WNY scored in the first half
Photo: Victor Araiza (Prost Amerika)
Washington Spirit 2 : 2 WNY Flash
(WNY Flash won 3-2 on penalties)
by Jose Castellanos
Western New York Flash are the 2016 NWSL Champions after winning the Houston final in dramatic style.
Canadian Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo was their hero after she saved three penalties out of five in a penalty shoot out.
The sides tied 1-1 after 90 minutes and both scored once more in extra time. Crystal Dunn opened for the Spirit before WNY’s Sam Mewis equalised. Dunn added her second in extra time from distance and the Spirit seemed to be heading to the trophy.
With Washington Spirit leading 2-1, four minutes of added time was signified. Jessica McDonald scored three minutes into that four from a superb Lynn Williams cross to send the game to penalties at 2-2.
D’Angelo saved Ali Krieger’s first penalty to give the Flash an early advantage but Jessica McDonald skied WNY’s third. Both sides’ fourth penalty resulted in failure. D’Angelo saved Tori Huster’s fourth before Sam Mewis shot was also saved by Kelsey Wys.
At 2-2 on penalties after four, it went to sudden death and D’Angelo, who won the MVP award, saved one more kick from Diana Matheson to win her team the trophy.
Although D’Angelo took the glory, the outfield hero for the Flash was the tireless enforcer McCall Zerboni who harried her way through the final with equal parts finesse and physical presence.
Winning smile! Flash coach Paul Riley and captain Abby Erceg
Photo: Victor Araiza
Analysis:
Destiny is the word that can describes the 2016 Western New York Flash season. They qualified to the semifinal in the last match of regular season, and they got the ticket to the Final in an intense match in Portland. The destiny for this team was winning the NWSL championship in Houston. They became the third team in the league to win a title, and got the first one for the organization. BBVA Compass Stadium was the place where fans celebrated women soccer as Flash and Spirit face each other and gave everything they had to get the trophy.
The match was an exciting one. It was a true final where goals were scored in key moments of the match. The first goal came up on the 9th minute when Crystal Dunn, from the Washington Spirit, received a long pass and dribbled the goalkeeper for the 1-0. The Flash scored just five minutes later via Samantha Mewis, who scored from outside the box, for a halftime score of 1-1
The second half was a very different from the first one. Both teams emphasis their game plan in controlling the ball at midfield. Just a few opportunities were created to score the winning goal. This dynamic lead the match to end with a draw in regulation. The neutral crowd failed to ignite either side and both looked mildly fatigued after a long season.
The extra time revived the game.
NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush
Photo: Victor Araiza
It started in the best possible way for the Spirit as Dunn scored her second goal of the match for a 2-1 lead. The Flash was therefore obligated to go on offense.
It was only until there were 30 seconds left on the clock of extra time when the league MVP Lynn Williams scored in a dramatic way rising first to convert a wonderful Jessica McDonald cross.
Given the length of the season and how deep the game was into extra time, the power and precision on that cross deserves appreciation.
It was a dramatic final all the way to the end.
In penalty kicks the Western New York’s goalkeeper D’Angelo made three saves to get the Flash’s first Championship. It surely will create a sense of anticipation for the league’s next season. All that fans want now is the spring season to come back again, so the new NWSL starts its fifth season. That in itself is a great thing.
NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush and all the club’s marketing departments though cannot rest on their laurels. Their work starts tomorrow.
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