July 29, 2010
ARE THEY SEMI(FINAL) TOUGH?
Lady Blues vie for W-League crown

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues face off with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the W-League semifinals from Harry Welch Stadium at 11 p.m. ET Thursday.

A win would boost the Lady Blues into the W-League championship match against the winner of the Buffalo Flash-Atlanta Silverbacks encounter.

The Lady Blues received an automatic bid to the semifinals by winning the W-League regular-season championship for the second consecutive season. Vancouver reached the semifinals as the Western Conference champions after defeating the Pali Blues, the two-time defending W-League champions that beat the Hudson Valley in the semifinals last season.

Vancouver and the Hudson Valley have never played each other, but Lady Blues coach Jesse Kolmel is confident in his scouting report. Still, the focus is on the Lady Blues playing their game.

"We know quite a lot, but what we emphasize to our players is that they have depth all the way through to every position,” Kolmel said. “So, we just need to take care of what we do on the field. That's probably more of the priority and we will see what the result is."

In 2009, the Lady Blues hosted Pali, which made the cross-country flight from California. This time around, the Lady Blues were the ones that traveled to California.

"I think it makes it more exciting for the girls,” Kolmel said. “You talk to the girls and the coaching staff and everyone is very excited to actually go somewhere instead of having it at our home facility. It makes it more of an experience and a life experience."