Written By: Katie Parker
Photography By:  Gerald Barnhart

 

 

CALFORNIA STORM ONE WIN AWAY FROM RETURNING TO STILLWATER

 

 

FC Premier’s first trip to the West Region semifinal ended in unfortunate fashion. 

Only 13 of Premier’s players made the trip from Long Beach, Calif. to Spokane, Wash. Its opponents, the California Storm, came with a gameday roster of 18. In Spokane’s 100 degree weather, where the West Region Semifinals took place, the extra subs would certainly come in handy. 

Premier ended the regular season with 11 different goal scorers. Only two made the match - Madeline Milby and Vicky Pugh, each with one goal on the season. The Storm, on the other hand, brought 11 of the team’s 15 goal scorers, including Lauren Hunter and Camryn Lancaster who led the team with five a piece coming into postseason.

Those were facts stacked in the Storm’s favor before the teams ever took the field. Not to mention the Storm has been here before. The club has won four WPSL titles – the most recent in 2022. This was FC Premier’s first trip to regionals. 

Premier started with the ball at kickoff. The two sides fought for possession while trying to string together passes and carve out their rhythm against each other. Premier found some success throughout the match utilizing an offside trap on the Storm.      

The Storm first tested Premier’s goalie, Ruth-Maria Soto, around the 5’. Soto came out big to close down a loose attack and smothered the ball as a Storm player and one of her own tumbled over her to the ground.

 

Calforina Storm defeats FC Premier in West Region Semifnal, 2024 Photo by: Gerald Barnhart

Things began to shift in the 9’ mark though when a Storm cross soared far across Premier’s goal. Lancaster’s speed helped her save it before it went over the goal line to drop it back to Alex Klos who made a move and chipped the ball back in front of the goal where defender Nicola Hauk connected and sent a rocket just over Soto to put the Storm up 1-0. 

Soto made another huge save, coming off her line in the 11’. The ball deflected to an awaiting Storm player who tried to capitalize on the open goal, but two Premier players were there to clean up additional shots.  

Klos was instrumental again for the Storm in the 15’ when she picked off a Premier pass in the midfield and sent it to the right flank to a wide open and waiting Hunter, who drove directly toward the goal and slipped the ball past the goalie to make it 2-0. 

A short hydration break was given in each half to help combat the heat. A few minutes into play after the water break, the Storm’s Susie Long collected a cross and drove to goal with Brenda Uribe running alongside. With only one defender between them, Long dished the ball to Uribe who knocked it into the goal. The score was now 3-0 in favor of the former WPSL champions, the California Storm.  

The Premier players huddled up on their side of the pitch after each Storm goal - strategizing, encouraging each other, trying to find the spark they would need to make a comeback. 

However, things went further downhill for Premier in the second half. Around the 58’ Soto came out again to foil a Storm breakaway when the ref issued her a yellow card after she was walking back to the goal from clearing the ball. 

Immediately following that, the Storm worked the ball around to defender Paloma Daubert who took her space and drew two defenders and pushed through to find a patient Lancaster holding her position without a mark. Lancaster turned toward the goal, took a few touches at pace and drilled it past the goalie to put the Storm up 4-0. 

In the process, Lancaster fell over Soto while trying to keep her feet. As she walked away, Soto pushed Lancaster to the ground from behind, which earned her a second yellow, and resulted in a red card and ejection from the match. Premier was short a player the remainder of the game and had to utilize a field player in goal. 

 

Calforina Storm defeats FC Premier in West Region Semifnal, 2024 Photo by: Gerald Barnhart

Kirsten Bunma took over the responsibility of protecting the Premier goal, but around the 72’, she was injured in a collision with a Storm player and another Premier player stepped up to put on the gloves. 

The red card ejection and injury equated to no more subs available for Premier. 

The Storm went on to score four more goals courtesy of Erica Grilione, Anna Gilbertson, Hunter with her second of the match, and Long. Hunter now leads the team, one goal ahead of Lancaster, with seven. The final score was 8-0. 

The Storm now faces regional hosts Spokane SC Shadow in the West Region Finals today at 3 PM PDT. The winner of today’s match will head to Stillwater, Okla. as one of the final four teams to compete for the WPSL Championship and Jerry Zanelli Cup.