The Women in Blue used a complete team performance to shut down the Greenville Liberty with a 2-0 win in Greenville on June 28th.

The action started early when in the 8th minute Gillian Oyos dumped the ball into space on the right flank with a nice diagonal. Riley Thompson would run onto it and send a half-volley pass over to Ryen Ortiz but a defender would block it into keeper Georgia Katsonouri’s arms on the way in.

In the 27th minute, the Blues earned a freekick in their own end. Parker Roberts sent it towards the left corner of the field where a Liberty defender popped it up again but Kennedy Bell won the second ball. Bell took it to the touchline and slid a ball back towards the six but no Blues were to be found to slam it home.

The Blues would find the opener in the 32nd minute when Ryen Ortiz played a splitting through ball to Thompson in the right half space. Thompson would create separation from a pack of Liberty defenders and crank a shot into the upper right corner to give the guests the lead.

This was Thompson’s 3rd goal in two games against the Liberty, one of which won the USL W-League Goal of the Week..

“Wow, what a great quality goal that she had. She’s got a lot of confidence, a lot of belief. We wanted to get her a little higher and she did her damage against the backline and finished the goal. And what a great finish,” said Head Coach Billy Lesesne.

In the 39th minute the Liberty threatened to get on the scoresheet. They were awarded a freekick from about 20 years out just to the right of the semicircle on the goalbox. Carly Thatcher stepped up and tried to rip a shot far post but Coach Emory Wegener was able to get over to it and make a wonderful diving stop.

“Emory in goal coming from the coaching ranks and not playing in a year was great. She played a half for us in our last match in Charlotte and a full match today and hasn’t conceded a goal yet,” said Lesesne. “I think her voice, her steadiness, her communication, she can manage a game, and that’s really helped steady us at the back a little bit.”

The Blues would take a 1-0 into the half and tack on another shortly after the break. Ilana Izqueirdo was released into a 1-on-1 with Grenvvile’s substitute keeper Grace Workman who took out Izquierdo while going for the ball. Abby Boyan stepped up to take the kick towards the bottom right corner that had just enough pace to ricochet off Workman’s hand and keep going to nestle itself into the net for a 2-0 lead.

“Abby and Ilana have formed a really good partnership in the midfield. They understand each other’s movement and they play off of each other really well. So Abby was the player who spearheaded the attack a little more today, and put herself in good positions, and again was able to finish the PK,” said Lesesne.

Wegener would again make a beautiful save in the 71st minute to deny the Liberty a goal. Julie Mackin won a footrace with the Blues defense and was in on goal for a 1-on-1 with the keeper. Mackin tried to slip a left-footed shot by Wegener who came out to cut off the angle and made the point-blank stop to keep Asheville’s lead at 2.

The last chance of the game came way of the Liberty in the 77th minute. A long diagonal ball was hit from a freekick by Kat Cunningham towards a streaking Riley Parsons at the back post. Parsons tried to flick the ball towards the back post but she could not direct her attempt on frame and the Blues came out on top as 2-0 victors.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game going into it, our form hasn’t been great on the road. But we stuck with it and were collective today. We really worked hard for each other,” said Lesesne. “We battled through a little bit of inconsistency in the way that we played but we scored a great goal and went up 1-0 at half. We had a blazing start to the second half and got a second goal and were able to manage the game from there. So all credit to the girls, I thought they did a great job in staying organized, working hard for each other and getting the result.”

For her efforts between the sticks, Emory Wegener was awarded the Highland Brewing Wishing Star of the Match.

Next up, the season's final home regular game for the Women and a very special night of celebrations. 

On July 1, join Asheville City and Just Play for a very special night to recognize and honor the very first US Women's Nation Team. 

"I want this weekend to cement the 1985ers as a critical piece of the USWNT. We are part of this history and we have a story that has never been told,” explained Asheville City co-owner and former USWNT player, Stacey Enos. 

Michelle Akers, also a member of the 1985 team, echoed the statement. “The 2023 WWC is about to kick off and our USWNT is after its 5th World Cup title and third championship in a row. Incredibly, this team and its 38 year legacy of unprecedented world domination all began with 17 badass women in 1985 as the first ever USWNT. That first team set the stage for the greatness and warrior mentality of the American game today, and yet their story is largely unknown. This event though is part of changing that! It’s always an honor to wear the USWNT jersey, but for this inaugural event and as the first ever USWNT it is truly special.”

For the Men, an away date on July 1st with Southern Soccer Academy is on the cards.