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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Aurora FC is one win away from playing for a USL-W championship, and you can watch Saturday’s semifinal match on FOX 9+ if you’re willing to stay up late.
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Minnesota Aurora on playoff travel: 'We handled it professionally'
Minnesota Aurora FC is on the road for its third playoff game Saturday night, facing Salmon Bay FC in the USL-W Semifinals in Seattle. Coach Jenn Larrick, Gracie Dunaway and Jelena Zbiljic spoke after training on Thursday at TCO Stadium.
Minnesota Aurora FC at Salmon Bay FC: How to watch
What we know:
Minnesota Aurora FC travels to Seattle, Wash., to face Salmon Bay FC Saturday night in the USL-W Semifinals at Interbay Stadium. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. central time, and you can watch the game on FOX 9+, FOX9.com and the FOX Local app.
- Minnesota Aurora FC at Union Macomb (USL-W Playoffs)
- When: July 11, 9:30 p.m. CT
- Where: Interbay Stadium, Seattle
- How to watch: The game will air on FOX 9+, FOX 9.com and FOX Local.
Salmon Bay FC won the Northwest Division of the USL-W with a 9-1-2 record. They scored 38 regular season goals and allowed just 11.
The winner of Saturday night's semifinal advances to the USL-W Championship game, facing the winner of Vermont Green FC and Asheville City SC.
Minnesota Aurora’s USL-W Semifinal journey
The backstory:
Minnesota Aurora is in the USL-W Semifinals after beating Union Macomb on the road in their playoff opener. Sunday night, they got a goal from Gracie Dunaway in the final seconds of stoppage time to get a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh Riveters SC.
The Aurora heads to the semifinal game 14-0-0, and despite being one of the top teams in the USL-W that routinely sells out TCO Stadium, they remain on the road in the playoffs. Coach Jenn Larrick and Dunaway spoke about the travel after training Thursday morning at TCO Stadium.
"Our players have a lot of experience with travel. College soccer is a lot of travel, they handled it really professionally, it just is what it is. We try to be really proactive with the itinerary, the meal prep, the planning, so our goal is to do that again and make the travel as seamless as possible," Larrick said.
"It’s definitely taxing, travel isn’t easy, especially getting on a plane, jet lag. We kind of dealt with it, it doesn’t matter at this point, it is what it is so we’re just going to put our best foot forward and do what we can. There’s not much we can do about it at this point, but it is a little unfortunate all the travel we have to do," Dunaway said.
Minnesota Aurora offers flight, ticket discounts
Why you should care:
On Wednesday, Minnesota Aurora FC officials announced they had partnered with Sun Country Airlines to offer fans 50% off flights to see Saturday night’s game. Fans could also purchase tickets for 20% off.
Minnesota Aurora has yet to lose a regular season match in franchise history, but is still seeking its first USL-W championship.