SACRAMENTO, CA (07/07/09) - With the shortest slate of matches since the first weeks of the season, the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) still featured "premier" performances, highlighted by the return of action in the Midwest and the last "magic" runs for teams looking to qualify for East post-season play. Since there was such a low percentage of games played over the holiday weekend, in this edition of the weekly Team Of The Week awards, we have decided to do the WPSL TOTW in "7-a-side" format.

In the spirit of emphasizing quality over quantity, Ohio Premier (4-0-0 WPSL Midwest) have worked themselves into post-season pole position for the match vs. the Sunshine Conference champion - with the winner qualifying for the 2009 WPSL Final Four, hosted by the Long Island Fury at Adelphi University (August 1-2).

Former Ohio State star Lisa Collison was the star in a road win over Carmel United S.C. while in the East, Millburn (4-4-1 WPSL East) can thank "veteran" goalkeeper Lia Fierro as she saved a spot for the Magic in the 8-team conference playoffs (the first time in team history). Both share Player of the Week in the seventh edition of these league honors:

F Lisa Collison (OHIO PREMIER) - WPSL Co-Player of the Week
The all-time leading goal scorer for The Ohio State University & U-20 Canadian international hasn’t lost her touch, as she scored three goals for Ohio Premier in a 4-0 victory at CUSC - putting her side at the top of the WPSL Midwest.

F Ginny Hall (DALLAS PREMIER)
The Baylor University Hall Of Fame inductee & all-time leading scorer notched two goals and two assists for Big Sky-South leader Dallas Premier (7-0-1 WPSL Big Sky-South) in a runaway 10-1 home win over Alamo S.C. (2-3-2 WPSL Big Sky-South).

MF Becky Ryan (SOCCERPLUS CT)
With only seven minutes left to play vs. the A.C. Diablos (3-4-2 WPSL East) and down by a 1-0 score in a tight East playoff race, the Reds captain scored the game-tying and winning goals in a 3-minute span to push SoccerPlus CT (3-5-1 WPSL East) to a vital 3-2 win.

MF Angie Nickens (FORT WORTH F.C.)
The former Texas Christian University standout scored both goals for FWFC (1-4-1 WPSL Big Sky-South) in a 2-0 home win over Alamo S.C. in Big Sky-South action.

D/MF Kristina Hall (SAN FRANCISCO NIGHTHAWKS)
In the third minute of the vital Pacific-North match vs. California (5-1-1 WPSL Pacific-North), the University of San Francisco star scored the first goal from 40 yards out and in the 65th minute, assisted on Jocelyn Charette’s goal on a free kick to guarantee the road point for the Nighthawks (5-2-2 WPSL Pacific-North) in the tight division race.

D Shauna Kruger (PORTLAND RAIN F.C.)
The former All-WPSL East selection had two assists in Portland’s 5-0 home win over Seattle (2-3-3 WPSL Pacific-North) in Pacific-North action. The defensive anchor has helped lead the Rain (3-3-2 WPSL Pacific-North) to a 3-game winning streak, with the team allowing no goals while scoring 12 over that span.
 
D Shira Averbuch (MILLBURN MAGIC)
Moved to central defense due to injuries on the Millburn back-line, the Stanford & U.S. youth international standout had an all-around effort in the vital 1-0 home win over 2008 WPSL National Semifinalist New England (2-5-0 WPSL East) - which guaranteed a spot for the Magic in the post-season.

GK Lia Fierro (MILLBURN MAGIC) - WPSL Co-Player of the Week
The Monmouth University keeper made a succession of sharp stops in the 1-0 win over the Mutiny, but saved the best for second half injury time, getting down low to her left to save at point-blank range to earn the shut-out victory.

About the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL): The WPSL is a 50-plus team national women’s soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top amateur women’s soccer leagues in the world. You can now keep up with our league on our social networking sites on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com) and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com)!

The Long Island Fury have been selected to host the 2009 WPSL Final Four which will be held at Adelphi University (Garden City, NY) - alongside the Youth Premier Soccer League (YPSL) National Championship that same weekend. The tentative dates are scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, August 1-2 and check back to this website in the coming days & weeks for further information!

The WPSL’s mission is to provide the highest level of women’s soccer while simultaneously providing affordable, quality family entertainment and positive role models for our youth. For more information, visit our official website at http://www.wpsl.info, phone us at 1-800-854-0913 or contact us via email at media@wpsl.info.