Sunday’s 2-0 home win over the Santa Clarita Heat moved the Pali Blues’ season record to 8-2-2 and earned them a top seed in the playoffs and the chance to play the second-place L.A. Strikers (8-4) in the Western Conference championship game on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium.
The Blues got on the board just five minutes into Sunday’s game after goalkeeper Anna Picarelli made a save and the Blues pushed the ball upfield. Midfielder Elizabeth Eddy passed to forward Ashley Freyer in the penalty area, who placed a shot in the lower right corner of the goal.
In the second half, the Blues finally scored an insurance goal in the 63rd minute. Again, it was the combination of Eddy and Freyer that turned the trick, as Freyer maneuvered around Heat goalkeeper Chioma Ubogagu for the decisive 2-0 lead.
Freyer finished the regular season as the Blues’ second-leading goal-scorer with seven, while midfielder Ashley Nick, who had eight. Midfielder Sarah Killion led the team with eight assists, followed by Eddy with seven.
With a win this Sunday, the Blues would advance to the W-League championships at IMG Academy in Bradenton July 26-28, where they would play one of the other league conference winners.
The Blues needed a late-season push just to gain the playoffs. They went 5-1-1 over their last seven games, helping erase the memory of a season-opening, 2-0 home loss to the Strikers.
Over their final nine games, the Blues allowed just nine goals, and did not allow more than two in a single game all year. Picarelli was magnificent, permitting only five scores while posting a .004 goals against average for the season.
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