2023 USL W League season

USL W League
Season2023
DatesMay 6 - July 2
(regular season)
July 6 - July 22
(playoffs)
ChampionsIndy Eleven
Regular Season titleMinnesota Aurora FC
Matches played375
Goals scored1,464 (3.9 per match)
Biggest home winIND 16, STC 0 (June 30)
Biggest away winPFA 0, CHR 9 (May 21)
Highest scoringIND 16, STC 0 (June 30)
Longest winning run12 games
Minnesota Aurora FC
Tampa Bay United
Longest unbeaten run12 games
Minnesota Aurora FC
North Carolina Courage U23
Flint City AFC
Tampa Bay United
Longest winless run11 games
Patuxent Football Athletics
Longest losing run11 games
Patuxent Football Athletics
← 2022
2024 →
All statistics correct as of July 2, 2023.

The 2023 USL W League season is the 2nd season for the league. The regular season began on May 6 and ended on July 2.[1][2] 16 teams qualified for the league playoffs, which began on July 6.[3]

Team changes

New teams

Departing teams

Standings

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Morris Elite SC 12 10 1 1 54 5 +49 31[a] 2.58[a] Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 Long Island Rough Riders 12 10 1 1 43 13 +30 31 2.58
3 Cedar Stars 12 8 2 2 29 17 +12 26 2.17
4 F.A. Euro 11 5 2 4 24 19 +5 17 1.55
5 Manhattan SC 11 3 2 6 13 25 −12 11 1.00
6 Paisley Athletic FC 12 1 5 6 11 28 −17 8 0.67
7 Westchester Flames 12 2 0 10 7 45 −38 6 0.50
8 AC Connecticut 12 1 1 10 9 38 −29 4 0.33
Source: USL
Notes:
  1. ^ Morris Elite SC wins the tiebreaker over Long Island Rough Riders on goal differential.

Mid Atlantic Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Eagle FC 12 11 0 1 40 10 +30 33 2.75 Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 Christos FC 12 9 0 3 42 17 +25 27 2.25
3 Northern Virginia FC 11 6 0 5 21 24 −3 18 1.64
4 McLean Soccer 11 5 0 6 42 16 +26 15 1.36
5 Virginia Marauders FC 11 3 0 8 11 31 −20 9 0.82
6 Patuxent Football Athletics 11 0 0 11 7 65 −58 0 0.00
Source: USL

Central Conference

Great Lakes Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Flint City AFC 12 9 3 0 38 14 +24 30 2.50 Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 Kalamazoo FC 12 5 4 3 23 19 +4 19 1.58
3 Detroit City FC 12 5 3 4 19 17 +2 18 1.50
4 Midwest United FC 12 5 2 5 15 16 −1 17 1.42
5 AFC Ann Arbor 12 4 2 6 14 31 −17 14 1.17
6 Cleveland Force SC 12 1 0 11 7 19 −12 3 0.25
Source: USL

Heartland Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Minnesota Aurora FC 12 12 0 0 60 4 +56 36 3.00 Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 Chicago City SC 12 8 1 3 26 16 +10 25 2.08
3 Chicago Dutch Lions 11 7 0 4 24 19 +5 21 1.91
4 Bavarian United SC 11 5 1 5 20 18 +2 16 1.45
5 RKC Third Coast 11 3 0 8 10 43 −33 9[a] 0.82[a]
6 Green Bay Glory 11 3 0 8 12 27 −15 9 0.82
7 Rochester FC 12 1 0 11 6 31 −25 3 0.25
Source: USL
Notes:
  1. ^ RKC Third Coast wins the tiebreaker over Green Bay Glory on head-to-head record.

Valley Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Indy Eleven 10 8 1 1 40 3 +37 25[a] 2.50[a] Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 Racing Louisville FC 10 8 1 1 42 4 +38 25 2.50
3 Lexington SC 10 3 1 6 10 17 −7 10 1.00
4 Kings Hammer FC 10 2 1 7 5 25 −20 7 0.70
5 St. Charles FC 10 1 2 7 5 53 −48 5 0.50
Source: USL
Notes:
  1. ^ Indy Eleven wins the tiebreaker over Racing Louisville FC on head-to-head record.

Southern Conference

South Atlantic Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 North Carolina Courage U23 12 11 1 0 46 7 +39 34 2.83 Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 Asheville City SC 12 7 1 4 21 16 +5 22 1.83
3 Wake FC 12 6 2 4 21 17 +4 20 1.67
4 North Carolina Fusion 12 5 1 6 18 31 −13 16 1.33
5 Charlotte Independence 12 4 1 7 12 17 −5 13 1.08
6 Greenville Liberty SC 12 3 0 9 16 27 −11 9 0.75
7 FC Carolinas 12 3 0 9 5 24 −19 9 0.75
Source: USL

South Central Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Tennessee SC 12 8 2 2 30 8 +22 26 2.17 Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 12 8 1 3 26 8 +18 25 2.08
3 Tormenta FC 12 6 3 3 20 9 +11 21 1.75
4 Birmingham Legion WFC 12 5 3 4 23 20 +3 18 1.50
5 Southern Soccer Academy 12 4 2 6 20 18 +2 14 1.17
6 South Carolina United FC 12 3 2 7 15 19 −4 11 0.92
7 North Alabama SC 12 1 1 10 5 57 −52 4 0.33
Source: USL

Southeast Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Tampa Bay United 12 12 0 0 43 1 +42 36 3.00 Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 FC Miami City 12 9 1 2 28 10 +18 28 2.33
3 Florida Elite SA 12 6 1 5 23 16 +7 19 1.58
4 Palm City Americanas 12 3 2 7 22 21 +1 11 0.92
5 Swan City SC 12 1 2 9 24 44 −20 5[a] 0.42[a]
6 Miami AC 12 1 2 9 8 56 −48 5[b] 0.42[b]
Source: USL
Notes:
  1. ^ Swan City SC wins the tiebreaker over Miami AC on goal differential.
  2. ^ Florida Elite match was forfeited 3–0 in favor of Florida Elite

Western Conference

Northwest Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Oly Town FC 10 8 2 0 34 6 +28 26 2.60 Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 United PDX 10 7 2 1 36 9 +27 23 2.30
3 Lane United FC 10 2 2 6 11 23 −12 8[a] 0.80[a]
4 PDX FC 10 2 2 6 14 39 −25 8 0.80
5 Capital FC Atletica 10 1 2 7 9 27 −18 5 0.50
Source: USL
Notes:
  1. ^ Lane United FC wins the tiebreaker over PDX FC on goal differential.

Nor Cal Division

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 San Francisco Glens 12 10 1 1 44 12 +32 31 2.58 Advance to USL W League Playoffs
2 Oakland Soul SC 12 10 0 2 37 13 +24 30 2.50
3 California Storm 12 9 1 2 46 12 +34 28 2.33
4 Stockton Cargo SC 12 7 0 5 29 23 +6 21 1.75
5 Olympic Club SC 12 3 1 8 9 38 −29 10 0.83
6 Pleasanton RAGE 12 2 2 8 9 32 −23 8 0.67
7 Academica SC 12 2 1 9 15 47 −32 7 0.58
8 Marin FC Sirens 12 1 2 9 16 28 −12 5 0.42
Source: USL

Playoffs

Bracket

Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Semifinals Final
        
Long Island Rough Riders 2
Morris Elite SC 3
Morris Elite SC 0
Eastern Conference
Eagle FC 6
Eagle FC 2
Christos FC 1
Eagle FC 1
North Carolina Courage U23 4
Tampa Bay United 3
Tennessee SC 2
Tampa Bay United 0
Southern Conference
North Carolina Courage U23 3
North Carolina Courage U23 3
FC Miami City 0
North Carolina Courage U23 1
Indy Eleven (a.e.t.) 2
Minnesota Aurora FC 1
Chicago City SC 0
Minnesota Aurora FC 0
Central Conference
Indy Eleven 1
Flint City AFC 0
Indy Eleven 3
Indy Eleven 3
San Francisco Glens SC 2
San Francisco Glens SC 5
Oakland Soul SC 1
San Francisco Glens SC 2
Western Conference
California Storm 1
California Storm 1
Oly Town FC 0


Conference semifinals

July 6 Minnesota Aurora FC 1–0Chicago City SCAtwood Stadium
Flint, Michigan
3:00 PM EDT
Report
Referee: Taylor Heemstra
July 6 Tampa Bay United 3–2Tennessee SC WakeMed Soccer Park Field 2
Cary, North Carolina
5:00 PM EDT
Report
Referee: Nicholas Strednak
July 6 Flint City AFC0–3 Indy Eleven Atwood Stadium
Flint, Michigan
7:00 PM EDT Report
Referee: Taylor Heemstra
July 6 North Carolina Courage U23 3–0FC Miami City WakeMed Soccer Park Field 2
Cary, North Carolina
7:00 PM EDT
Report
Referee: Achal Awasthi
July 7 San Francisco Glens SC 5–1Oakland Soul SCSkyline College
San Bruno, California
12:30 PM PDT
Report
Referee: Devlin Creighton
July 7 Morris Elite SC 3–2Long Island Rough RidersMountain View Middle School
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
3:00 PM EDT
Report
July 7 Eagle FC 2–1Christos FCMountain View Middle School
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
7:00 PM EDT
Report
July 7 California Storm 1–0Oly Town FCDavis Legacy Field
Davis, California
7:00 PM PDT
Report

Conference Finals

July 8 Indy Eleven 1–0Minnesota Aurora FCAtwood Stadium
Flint, Michigan
3:00 PM EDT
Report
July 8 North Carolina Courage U23 3–0Tampa Bay United WakeMed Soccer Park Field 2
Cary, North Carolina
6:45 PM EDT
Report
July 9 San Francisco Glens SC 2–1California StormSkyline College
San Bruno, California
12:30 PM PDT
Report
July 9 Eagle FC 6–0Morris Elite SCMountain View Middle School
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
5:30 PM EDT
Report

National Semifinals

July 14 North Carolina Courage U23 4–1Eagle FC WakeMed Soccer Park Field 2
Cary, North Carolina
7:00 PM EDT
Report
July 14 Indy Eleven 3–2San Francisco Glens SCGrand Park Soccer Complex
Westfield, Indiana
7:00 PM EDT
Report

USL W-League Championship Game

July 22 Indy Eleven 2–1 (a.e.t.)North Carolina Courage U23IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium
Indianapolis, Indiana
2:00 EDT
Report
Attendance: 5,419
Referee: Itzel Ochoa

Championship MVP: Alia Martin (IND)

Awards

Individual awards

Award Winner Team Reason Ref.
Golden Boot United States Baylee DeSmit Christos FC 21 goals in 11 games [27]
Golden Glove United States Bailey Herfurth Tampa Bay United .096 Goals Against Average; 11 Shutouts [27]
Defender of the Year Canada Tianna Harris Minnesota Aurora FC 4 goals; 2 assists [28]
Assists Champion United States Katie Shea Collins Tennessee SC 7 assists [28]
Young (U20) Player of the Year United States Mia Oliaro North Carolina Courage U23 5 goals; 5 assists [29]
Coach of the Year United States Michele Krzisnik Flint City AFC undefeated regular season [29]
Player of the Year Portugal Nádia Gomes San Francisco Glens SC 16 goals, 8 assists [30]

All-League Teams

First Team

F: Samantha Dewey (IND), Baylee DeSmit (IND), Nádia Gomes (SFG)
M: Bella Gaetino (FCA), Mia Oliaro (NCC), Nia Christopher (EFC), Katie Shea Collins (TEN)
D: Laurel Ansbrow (NCC), Tianna Harris (MNA), Elle Piper (SFG)
G: Bailey Herfurth (TBU)

Second Team

F: Claire Manning (MOR), Mariah Lee (OLY), Giana Riley (CAL)
M: Hannah Adler (MNA), Kennedy Barschel (CHI), Alia Martin (IND), Lauren Martinho (NCC)
D: Madison Cox (TBU), Carly Smith (EFC), Grace Bahr (IND)
G: Nona Reason (IND)

[31]

Divisional Players of the Year[32]
Division Player Team
Great Lakes United States Bailey Korhorn Kalamazoo FC
Heartland United States Maya Hansen Minnesota Aurora FC
Metropolitan United States Claire Manning Morris Elite SC
Mid Atlantic United States Baylee DeSmit Christos FC
NorCal Portugal Nádia Gomes San Francisco Glens SC
Northwest United States Mariah Lee Oly Town FC
Southeast United States Carissa Boeckmann Tampa Bay United
South Atlantic United States Mia Oliaro North Carolina Courage U23
South Central United States Katie Shea Collins Tennessee SC
Valley United States Samantha Dewey Indy Eleven

References

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  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "USL W League unveils NorCal Division; includes six new expansion clubs to compete in 2023 season". USL W League. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "Academica SC Joins USL". Academica Soccer Club. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Bavarian United SC set to join USL League Two and USL W League". USL Communications staff. February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "Birmingham Legion announced as latest expansion side to compete in 2023 season". USL Communications staff. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "California Storm Announces USL W League Expansion Team". California Storm. December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "USL W League solidifies westward expansion with creation of Northwest Division". USL W League. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  10. ^ "Cleveland Force SC joins USL W League for the 2023 season". USL Communications staff. October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "FC Carolinas joins USL W League and USL League Two as expansion side for 2023". USL Communications staff. June 9, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "USL W League welcomes Lexington Sporting Club as expansion side for 2023". USLWLeague.com Staff. October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
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  14. ^ USLWLeague.com Staff (May 24, 2022). "USL W League Welcomes Oakland Soul as 2023 Expansion Team". USWLeague.com. USWLeague.com. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
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  16. ^ "USL W League welcomes Palm City Americanas as expansion side for 2023". USL Communications staff. December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
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  22. ^ Belt, Shannon Mia (April 25, 2022). "A league of their own: SC Stockton becomes first West Coast team in United Soccer's Women's League". news.yahoo.com. Yahoo.com. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  23. ^ "USL W League 2023 Expansion Side Stockton Cargo Soccer Club unveil identity and crest". USLWLeague.com Staff. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
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  27. ^ a b "Christos FC's Desmit wins Golden Boot, TBU's Herfurth earns Golden Glove". USL W League. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  28. ^ a b "Minnesota's Tianna Harris awarded Defender of the Year, Tennessee's Katie Shea Collins earns Assists Champion". USL W League. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Mia Oliaro named Young player of the Year, Flint City's Michele Krzisnik named Coach of the Year". USL W League. July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  30. ^ "SF Glens Nadia Gomes Named USL W League Player of the Year". USL W League. August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
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  32. ^ "USL W League announces 2023 Divisional Players of the Year". USLWLeague.com Staff. July 25, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.