SOCAL CONFERENCE SEASON PREVIEW

Written By:   Shawn Medow
              West Region Contributor

Heading into the 2022 WPSL season, the So Cal Conference, part of the West Region, will consist of two divisions: the Coastal Division and the Plymouth Division. 

General Overview

Like last season the Coastal Division is made up of teams throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County areas while the Plymouth Division’s teams are based in the San Diego area. In contrast, this offseason saw slight adjustments in the alignment between the divisions – in 2021, the Coastal Division had seven teams while the Plymouth Division had four.  For 2022, both divisions have five teams and will each play home-and-home matchups over the course of this regular season.

The Plymouth Division kicks off on Friday, May 20 when Breakaway SC takes on Oceanside Dutch Lions FC in the lone SoCal Conference match of the day. The Coastal Division kicks off on Saturday, May 21 with Elite Development Academy hosting FC Golden State. The regular season is scheduled to conclude on July 3 before postseason play begins.

The teams that top the table in each division will face off for the SoCal Conference title on July 9. 

The Teams

Coastal Division

The Coastal Division is made up of Elite Development Academy (EDA), FC Golden State, FC Premier Women (formerly Invictus Athletic Club Feminae), LA Surf Soccer Club, and the newcomer MISS KICK Football Club.

Elite Development Academy is in its second season in the WPSL SoCal Conference and will look to improve upon its winless inaugural season.

FC Golden State enters its third season of WPSL action after a second-place finish in the division last season with a 5-2-1 record. Three players made the 2021 SoCal All-Conference team - forwards Heather Williams and Dyanne Valdez and goalkeeper Amaris Fanco. Over the club’s two seasons in WPSL, it boasts a 13-3-4 record and has made one playoff appearance.

Newly rebranded FC Premier Women is making its third appearance in the WPSL, bringing with it a fifth-place finish from 2021 after a record of 3-3-1. Like FC Golden State, the club had three players named to the 2021 SoCal All-Conference team - forwards Bianca Frontino and Leslie Ramirez and
goalkeeper Grace Barbara.

LA Surf Soccer Club is the most senior club in the SoCal Conference as it enters its 10th season in the league. The 2021 Coastal Division Champions went 5-1-2 last season and have an overall record of 34-43-12 in its nine previous seasons. It edged FC Golden State by just one point in the 2021 division standings. The champions had four representatives on the 2021 All-Conference team with players in each position except goalkeeper including 2022 NWSL Draft pick, Sam Fisher who was selected by the Chicago Red Stars with the 19th overall pick. 

The newcomers, MISS KICK FC, will look to make a splash in the Coastal Division as part of the 2022 expansion team class. Coached by UC Irvine women's soccer coach, Scott Juniper, MISS KICK has already made notable signings for the season. Its first signing includes former U.S. Women's National Team member and Olympic gold medalist, Natasha Kai, who also played for San Diego area Albion Soccer Club in the 2019 WPSL season.

Plymouth Division

The Plymouth Division is made up of five returning teams: Breakaway SC, Oceanside Dutch Lions FC, San Diego Parceiro, San Diego Strikers and So Cal Union FC.

Breakaway SC enters its second WPSL season and is still in search of its first win after a tough inaugural season that placed them fourth in the division. 

Oceanside Dutch Lions FC also returns for its second WPSL season after finishing third in the division table with a 2-4-0 record in 2021. The Dutch Lions earned end-of-season recognition with three players earning 2021 SoCal All-Conference honors including Plymouth Division Offensive Player of the Year, Addison Steiner. Oceanside also earned Co-Franchise of the Year for the division. 

San Diego Paciero makes its return to WPSL play after not competing in 2021. Parciero entered the league in 2019 before the COVID-19 Pandemic paused sports in 2020 and elected to return this season. 

San Diego Strikers finished its inaugural 2021 season with a perfect undefeated record, winning all six matches, to secure itself as Plymouth Division Champions. The dominant season is encapsulated in its 19 goals scored for and a single goal against. The Strikers also earn All-Conference honors from forward Cassie Callahan, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, defender Rach Sadowski, and goalkeeper Kelcie Brodsky. 

So Cal Union FC makes the switch over from the Coastal Division to the Plymouth Division this season after offseason alignment adjustments. After a tight race throughout the 2021 season in Coastal division play, So Cal Union FC advanced to the division championship before falling to LA Surf in a penalty shootout. The team was led offensively by Marley Canales, who won the coastal division’s offensive player of the year. Canales was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NWSL Draft by the OL Regin. 

POSTSEASON OUTLOOK

The Regional Champions are set to kick off across the league July 15 - July 17 with winners of the PAC North Conference hosting. The WPSL Championship weekend is set for July 22 - 24 in Stillwater, Okla. For the complete 2022 schedule of the SoCal Conference visit wpslsoccer.com/wpsl-schedule