It was a busy week for the NWSL players playing overseas this off season. With UWCL matches and league play as well as the start of the W-League in Australia, players saw a great deal of action and made an impact on their team’s performance.
UWCL Round of 32
Bayern Munich 2-2 Twente (Twente advances on away goals)
Kristie Mewis played a full 90 minutes for Bayern Munich as the team played to a 2-2 draw against Twente. Though the score and aggregate were tied, Twente advanced on away goals ending Bayern Munich’s UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign.
Fortuna Hjørring 4-0 Minsk (6-0 on aggregate)
Sky Blue players Aubrey Bledsoe and Nadia Nadim both started Fortuna’s UWCL match against Minsk. Bledsoe played a full 90 minutes and kept a clean sheet for the club. Nadim logged just under an hour and scored the team’s second goal in the 29th minute. Fortuna will play Italian side Brescia in the round of 16 starting either November 11th or 12th.
Glasgow City 0-3 Chelsea (0-4 on aggregate)
Rachel Corsie played a full 90 minutes in Glasgow’s defeat to Chelsea in their round of 32 match. The loss eliminates Glasgow from UWCL play.
Australia W-League
Perth Glory 2-1 Melbourne Victory
Samantha Kerr and Caitlin Foord both played a full 90 and got on the score sheet as Perth Glory defeated Melbourne Victory in round 1 of W-League play. Foord provided the equalizer for Perth just before the half while Kerr netted the game winner in the 69th minute. Kerr had an earlier opportunity from the spot, but the shot was saved by Melbourne’s goalkeeper. Hayley Raso and Christine Nairn both played 90 minutes for Melbourne. Perth will take on Newcastle next while Melbourne Victory take on Melbourne City.
Adelaide United 2-2 Western Sydney Wanderers
Keelin Winters scored the first goal of the new W-League season just three minutes into her team’s match against Adelaide United. Winters as well as Kendall Johnson played a full 90 for the club. Sarah Killion started off the scoring for Adelaide in the 41st minute as they came back from a 2-0 deficit to earn the draw. Both she and Abby Dahlkemper played the entirety of the match as well. Adelaide are on a bye next week while Western Sydney take on Brisbane Roar.
Brisbane Roar 2-1 Canberra United
Haley Kopmeyer had three saves and played an integral role in preserving her team’s 2-1 victory, an upset over defending champions Canberra United. Clare Polkinghorne also played 90 minutes and captained the side. Michelle Heyman was the lone goal scorer for Canberra in an attempt to help her team battle back from a 2-0 deficit. Ellie Brush and Kendall Fletcher also logged a full 90 for the club. Canberra next take on Sydney FC while Brisbane take on Western Sydney.
Melbourne City 6-0 Sydney FC
It was a rough outing for Michelle Betos as league debutants Melbourne City defeated Sydney FC in a lopsided 6-0 victory. Betos made three saves and perhaps suffered from lapses in the defensive efforts of her team as she faced 14 shots from inside the box, double that of Melbourne’s goalkeeper. Kyah Simon and Jasmyne Spencer also featured for Sydney and while neither were able to get on the scoresheet, Spencer was particularly troublesome for Melbourne along the right flank. Steph Cately played 90 minutes for Melbourne and helped preserve the clean sheet. Jess Fishlock and Kim Little were not available for Melbourne who take on Melbourne Victory next, while Sydney takes on Canberra United.
Nadeshiko League (Japan)
Yunogo Belle 0-0 Iga FC
Both Elizabeth Eddy and Mana Shim saw time in their team’s scoreless draw. Eddy was a halftime sub for Yunogo Belle, while Shim entered in the 62nd minute for Iga FC.
Abby Erceg was not available for AS Saitama in their most recent match
Brittany Cameron will be out 6 to 8 weeks for Vegalta Sendai due to undisclosed injury (courtesy of @FullBloomGuide)
Frauen-Bundesliga (Germany)
Bayern Munich 1-0 SC Freiburg
Kristie Mewis started for Bayern Munich in their league match over the weekend and played the majority of the match before being subbed in the 88th minute
Elitedivsionen (Denmark)
Fortuna Hjørring 2-2 Brondby
Nadia Nadim scored the equalizer to help Fortuna come away with a draw. After falling 2-0 within the first eight minutes of the match, Fortuna was able to bring the score within one in the 11th minute. Fortuna was awarded a penalty after the ball was handled in the box and Nadim was able to convert from the spot to level the score. Aubrey Bledsoe also started the match and after a bit of a rough start, was able to keep Brondby from scoring again for the remainder of the match.
Scottish Women’s Premier League
Glasgow City 3-1 Aberdeen
Rachel Corsie helped Glasgow City defeat Aberdeen and secure their 9th straight SWPL title. Corsie scored the first goal of the match for Glasgow early in the first half.
Cypriot League
Apollon Limassol Ladies 6-1 Lefkothea
Ashley Nick made an appearance and scored a goal to help Apollon Ladies secure their 6th Cyprus League Super Cup title.
Feature photo courtesy of Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images Asia Pac
