Minnesota Aurora FC blasts USL-W over playoff travel, semifinal game time
Minnesota Aurora FC beats Pittsburgh 2-1 in USL-W Playoff thriller
Gracie Dunaway scored with just seconds to play in extra time Sunday as Minnesota Aurora FC beat Pittsburgh Riveters SC 2-1 in the USL-W Playoffs. Aurora wins the Central Conference title, and advances to the national semifinals with the victory.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Aurora FC got a last-second goal Sunday night to beat Pittsburgh Riveters SC 2-1 in the USL-W Playoffs, and win the Central Conference for the second straight year.
Despite being one of the best teams in the USL-W and routinely selling out games at TCO Stadium, Minnesota Aurora FC will remain on the road for the national semifinals. They voiced their displeasure about it on social media.
‘Aurora has earned the right to host’
The backstory:
Not only is Aurora not hosting a USL-W semifinal, they’ll have to travel from Pittsburgh to Seattle. Minnesota Aurora FC will face Salmon Bay FC at 9:30 p.m. central time on Saturday, July 11, at Interbay Stadium in Seattle, Washington.
Minnesota Aurora FC has hosted just one playoff game since its inaugural season, when it got to the USL-W title game. Aurora hosted a USL-W semifinal last year.
"We are incredibly frustrated that our bid to host the semifinals in Minnesota has been denied. As the only team that traveled for the conference playoffs and with the best record in the league, a premier facility in TCO Stadium, and the strongest fan support in the USL W, Aurora has earned the right to host. This decision disregards player safety and well-being, forcing our team into a cross-country trip from the East Coast to the West Coast, crossing 3 time zones in barely over 72 hours, providing minimal recovery time and significantly increasing risk of injury.
"To make matters worse, the League has scheduled the game for 9:30 p.m. Central – a start time that shuts out our fans. Despite this setback, we know our fans will be behind us every step of the way as we fight to get back to the National Championship."
Minnesota Aurora FC beats Pittsburgh in thriller
The big play:
In the closest thing that soccer gets to a walk-off victory, Minnesota Aurora FC beat Pittsburgh 2-1 Sunday night to advance in the playoffs.
With the game tied 1-1 in the second half and in stoppage time, Gracie Dunaway took a sliding shot off a feed from Flavie Dube and scored with just seconds left in the game.