Written By:  Katie Parker
             West Region Contributor

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SC del Sol travels from the Desert Conference to California Storm’s Pac North Conference on Saturday for a West Region Semi-Final. The two sides will meet up in San Francisco at Kezar Stadium.

 

 

SC DEL SOL

Hailing from Phoenix, Ariz., SC del Sol is competing in its 12th season in the WPSL. The club came out swinging when it joined the league, winning back-to-back conference titles in 2010 and 2011 and making one national playoff appearance. This is the first time in over a decade the team has returned to regionals. 

 

The Desert Conference Champs finished the regular season with a 5-1-2 record, only allowing seven goals. The 2022 campaign started off on a high with a 4-0 win against Atomic City FC, but the following match Atomic City gave SC del Sol its only loss of the season.

 

“The drive-in training after that game was great to see,” Mat Evans, SC del Sol head coach, said. “Going from a big start to then a game we lost, but shouldn’t have, was great for the players as they all said it wouldn’t happen again, and it didn’t. After that, I knew this team was a special group of players that all wanted to be successful.”

 

The next match, after the 1-2 loss to Atomic City, SC del Sol played like it had something to prove and scored seven goals to El Paso Surf’s one.

 

The team’s leading scorer and Arizona State star, Nicole Douglas, found the back of the net not once, not twice, but FIVE times. The English forward was the Pac-12 leader in goals last season and set Arizona State’s single-season goals (19) and points (45) record. Douglas is close to breaking many other records for the Sun Devils.

 

“Nicole, or Dougie as we call her, is a special talent. Her infectious personality, her drive to always be the best she can be and quality on the field are all things that contribute,” Evans said. “She can change the game at any point, she has that ability. When you think the game is lost, Dougie can change it in a second and it takes a special player to be able to do that.”

 

Douglas’ work off the ball contributes to the opportunities she gets. It also doesn’t hurt that she can finish from a variety of areas on the pitch. Her 12 goals on the season earned her the top spot for goals scored in the entire WPSL this season.

 

Evans is proud of his team. The message he’s given them ahead of regionals is to stay the course.

 

“Focus on enjoying the moment and playing the way we have all season.”

 

 

CALIFORNIA STORM

The Storm enters the regional playoffs as a wildcard. It fell to Pac North Conference rival, the San Francisco Nighthawks, in a thrilling conference final ultimately decided by PKs. The players found out after the match that their regular season record of 8-0-2 helped keep their postseason alive.

 

“All their jaws dropped and they were screaming, some were crying,” Jamie Levoy, Storm’s head coach, said. “They were very, very excited.”

 

The Storm is no stranger to the playoffs. The club has won a record three WPSL Championships (1999, 2002, 2004) and seven Pac North titles in its 24 seasons in the league. Just like SC del Sol, the Storm’s last nationals appearance was about a decade ago.

 

While SC del Sol has scoring machine Nicole Douglas on its side, only one other player scored more than once in regular season play. Six different players scored at least twice for the Storm this season.

 

“The way that they play off of each other and the different dynamic runs we make and combination plays, they’re just so fun to watch. I have to pinch myself, because I’m so blessed to be able to work with these guys,” said Levoy. “It’s really a tribute to them and their creativity and having fun.”

 

The Storm’s top scorers are incoming St. Mary’s College of California freshman Priscilla Ward (8), and William Jessup University sophomore Kaylee Gillespie (6).

 

Just as SC del Sol did earlier in the season, the Storm is likely to come out on Saturday with something to prove after its conference final loss.

 

“The focus is going to be just to keep our identity,” Levoy said. “One game at a time.”

 

Saturday’s West Region semifinal will determine if clouds remain in the Bay Area’s forecast or if the sun will break through.

 

SC del Sol hosts the California Storm at 2 PM PDT.

 

The winner will advance to the West Region Final on Sunday and face the winner of the San Francisco Nighthawks, MISS KICK FC semifinal.

 

Both matches are scheduled to stream on Eleven Sports, the official streaming partner of the WPSL.