OLYMPIA, WA – The Oly Town women’s soccer team played host to Lane United of Eugene, Oregon last night in a homecoming that was scripted for Hollywood. The Artesian USL W League squad had a two and a half week break in local matches and had multiple games in Oregon before returning home Friday night in front of a packed house at South Sound Stadium in Lacey, Washington. You can find the match photo gallery below in this article.
The Artesians have sat in first place all season long which includes an undefeated record of 6-0-2 and all eyes on a postseason with a win against Lane United which secures a place for Oly Town in the USL W League National Playoff.
Oly Town jumped on the board early with goals from Mariah Lee which celebrated a birthday on Friday and earned a birthday goal in front of 400 fans in the stadium. The goal came in the 19th minute which saw the Artesians pressing mostly in Lane’s territory.
McKenna Martinez would tally two goals and an especially great opportunity created by Alex Schoenstadt that led to a through ball in the box and Martinez dancing around the keeper for a hard angle shot that would help extend the Artesians lead.
Kat Asman of Penn State got the call to start in goal for the Artesians as Neeku Purcell from UCLA got her first minutes in the USL W League in the second half. The defense kept Lane on their heels most of the game with only a few dangerous chances just going wide.
Kelsey Kwon from Northwestern entered the goalscoring sheet with a beautiful turn above the penalty box where she ripped a left footed far post top shelf hit that grazed the Lane keepers fingertips but the powerful shot still finding its way into the back of the net.
Final whistle had Oly Town winning 4-0 and the community gathered to take photos on the field. The match was presented by FORMA Construction who are focusing on building women’s soccer in Thurston County and beyond and had mini soccer balls for kids. It was a great way to cap off a beautiful, sunny evening in Olympia with the community.
If Artesian Head Coach Chris Wells can win Sunday he will be the first coach in Oly Town FC’s history to complete an undefeated regular season. Wells is in his first year coaching with Oly Town and is a Seattle U Recruiting Director for their women’s soccer program. Wells has a plethora of winning seasons in the NWPL and beyond and showing some impressive colors here in the USL W League.
The win sets up a July 6th Western Conference SemiFinal between the Northwest Division and NorCal which has the likes of Oakland Soul and the San Francisco Glenns.
This is the first time the Artesians have made a USL playoff and a host city has not been announced for the west coast so stay tuned for more information on how to follow the team as they travel for USL postseason play.
The Artesian women return to the field Sunday July 2nd at 4PM to play their final match of the regular season against CFC Atletica.
There will be Olympia Jeep, National Guard Humvee, Swat Bearcat which is a Military, Police & Fire Appreciation Day! 50% off your ticket if your active or retired. Prizes, activities and more this Sunday so get your tickets.
The USL Men play at 1PM as well and a doubleheader day pass for both matches is $20.
6.30.23 Photo Gallery
PHOTO GALLERY: 6.30.23 Artesians Beat Lane 4-0 To Clinch Postseason
Catch all the action from an amazing night of soccer at South Sound Stadium in Olympia, Washington with Nate Burgher Photography. Follow Nate on Instagram, Facebook and…
Become a subscriber today and be the first to get Oly Town News, Photos and Live Updates!