ALSO IN TODAY’S ROUNDUP, ASHLYN HARRIS REUNITES WITH COACH, TIBET SOCCER TEAM HOSTS TOURNAMENT, DAWN SCOTT VISITS CLUBS, AND INTERNATIONALS RETURN TO NWSL
Ella Masar went the full 90 as FC Rosengard fell to FC Barcelona Femeni. (Photo Copyright Patti Giobetti for The Equalizer)
FC Rosengård fell to FC Barcelona Femení 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal match in front of Rosengård’s second largest home audience ever for an UWCL match. Leila Ouahabi scored the lone goal in first half stoppage time to give her team the advantage. Rosengård now need to win the second leg by a score that is not 1-0 to advance. A 1-0 result for Rosengard will send the tie to extra time.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL DE @LeilaOuahabi! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL DEL #FCBFemeni! (0-1) #FCBlive #UWCL pic.twitter.com/qEtarpWh6L
— Lula (@lulajackie) March 22, 2017
Ella Masar, formerly of the Dash and Red Stars, started for Rosengård alongside WPS veterans Ali Riley and Marta. Canadian WNT and former Dash goalkeeper Erin McLeod was on the bench as she finishes her recovery from last year’s knee injury.
Champions League action continues tomorrow as Carli Lloyd and Manchester City take on Fortuna Hjørring, while Alex Morgan and reigning champions Olympique Lyon face off against VfL Wolfsburg in a rematch of last year’s final. Should both City and Lyon win, USWNT teammates Lloyd and Morgan will meet in the semifinal.
HARRIS EXCITED TO WORK WITH YAXLEY AGAIN
Orlando Pride and USWNT goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris has been reunited with longtime goalkeeper coach Lloyd Yaxley down in Orlando. Yaxley was Harris’ goalkeeper coach with the Washington Spirit from 2013 to 2015 before the Florida native was drafted by the Pride in their expansion year. Yaxley remained with the Spirit for a year before joining the Pride this January. Yaxley also trained with Harris at a WNT camp last November for two friendlies against Romania, one of which Harris started.
“I really respect Lloyd, and we have a great partnership together,” Harris said. “He gets me, and I get him, and that’s a really good combination to have with your coach.”
"He gets me, and I get him."@Ashlyn_Harris on working with @GKeepersUnited again. #FillTheBowl pic.twitter.com/lwxWEklbXv
— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) March 21, 2017
TIBET WOMEN’S SOCCER TO HOST CUP
The Tibet Women’s Soccer team announced that they will host a tournament, named The Never Give Up Cup, alongside three Indian teams. The tournament will take place in April in Dehradun, India.
The team made headlines last month when they were denied American visas to participate in the opening ceremonies of the upcoming Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup, an annual international youth soccer tournament in Texas. The players, all of whom hold Nepalese passports or Indian identity certificates issued to Tibetan refugees, were told they had “no strong reason to travel to the United States.” The team plans to attempt to attend the Dallas Cup next year and in the meantime has been invited to compete in the Vancouver International Soccer Festival in Canada in July.
SCOTT MAKES THE ROUNDS
The woman, the myth, the legend @DawnScott06 is here which means fitness testing! ??♀️ pic.twitter.com/OYiLU0mZVv
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) March 22, 2017
Today USWNT strength and fitness coach Dawn Scott made her third appearance at an NWSL preseason training in as many days. After spending time with both the Boston Breakers and Sky Blue, Scott showed up at Washington Spirit practice today to conduct fitness training. Scott will be visiting all NWSL clubs before preseason is finished. The England native has been with the USWNT since the 2011 World Cup and has long been credited with the Americans’ renowned levels of fitness.
AROUND THE NWSL: NEWS AND NOTES
- Alanna Kennedy had her first practice in Pride purple today.
- Christine Sinclair returned to the Thorns yesterday.
- Jess Fishlock is also back in Seattle.
- Orlando announced single game tickets for sale.
You've been asking and waiting. Yes, single game tickets are here. #FillTheBowl
Single Tix ? https://t.co/SyBQ8TEBGA pic.twitter.com/rrb84lPajv
— Orlando Pride (@ORLPride) March 22, 2017
