Menace women win again, 3-0
After taming the St. Louis Lions, the Menace is on a four-game unbeaten streak heading into the WPSL season finale -- Saturday, July 7 against the Kansas City Athletics.
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Sunday, July 1, 2018 – Everything seems to be clicking for the Des Moines Menace women.
With a 3-0 victory over the St. Louis Lions this evening at Valley Stadium, they’ve extended their unbeaten streak to four.
Like in yesterday’s 4-0 win over the Kansas City Courage, the Menace handled all the scoring in the second half.
“Feels fantastic. I’m over the moon right now,” said Menace head coach Justin Vorster, all smiles. “The girls are working hard in training, and they’ve been executing in our games. They seem to come out with a different kind of positive energy in the second half.”
Back-to-back headers by Amber Matthews (set up by a Haley Helverson corner kick in the 50th minute) and Abby Stephenson (assisted by Robyn Moodaly in the 53rd) put the home side on solid footing.
Ketsiah Nahr added a rebound goal in the 71st minute, pouncing on a loose ball following Helverson’s deflected shot.
Heading into its final match of the Women’s Premier Soccer League season – next Saturday against the Kansas City Athletics – the Menace is 3-3-1 (10 points). The team hasn’t allowed a goal since the host Lions dealt Des Moines a 2-0 defeat three weeks ago.
“We’re on a roll now, and we definitely want to get the last three points and hopefully finish second (in the Heartland Conference),” Matthews said. “We’ll just have to end the season on a positive.”
This weekend’s wins pull the Menace into a third-place tie with the Lions (2-2-4). Fire & Ice SC, the defending league champ, leads the conference with a record of 4-0-2 (14 points). The Kansas City Athletics (3-1-2, 11 points) host Fire & Ice next Sunday in the teams’ season finale.
UP NEXT: Next Saturday closes the Menace’s 2018 schedule. The 4:30 match with the Athletics is the first half of a Valley Stadium doubleheader that concludes with a 7:30 Premier Development League match between the Menace and Chicago FC United.
WOMAN of the MATCH: Impact player Robyn Moodaly, who controlled the midfield and assisted today’s second goal. Moodaly has made 13 appearances with the South African national team, including action in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
FOOTNOTES
- Last night’s thunderstorms forced a change of plans for this match, which was to be held at Prairie Ridge Sports Complex in Ankeny.
- The Lions entered their season finale on a six-game unbeaten streak. Their only other loss came in their WPSL debut – a 3-0 setback to the Athletics on June 2.
- Kaylin Swart earned the goalkeeper shutout.
- Amber Matthews, Abby Stephenson and Ketsia Nahr all scored their first goals of the season.
Match: St. Louis Lions at Des Moines Menace
Date: Sunday, July 1, 2018
Competition: Women’s Premier Soccer League regular season
Venue: Valley Stadium (artificial-turf field) in West Des Moines, Iowa
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. CDT
Competition: Women’s Premier Soccer League regular season
Venue: Valley Stadium (artificial-turf field) in West Des Moines, Iowa
Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. CDT
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
MENACE 0 3 3
StL 0 0 0
MENACE 0 3 3
StL 0 0 0
MENACE: Amber Matthews (Haley Helverson) 50
MENACE: Abby Stephenson (Robyn Moodaly) 53
MENACE: Ketsiah Nahr 71
Tag(s): News
