Emerald City FC remains undefeated in their inaugural Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) season, but in eight matches played they have managed just three wins to go along with five draws.
UPDATE: Match video highlights now online here.
The fifth stalemate came on July 11th at Interbay Stadium where ECFC met their rivals from Issaquah SC. The tight match ended in a 1:1 final score, leaving both sides a bit of bragging rights and keeping all three Washington clubs still mathematically alive to win the Northwest Division and claim the lone local playoff spot at regionals.
Match Photos: Dale Garvey + Facebook.com/goalWA
Issaquah SC took the lead after only five minutes when Shawna Anderson lofted a long ball from the right side that landed inside the ECFC goal nested in the side netting.
Megan Chapin, who scored four goals and added two assists in her previous match, tied things up for the home side with a strike in the 15th minute.
The rest of the match there were a number of chances. ECFC kept the Issaquah goal under pressure, at one point knocking out the ISC goalkeeper and her replacement while also hitting woodwork with several shots.
Issaquah starting goalkeeper Alyssa Beauchamp was bloodied in a collision with the ball early in the second half. The shot came so fast she could only block it with her face. She was cleared medically to re-enter the match in the 56th minute. In the 70th minute ISC goalkeeper replacement Alexa Hughes suffered an injury in another collision. The official match scorecard states that she has “a possible right ankle break and knee injury.” Beauchamp was forced back into duty.
Issaquah were able to withstand the pressure to move their record to 5-1-3 with 18 standings points. Emerald City are now 3-0-5 with 14 standings points. In the race for the division ECFC is now tied for second place with the 4-2-2 Spokane Shine, whom they will play in Spokane on Friday night.
Emerald City will visit Issaquah in the second leg of derby week this Sunday night at Issaquah High School at 7 PM.
Inland NW Soccer News looks at the race from the Spokane Shine side of things.
Coming up: Friday July 13: Emerald City at Spokane. Saturday July 14: Oregon Rush at Spokane Shine, Sunday July 15: Emerald City at Issaquah SC.
Playoff Scenarios
Issaquah SC will win the Northwest Division if they beat Emerald City on Saturday night. They could also finish first under another scenario in which Spokane and Emerald City draw and Spokane loses their other remaining match against the winless Oregon Rush.
Emerald City FC will win the Northwest Division if they beat Spokane on Friday and Issaquah on Saturday. They could also take the title with a draw at Spokane and a win against Issaquah because they have a better goal differential than the Shine.
The Spokane Shine would win the Northwest Division if they beats Emerald City on Friday and Oregon Rush on Saturday and Issaquah draws or loses to Emerald City FC.
goalWA.net Archive 
2 thoughts on “First Seattle WPSL derby match ends in hard-fought 1:1 draw”