Edgewater Castle FC Finishes USL W Season with 2-0 Win Over Sioux Falls City FC

CHICAGO — Edgewater Castle Football Club claimed victory against Sioux Falls City FC Sunday, June 28, in a 2-0 win. Goalkeeper Molly Vapensky totalled 13 saves, while the Rooks’ midfielder Nahla Dominguez and forward Katherine Stephens scored the two goals.

The 2-0 win signified the conclusion of the season. The Rooks finished third in the Heartland Division with a 6-3-3 record, behind River Light FC and Minnesota Aurora FC. 

The first half opened with the Rooks in possession of the ball. Sioux Falls countered quickly, stealing the ball from the Rooks and giving way to the first shot of the game from Sioux Fall’s forward Kinsley Pesicka, which was quickly saved by Vapensky. 

In the fourth minute, forward Kristina Lynch had the first shot for the Rooks as she drove the ball towards the saving hands of Sioux Falls’ goalkeeper Hannah Johann. In the 12th minute, Sioux Falls’ midfielder Madie Donovan shot towards Vapensky, who simply caught the rolling shot to add another save to the board.

Lynch took another shot in the 27th minute, which soared over the goal.  Shortly after,Lynch shot again in the 29th minute and the Sioux Falls defense barely prevented the goal by getting slight contact on the shot.

Another Lynch attempt came in the 38th minute on a sliding shot following a connection from Stephens. Johann saved the shot and, after an additional four minutes of stoppage time, the half ended tied at 0.

The second half kicked off with Sioux Falls in possession. At the 46th minute, Dominguez, who just subbed in for midfielder Lida Dodge, was fouled by Sioux Falls midfielder Chloe Wilson. Dominguez got set for a penalty shot outside the goal box and took the direct shot towards the net. Subbed in Sioux Falls goalkeeper Michelle Granja attempted to make the save but, by the time she reached the right side of the goal, the ball was in the net, putting the Rooks up 1-0. 

Dominguez gave credit to her team’s mindset for this win despite having the game winner. Dominguez’s shot was not the only great part of this game as the team rallied this win together. 

“Honestly, everyone's so positive and nice,” Dominguez said. “It's such a breath of fresh air being on everyone. I love this team.”

Sioux Falls had an opportunity as midfielder Hailee Christensen took a shot from the top of the box towards Vapensky, who blocked the shot. The Rooks responded with midfielder Kily Egan leading the counter attack. She connected a pass to Stephens who broke free past the defenders and scored in a one-on-one against Granja to give the Rooks a 2-0 lead. 

The teams were at a stalemate from here, going back and forth with shots and saves.  In the 86th minute, Sioux Falls forward Dina Polanco took a shot — which came with more speed than most shots of the day — forcing Vapensky to dive to reach the shot and make the save.

The game concluded with a 2-0 win, ending Edgewater Castle’s first season in the USL W with a 6-3-3 record. The Rooks finished in third place in the Heartland Division, behind River Light FC and Minnesota Aurora FC. 

Head coach Emma Woodley reflected on the positive season, and looks forward to what the team can do next in the USL W. 

“We started in a strong way, had a little bit of a lull in the season, but we're finishing really strong, so I'm very proud of the team,” Woodley said. “It definitely gives us some good energy to bring players back and continue to develop what we've been working on. I think it gives people motivation as well for things to do in the offseason to get ourselves ready.”