2008_W-League
2008 USL W-League season
Football league season
The 2008 W-League Season was the league's 14th. The regular season began on May 10, 2008, and ended on July 20.
Pali Blues finished the season as national champions, beating FC Indiana 2–1 in the W-League Championship game in Virginia Beach, Virginia on 2 August 2008.
The Pali Blues also finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning all 12 of their matches, and finishing with a +35 goal difference.
Atlanta Silverbacks Women's striker Sarah Steinmann was the league's top scorer, with 19 goals. FC Indiana's Laura Del Rio led the league with 13 assists, while Pali Blues goalkeeper Valerie Henderson enjoyed the best goalkeeping statistics, with a goals-against average of 0.142 per game, and posting 6 shutouts.
Nine teams were added for the season:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Location | Previous Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
 Carolina Dynamo |
Greensboro area | Greensboro, NC | expansion |
| Carolina RailHawks |
Research Triangle area | Cary, NC | expansion |
 Connecticut Passion |
Hartford and New Haven areas | Berlin, CT | expansion |
 FC Indiana |
Indianapolis area | Indianapolis, IN | previously in WPSL |
 Kalamazoo Outrage |
Kalamazoo area | Kalamazoo, MI | expansion |
 Los Angeles Legends |
suburban Los Angeles area | Azusa, CA | expansion |
| Pali Blues |
Los Angeles area | Los Angeles, CA | expansion |
 Tampa Bay Hellenic |
Tampa Bay area | Tampa, FL | expansion |
 West Virginia Illusion |
Morgantown/North-Central West Virginia areas | Fairmont, WV | expansion |
Three teams folded after the 2007 season: Mile High Edge, and San Diego Sunwaves. Cocoa Expos Women left the league for the WPSL.
Orange indicates W-League title and bye into W-League semifinals.
Blue indicates division title clinched
Green indicates playoff berth clinched
Central Conference
Midwest Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Indiana | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 3 | +64 | 40 |
| 2 | Chicago Gaels | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 9 | +30 | 33 |
| 3 | Minnesota Lightning | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 29 |
| 4 | Cleveland Internationals Women | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 26 |
| 5 | Michigan Hawks | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 33 | −21 | 13 |
| 6 | Kalamazoo Outrage | 14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 36 | −30 | 8 |
| 7 | Fort Wayne Fever | 13 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 39 | −23 | 7[lower-alpha 1] |
| 8 | West Michigan Firewomen | 13 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 52 | −41 | 4[lower-alpha 1] |
Northern Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 7 | +44 | 39 |
| 2 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 14 | +26 | 34 |
| 3 | Laval Comets | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 39 | 17 | +22 | 28 |
| 4 | Rochester Rhinos Women | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 33 | −15 | 20 |
| 5 | Hamilton Avalanche | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 21 | −2 | 18 |
| 6 | Western Mass Lady Pioneers | 14 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 18 | 34 | −16 | 11 |
| 7 | London Gryphons | 14 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 35 | −20 | 11 |
| 8 | Vermont Lady Voltage | 14 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 44 | −39 | 1 |
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 6 | +44 | 40 |
| 2 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 13 | +31 | 34 |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Hellenic | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 16 | +11 | 26 |
| 4 | Hampton Roads Piranhas | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 19 | +10 | 22 |
| 5 | Carolina RailHawks | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 22 |
| 6 | Richmond Kickers Destiny | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 28 | −10 | 18 |
| 7 | Carolina Dynamo | 14 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 14 |
| 8 | Bradenton Athletics | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 52 | −41 | 6 |
| 9 | West Virginia Illusion | 14 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 46 | −40 | 3 |
Northeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Freedom | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 7 | +25 | 35 |
| 2 | Long Island Rough Riders | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 13 | +15 | 29 |
| 3 | Boston Renegades | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 12 | +20 | 29 |
| 4 | Jersey Sky Blue | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 26 |
| 5 | Connecticut Passion | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 24 | 23 | +1 | 23 |
| 6 | Northern Virginia Majestics | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 23 | −6 | 14 |
| 7 | New York Magic | 14 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 23 | −9 | 13 |
| 8 | New Jersey Wildcats | 14 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 17 | 35 | −18 | 8 |
| 9 | Fredericksburg Lady Gunners | 14 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 37 | −32 | 1 |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pali Blues | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | +35 | 36 |
| 2 | Vancouver Whitecaps Women | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 18 | +3 | 24 |
| 3 | Seattle Sounders Women | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 | Real Colorado Cougars | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 18 |
| 5 | Fort Collins Force | 12 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 12 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Legends | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 26 | −15 | 5 |
| 7 | Ventura County Fusion | 12 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 32 | −23 | 4 |
Format
Five teams each from the Central and Eastern Conferences, and two from the Western Conference, qualify for the playoffs.
In the Central Conference, the second and third place teams from the Northern Division play a one-leg playoff with the winner advancing to the Conference Semifinals, where they will play the Midwest Division champion. The other semifinal will have the second place team from the Midwest Division playing the Northern Division champion.
In the Eastern Conference, the second and third place teams from the Northeast Division play a one-leg playoff with the winner advancing to play the Atlantic Division champion. The other semifinal will have the second place team from the Atlantic Division playing the Northeast Division champion.
The two teams in the Western Conference will play each other to advance to the W-League Semifinals.
The Regular Season champion, Pali Blues, receive a bye into the W-League semifinals, with the second and third place teams from the Western Conference receiving playoff berths.
Conference Brackets
Central Conference
| Central Divisional Round | Central Semifinals | Central Championship | ||||||||||||
| MW1 | FC Indiana
| 5 | ||||||||||||
| NO3 |  Laval Comets
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| NO2 |  Toronto Lady Lynx
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| NO3 | Laval Comets
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| MW1 | FC Indiana (AET)
| 4 | ||||||||||||
| NO1 | Ottawa Fury Women
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| NO1 | Ottawa Fury Women
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| MW2 |  Chicago Gaels
| 2 | ||||||||||||
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Divisional Round | Eastern Semifinals | Eastern Championship | ||||||||||||
| AT1 |  Atlanta Silverbacks Women
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| NE2 |  Long Island Rough Riders
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| NE2 | Long Island Rough Riders
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| NE3 |  Boston Renegades
| 0 | ||||||||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| NE1 |  Washington Freedom (AET)
| 2 | ||||||||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom (AET)
| 6 | ||||||||||||
| AT2 | Charlotte Lady Eagles
| 5 | ||||||||||||
Western Conference
| Western Finals | ||||
| W1 |  Vancouver Whitecaps Women
| 0 | ||
| W2 |  Seattle Sounders Women
| 1 | ||
Pali captured the W-League regular season title and bye into W-League semifinals, enabling Vancouver to take their spot in the Conference Playoffs, and allowing Seattle to clinch a playoff berth.
W-League Championship Bracket
| Semifinals | Championship | ||||||||
| WL | Pali Blues
| 2 | |||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom
| 0 | |||||||
| WL | Pali Blues
| 2 | |||||||
| MW1 | FC Indiana
| 1 | |||||||
| MW1 | FC Indiana
| 1 | |||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women
| 0 | Consolation | ||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom
| 2 | |||||||
| W1 | Seattle Sounders Women
| 0 | |||||||
Divisional Rounds
| Boston Renegades | 0 – 1 | Long Island Rough Riders |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | DeRosa  |
| Laval Comets | 2 – 0 | Toronto Lady Lynx |
|---|---|---|
| Gagné 8' 40' Walsh  89' |
(Report) | Chapman  40' 89' Afonso 66' |
Conference semifinals
| Chicago Gaels | 2 – 3 | Ottawa Fury Women |
|---|---|---|
| Mutters 12' Spacht 26' Trevillian 74' Maynard 89' (PK) |
(Report) | Taylor 12' 62' (PK) Powell 15' |
| Charlotte Lady Eagles | 5 – 6 (AET) | Washington Freedom |
|---|---|---|
| Rife 11' Schmedes 29' Murphy 59' 107' Lyons 66' |
(Report) | Welsh 2' 16' 103' Keller 22' Moros 70' (PK) Janss 97' |
| Laval Comets | 1 – 5 | FC Indiana |
|---|---|---|
| Gagné 55' (PK) |
(Report) | Hamel 14' Sesselmann 16' 25' 27' Parker 63' Phewa 72' |
| Long Island Rough Riders | 0 – 1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women |
|---|---|---|
| Fitzgerald (coach) 82' Speck 90' |
(Report) | Latham 51' Buff 70' Harbrueger 90' |
Conference finals
| Seattle Sounders Women | 1 – 0 | Vancouver Whitecaps Women |
|---|---|---|
| Baysa 67' 84' |
(Report) |
| Washington Freedom | 2 – 1 (AET) | Atlanta Silverbacks Women |
|---|---|---|
| Golebiowski 48' Welsh 77' 90' Andrzejewski 118' |
(Report) | Bobo 16' Latham 23' Phillips 73' |
| Ottawa Fury Women | 3 – 4 (AET) | FC Indiana |
|---|---|---|
| Kennedy 27' Milyak 53' (OG) Hance 65' Avner 85' Taylor 116' (PK) Raber 120' |
(Report) | Sesselmann 15' Nault 63' Del Rio 90+2' 96' Phewa 101' |
W-League Semifinals
| Seattle Sounders Women | 0 – 1 | FC Indiana |
|---|---|---|
| Phewa 16' Leyva 87' |
Virginia Beach, Virginia
| Washington Freedom | 0 – 2 | Pali Blues |
|---|---|---|
| Welsh 76' |
Report | Adams 26' 82' |
W-League Third-Place Game
| Seattle Sounders Women | 0 – 2 | Washington Freedom |
|---|---|---|
| Welsh 11' 40' Huffman 76' Andrzejewski 86' |
Virginia Beach, Virginia
W-League Finals
| FC Indiana | 1 – 2 | Pali Blues |
|---|---|---|
| O'Rourke 47' |
Wilson 49' LePeilbet 83' Pasqui 88' |