Women's Soccer: Stone Bridge Grad Skogerboe Helps D.C. United Finish Third at W-League Championships

(Aug. 1, 2012) - Stone Bridge High School graduate Jen Skogerboe, a late-season signing, scored a goal Sunday to help D.C. United Women take third at the USL's W-League Championships in Ottowa, Canada. Skogerboe's goal came in a 1-1 game against Quebec City that United won in penalty kicks.

United started the weekend off with a 1-0 semifinal loss to host Ottawa. Here is a complete review of the weekend:

In only their second season playing in the USL's W-League, D.C. United Women rose all the way from a non-playoff team in 2011 to the league's third-best squad in 2012 after a solid performance at the league championships in Ottawa, Ontario this weekend.

D.C. United Women became Eastern Conference champions on Sunday, July 22 by defeating the Charlotte Lady Eagles 3-0 in the title match, earning their first championship finals berth. Holders of the No. 2 seed based on regular season performance in the W-League, United Women were pitted against third-seeded Ottawa Fury in the semifinals on Friday, July 27. The Fury, the predetermined hosts (by preseason bid) and eventual winners, defeated United Women 1-0 to hand the team their first league loss of the summer and eliminate them from championship contention.

"It was disappointing. Any time you have success as a team, especially in a championship you have to have a little luck on your side and I think Ottawa had that," said D.C. United Women head coach Mike Jorden. "They were definitely a good team and it was a hard game but I felt they were fortunate to get the goal."

"We were all kind of in shock because the game went by really quickly," added team captain Marisa Abegg. "For that to be our first real loss of the season, it was a blow to the confidence. Soccer is a mean game sometimes and regardless of how we play, it doesn't necessarily mean we're going to win the game."

Ottawa scored the game's only goal in the 44th minute on a strike from Lydia Hastings. Leni Kauren set up Hastings, floating a cross from the left where Hastings put an initial header off the crossbar, then finished the rebound to give her team the lead and ultimately the match along with a spot in Sunday's W-League Championship Final - a match the Fury would win in penalty kicks over Western Conference champion Pali Blues after the teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation.

In Friday's semifinal loss, United Women received maximum efforts from the back line once again, which conceded just one goal to the league's seventh-best scoring offense, and the team's attack came within inches of finding the back of the net on several occasions. Lianne Sanderson, Hayley Siegel, Tiff Brown and Mikaela Howell all had multiple looks at the goal but were ultimately either off target or bested by the Ottawa defense and goalkeeper Jasmine Philips.

Adding the frustration of near misses and great saves, were two first half incidents with the referee waiving off would-be fouls when both Brown and Seigel both appeared to fouled in the Ottawa box while in the act of shooting. 

"It made it more frustrating because of the way the game started out and how many chances we were able to produce," said Jorden. It brought frustration to the whole team but we turned the tide a little bit and got focused, but eventually gave up the goal right before halftime."

Note: The semifinal match was covered live by Rogers TV in Canada. Full replay available at:

http://www.uslnation.com/WLeague/archive.aspx?v=1023&eid=D.C.%20United%20@%20Ottawa%207/27/12

D.C. United Women rallied from Friday's semifinal loss with an emotional win in Sunday's third place match against Quebec City. Late season signing and former Ottawa Fury player Jen Skogerboe scored her first D.C. United Women goal in her second appearance with the team to tie the game at 1-1 in the 53rd minute, which would go on to be the final score as the game would be decided in penalty kicks.

PK's would be a dramatic affair, with Quebec City and D.C. going eight rounds before Abegg netted the game-winner in her final match with the team for the foreseeable future. The Stanford graduate is moving to Yucca Valley, Calif. in the upcoming weeks and likely will not return to the D.C. area next summer.

For the team as a whole, Sunday's match marked the end of a highly successful second year in the W-League in which D.C. United Women went undefeated in Eastern Conference play and won the conference tournament, boasted the second-best scoring offense and second-best total defense, and had three players (Mikaela Howell, Abegg and Hayley Siegel) make the All-Eastern Conference squad. Head Coach Mike Jorden was also a nominee for W-League Coach of the Year, though the award eventually went to Pali Blues boss Charlie Naimo. 

"We wanted to do it together and we wanted to go out on a positive note," said Jorden of Sunday's third place match. "I told the team we've achieved all of our goals and as disappointing as Ottawa was for us, but when you look at the big picture it's been a very good season. You've got to hold your head up after all we've accomplished."