position for the time being. Read more from week 5’s action…
Seattle Stars 1, Twin City Union 0
The Seattle Stars scored early and then held on for 81 minutes to record a 1-0 win over Twin City Union at French Field in Kent on Saturday. Mackenna Havenor scored off of a corner kick in the 9th minute to give the Stars the early lead. Seattle threatened many times in the game, but Union keeper Emily Sorensen made numerous saves to it a one goal game. But the Seattle defense and Lee Ericksen did her one better to record the shutout. The win moved the Stars to 4-0-0 while Twin City dropped to 1-3-1.
Seattle Stars goal: Mackenna Havenor (‘9)
Twin City Union goal: None
Capital FC Atletica 4, Oly-Pen Force 1
Capital FC Atletica found themselves down by a goal at the half but turned it on in the final 45 to remain undefeated with a 4-1 win at Gordon Field in Bremerton. Lauren Hudson got the Force going with a goal in the 29th minute to give them a 1-0 lead, but after the half, Whitney Pitalo scored twice, first in the 48th and again in the 61st, to give Capital a 2-1 lead. Two minutes after Pitalo’s second, Nadine Correa added an insurance goal to make it 3-1, and then Pitalo picked up an assist when Erika Vargas scored in the 84th. Capital moved to 5-0-0 with the win while Oly-Pen fell to 1-3-0.
Capital FC Atletica goals: Whitney Pitalo (’48 & ’61), Nadine Correa (’63), Erika Vargas (’84)
Oly-Pen Force goal: Lauren Hudson (’29)
Blackhills FC 3, Washington Timbers 1
Blackhills surrendered the first goal but went on a three goal run after that to pick up their first win of the season with a 3-1 win over the Washington Timbers at Ingersoll Stadium in Olympia. Kendal Spencer gave the Timbers a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 13th minute but Lanie Vinson tied the game 1-1 in the 25th minute on a pass from Leah Magee. Hallie Bergford scored what proved to be the game winner in the 45th minute and then added an insurance goal in the 61st. The win moved Blackhills up to sixth place and into playoff position with four games left in the regular season.
Blackhills FC goals: Lanie Vinson (’25), Hallie Bergford (’45 & ’61)
Washington Timbers goal: Kendal Spencer (’13)
Seattle Stars 3, Washington Premier 0
In a battle of the top two teams in the NWPL after their Saturday results, the Seattle Stars scored a resounding 3-0 victory on the road at Washington Premier and now sit on top of the table by the goal differential tiebreaker. The two teams battled to a scoreless first half but Seattle got things going with a penalty kick in the 54th minute. Mariah Lee slotted it home to take a 1-0 lead. Justina MacDowell made it 2-0 in the 68th minute on an assist by Myra Delgadillo. Delgadillo then finished it off with a goal of her own in the 86th. Drew Moulton made four saves for the Stars to record the shutout. Seattle improved to 5-0-0 on the season while Washington Premier lost their first game and fell to 4-1-0.
Seattle Stars goals: Mariah Lee (’54 PK), Justina MacDowell (’68), Myra Delgadillo (’86)
Washington Premier goal: None
The Oly-Pen Force knocked off the NCW Alliance on Sunday in Wenatchee in sweltering heat. The 2-0 win impressed NWPL coaches and club operators and they gave the Offensive and Defensive Player Of The Week awards to the two Force players who were instrumental in picking up their first win of the season.
Offensive: Oly-Pen’s Emily Wilkins scored both of the goals for the Force in Wenatchee. Wilkins played 85 of the 90 minutes in 95 degree weather and outworked the competition, getting into position when others were too tired to get there. The Northwest Nazarene grad almost scored her third goal while keeping the pressure on the Alliance in the second half, just barely missing over the crossbar.
Defensive: Ali Campigotto made nine saves including three one-on-one saves and earned the shutout on Sunday. The Saint Martin’s goalkeeper impressed with not only the saves that she made, but her ability to calm down her squad, take some time and allow them to catch their breath on a hot day with a short-handed squad. She also did a great job setting her offense up and keeping the Alliance on their toes to pick up the 2-0 win.
Other nominees:
Offensive: Angela Celedon (WA Premier)
Defensive: Kyla Carter (WA Premier)
The three top teams in the Northwest Premier League took care of business in week four outscoring their opponents 16-2. Washington Premier finally gave up their first goals of the season but knocked off Blackhills 6-2, the Seattle Stars knocked off Washington Timbers 7-0 in a rematch of last year’s NWPL final and Capital FC got the 3-0 win over Twin City. Oly-Pen registered their first win of the season on Sunday with a 2-0 win over NCW Alliance.
Here are the recaps with goals scorers and more…
Seattle Stars 7, Washington Timbers 0
Morgan Castain notched an early goal for the Seattle Stars and then exploded for six goals in the second half to register a 7-0 win over the Washington Timbers on Saturday in Vancouver. Castain opened the scoring in the second half with a goal in the 53rd to take a 2-0 lead. Then Margarida Sousa started a scoring explosion in the 75th minute that included two goals by Myra Delgadillo and blew the game wide open. Drew Moulton earned the shutout in goal for the Stars.
Seattle Stars goals: Morgan Castain (‘8 & ’53), Myra Delgadillo (’80 & ’83), Margarida Sousa (’75), Braeden Small (’87), Maddie Kemp (’88)
Washington Timbers goals: None
Washington Premier 6, Blackhills FC 2
Washington Premier allowed their first two goals of the season, but moved to 4-0-0 in league play behind a hat trick by Angela Celedon. Alyssa Andrews started the scoring in the 13th minute and WA Premier built a 3-0 lead at halftime behind goals by Celedon and Jamie Makupson. It was a 4-0 lead before Blackhills got on the board in the 61st minute with a goal by Hallie Bergford but Celedon scored two more times to registered her hat trick.
Washington Premier goals: Angela Celedon (’20, ’72, ’82), Alyssa Andrews (’13), Jamie Makupson (’24), Jackie Corley (’51)
Blackhills FC Goals: Hallie Bergford (’61), Leah Magee (’86)
Capital FC Atletica 3, Twin City Union 0
Annouscka Kordom opened the scoring in the 4th minute and Capital FC Atletica never looked back notching a 3-0 win over the Twin City Union at Tiger Stadium in Centralia. Jade Chhokar added one more in the 13th minute and Whitney Pitalo finished it off with a goal in the 56th. Paige Alexander registered assists on all three goals and Makenzie Pineda kept a clean sheet for Capital.
Capital FC Atletica goals: Annouscka Kordom (‘4), Jade Chhokar (’13), Witney Pitalo (’56)
Twin City Union goals: None
Oly-Pen Force 2, NCW Alliance 0
Emily Wilkins scored twice and Alyssa Gray had both assists to lead the Oly-Pen Force to a 2-0 win over the NCW Alliance at the Apple Bowl in Wenatchee on Sunday afternoon. Ali Campigotto made nine saves in goal for the Force, who picked up their first win of the season.
Oly-Pen Force goals: Emily Wilkins (2)
NCW Alliance goals: None
Yakima United is red hot over the last two weeks and their 7-0 win over NCW Alliance on Saturday led league coaches and operators to name two Hoppers as Northwest Premier League Players of the Week for week three.
Defensive: Sophie Painter has been the anchor for Yakima’s midfield early this season as their number 6 and played her best game of the season on Saturday according to coach Josh Vega. “She breaks down attacks before they get to our back line,” said Vega. “She is a true ball winner and turns those into attacks so brilliantly, even getting herself an assist this week.” The Lake Tapps native just wrapped up her freshman year at Yakima Valley College.
Offensive: With four goals on Saturday and two goals the previous week, Lauryn Peters continues to rack up the accomplishments in the NWPL. Against NCW Alliance, she collected those four goals and added an assist on Saturday in a 7-0 win. The previous week, she arrived back into town from Western Illinois University where she just finished her sophomore year at 2:00 AM and played later that day, scoring twice with one assist. The 2017 NWPL Player of the Year now has 19 career goals in the league and has won Player of the Week three times.
Other nominees:
Defensive: Nicole Williams (WA Premier), Ashley Joubert (Blackhills), Hannah Greene (Capital FC), Emily Sorenson (Twin City)
Offensive: Jackie Corley (WA Premier), Vicky Cruz (Capital FC), Brook Swensen (Twin City)
Week three featured four shutouts over five games and included a four goal, one assist effort from Yakima’s Lauryn Peters. Capital FC gave up their first goal – the only goal from a losing team this week – on a first half PK while Washington Premier still has not allowed a goal.
Capital FC Atletica 2, Washington Timbers 1
Vicky Cruz scored twice in the second half to lead Capital FC Atletica to a 2-1 win over the Washington Timbers in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon. Ellie Schmid opened the scoring in the first half with a PK and the Timbers held a 1-0 lead at halftime. Cruz then took over in the final 45 and goalkeeper Makenzie Pineda kept the Timbers off the board in the second half for the win. Capital FC moved to 3-0-0 this season.
Capital FC Atletica goals: Vicky Cruz (2)
Washington Timbers goal: Ellie Schmid (PK)
Yakima United 7, NCW Alliance 0
Lauryn Peters exploded for four goals and added an assist to lead Yakima United to a resounding 7-0 win over the NCW Alliance in a Saturday contest at Yakima Valley College. Peters scored her first two goals within two minutes of each other in the 18th and 20th minute, accounting for the only two goals of the first half. Delaney Romero scored her first of two goals early in the second half and that opened the flood gates. Peters added another in the 64th, Romero scored her second in the 75th and then Peters scored her last in the 78th. Katie Fowler earned the shutout in goal for the Hoppers.
Yakima United goals: Lauryn Peters (’18, ’20, ’64, ’78), Delaney Romero (’48, ’75), Corynn Vigil (’84)
NCW Alliance: None
Seattle Stars 3, Blackhills FC 0
Mary Johnston scored in the 42nd minute to give the Seattle Stars a 1-0 halftime lead and Kellyn Green and Hannah Jenkins added second half goals in their 3-0 win over Blackhills FC in Olympia on Saturday night. Scout Watson played all 90 minutes in goal for the Stars to earn the shutout.
Seattle Stars goals: Mary Johnston (’42), Kellyn Green (’50), Hannah Jenkins (’73)
Blackhills FC goals: None
Washington Premier 5, Oly-Pen Force 0
Nicole Williams scored the opening goal and the closing goal in Washington Premier’s 5-0 shutout of the Oly-Pen Force on Saturday at Gordon Field. Jackie Corley, Alyssa Andrews and Angela Celedon all added goals in the first half and goalkeeper Kyla Carter registered her second straight shutout and the team’s third shutout in three games.
Washington Premier goals: Nicole Williams (’10 & ’74), Jackie Corley (’13), Alyssa Andrews (’26), Angela Celedon (’30)
Oly-Pen Force: None
Twin City Union 2, NCW Alliance 0
Twin City Union traveled to Wenatchee on Sunday and left with a 2-0 shutout win over NCW Alliance. LeAnn Phanakone scored on a penalty kick in the 15th minute and Brook Swensen added another in the 19th minute to lead the Union to the road victory at the Apple Bowl. Emily Sorenson recorded the shutout for the Union.
Twin City Union goals: LeAnn Phanakone (’15), Brook Swensen (’19)
NCW Alliance goals: None
