Match Report:

By Alan Douglas/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps women closed out their USL W-League regular season campaign with a 2-1 home win over Real Colorado Cougars on Sunday afternoon.

The result means that Vancouver will host the W-League Western Conference playoff final next Saturday against Interstate 5 rivals Seattle Sounders.

The Whitecaps hit for two quick goals early in the first half against Real Colorado, then survived a late surge by the Cougars, who were in a must-win situation at Swangard Stadium.

Whitecaps head coach Bob Birarda made three changes from the starting eleven that defeated Fort Collins Force last Sunday. Forwards Jodi-Ann Robinson and Amy Vermeulen did not dress, as both have been named as Canadian national team alternates for the Beijing Olympics. Getting the start instead was striker Julie Armstrong and midfielder Chelsea Stewart. Erin McNulty, meanwhile, replaced Justine Bernier in goal for Vancouver.

Just prior to kick-off, the Whitecaps announced their end-of-season awards. Defender Katrin Schmidt was named Newcomer of the Year, while Lexi Marton picked up both the Defender of the Year and Fan Favourite awards. Goalkeeper Sian Bagshawe garnered the Blue and White Award for her outstanding participation in club and community initiatives, while Tiffeny Milbrett was named the club's Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row.

The Whitecaps were first to threaten, as eleven minutes in, Schmidt made some good moves before seeing her 20-yard blast deflect just wide. "I always like to get forward when I have the opportunity," the German defender told whitecapsfc.com. "Today, there was a lot of space wide, so I got the chance to get forward a lot, and the cover in the back was really good as well."

On 13 minutes, Karla Schacher played the ball to Milbrett on the left. She then took it to the edge of the six-yard box and chipped in a short cross, which ended up going over the Cougars keeper and into the net from a tight angle. "It was supposed to be a cross, so I just got lucky on that one," Milbrett said of her goal to reporters. "We'll take it because we needed two goals to beat this team today."

Just three minutes later, the home side doubled their lead as Kaylyn Kyle on the left sent a diagonal ball into the box that Cougars goalkeeper Briana Schulze went for and missed. That gave Julie Armstrong an open net to volley into from six yards.

Cougars head coach Brian Haynes then opted to change goalkeepers by replacing Schulze, who was not at her best, with back-up Katie Bell.

Schacher had two more good chances later in the half. On 34 minutes, she fired a good low shot that Bell did well to push past the post. Then five minutes later, Schacher reacted first to a poor Courgars defensive clearance that sent the ball straight up in the air, and she powered a header from close range off the outside of the post.

It was 2-0 at halftime.

Real Colorado came on strong in the second half, however, as Vancouver started to run out of steam. The key player for the visitors was forward Nicole Lukens, who put a header of the crossbar from a corner kick on 55 minute. The Cougars out-shot Vancouver 13 to six in the second frame, with Lukens getting most of the visitors' efforts.

Schmidt admitted that Vancouver did not have the same level of urgency to their play after the break. "Maybe we thought the goals would come too easily, and the energy level dropped too much in the second half," she said.

On minute 88, Real Colorado managed to pull a goal back, and predictably it was Lukens who scored, as she fired a high shot from the right edge of the box over Whitecaps goalkeeper McNulty and into the net.

Vancouver almost replied instantly, as Stewart found an wide open Kirsteen Buchan in space on the left of the Cougars goal. The substitute teed up a shot from the edge of the box, but rattled her effort off the crossbar.

Back the other way in the 90th minute, Lukens forced a great diving save from McNulty off a corner, then seconds later, Cougars substitute Vanessa Mais put another header off the underside of the Vancouver crossbar from a sharp angle to the right.

Deep into injury time, Mais had another crack at goal from distance, but McNulty knocked the shot wide.


Cougars head coach Brian Haynes admitted the early goals ended his team's hopes of making the W-League postseason. "We gifted them, I feel, two goals then we came back in the second half and fought and fought and put up a fight," he said. "The one thing I always ask of the girls is never to quit, and to give me everything they've got, and that's what they did and I'm proud of them."

The Whitecaps finish the regular season at 7-2-3 for 24 points, which is good for second place in the Western Conference. Real Colorado, meanwhile, were left to settle for fourth spot in the division after registering a 5-4-3 record for 18 points.

Vancouver now prepare to host the third-place Sounders on Saturday, July 26, in a 4:00pm start at Swangard Stadium. The Western Conference playoff final is the first game of a Whitecaps doubleheader, with men's team taking on Carolina RailHawks in USL First Division action at 7:00pm.

For Milbrett, next week's playoff game with the Sounders will be a big challenge for Birarda's squad. "This group is still trying to come together," she admitted. "We've only had a couple of weeks together after having so many players away for over a month, and it shows a little. Real Colorado gave us a couple of mistakes and no other team is going to do that from here on out, so we've got to do all we can to be ready to go against Seattle on Saturday."

Goal Summaries:
VAN - 13 - Tiffeny Milbrett (Karla Schacher)
Karla Schacher found Tiffeny Milbrett on the left. The striker then carried the ball into the box before chipping Real Colorado goalkeeper Brianna Schulze from a sharp angle. It was Milbrett's team-leading fifth goal of the season.

VAN - 16 - Julie Armstrong (Kaylyn Kyle)
Kaylyn Kyle sent a high ball into the Cougars box that Schulze came for but missed. Julie Armstrong was then able to volley the loose ball into the open net for her second goal of the season.

COL - 88 - Nicole Lukens (Megan Flanagan)
From the top of the Whitecaps box on the right, Megan Flanagan played the ball to the overlapping Nicole Lukens. From just inside the area, she fired a high shot that sailed over Whitecaps goalkeeper Erin McNulty and into the net.

Match Stats:
Shots: Vancouver 14 – Real Colorado 15
Saves: Vancouver 7 – Real Colorado 6
Fouls: Vancouver 15 – Real Colorado 14
Offsides: Vancouver 3 – Real Colorado 2
Corners: Vancouver 3 – Real Colorado 7

Cautions:
Vancouver: none
Real Colorado: Beth West 62'

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Erin McNulty; 4.Lexi Marton, 6.Rachael Pelat (3.Shannon Woeller 76'), 10.Katrin Schmidt, 15.Chelsea Stang; 8.Kaylyn Kyle, 13.Chelsea Stewart, 18.Monica Lam-Feist (19.Anoop Josan 78'), 24.Karla Schacher (21.Paige Adams 46'); 9.Jule Armstrong (29.Kirsteen Buchan 53'), 25.Tiffeny Milbrett (23.Tina Romagnuolo 67')

Subs not used: 26.Justine Bernier, 17.Eden Hingwing

Real Colorado Cougars
1.Brianna Schulze (0.Katie Bell 20'); 3.Afton Sauer, 8.Rayden Phillips (5.Kerstyn Farrell 64'), 11.Brianna Young, 21.Elle Sweeney; 7.Beth West (18.Vanessa Mais 64'), 14.Katie Hooker, 16.Kathleen Paulson, 22.Megan Flanagan; 4.Nicole Lukens, 10.Kendra Chandhoke (13.Kellyn Farrell 26')