Pali Blues News Release - www.bluessoccerclub.com
Friday, July 5, 2013
LOS ANGELES – The Pali Blues (6-2-1) will host the visiting Colorado Rush (0-5-3) tonight with a spot in the playoffs in mind. While the Rush is officially out of the playoff race, the match is a must-win for the Blues to maintain a top-two spot in the conference standings, and keep dreams of hosting the Western Conference Championship alive.
In their last outing the Blues played away against the LA Strikers on Saturday, losing 2-1. Mele French scored the lone goal for the Blues after the Strikers took a 2-0 lead in the 81st minute of the game.
It was only the second loss for Pali this year, but it hurt its chances of hosting the conference championship. The Sounders lost to the Colorado Rapids the next day, however, and gave the Blues another chance to fight for home advantage in the playoffs.
The Rush is coming off a 2-1 defeat against the Santa Clarita Blue Heat, and has yet to win a game this season. Their top goal scorer is 18-year-old Danica Evans, who will begin her collegiate career as a Portland Pilot in the fall. She leads the young Rush team with eight points accumulated from four goals.
A win for the Blues will keep them in the top two. The first-place Sounders also play on Friday night against Santa Clarita. Three points for the Sounders will keep them in first place.
The top two teams in the conference will play the Western Conference Championship. The winner will then go on to the W-League Championship July 25-28 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
The match between the Blues and the Rush will kick off at 7 p.m. tonnight at Palisades High School. Fans can purchase tickets at bluessoccerclub.com, and follow the action on twitter by following @PaliBlues, and on facebook.com/PaliBluesSoccer.