Written By:  Shawn Medow
             West Region Contributor

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The Coastal Division has been competitive at the top.

When defending division champions LA Surf Soccer Club met with newcomer MISS KICK FC for the first time, the match proved to be an instant classic. MISS KICK FC came out flying to a 2-0 lead in the first 30 minutes and held the two-goal advantage at halftime. Then in the second half, LA Surf switched its formation, made some substitutions and stormed back to get a 2-2 draw.

 

“That game was a great game,” Mike Davis, LA Surf head coach, said. “We were getting battered by them to be honest. They were playing the ball about really well. It was a very fun contest, definitely the best game of the season from a competitive standpoint.”

 

LA Surf Soccer Club has been pushed by MISS KICK FC this season, and the two sides will meet for the second and final time on Thursday, June 30 in a match that could decide the division champion.

 

“They [MISS KICK FC] play with a lot of good rotations in midfield,” Davis said. “They've got a lot of quality, technical players with athleticism.”

 

LA Surf’s 16 points see it three points ahead of MISS KICK FC through six matches each. A MISS KICK FC win on June 30 would leave the division title down to goal differential.

With MISS KICK FC dropping its first match of the season to FC Premier Women on June 25 in a 2-1 loss, the division title is now LA Surf’s to lose. FC Premier Women played LA Surf well, but LA Surf managed 2-1 wins in both meetings.

 

“Obviously we’ve performed well,” Davis said. “MISS KICK are a really good team and FC Premier has proved themselves.”

LA Surf went 5-1-2 in 2021 en route to the division title. Two of last season’s players were drafted to the NWSL: Sammi Fisher was picked by the Chicago Red Stars and Lily Nabet was selected by Angel City FC.

 

 

Despite losing some top talent, the quality has not fallen off this season.
 

LA Surf has players from USC, Cal, Washington State and Duke among others, including Simone Jackson on the USWNT U20 team. Jackson scored the game-tying goal in the 2-2 draw with MISS KICK FC in the teams’ first meeting.
 

Those college players, along with veteran player Eva Dixon, have helped mentor some of the young players that Davis has been able to bring into the team from the youth club.

 

“It’s been fun, a good group of girls involved,” Davis said. “To play at that level of training with some high level college players is a good experience for them.”

 

The changeover in the roster from a match-to-match basis is tough, though. But Davis has seen the positives for the young players and the outcome for college players who have been able to use their time in the WPSL to propel them to the highest levels of women’s soccer.

 

“Naturally, there’s going to be dips in performance when the team doesn’t know each other,” Davis said. “But it’s a lot of fun when it does work.”