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Angel City gets taste of playoffs, vows to come back better in 2024

McCaskill: ‘We’re going to be a full-fledged wrecking force in this league’

Angel City FC midfielder Alyssa Thompson and forward Sydney Leroux walk next to each other and gaze in different directions during warmups.
(Photo Copyright Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports)

Angel City FC‘s fairytale season came to an end Friday night on an 87th-minute goal from OL Reign in the quarterfinals of the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs. The Los Angeles-based team struggled with consistency in the first half of the season, but following a coaching change, it went on a second-half run to make the playoffs.

In a highly physical match where Angel City controlled the possession, it was just unable to find the frame on its shots. It was the first match in team history without a shot on target. ACFC goalkeeper Angelina Anderson made some incredible saves, and combined with a goal-line save by defender Paige Nielsen, it felt like the match was going to extra time until the late Reign goal.

Despite the loss, if ACFC can continue building on its current momentum in the offseason, it will be in a great place for the 2024 season.

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“The biggest takeaway is that when this group is healthy, and we’re not even fully healthy yet, we’re going to be a full-fledged wrecking force in this league,” Angel City midfielder Savannah McCaskill said postgame. “Once our mentality as a group got where it needed to be as far as competing and training every single day, competing in games for every single minute, we showed ourselves and everyone else what we can do and what we’re capable of. The back half of the season is something that we can take with us going into next year.”

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