WPSL Gulf Coast: Krewe Rush upset unbeaten Pensacola for conference crown
Playing on their home pitch, Delta Basin champions Louisiana Krewe Rush scored twice in the first half and held on for a 2-1 win against the South Region favorite Lady Pelicans.
Lady Pelicans’ season comes to a sudden end
On paper, Pensacola FC seemed the clear favorite to win the Women’s Premier Soccer League Gulf Coast Conference championship. But cliches become cliches because they’re often true: they don’t play the games on paper.
Louisiana Krewe Rush managed just two shots on goal Wednesday at Lafayette (La.) Christian Academy, but both found the back of the Pelicans’ net. Trailing by two at halftime, Pensacola scored in the 54th minute but couldn’t find an equalizer against the visitors’ tenacious defense.
“The loss is very bitter. In no way do I want to diminish LA Krewe and the result, but I genuinely believe if we play that game 100 times over, we walk away winning 95 of those,” first-year PFC coach Chandler Castleman said Thursday. “I think they fully deserved the result, and it’s a great opportunity for me as an individual and us as an organization to grow moving forward.”
The Lady Pelicans finished the regular season undefeated (9-0-0, 27 points), ranked first in the WPSL South Region and third in the national poll. They outscored their opposition 32-2 and posted seven clean sheets.
Louisiana Krewe Rush won the Delta Basin Division with a record of 5-1-2 — 17 points — and tied their last two matches of the regular season. They scored 21 goals and conceded nine in eight matches; the Krewe ranked 10th in the South Region power rankings released June 25.
Castleman said the Pelicans expected the Delta Basin champs to play for the turnover and breakaway opportunities.
“Yeah, we knew going into the game they were very direct and would look to play on the counter. Both of their chances were clear cut, and LA Krewe absolutely deserved those goals,” he said.
The hosts struck first in the sixth minute when a defender tackled the ball through the Pelicans’ back line and left Salma Elhaimer (McNeese State) alone against PFC keeper Jaidin Kinch (South Alabama). The striker dribbled into position and slotted the ball by the charging Kinch and just inside the far post for her 11th goal in seven appearances for the Krewe.
Brea Bailey (Alabama A&M) blasted a cross from the right flank into the net in the 44th minute after a miscommunication by the Pensacola defenders left her open.
Paige Phillips (Pensacola State College) headed home a Sydney Magliocca (South Alabama) cross in the 54th minute, but the Pelicans couldn’t find another score. The goal was Phillips’ 10th of the season.
“We knew the transition moments were our biggest weakness and their biggest strength, but it’s something we were willing to accept with the way we play,” Castleman said. The Pelicans play proactive, attacking soccer that showcases the players’ technical skills but can be vulnerable against direct, counterattacking sides.
Castleman still was trying to process the loss Thursday.
“Honestly it’s quite an abrupt end to the season,” he said. “The season as a whole was obviously a very good one up until the final. We conceded four goals all year and scored a ton. We played what I hope to the people on the outside was exciting soccer, very expansive and possession-oriented, lots of chances created, high intensity, and I hope the fans who watched us got that feeling watching.”
The title game was played in Lafayette and not in Pensacola because of a rule carried over from the Gulf Coast Premier League, Castleman explained. (The GCPL entered into an agreement with the WPSL and its men’s equivalent, The League for Clubs, to operate the leagues Gulf Coast conferences). The GCPL Eastern Conference winner hosted the championship match a year ago, so this year the game was played at the home field of the Delta Basin Division — the successor to the GCPL Western Conference.
Castleman said the team is planning an end-of-season party, and then “for a lot of these players, it’s straight into their college pre-seasons (or) prep or, for the ones who have graduated, it’s back to the careers they’ve been juggling.”
Louisiana Krewe Rush advances to the WPSL South regional, where it will represent the South Region against winners of the Atlantic, Southeast and Sunshine conferences Saturday and Sunday, July 12-13, in McLean, Va.
The Central, East, South and West regional champions will compete for the national championship July 18-20 in Stillwater, Okla.
LINEUPS
LA KREWE RUSH: Lauryn Starwood; Rammie Noel, Sarah Portis, Hailly Waterhouse, Shealbie Whatley; Amelia Majtczak, Keely McLeod, Sophie Vines; Andi Hughes, Salma Elhaimer, Raegan Latiolais.
Substitutes: Ashley Manning, Audrian Cruz, Brea Bailey, Larae Breaux, Maria Portas,
Olivia GautreauxPENSACOLA FC: Jaidin Kinch; Aila Swinton, Ava Matherne, Bailey Erwig, Emma Beltz, Isabela Labovic, Jillian Thompson, Paige Phillips, Rainey Niles, Sydney Magliocca, Zivana Labovic.
Substitutes: Addison Smith, Elexia Nelson, Emily Smith, Hunter Wallace, Olivia Quiroz, Rhiannon Tkac.
WPSL Gulf Coast Conference
Final regular season standings
DELTA BASIN DIVISION
1. LA Krewe Rush, 5-1-2, 17 points, +12
2. Hattiesburg FC, 4-2-2, 14 points, +6
3. Mississippi Blues SC, 2-3-3, 9 points, +4
4. Shreveport United, 3-5-0, 9 points, -12
5. Baton Rouge United, 0-7-1, 1 point, -12
THIRD COAST DIVISION
1. Pensacola FC, 9-0-0, 27 points, +35
2. Gulf Coast United, 4-4-2, 14points, -6
3. PFC Academy, 3-4-3, 12 points, -10
4. Florida Roots, 3-5-2, 11 points, -2
5. TLH Reckoning, 3-5-1, 10 points, -3
6. Union 10 FC, 3-7-0, 9 points, -12