The No. 1 team in the country is sure to be the team to beat this postseason as Sioux Falls City FC puts its perfect 9-0-0 record on the line this weekend when it hosts the Central Region Playoffs. Looking to knock the hosts off are the champions of the Mountain, Heartland, and Midwest Conferences – Colorado Pride, Union KC, and FC Pride. Each of the four teams will make their first postseason debut on Saturday at Bob Young Field on the campus of the University of Sioux Falls.

 

 

SIOUX FALLS CITY FC (9-0-0)

Northern Conference 

One of the hottest teams in all the WPSL, Sioux Falls City FC is riding high after the club’s paradigm shifting 1-0 win over then-national No. 1 Salvo SC that earned the third-year club its first Northern Conference title and finished three points clear of atop the standings. 

This is Sioux Falls first trip to the Central Region Playoffs after finishing fourth in the Northern Conference in 2022 and third in 2023. 

The club recorded its best season in franchise history by finishing with a perfect 9-0-0 record and tallying a conference-high 32 goals. Katharina Oelschlaeger (Florida Gulf Coast University) finished second in the conference by leading the club in scoring with eight goals. Mia Mullenmeister (Utah State University) followed close behind with seven. A total of 12 Sioux Falls players scored goals over the course of the regular season. Conceding only a single goal all season, Sioux Falls led the conference and league in all defensive stats including goals against and clean sheets with eight. 

Sioux Falls City FC finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the National and Central Region Power rankings, moving up from No. 2 in both polls, unseating Salvo. 

Sioux Falls faces Midwest Conference winner, FC Pride, in the first of two semifinal matches on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM CDT. 

 

COLORADO PRIDE (7-0-1)

Mountain Conference — Rockies Division

The Colorado Pride finally became Mountain Conference champions after finishing runners-up for the last three seasons in regular season play. Head Coach Matt Saul has the Pride playing an exciting brand of soccer that ran through the competition enroute to the club’s long-awaited Rockies Division championship and berth into the Central Region Playoffs.

Nigerian Youth International, Bello (Otero College) leads the Pride’s charge, coming in second in the WPSL Golden Boot race with an astounding 15 of the 38 goals the Pride scored over its eight-game regular season schedule. Abby Stassi (University of Wyoming) recorded five goals and Brenna Hallam (academy) had four goals on the season. 

The Pride conceded a Rockies Division-low four goals, with goalkeeper Molly Wissman (Denver University) posting four clean sheets on the season. 

The Colorado Pride finished the regular season ranked fourth in the National Power Rankings and third in the Central Region. The Pride entered the National Rankings at No. 24 in Week 6 before jumping to No. 11 in Week 7 and has been on the climb since. 

The Colorado Pride faces Heartland Conference winners, Union KC in Saturday’s semifinal nightcap in Sioux Falls, S.D. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM CDT. 

 

UNION KC (8-1-1)

Heartland Conference 

Union KC ran away with the Heartland Conference by the end of the regular season to go 8-1-1 (25 pts.) The club finished the regular season with a pair of shutout wins to give the second-year club its first taste of postseason play. 

Averaging 2.3 goals per game, Union KC scored 23 goals over its 10-game schedule. Kate Gibson (Marquette University) and Hannah Larson (Saint Louis University) led the club in scoring with four goals each. An additional 12 players contributed goals during conference play. 

Coached by Dan Naidu, Union KC conceded a league-low nine goals,  and posted three clean sheets. The club enters Saturday’s Central Region semifinal not having conceded a goal in 241 minutes. 

Union KC entered the National Power Rankings Top 25 for the time this season in Week 8 at No. 15. The club peaked in the Central rankings at No. 7, also in Week 8. 

Union KC faces Mountain Conference winners, Colorado Pride in Saturday’s semifinal nightcap. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM CDT. 

 

FC Pride (6-1-4)

Midwest Conference — Gateway Division

Paige Miller led the Gateway Division representatives with two goals in FC Pride’s 4-1 win over Lake Michigan Division winners FC Milwaukee Torrent in the Midwest Conference championship to advance to the Central Region Playoffs for the first time in the club’s nine-season history. 

This is the best regular season record the club has posted since joining the league in 2014 – reaching the six-win mark only one other season. In 2021, Pride went 6-5-1 for a third-place conference finish. 

Head Coach Jamie Gilbert’s side tallied 30 goals on the season – tying the club’s all-time high. Kayla Budish (Purdue University) led the Pride in scoring with five goals followed by Miller (University of Cincinnati) and Megan Hutchinson (Purdue University) with four goals apiece. At the other end of the field, FC Pride conceded 11 goals while posting two clean sheets. 

FC Pride faces Northern Conference winners, No. 1-ranked Sioux Falls City FC in the first of two semifinal matches on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 PM CDT.