Minnesota Aurora FC season ends with controversial playoff loss in penalty kicks
Minnesota Aurora FC loses heartbreaker in USL-W semfinals
Minnesota Aurora FC lost to Salmon Bay FC in penalty kicks Saturday night in the USL-W semifinals in Seattle. Aurora co-founder Andrea Yoch reflected on the season with FOX 9's Kelcey Carlson.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minnesota Aurora FC’s 2026 season came to an end Saturday night in the USL-W semifinals, and not without some controversy.
‘A heartbreaking way to end’
The backstory:
Minnesota Aurora FC and Salmon Bay FC went to penalty kicks late Saturday night at Interbay Stadium in Seattle. How the game got there probably has Aurora players and fans with a bitter taste in their mouth that won’t go away any time soon.
In the 90th minute and the Aurora up 1-0, keeper Taylor Fox went to corral a ball in the penalty area. She collided with a Salmon Bay player, and was assessed a yellow card after confronting the referee.
Salmon Bay FC got a penalty kick for the foul in the box, and Fox nearly made the save. But the score tied the game 1-1, forcing extra time. It went to penalty kicks, where Aurora lost 3-2 after having one shot saved, and two others missing the net.
"It was a heartbreaking way to end. We’ve had a lot of heartbreaks over the last five years, and this one was equivalent to when we lost in 2022 in the championship game. It should not have happened that way," Aurora Co-Founder Andrea Yoch told FOX 9 Sunday night.
‘Our fan base deserves to have more games’
Why you should care:
Yoch and the Minnesota Aurora FC are clearly frustrated that they had to travel to the West Coast for the semifinal round, after being in Pittsburgh for two playoff games. The Aurora came home early last week to practice at TCO Stadium before their semifinal game. They went 14-0-0 in the regular season, and routinely sell out home games at TCO Stadium. But that wasn't enough to host a USL-W semifinal game.
Aurora offered fans discounted flights through Sun Country Airlines to Seattle, and discounted tickets if they could make the trip. Despite a long flight on short notice, Aurora had a healthy fan contingent show up. The ultimate goal, which requires more funding, is going professional.
"What’s clear to me and what made the loss so hard was the number of fans that got on an airplane and flew to Seattle with three days notice. Our fan base deserves for us to have more games, our fan base deserves for us to be bigger," Yoch said. "The only thing that’s stopping us is the money. To get to that next level, you can’t crowdsource that, you truly need someone to fund it. Everyone wants more of Aurora, and the only way we can do that is by going pro."
What’s next for Aurora
What's next:
Yoch said the push will continue for Aurora to become a professional team, but they need a large funding source. She says several players on the current roster have already agreed to or are in the works of signing professional contracts.