Fullerton, Calif. (July 22, 2012) - The Pali Blues took on the Seattle Sounders on Sunday at Cal State Fullerton can came out on top to win the Western Conference Championship along with a spot in the semi-finals in Ottawa, Ontario. The three other teams to make the semifinals were DC United, Ottawa Fury, and Quebec City Amiral. The four teams will come together in Ottawa, Ontario to play two semi-final matches on Friday, July 27, and the winners will go on to play in the W-League final on Sunday, July 29.
Although the Blues won the game, they showed very little enthusiasm for the title after the referee blow the final whistle to end the match, and head coach Charlie Naimo was content with that.
“We still haven’t won anything, so I’m glad they’re not too excited,” he said. “We just won the conference and I’m happy with that, but it just put us closer to the goal.”
The Blues missed numerous opportunities to score, and didn’t play their best game according to Naimo, but the defense is what kept them in the game when Seattle attacked.
After 63 minutes of play, the Blues took the lead off a corner kick taken by Sarah Huffman. Defender Christie Shaner had the first touch on the ball after throwing her body in front of it and heading it towards goal. The weak header bounced in front of the goal and forward Lynn Williams was in the right place at the right time to smash it into the goal.
The Sounders would not give up and gave the Blues a few scares in the final minutes of the match, but nothing came out of their efforts. Time ran out on them and the Pali Blues took the Western Conference Championship with a 1-0 result.
The semi-final matches and kick off times are yet to be determined, but are set for July 27, with the final and consolation match being played on July 29 to bring the W-League’s 17th season to an end.
