Ottawa Fury News Release - www.ottawafury.com
Sunday, July 31, 2011
OTTAWA, Ontario - Through fifteen games this season life for the Ottawa Fury Women can be summed up in one word: perfect. Following an unblemished regular season (12-0-0) that saw the team capture its 8th consecutive division title and finish as regular season champions the Fury quickly dismantled both Toronto (4-0) and Quebec City (6-0) claiming the Central Conference Championship and a trip to the W-League Final Four in Seattle. Friday night's nerve-wracking 3-2 victory that saw the host Seattle Sounders come within a goal of erasing a three-goal Fury lead has set the stage for Sunday's W-League Championship Final featuring the Eastern Conference Champion Atlanta Silverbacks and the Central Conference Champion Ottawa Fury.
Sunday's W-League Championship Final will feature two sides that have no history against each other. The Atlanta Silverbacks (9-1-0) upset the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in Friday's first semi-final to advance to their first-ever W-League Championship Final while Ottawa's 3-2 victory of Seattle sends them to their third Championship game - their first since 2006.
After becoming the 6th W-League club to capture a perfect regular season the Fury Women are hoping to do what four of the previous five clubs have done and make it a truly perfect season by winning all 16 of their games and earn their first-ever North American Championship in the W-League. In 2005 Ottawa advanced to its first Championship Final only to be blanked by the powerful New Jersey Wildcats 3-0. The next season Ottawa returned to the finals in an all-Canadian match-up and again found themselves of the wrong side of a 3-0 game, this time to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
With each and every victory this season the Fury, as a team, has grown stronger. Learning from their opposition, from their coach and most importantly from each other. While those that have seen the Fury play and know the club's history believe that they deserve to win, their fifteen straight wins will seem insignificant unless it is followed by a sweet-16. Having finished as the bridesmaids twice, the Fury Women hope that on Sunday afternoon in Seattle that the jewel of the W-League finally finds its crown.
The Ottawa Fury Women will face the Atlanta Silverbacks in Sunday's W-League Championship final at 7pmET/10pmPT. The Silverbacks downed the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in Friday's first semi-final.