Menace travels for WPSL doubleheader
The Menace heads to St. Louis for a Saturday-Sunday double-dip: June 9 with Fire & Ice SC and June 10 with the St. Louis Lions.
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Friday, June 8, 2018 – A week after a season-opening setback against Fire & Ice SC, the Des Moines Menace gets another shot at the defending Women’s Premier Soccer League champion.
Last Saturday, Fire & Ice scored thrice in the first 20 minutes of a 4-0 win over the Menace in Grimes. Tomorrow, a 7 p.m. rematch opens a two-game Gateway City getaway for the Menace.
On Sunday at 2 p.m., the Menace looks to spoil the inaugural WPSL regular-season home match for the St. Louis Lions. Des Moines will be on both sides of the Mississippi River this weekend, playing Saturday in Illinois and Sunday in Missouri.
For the Menace, this is the first of three straight weekends on the road. Justin Vorster’s team plays the following two Saturdays in Kansas City before closing the eight-game schedule with home matches on June 30, July 1 and July 7.
DES MOINES MENACE at FIRE & ICE SOCCER CLUB
DATE and TIME: Saturday, June 9 at 7 p.m.
VENUE: Althoff Catholic High School (artificial-turf field) in Belleville, Ill.
COMPETITION: Women’s Premier Soccer League regular season
DES MOINES MENACE at ST. LOUIS LIONS
DATE and TIME: Sunday, June 10 at 2 p.m.
VENUE: Tony Glavin Soccer Complex (grass field) in St. Peters, Mo.
COMPETITION: Women’s Premier Soccer League regular season
ABOUT THE MENACE
- 0-1-0.
- Roster includes veterans Jordan McMahon, Haley Helverson, Chelsea Cline, Rachel McCloskey and Kaylin Swart.
- Finished last season 3-3-2, third of five teams in the WPSL Heartland Region.
- Entered its seventh season with an all-time record of 32-17-5.
- Led by fourth-year head coach Justin Vorster, who is assisted by Alex Fonseca and Hugo Macedo.
ABOUT FIRE & ICE
- 1-0-0.
- Plays its four home matches in the next two weeks; next up is a game next Wednesday against the St. Louis Lions.
- Went 12-0-0 on the way to the 2017 WPSL title, outscoring opponents 44-5.
- Kelsey Dinges scored both of the team’s goals in a 2-1 WPSL championship victory over the Gulf Coast Texans last July in California.
- Head coach Lindsay Kennedy-Eversmeyer has led the team since 2013.
ALL-TIME SERIES: MENACE VS. FIRE & ICE
- Fire & Ice SC holds a 5-1-0 lead in a series that began in the 2013 WPSL playoffs (a 2-0 win for Fire & Ice in Centerville, Ohio).
- Last Saturday’s match in Grimes (a 4-0 win for Fire & Ice) was the teams’ first meeting since Fire & Ice’s 1-0 win at Valley Stadium on July 11, 2015.
- The Menace’s lone win over Fire & Ice came July 12, 2014 (2-0 at Valley Stadium).
ABOUT THE LIONS
- 0-1-0 after a 3-0 loss to the host Kansas City Athletics last Saturday.
- Host their inaugural regular-season match (against the Menace) on Sunday, one day after a 4 p.m. road match against the Kansas City Courage.
- Defeated the Springfield Demize 4-0 in a weather-shortened exhibition match on May 27 at Tony Glavin Soccer Complex.
- Geoff Loremier is the Lions’ head coach.
ALL-TIME SERIES: MENACE VS. LIONS
- This is the first meeting for these WPSL teams.
- On the men’s side, these clubs have a Premier Development League rivalry that began in 2006. Coming off road wins over the Lions the last two Saturdays, the Menace has a 19-6-10 lead in the all-time series against St. Louis.
- The Lions close their inaugural WPSL season with a July 1 match against the Menace in Ankeny.
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE
- Formed in 1998, the WPSL has over 100 teams across the United States.
- Its main focus is on the development of highly competitive premier women’s soccer teams.
- Des Moines plays in the Heartland Conference (part of the WPSL Central Region) along with the Kansas City Courage, the Kansas City Athletics, Fire & Ice SC (Belleville, Ill.) and the St. Louis Lions.
RECAPPING LAST SATURDAY
- In the teams’ 2018 opener, Fire & Ice defeated the Menace, 4-0, at the Grimes Sports Complex.
- Living up to its name, Fire & Ice was hot early on, then cooled down once the Menace defense found its footing.
- The goals came from Kirsten Crabtree (second minute), Tara Sullivan (13th and 20th minutes) and Briana Hatfield (86th minute).
UP NEXT
- The Menace travels the next two Saturdays to face Kansas City teams – the Courage on June 16 and the Athletics on June 23.
- The team closes the schedule with a trio of home matches – June 30, July 1 and July 7.
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