USL W LEAGUE–NATIONAL FINALS PREVIEW
- Dan Stickradt
- Jul 19
- 4 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
USL W LEAGUE–NATIONAL FINALS PREVIEW
WHAT: USL W League National Championships
WHERE: Brigham Young University South Field, Provo, Utah
WHEN: Saturday, July 19,7 p.m. MT, 9 p.m. ET
TICKETS: https://bit.ly/4nX85oq
LIVE STREAM: SportsEngine Play
MATCHUP: Utah United (12-1-0) vs. North Carolina Courage U23 (13-0-2)
THE BREAKDOWN
UTAH UNITED
REGULAR SEASON:
Record: 9-1-0 Mountain Division (first)
Team Stats: 27 points; .900 win pct.; 2.70 points-per-match; 61-5 scoring edge (+56); six shutouts; 6.10 goals-per-game; 0.50 goals-against-average; closed regular season with a three-game win streak
POSTSEASON:
Record: 3-0-0 (Western Conference champions)
Team Stats: 5-1 scoring edge (+4); two shutouts; 1.67 goals-per-game; 0.34 goals-against-average
OVERALL:
Record: 12-1-0
Team Stats: .924 win pct.; 2.70 points-per-match (regular season); 66-6 scoring edge (+60); eight shutouts; 5.08 goals-per-game; 0.47 goals-against-average; currently on six-game win streak
ROAD TO FINALS:
Def. FC Olympia (2-1)
Def. Stockton Cargo (2-0)
Def. Minnesota Aurora FC (1-0)
NOTABLES: After plenty of success in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) in recent years, Utah United jumped into the frey in the USL W League this season and have competed at a high level all season long. Utah United went 9-0-1 in the regular season and its only loss was to last season’s USL W League runner-up Colorado Storm (2-1 at home back on June 14). The team has responded with six straight wins and they lead the entire league with 153 shots on goal and have outscored its opposition 66-6, including 61-5 in 10 regular season games and 5-1 in the postseason. Utah United also leads the league in several other offensive categories (5.08 goals-per-game, 66 total goals amongst others) and also boast a top 10 defense (0.47 goals-against-average, eight shutouts). Seven Castain (Texas Christian University) had 17 goals and two assists in the regular season to earn the league’s Golden Boot award and has followed that up with two more goals in the postseason. She was an United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I All-America Fourth Team selection last fall for TCU. Ruby Hladek (Utah Valley State University, six goals, three assists), Kaylie Chambers (Utah State University, seven goals, five assists) and Lillah Blum (University of Utah, five goals, one assist). Defensively, Kaitlyn Richins (University of Connecticut) has logged over 1,000 minutes and is one of the anchors of that stingy defense. Tylie Pratt (Utah Valley State) is a lockdown defender on the outside, while goalkeeper Taylor Rath (recent transfer to Utah State) has been exceptional in goal logging most of the minutes. This team has a roster of mostly NCAA Division I players, so they all have high-level backgrounds.
NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE U-23
COACH: Willie Davis
REGULAR SEASON:
Record: 10-0-2 South Atlantic Division (first)
Team Stats: .834 win pct.; 2.67 points-per-match (regular season); 31-9 scoring edge (+22); six shutouts; 2.59 goals-per-game; 0.75 goals-against-average; finished regular season with a win and a 3-0-2 record in last five games (11-4 scoring edge, three shutouts)
POSTSEASON:
Record: 3-0-0
Team Stats: 5-2 scoring edge (+3); one shutouts; 1.67 goals-per-game; 0.34 goals-against-average
OVERALL:
Record: 13-0-2
Team Stats: .867 win pct.; 2.67 points-per-match (regular season); 36-11 scoring edge (+25); seven shutouts; 2.40 goals-per-game; 0.74 goals-against-average; currently on a four-game win streak and are unbeaten overall
ROAD TO FINALS:
Def. Eagle FC (2-1)
Def. Annapolis Blues FC (1-0, 2OT)
Def. Asheville City SC (2-1)
NOTABLES: The defending USL W League champions are making their third straight national title game appearance, losing in the finals to the Indy Eleven (2-1, overtime) in the 2023 finals but bounced back to take down the Colorado Storm (3-2) in the 2024 championship match. NC Courage U23 is taking on USL W League expansion team Utah United, which had success in recent years in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) before making the leap over to the USL W League. The team has a plethora of talented players from a wide variety of colleges and states, including veteran returnees Hannah Jibril (F/M, recent transfer to Mississippi State), Amelia Brown (M, University of Charlotte), Mackenzie Geigle (F, University of Louisville) and Taylor Chism (D, North Carolina State University). All four of them were key contributors to last season’s championship run and also a part of the runner-up side in 2023. The Courage have also recorded three one-goal wins in the tournament this season. The Courage also have a roster made up of virtually all NCAA Division I players and several of those stars grew up playing youth soccer in either the ECNL or Girls Academy League. This team is also unbeaten in 2025 and very experienced with star power up-and-down the line-up.
NOTEBOOK
Tune in to the match live on SportsEngine Play, and follow the W League on Instagram and Twitter for playoff updates.
The USL W League and USL League Two postseason games are all being produced by the Michigan-based Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network. Follow NSN on Twitter and Instagram @NatSoccerTV and on Facebook @NationalSoccerNetwork.
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