Decision Day

Well, we wanted an exciting Decision Day and we got one.

Going into the final day of the regular season, there was so much to play for and all of the three teams vying for the final two spots got goals in their attempts to reach the playoffs. Two things stand out to me before I look at results:

I hate when a team mails in the final match of the season, given that the result meant so much to their opponent. Just unacceptable and unfair to the other teams battling for the playoff spot. I truly hope that giving a bye to Dallas bites Carolina in the ass.
Using head-to-head to decide the final playoff spot is ridiculous. Goal Differential should always be the decider (yes, even with uneven schedules!) and Spokane is now out of the playoffs because of a match they lost IN DECEMBER. Insane.

Ok, enough of me ranting, time to talk about…

The Matches

Lexington SC hosted DC Power in the early match of the evening and somehow delivered the most goals of them all. Yes, the match ended in a 3-3 draw, but neither team was making the playoffs anyway, so it was a pretty fitting end to both of these teams’ seasons. I was thrilled to see Madi Parsons get a goal, she’s had a frustrating season that started off well and she deserves a chance to go out on a high note. Gianna Gourley ended her season with a brace and leap-frogged into the top 10 goal scorers in the league.

The middle of the bill was Dallas Trinity taking on Carolina Ascent in a match that meant nothing for Ascent but everything for Trinity. So as you might expect, both teams played with effort equal to the import of the match. Dallas scored once early, a header that earned Allie Thornton the Golden Boot. And while I kept thinking Carolina’s Mia Corbin would get a goal from one of her great chances, but it wasn’t to be for the runner-up. The second goal for Dallas (which they would turn out to need) would come from Ubogagu, who has been one of the best players in the league all season. Carolina got a very late goal from Jaydah Bedoya, but Dallas escaped with the three points and a ticket to the playoffs. Just a side note, shout out to the fans in Dallas, who filled up the sideline stands for this important match. Great atmosphere as always.

Thornton has been class all season. *Photo courtesy of Dallas Trinity*

So the last match of the regular season would decide which team would get into the playoffs, Spokane Zephyr or Ft. Lauderdale United. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t rooting for Spokane. Aside from getting red-hot at the end of the season, they also have my favorite player in the Super League, Emina Ekić. In fact, Spokane’s front line of Ekić, Ally Cook, and McKenzie Weinert is one of the best in the entire league. And though Spokane was playing at home in front of a great crowd, it was FTL’s Sh’nia Gordon who took a long direct pass and put the ball past two defenders and a keeper into the net, just nine minutes in. But just a minute later, Ally Cook received a pass in the box with her back to her defender. She turned and put the ball into the goal past the keeper. I’ll say that Ekić did everything she could to find the go-ahead, sometimes taking on two and three defenders, coming inches away from multiple goals. But it wasn’t to be and FTL advance to the playoffs.

Back to My Ranting

I had assumed that the tie-breaker was goal differential, because this is soccer. But the Super League used head-to-head (apparently because of an imbalanced schedule?). If goal differential had been the decider, Spokane would have gone to the playoffs. Instead, the December 7th match that Ft. Lauderdale won 2-1 is the deciding match of the entire season for both of these clubs. I guess I have a horse in this race, but this seems so unfair to Zephyr, who have been so much fun to watch in the second half of this season.

Interestingly enough, the same player who played way off of Gordon on her goal in this weekend’s match was the player that Addie McCain beat for the opening goal on December 7th. That would be Spokane defender Haley Thomas.

Later this week, we’ll have match previews for both semifinals. Plus a special league guest on the Super Show this evening!

- Dan Vaughn