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United Women's Lacrosse League Champion to be Crowned this Weekend


The United Women’s Lacrosse League (UWLX) championship weekend is finally here. All four teams in the inaugural season will make their way to Baltimore, Maryland and play on the campus of John Hopkins University, Saturday July 30th. In a semifinals double header the #1 overall seed and regular season champion, Long Island Sound will take on the #4 seed Philadelphia Force at 5:30p ET. In the nightcap the #2 seed Boston Storm will take on the host and #3 seed Baltimore Ride at 7:30p ET.

The objective for the UWLX in the 10 week season was to create and increase opportunities for women in professional sports, while also elevating the game of lacrosse as a professional sport. Youth engagement became a huge part of their mission in hopes of growing the game for future generations to come. During Championship weekend the league will also host a “Learn from the Pros” lacrosse clinic at Roland Park Country School in Baltimore on Saturday morning.

Championship Semifinals Preview

#4 Philadelphia Force (2-6) vs. #1 Long Island Sound (6-2)

Philadelphia: The Force spent all season in the basement of the UWLX standings, winless going into the final weekend of the regular season. Two games remained both against the best two teams in the league, Long Island and Boston. Philly would earn a 13-9 victory over Long Island and a 9-8 victory over Boston to claim it’s first wins in franchise history. The Force used a strong defense and got some help from Kara Mupo and Alyssa Murray on the offensive end to secure the two victories. Mupo has scored, a league leading, 21 goals this season and is tied for third in the league in points. She will need to be a major factor in the opening semifinal against Long Island.

For Philly to win they will need Mupo and Murray to open up the offense and continue to put shots on goal. Both players have combined for 14 points with seven goals apiece against Long Island during the regular season. The offense will have to run through one of, if not both of these players and the defense needs to shut down Alyssa Leonard for Philly to win.

Long Island: The Sound opened up the inaugural season with victories and looked on pace to go undefeated this year. The hot streak continued for a majority of the season. A few defensive lapses against Boston late in the season and some miscues against Philadelphia gave the team its only two losses on the year. The Sound have played the best lacrosse all season and have the talent to win the inaugural championship. Katrina Dowd and Alyssa Leonard finished second and third in points on the regular season, and against Philadelphia both had impressive numbers in the two wins.

For Long Island to win they will need to play their game. Yes its simple but in two of the last three regular season games, the Sound have been forced to play to their opponent. Long Island creates a rapid attack and fires shots from all angles, this weekend needs to be the same. Bridget Bianco gives up a ton of rebounds in net for Philly, if Long Island can build a big lead early and put the Force on their heels, the Sound will be moving on at the end of this one. Prediction: Philadelphia 10 – Long Island 13

#3 Baltimore Ride (3-5) vs. #2 Boston Storm (5-3)

Baltimore: The Ride come into the championship weekend on a little of a slump, losers of their last two regular season games Baltimore will look to the hometown crowd to turn it around against Boston. Dana Dobbie has been the engine for the Ride, leading the team in goals and the league in points. Dobbie will need some help from others like Katie Schwarzman who leads the league in assists. The Ride and the Storm have played some incredible games this season. In three games this season the Ride went 1-2 while each game was decided by one goal. Dobbie had a total of 10 points against the Storm this year and she will need to lead the offense for Baltimore if they want to play for the UWLX Championship. For Baltimore to win the Ride need to score early in the half. In the victory against Boston earlier this season the Ride jumped out to big leads and when the Storm would counter, Baltimore always had a response. Boston has struggled to climb back from large deficits this season and if the Ride can get better offensive movement they can pull of the upset.

Boston: The Storm have played some of the closest games throughout the year. In three games against Baltimore the margin of victory was one. The teams have gotten to know each other throughout the season and now going into a winner take all game this matchup will be the one to watch. Boston has received tremendous play from Kayla Treanor since joining the team from Syracuse. Her play has risen that of her teammates around her as well, especially Kaliah Kempney and Danielle Spencer. Boston has three players in the top 10 in points, which is tied for the most with Long Island. The Storm are going to need to keep control of the pace of the game, in the win against Long Island and even in the wins against Baltimore, Boston has controlled the tempo. This game will be no different if they want to play for a championship.

For Boston to win they will need to give Treanor a touch on offense. Teams are going to prep heavily for Kayla and if the Storm are going to win they cannot rely solely on her to score but her to create opportunities for teammates. This can be a big game for Ali Fury or Tanner Guarino to step up offensively so watch for those two players who both have over 10 points on the season.

Prediction: Boston 12 – Baltimore 11 OT

Follow all of the UWLX Action this weekend on ESPN3 or the WatchESPN app


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