MINNEAPOLIS — After three undefeated teams entered the USL W League quarterfinals last weekend, the Minnesota Aurora FC was the only team to reach the semifinals unbeaten. The inaugural season for the Twin Cities' newest pre-professional soccer team has gone as well as any of its thousands of community owners could have dreamed of, with 12-straight wins and a trip to the championship game on the line in Sunday's match.
However, to make it to the championship game, the Aurora will have to go through the best remaining team in the playoffs at TCO Stadium on Sunday, July 17.
Last weekend, the Aurora (11-0-1) hosted the Indy Eleven (10-0-2) for the franchise's first-ever playoff game after winning the Heartland Division in the regular season and had to rally late to come out with a 2-1 win. When the Eleven got on the scoreboard right before the halftime break to take a 1-0 lead, it was the first time in franchise history that the Aurora trailed in a game going into halftime.
According to the team, a record crowd of 6,200 fans was in attendance for the team's first post-season win. For the Aurora, their attention quickly turned to McLean after Wednesday's quarterfinal win.
“We keep taking one game at a time, so we’re going to rest, enjoy the moment today, and tomorrow start preparing for Sunday," head coach Nicole Lukic said in a team press release.
Heading into Sunday's playoff game, the Aurora will have to continue effectively spreading the ball offensively. Midfielder Morgan Turner, who also scored the game-tying goal against Indy, led the team in goals during the regular season with six and is on a four-game scoring streak. However, Minnesota also showed on Wednesday that they'll put every player in for a chance to make an impact.
The Aurora moved Mayu Inokawa, who normally plays on the defensive line, to a midfielder role against Indy. There, she went on to score what would be the game-winning penalty kick goal against the Eleven. It was also her first career start and first penalty kick goal for Minnesota, according to the team.
“I’m so proud of her! She’s improved so much, and it’s shown tonight in the playoffs," Aurora goalkeeper Sarah Fuller said in the team's press release. Fuller earned the Star of the Game recognition after Wednesday's win.
Fuller will also need to continue her stellar play on Sunday. She had 28 saves and averaged 0.59 goals against per game in the regular season. Against Indy, she had six saves and allowed one goal, making for an 85.7 save percentage.
McLean Soccer (9-1-0) of the Mid Atlantic Division will enter Sunday's game coming off an 8-0 shut-out win against Morris Elite SC (8-1-3) on the road. They also nearly went perfect in the regular season, winning eight-straight games, including six shutout wins, before losing in the penultimate week of the regular season. Their primary goalkeeper, Ella Gantman, had 19 saves in six regular-season games without a goal allowed but didn't make any saves against Morris.
During the regular season, McLean averaged 2.7 points per game, compared to Minnesota's 2.83.
If the Aurora FC wants to make it to the USL W League championship in its inaugural season, they'll have to get McLean's Gantman to finally crack by being aggressive with shots on goal and Fuller will need to continue making key saves.
On the other side of the USL W League playoff bracket, the South Georgia Tormenta FC (7-1-4) from the South Central Division is taking on the Greenville Liberty SC (8-2-2) of the South Atlantic Division at 6 p.m. CT Sunday.
Sunday's semifinal match starts at 3 p.m. CT at TCO Stadium in Eagan. It was originally slated for 5 p.m. CT but had to be moved to 3 p.m. due to scheduling issues. For more information about tickets to the playoff game, click or tap here.
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