Minnesota Aurora vs. River Light FC: June 8, 2024 [FULL GAME]

Minnesota Aurora FC vs. River Light FC on June 8, 2024.

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on fox9 plus excited to be here Jake this is arguably the biggest match that has been played in TCO Stadium history we mention it Maya postseason implications all around in this match both these coaches telling us this week these are the types of matches players live for exactly and I agree these big matches are what players need in order to grow as a soccer player both Aurora and River City are going to or river light sorry are going to have to fight hard for every minute of play in order to have that experience they need for playoff time and even professionally as I know that is a goal for a lot of these ladies here tonight by virtue of their 1-1 draw back in May this very well could be a postseason elimination match three very crucial points on the line this evening we’ll head to break on fox9 Plus on the other side we’ll check out how these sides line up kickoff coming up next [Applause] back on fox9 plus all set for kickoff at TCO Stadium this evening a beautiful evening for soccer a chance now to look at how these sides will line up we’ll start with the homeside Minnesota Aurora FC Dawning their brand new Lumin kits here at home it is a 424 formation for first year head coach Colette Montgomery as we look at the starting 11 presented by St Paul College a couple of changes a changed 11 this evening for Montgomery and staff Casey Lorry slotted in the back four along with Nicole norfol Alicia Donley and khis Barton Addie Wickers will move into a central Midfield role sort of a holding mid position along with Morgan Stone and then the grouping up front is Mariah win Katie dong Jill Bennett making her second appearance of the season and then cat R getting the start up front Maya what do you like about the 424 I’m excited to see Jill Bennett enter the starting lineup for Aurora as she this is her second season with Aurora and in her inaugural season she actually was named star of the game so hopefully she can come out as star of the game for Aurora tonight cuz they’re definitely going to need it against riverlite Bennett made 12 appearances in an aurora shirt back in 2022 sat out last year to teach High School Ceramics in her home state of Utah meanwhile for Charlie latch II the first year head coach for riverlake going with a 433 Bowen Steiner catella green Burke D Gillespie eagland in the middle and nent Lynch and gold Branson the three Strikers up front the whistle sounds and we are underway at TCO [Applause] Stadium dong little flick on was looking for cat wrap there Bennett picks up the pieces this is Barton Sid stepping one [Applause] Defender having this 424 formation it makes them super powerful on the attacking end as you see they are already on the River Light Side these two teams matched up back in May it was a 1-1 draw River Light scored the opening goal of the match neither side found the back of the net in the first 45 minutes as cat RP plays this into an empty space short clearance here for riverlite and headed back on by dong last game against Rochester rap had one of the goals for Aurora early on and Colette had mentioned that sometimes when you get those early on goals that could be the worst thing that could happen for a team lights will have the throw on this near touch line as Ella Burke tosses it in and immediately Aurora will force a turnover near the Midfield stripe and trying to Counterattack cat rrap runs into a wall of blue this is Gillespie in the middle tangled up there with Wickers and now Wickers comes up slow immediately grabs her [Applause] face steer that back to Taylor Kane Taylor Kane had two saves the last time they met up against riverlite the turnover here it’s Devon Lynch with the takeaway and now Lynch will play it through to dur that cross is deflected and Donley will clear it away smartly from danger Charlie latshaw earlier this week identifying Devin Lynch as perhaps their biggest standout player saying that she can play nearly any position on the field and is an un questionably one of the leaders of this team yeah she stepped up for this team in a big way every time they needed her speaking of Lynch her shot goes hooking wide of the near post a goal kick coming for Taylor [Music] Kane Taylor Kane has had a great career with Aurora as this is her third season headed on headed back on I should say by the lights and now they will settle on it and try to rebuild this attack from the back [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] deflected off the shin pads of Casey Lorry riverlite quickly takes the throw and Devon Lynch gets Tangled Up not coming out of a crowd with it at least for a moment that was Ella Burke another throw coming here for riverlite coming off a 40 win away against rkc Third Coast the match was stopped in the 64th minute due to severe weather they outshot Third Coast 17-7 had six first half shots on goal those 17 shots the second most River light has had in a match this year they had 28 against Chicago Dutch Lion in their 8 nil season opening win I know a lot of players on River Light actually came from the Chicago Dutch Lions Bon quickly gets rid of it felt the pressure there and it’s a [Applause] [Music] turnover River Light asking early questions of this Aurora defense hooking that one to the back post was eand and she couldn’t keep it in the end line it is a goal kick upcoming for Taylor K going back to your point though about roster construction for this riverlite team not just in today’s 18 but roster as a whole players rostered this season 62% of them have previous US LW experience from either Chicago City SC or Chicago Dutch lions and it has paid immediate dividends River Light has stormed onto the scene in their first year challenging for the division lead meanwhile Aurora the reigning division champs will have a throw in L will turn and Chase has a river light player to her back that’s Ellie eagland the Maryland s making just her third appearance this season Charlie latshaw saying that not necessarily his preferred 18 today but the 18 that he trusts based on the players available he said he and this coaching staff have immense trust in the 18 they are throwing out here today he also touched on how the team is just super blessed to even be in this Stadium here today and he just loves to see the growth of women’s soccer black Shaw and Colette Montgomery for Aurora very similar mindsets there about goals of growing women’s soccer women’s sports and going back to that point that latshaw made he said teams at this level are blessed to be able to play in front of crowds like we have here tonight at TCO Stadium he compared Aurora to an nwsl team saying hey there are some nwsl teams that are not drawing the types of crowds that Minnesota does very complimentary of Aurora as they go through the middle glancing header from wi toong starts stops Lofts one through the middle and gloving that down is ble Braun the FAU owl turned in a three save performance against Minnesota in that 1-1 draw back in May Delta Dental of Minnesota K Group brought to you by the leading dental benefits company Delta Dental starting good oral health habits ear I like that dwan challenged the keeper there because the finishing is a big piece for Aurora here tonight if they can finish on the goal it should be in their favor dong will pick up the pieces for Minnesota now plays it back to Stone it’s been a CL of styles early on River light has been content to put the pedal to the metal and really pressure Minnesota we will have a throw in on this near touch line meanwhile Aurora seems to be still going through that feeling out process early on here in this match I know last match after the game Cat rap had touched on the team hoping to play as hard as they can throughout that full 90 minutes so hopefully that they’re able to pick that up in this first half dong nudges it back to Wickers now immediately outside Del Lori wants to take it wide that is some Stout defending there from Ella Burke former Chicago Dutch lion player played all 90 minutes against Minnesota back in May Wickers stands this one up Braun whiffs at it an open goal and Minnesota can’t strike they hit the side netting a missed opportunity for Jill Bennett on on the four poost Casey Lori being the one to pass that ball in is an important part of Aurora’s roster because they just want to be able to rotate the and look at players in different spots on the [Music] [Applause] field Aurora now with their trademark High Press trying to force River light into a turnover and they do it’s stone with the takeaway Morgan Stone one of the best defensive midfielders in the US LW and she is so good at that forcing turnovers in the Midfield she went to Boise where she played 6,49 minutes and holds the program record for the most games played by a Bronco which was 95 Don Sails this one forward was hoping to find the flashing Mariah win instead finds the gloves of Braun [Applause] BL Braun a seven should say 70% save percentage 1.14 goals against average this season has been fantastic in net there’s a poor pass for stone and a turnover eagland will take it away eagland calls her own number and Taylor Kane carries that one away at the last second what a chance on the move from Ellie Eagen yeah that was an amazing save by Kane with the sun in her eyes and all Eagan actually graduated high school this year and is comp committed to play for the University of Maryland and is getting to be able to play in that big 10 play which is a high level so having these games are so important for her to gain that high level of play experience first corner of the match coming for River Light they have piled up the corners this season 26 Lynch Sails this one and headed in in the opening goal of the match goes to River Light they have unlocked the contest 10 minutes in that seemed to have just gone over the head of Taylor Kane a set piece goal for riverlite this is a great cross from Devin Lynch [Applause] this is a testimony to what um head co River lights head coach had said about Lynch saying she stepped in in a big way every time they need her [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] a one- nil lead for riverlite on the road that will silence this Pro Aurora crowd that’s just the third goal Allowed by Aurora in the last 450 minutes played here at TCO Stadium hopefully this is just going to make them hungerer because I know how important it is to them to protect their home field Barton’s cross goes behind the goal it will be a goal kick upcoming for blle Braun BL ble Brun was an Iowa Hawkeye in 2021 and transferred to Florida Atlantic University where she had 30 saves and five shut outs which is very impressive norol will head it out that will disrupt the river light attack River FC Norfolk is another gritty player for Aurora as she is known to play full games and even at her University vpio she played every minute of every game her freshman year just showing her grittiness consecutive throws coming here for riverlite gold Branson’s 11th minute goal has been the difference to this point here’s win with it tries to get past the outside back and Burke cannot it’s another turnover for Minnesota River doing a good job of getting Aurora out of sorts early this is an area that one of these teams has struggled in and one of these teams has excelled and that is points dropped from winning positions versus points gained from losing positions River light this season comes in having dropped five points from winning positions this season that is tied for the second most in the US LW meanwhile Aurora tied for the 14th most points gained from losing positions Aurora has done a solid job of rallying in fact all time they are 42 and three when going down a goal they’ve earned at least a point in four of their last five as we have a foul against riverlight the last time these two teams went to head to-head there was 17 total fouls in the game so we’ll probably see a lot of that tonight [Music] [Music] there’s Aurora and wi putting the shot on goal and it goes skipping past the far post Aurora have had their chances three shots but just one of them have gone on goal so [Applause] far these are opportunities that you can’t afford to miss against such a strong team that is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] riverlight lights will have a free kick just a step inside that far touch line another foul whistled for this time against [Applause] Minnesota Donley coughed it up now intercepts it and they’ll work it back around to Nicole norfol [Applause] Stone was looking for cat wrap couldn’t find her now here’s Devin Lynch trying to muscle Casey lorri off the ball and we will have a whistle and a foul against Lynch as you mentioned physicality a theme in the last match between these two sides Ryan frell our Center referee this evening two of frell’s last three assignments were five plus booking Affairs including at the MLS next Pro level a s card match between Rapids 2 and North Texas SC that included a red card as well so perhaps we could see a bit of a tight whistle this evening from this officiating crew true that with a mixture of just how aggressive both teams are playing we definitely are going to see a lot of that tonight Aurora fans looking for a foul there meanwhile Minnesota doubling up and they win it back that’s an unsuccessful venture to the final third Addy Wickers does a great job at creating options for the team I think she’s an incredible player for Aurora patella had the clearance the missou tiger transferred from Arkansas State throw in finds [Applause] Wickers on to Stone now Stone will swing it near a side to lorri lorri just overruns the ball and Dong can’t pick up the pieces for Minnesota it is out off of river light though Wickers with space lets this shot go and not enough to test blle Brun read that one all the way yeah that was a good idea by her she just needs to keep doing that as I know she is great from that [Applause] shot Stone stabs this one away Aurora counterattacking and trying to put one together at least here’s wi wi goes down it will be a corner one by [Applause] Minnesota 35 Corners this season for Aurora who led the Heartland last year in total Corners Minnesota is definitely known for their C attack ability long hovers over it headed Away by riverlite Sid steps Devin Lynch Minnesota will have another throw this one coming from right about in front of the substitution [Applause] area Alicia Donley is is such a defensive anchor for this Aurora team just always making sure to get a header on it long couldn’t get around Ella Burke make that Rachel catella who used the good body positioning to allow Brawn a chance to pick it [Applause] [Music] up drop kick restarts play and headed back on by Wickers [Applause] yeah that was a high kick to her chess definitely the right call by The Ref riverlake right now not just doing a good job of controlling things in terms of the score but they are not allowing Aurora to do what we normally see them do which is connect passes through the middle and build Minnesota trying to play more of an aerial game and similar to what we saw Thursday night Maya they’re not having exact success doing it I know Colette had touched on that briefly as well after the game saying Rochester made them fight for every point they got this one played across goal and Lori no choice but to just poke it out had Devin Lynch bearing down on her it was Maya nent who scored the lone goal for riverlite in the first matchup but Devin Lynch and McKenzie Anthony were real catalysts for this riverlake offense Anthony not in the 18 today again we mentioned player availability for River light has been a big key it doesn’t seem to be affecting them here today and back to Maya Nan she is committed to play for the University of Minnesota SK mag Go Gophers always have to give them a shout out as that’s my [Applause] alumni Stone couldn’t hang on to it counterattacking opportunity here for riverlite quickly canceled out by the defensive work of Addie Wickers [Applause] [Music] wind goes to ground timed her challenge well wins it back for Minnesota as dong has it intercepted here by riverlite going against the Green is Gillespie with the takeaway wanted thatand outside that was an important step by Casey Lori cuzz just if she hadn’t stepped number nine Elena Eland was going to have another shot again riverlite with another interception Aurora it’s a rare occurrence we see them struggling to get out of their own defensive third right now that is the case lights will have another throw I noticed Addy Rickers was telling everyone to calm down waving her hands that is something Aurora definitely needs to be reminded of right now as they seem very frazzled Wong gets tangled up there there in the middle poked Away by Wickers again well Dy Wickers name a lot on the defensive side of things when again goes back to [Applause] [Music] ground bra tried the clearance and instead Shanks it out Minnesota will have a throw in a decent area here yeah they need to take advantage of every playc especially since they are down one Z every play counts Lor’s throw finds Mariah win back to Lori now back to win Lori sends across in headed away a whistle and there will be a free kick awarded to riverlite third foul Aurora have been called for going back to your point already five total fouls in this match last match Aurora had nine fouls whereas riverlite had eight fouls that just shows you how much the both these teams want to win this game W heads that away but it is intercepted once again and now Lynch with it has it stuck in her feet connects finally with dur looking for dur through the middle she is the team’s leader in minutes played nearly every minute this season has Olivia dur the secondy year player former Chicago City player last year 50 move from WRA to get past one Defender connecting with Wickers now rolled out to Casey lorri on The Interchange here’s dong this is the game plan that Aurora is wanting to see that was an amazing give and go by Morgan Stone dong rolls that in behind was hoping for a cross from Stone and instead a challenge applied by Ella Burke Aurora will have a throw in L he stands this one up and the flag is up offs side for Minnesota Aurora that cancels out another opportunity for the home side Minnesota Aurora’s head coach KET Montgomery emphasized the who is more important in what they do and hopefully that gives them the freedom of confidence to go and be themselves here today and they know the game plan and they’re very coachable a whistle and there will be a free kick given just a step outside the box to Minnesota seems to be some arguing going [Applause] on it’ll be an indirect kick so that allows River Light to form a wall in front of Aurora look at it again here on the replay as dong tried to find cat rrap and WRA was essentially boxed out there by Taylor green yeah that was the defender she had her arms wrapped around her which you cannot get away with in [Music] [Applause] soccer this an inviting situation here for Aurora dong gloved Away by ble Brawn a full stretch save made it goes out for a goal kick blle braa with three massive saves early she is standing on her head that was an amazing shot by dong it was like there was a curve to it the best looking opportunity for Aurora so far nearly a half hour into this [Applause] contest nent wins it back for River Light a foot race here and kise Barton will win that Barton the former Central Florida Knight transferred from Washington State she actually early enrolled at Washington State in Spring 2018 and that’s a testimony to show her talents and shows the hard work she has put into the game of soccer Martin fires this ahead into an empty space and instead picking it up is Taylor green green has played 300 minutes this season at that Center back spot talked about dur being a stalwart in the lineup so is Taylor green and now Lori has to make something happen Taylor green actually attended Bowling Green in Kentucky and was named the Mac all freshman team and mid- American Conference she was the top athlete of her [Music] class eagland applied the pressure the Maryland s forced Casey Lorry to clear it out it goes across the end line and Devin Lynch will take another corner light scored on their earlier corner from this end again sailing to the back post and it was stoned to head It [Music] Away Great pressure from [Applause] Bennett right now River Light FC just a step quicker to everything than Minnesota they have Aurora on their heels lch will stand this one [Applause] up Branson heads it across able to find Bowen [Applause] Steiner here’s ly with it not many options going forward as cat wrap and now wi pressing for a turnover wi maybe could have taken a few more touches and maybe tried to take on a Defender 1 V one when you have no options that seems like the best option there’s Lynch with plenty of options and out comes Taylor Kane to end the opportunity a smart read from Aurora’s Keeper in Orange the great communication between her and Donley as sometimes you don’t always know if your goalkeeper is there so that’s why communication is so important pass from Minnesota change of possession will occur via the turnover Colette Montgomery told us earlier this week Maya that the goal for Aurora in these two matches at home this week was to get back to basics that’s something just a basic pass Aurora struggling with they are all out of sorts right now yeah she emphasized how soccer is such a simple game so Aurora just needs to play the game they know and have been playing this season flag is up River Light in an offside position so far I feel these teams are very evenly matched but it feels like River light has more chemistry and are in unison with their Pace looking for win over the top rber light saying that was out and officials concur throw in on this near touch line wind just seems to be getting unlucky this game she has been a top goal scorer for Aurora in past seasons and even in the recent matches so hopefully she can bring that here [Music] tonight long backtracking connects with Norfolk Aurora will try to build from the back a half hour gone in this contest sailing one through the middle was wicker this is is dong catching up to it dong quick clearance from River Light I’m really impressed with Don ley’s play tonight she’s just being a true playmaker see that was just a great opportunity just the communication wasn’t there rap tried to slip it through and thumped further clear by rlfc Barton will take the throw here’s Stone flanked by Bart wants to play her through cross out swinger there’s D Wong cutting it back in now dong into the middle it’s loose Stone deposits at home that’s what I like to see D’s creativity there just secured that goal for Aurora Morgan Stone in her sixth appearance of 2024 has opened her goal scoring account as you just saw the players saluted her as she is a captain and that was one of the celebratory things they had practice that Mariah win implemented this is a great ball from ktie dong again hooking one to that back post thought she had wrap instead it’s Morgan Stone leveling this contest in the 32 [Applause] minute in Aurora’s first season Stone scored five goals and one was featured as number nine of ESPN sports center top 10 that just shows you how talented she is and how she is a true playmaker for Aurora this Pro Aurora crowd had been so quiet since that 11th minute goal from ANA gold Branson and 21 minutes later the Captain Morgan Stone comes through it is a new ball game here in Egan [Applause] Minnesota slipped through by win wi now with a head of steam little miscommunication between her and Katie dong but dong does get a piece of that clearance and it’s one back by win now dong has a go of it and that will drop right into the gloves of blle braw dang needs to keep up with these shots from the left field because one is bound to make something happen as we just [Applause] saw Donley no choice but to clear that out had Ellie eagland breathing right down her neck after the whiffed [Applause] clearance when we talked to Colette Montgomery earlier this week Maya I thought she said something very insightful soccer is such a cruel cruel game and you can be the better team and A lot of times draw or even lose and we see that playing out in this match unquestionably riverlight has been the better team to this juncture of the match 34 minutes in and yet right there crowd in front Minnesota finds the back of the net and puts this match on level footing yeah I agree with Colette it’s all about who is able to finish foul against Minnesota they’re fourth [Applause] [Music] change of possession Aurora will have the throw in right in front of their own technical area and Lor’s throw finds norfol pressure coming and it’s one back by riverlite the young Maya nent applying the pressure there the high [Applause] schooler Aurora’s backside or back side has been making has been making me nervous as I feel they may be taking taking too many touches in that back line right there especially against a team like riverlite that doesn’t seem like the best option stoppage whistled for for a hand ball wind will block that cross out it does concede the corner to riverlite they’re third of this match said it earlier they have done a good job of piling up the corners this season in fact in their most recent match against rkc had Seven Corners yeah this is where they definitely are most dangerous lights will short the corner back to Lynch on the give and go Lynch’s shot was blocked now nent has a go of it that is blocked nent off the volley did cross the end line and that will be a Taylor Kane goal kick nent has such an important role for River Light being that six she always has to be involved in that play fun fact about her she actually has a 4.4 GPA so I know her soccer IQ is high Long’s pass sailing over the head of Barton riverlite quickly takes the throw [Music] in less than 10 minutes and change until the halftime whistle it’s been just about what we’ve expected so far through nearly 37 minutes an even match a physical match a very physical match and I know number three for River Light Ella Burke used to play basketball and I feel like that’s where aggression definitely comes from flicked on by WRA can wind get to it she cannot as catella steps up the team’s trading headers pinballing around the Midfield great job by Stone just helping the team reset so they can so they can swing it up to Lori and hopefully make another play happen Lori looking for options finds dong here’s WRA with it now [Applause] worked over to Bennett Bennett hangs one high through the middle dong with the touch couldn’t settle it though and now here is Lynch and riverlite but Branson will double back and wait for support well-timed Challenge from Morgan Stone to dispossess Olivia D now here’s ktie Dong Dong looks to roll that one in behind and cannot finds the end line and that will be another goal kick I like how cat rat looked at her and just gave her a hand to show her that it’s okay you make mistakes and we just need to brush it off and that’s another big point of emphasis for this Aurora team when you make mistakes you have to be able to brush it off Kitty dong has some high level experience under her belt not just playing at Stanford which as we know is thought of as a Powerhouse program in the Olympic sports realm but also six career points for the US u20 national team at the conaf u20s a few years ago and she was recently selected in the fourth round by the Portland Thorns in 2024 nwsl draft and practice with the team so she definitely gained a lot of skills from that there’s Bennett Bennett has a defender in her Hip Pocket given go from WRA to Stone during trainings this week I noticed Bennett would stay after on the field and practiced her shots Aurora and Mariah win pleading for a foul there as w got tangled up with Ella Burke on her run through the middle official sets play on [Applause] Lynch is so strong on her feet with stod now two challenges from Mariah win almost turned it over as Bennett couldn’t Corral that one in now Lynch will get it back nit with a head of steam too much weight behind that ball couldn’t find her teammate in Gold Branson on the outside Taylor Kane will have the goal kick River light is a very tall team and just having that extra inch can make a big difference glancing header from win dong locked in a battle with Rachel catella and catella will win it that time yeah that was a great use of her body to block out win the trio of catella Taylor green and Ella Burke have really been a force to be reckoned with across the back for Charlie latshaw and this riverlight [Applause] club gpie heads it on [Music] this is a very back and forth game both teams have had pretty much the same amount of opportunities it’s just about who is able to finish M great job to keep it in that touch line on the far side able to win it back now here’s dur swings it to Lynch Lynch going one-on-one with lorri Lynch cuts it back cross gets off traffic in front and takes Kane will make the grab Lynch is an Unstoppable player if you saw Lori even had a little bit of her shirt there trying to get her back which I’m surprised the ref didn’t [Applause] notice dein Lynch the Duke Blue Devil 5’8 made 16 appearances last year for Duke formerly the number one overall High School Prospect in the state of Illinois at her position third in the country she also is an academic weapon and was named all ACC academic team and ACC honor roll fed back to stone stone losing ground no options going forward here for Aurora again credit to River Light congesting things through the Midfield and Nicole norfol just a mental error will give riverlite a throw back to Burke flick on and short clearance from mie [Applause] [Music] Wickers Aurora seems to be struggling to get it out from the back line right now but there’s some success as we saw right now here’s wi has options all around and too much weight behind that pass short clearance will find the touch line and Aurora will have a throw the sun is beating down right now it’s even hot up here in the Press Box so I don’t even want to imagine how it feels for the [Applause] players Barton with the takeaway and will smartly play it back to Taylor Kane Aurora’s bread and butter is building from the back Colette Montgomery has talked time and time again this season about the options that gives them going forward here’s dong one of those options and now Stone that finds an empty area and will be a goal [Applause] kick building from the back is so important because you get a full image of the field and get to make the best decision as a reminder Twin Cities Orthopedics and training house powered by TCO are proud to be the official sports medicine and performance providers for Minnesota a FC together TCO and training house are trusted by some of the biggest names in sports and bring that same level of care to our athletes our sideline team is led by team physician Dr Christine hikis as Aurora trying to connect with Cat rap and that’s cleared away athletic trainer Danielle Armstrong Sports Performance coaches Kayla Russell and physical therapists Alexis Mosley and Kelsey Majerus thank you TCO and training house for being a part of our team visit tcomn.com and train H us.com to learn more that’s what I like to see from donelly her making that dribble all the way up Field Stone has a hit from distance catches the post and it’s cleared out by riverlight Morgan Stone nearly bagging a brace in the first half and blight Braun thanking her best friend the post a look at it here again just too short of a clearance and stone is a weapon from long range yeah smart decision by her to take that [Applause] shot Aurora will have another Corner they’re second of this opening 45 this is going to be an important set piece for Aurora this is how they scored their goal against River light with Sophie French long high sailing ball is cleared away on that back post area Stone couldn’t tight rope the touch line but it’s poked out by riverlite and Aurora will have the [Applause] throw we are into stoppage time here at TCO Stadium as we take a look at our rules of the game broughty by Lin Hoffman and pause that for a second as out comes Braun diving on it wind couldn’t Corral it in and Braun will dive on it to end the danger for riverlite but Maya going back to our rules of the game the importance of stoppage time as we have a halftime whistle yeah this is important because during the half there is sometimes stops of play due to injury or other reasons so you need to add that time to make sure they have that full 45 minutes of play our official sounds the whistle for half time at TCO Stadium River light on the board first in the 11th minute thanks to Ana gold Branson Morgan Stone answers in the 32nd with a goal to level things and that is where we stand we send it to our box n crew in the studio for our halftime report [Music] [Music] [Music] Aurora fans you’re watching the fox9 plus halftime report well hi there everyone I’m Tim blotz thanks so much for joining us for this aora halftime report so what’s it like to be in charge of this team our Don Mitchell in introduces us to Minnesota Aurora FC’s new head coach and sporting director Colette Montgomery who’s now leading the team Minnesota Aurora named Colette Montgomery its brand new head coach and sporting director on April 8th she replaces Nicole lukic who left to go to the National program as us soccer’s director of talent identification now Colette was given the Reigns in April with a season that starts in May that’s no easy task I I love challenges that’s for sure uh I think that you know I’ve never really called myself a leader I think over time i’ I’ve recognized that I have some of those giftings but uh we have a great team and that’s what I love I think that that’s what sports gives us right is that team element and so far it’s been terrific it’s not just me uh it wasn’t just Nicole when she was here she had a great team of people around her whether that’s in the sporting staff or the front office um the founders the community owners everybody’s done their part to get this to where it is and uh the success of this organization is that people like liol can go on to bigger and greater things and we’re thrilled for her and uh just ready to now take the organization into the next next step they say teams take on the coach’s personality and if so this will be fun Colette occasionally drops a dad joke or two and she has a leadership style that includes everyone I would say I’m a collaborative uh leader um I really want to have people own the environment and I think that that plays into a player centered environment here we’ve got amazing young women that are leaders in their own right we’ve got returning players who understand what the Aurora way is and uh we’re going to collaborate in making that the best experience we can so that we can Thrive and play well and in that USL W championship in such a short amount of time you talk about the Aurora way it’s already it’s already a fixture uh you do have a lot of returning players you have a lot of international players what can you say about a team that hasn’t been around that long that has already established that yeah I mean they’ve created a winning tradition um they’ve created a place that people want to come and be a part of and everybody that I’ve talked to has said whether they’ve come from Italy or from Norway or um from Ohio uh the Aurora name is out there and people are aware of this organization in the club and they want to be a part of it and so to have players coming in uh it’s a very diverse Squad and uh I think that that just enriches the environment as well where people can learn from different experiences different backgrounds and come in and and kind of add that flavor uh to the team this year we love them no matter what happens and that you know our our admiration for them is not about their performan is about who they are as people and then helping them to uh not feel that stress so that they can go and enjoy the game uh even with everything swirling around them do you give yourself that Grace I hope so yeah I probably want to play that back again a to myself Dawn Mitchell fox9 Sports all right time now to meet one of the players and this one is from Santa Barbra and goes to the University of Iowa our Don Mitchell again introduces us to the goalkeeper Taylor Kane it’s really special I mean I’m definitely one of the like Souls who I just do what I can to help other people I love a goalkeeper Taylor Kane Prides herself on keeping everything out of her goal but when it comes to her home and her teammates it’s an open door policy the Cane family is from Santa Barbara California but relocates to Minnesota in the summer in order to support Taylor they’ve gone to every single Aurora home game and their house is a home away from home for her teammates most of whom live in dorms at a nearby College we have a place on the lake which is really nice and so it’s kind of has become like the team home everyone comes over we hang out in the backyard have dinners together kind of lets them get like a home-cooked meal I love doing what I can to make people feel like safe and at home and if whether that’s like a home-cooked meal or just hanging out in the backyard with my brother and my mom it means a lot for I know for them to just get that escape from the dorm so it makes me happy to do that for them having the full support of her parents means the world to Taylor her brother is a hockey player so Minnesota is a natural fit for him even in the summer and it all came to pass the very first season so my first Aurora summer I knew I wanted to play on a summer team I shout out for some other USL W teams and I kind of narrowed it down between here and Indie 11 um which was fun to play them that first year and to beat them that was really cool um but my younger brother plays ice hockey and so it’s a pretty easy decision between living in Indiana and living out in Minnesota where hockey is the sport that it is um so all of us were able to come out here and enjoy some more time together as a family Taylor coming off a great College season at Iowa the Hawkeyes won the Big 10 championship and of course women’s Athletics in general were riding High along with Caitlyn Clark and the Women’s Basketball team it’s really awesome the women’s teams for Iowa this year we had basketball with all of their priding amazing things they did women’s soccer won the Big 10 women’s field hockey made it to the Sweet 16 women’s wrestling won The Natty so and it was women’s wrestling first year ever so it was just really really amazing time to be a Hawkeye so people are gonna say well have you met Caitlyn I have a few times um the basketball girls are all really awesome and um their head coach who is now just retired um is really supportive of all the women’s sports so it’s really cool to have that Community there and now it’s time to focus on her Aurora Community as a teammate and a topnotch goalkeeper do you see balls coming at you in your dreams I did one time en Vision across and I mayor May out have punched the wall in my freshman dorm room it was across I like vividly remember this dream came out for the crossw like that and then I like woke up I was like waa I just punched the wall oh no did you hurt yourself no I was totally fine but my gosh it was so we do we do dream about big Sav being a goalkeeper is a really amazing position obviously it comes with its mental I think it’s like a mentally hard spot to be in um goalkeepers put a lot of pressure on ourselves but that’s also what allows us to become really good goalkeepers and at the end of the day I do it for my team I’m willing to throw my throw my body on the line for the girls in front of me and I know that they would do what they can up in front that’s what families do on the field and off Don Mitchell fox9 [Applause] [Music] Sports back on fox9 plus kned up at one a piece through 45 minutes of play along with my flp I’m Jake Griffith Maya that first half gave us just about everything you could want out of a match between two of the top three in the Heartland division table Aurora had a bevy of chances six first half shots on goal but four saves from blle Brawn that has really been the biggest story I agree both teams are fighting hard every minute I would like to see more One V one taking on River I would like to see Aurora take on River light with these 1 V one creativity as dang did in the first half which was in a goal riverlight finding the back of the net in the 11th minute thanks to Ana gold Branson making just her second appearance of the young season it was Morgan Stone one of Aurora’s captains in the 32nd minute that leveled things up at one a piece that is where we stand entering the second 45 minutes lock in this should be an entertaining second half these are the matches players love to play cuz it truly helps you bring out your creativity your individual flare both teams need to maximize their productivity without wasting their efforts because it does get tiring out there a chance to look at the Heartland division table entering today a couple of Heartland division fixtures are currently ongoing Chicago City at Bavarian United kicked off at 6:00 p.m. central Time City finds themselves at the moment at the top of the table with 13 points Aurora right now nipping at their their heels with 11 and then behind Aurora is riverlite with 10 points then Bavarian United with seven Rochester with six rkc playing Bavarian to a one-1 draw earlier this week so Third Coast picking up their first point of the season and Chicago Dutch Lions still seeking their first point of 2024 they’re really missing the players that left and went to riverlite and this is an important game for both riverlite and Minnesota because they this will help their chances in the standings to get to that playoff match rkc taking down Chicago Dutch lion that match kicked off at 300 p.m. central Time so rkc now with four points gaining ground quickly on Rochester FC Aurora will head to Rochester for the second leg of the hot dish Derby this time next week or Thursday of next week I should say look at our current weather here in Egan Minnesota just outside the Twin City 73° 12 mph winds it’s been a very pleasant day especially considering earlier today really gross weather cloudy rain it has given way to a beautiful evening of soccer yeah this is perfect soccer weather and it’s great that the wind isn’t too much because I know that was a factor for Aurora when they faced Rochester and that was hurting them Alex Teta in for River Light FC to start the second half the 511 forward she currently attends Eastern Illinois University having already a lot of success there Sage wimes on the pitch to start half number two from Minnesota as is giat joou Ryan Ferrell sounds the whistle and we are back underway three points hang in the balance in this Heartland division tilt who can come out Victorious we’ll find out here in this second set of 45 minutes River Light possessing it currently and wimes will force a throw it’s great to see wimes out on the field hopefully she can bring her creative flare to this second half and create opportunities for Aurora profound wrap and it goes off of wrap on its way out or excuse me I should say off of River Light on its way out Donley will have the throw also Sophia Bush in Bush in the 18 for the first time on Thursday night Sophia Bush the other Iowa Hawkeye one of three current Hawkeyes on this Aurora roster yeah she plays alongside Taylor Kane and Maya Hansen who is out due to injury but has been a big vocal presence for Aurora giving players ADV viice from the [Applause] sidelines this will flick ahead we’ll force a clearance from Rachel catella Aurora will have the [Applause] throw at last check Bavarian United controlling the match against Chicago City 2-1 at the half now here’s dong on her left and Katie dong what a goal for the former Portland Thorn it’s a 2-1 lead for Minnesota fresh out of the halftime break yes great read by dang to see that the keeper was off her line and using that left foot to just get it chipped in right behind that goaly that was such a great shot by her that is some strike for the native of Portland Oregon Katie dong surging Aurora in front two unanswered since conceding the 11th minute goal Aurora pushing for more as Bush connecting here with wimes miscommunication as wi had Bur Burk draped all over her could not carral that in and ble Braun will scoop it up it’s all about how Aurora now responds to getting a goal so quickly their job is not done yet and they still need to play so hard for this last half [Applause] looks like a little confusion there for Casey Lorry as riverlite will actually have the throw on that far touch line it is promptly one back by Minnesota as Joe weaving through [Applause] Defenders left off for dong it’s great to see giata back as she is coming back from a minor injury but she just told me how all she wants to do is play so this is an super a super important game for her to get back into it go kick up coming here for blle brwn it is Bella shop who is in goal for this second half for riverlite FC as Burke will step up with the interception now full head of steam here a counterattacking opportunity testing Kane and Kane will Parry that away nice looking shot from Ellie eagland already has struck once as the Long Grove Illinois native very dangerous for Aurora being in that situation look at this shot again as Kane read it well but just had to bat that one down that really tested Taylor Kane Kane will pick up her third save of this match sometimes that’s what you have to do like head coach Colette had said for Aurora Soccer is a simple game Bush’s pass nearly intercepted now she’ll get it back this rolled in behind and wi will catch up to it wi flicks it in the middle rat pushes it wide it is a corner one though for Aurora RAV truly put her body on the line trying to get that goal for Aurora Aurora up to 10 shots riverlight has five and Minnesota set to take their third corner of this [Applause] fixture long hovering over it and in swinging ball to the back post too much behind that from dong and when just got handcuffed with it it will be a bell shop goal kick it seems to have been the win that carried that ball further than the aora players were but it’s nice to have a player be in that back position for when cases like that do [Music] [Applause] happen deflected off of dong and out River light has the throw right near that substitution area as Sam bodensteiner the Duke Blue Devil takes it and she only saw 17 minutes of playing time in her freshman year but doing this during the summer is going to help her grow as a player served out wide to Wes Wes carries it past Burke and now wines little flip into the middle WRA turns and fires and a save made Aurora pile in up the chances now that is the fifth save for riverlite first for Bell shop now that is what coaches want to see just taking on the defender One V one and showing your individual flare back forward they go this is Bush and now Z we mentioned it in the Rochester match Maya it was very evident that Minnesota was missing that Midfield creativity from giata Joo she is a player that can make a lot of things happen we saw it against Chicago City making it happen on the equalizing goal serving up the assist that resulted in the leveler yeah she has such an important role being in that position for the Midfield starting to notice a bit of a tactical change here for Minnesota as well as we’re starting to see Alicia Donley who just had it a moment ago pinch further up from that outside back spot and now Wickers has shifted more back at one point we saw dwang also covering back for Alicia Donley and I know Alicia Donley had been practicing in that mid defensive role so to see her now on the outside let’s see what she’s able to make happen Wes is passed through is blocked out now a flick back on for sage wimes forces a clearance from riverlite Aurora will have the throw so far it’s been a tale of two halves River Light were the better team out of the gates in the first half testing Minnesota early they’re they were rewarded with an 11th minute goal but since coming out of the halftime dressing room Minnesota has changed things around now here is riverlite going against the grain tried to take it past Nicole norfol and norfol having none of that played back to Stone going back to you saying during the locker room time like there’s been a big change since they got in the locker room and I know that Aurora’s head coach Colette emphasized that they know their game plan they just need to execute it Lory goes over the top wind was tangled up with Burke again those two have been going at it on the outside today Ella Burke and Rah win that has been an excellent battle to watch play [Applause] out Aurora High pressing now both of these teams both of their coaches came into this match saying we are going to gas it out for 90 full minutes and high press that was honestly one of the things I was the most excited to see play out on the field about two very strong High Press attacks going against each other and has not disappointed yeah he said I don’t want blowouts I want a challenge he wants the chess match it really tests the medal of your team Wickers finds Bush and now out wide to Donley Donley her shot is blocked another Corner coming from Minnesota Donley began to transition to that D roll in 2022 prior to that she was a forward so she’s not new to trying to score Wong will deal with 12 mph winds on this near [Applause] flag ball goes out swinging turned away by River Light [Applause] [Music] played forward to Joe Joe tried to slip it to herself and it was intercepted by the lights Lynch little miscommunication thought she had Bowen Steiner in a different area than Bowden Steiner was change of possession will occur via the throw [Music] Inc WAP gets it back WP goes to the Turf and that will be River light’s fourth foul they’ve been whistled for yeah she was totally tripped by the river light Defender there but got back up and that’s all that matters in the first 25 minutes or so we saw seven combined fouls that’s just the ninth combined foul that these teams have been whistled for so the physicality has dialed back a touch as this match has gone on [Music] dong stands one up to Donley and heads it high and over the [Applause] bar I love to see Donley more involved in the attacking play of Aurora and just showing her skill set and just showing how she is such a versatile player [Music] W glances it back down patella has to move with it has three Minnesota shirks around her she was able to do just that they clear it forward but it is out and Minnesota will quickly take a throw Aurora seems to now be playing everything at a fast pace and seems in unison right now there’s lorri catches up to that ball Lori was trying to find Mariah win and wind’s opposite 19 catella intercepts it and clears it [Applause] away Lor coughs it up Midfield turnover for Minnesota promptly won back by norfol [Applause] Joe thought she had an option through the middle intercepted by Bowen [Applause] Steiner now River light’s able to reset and try and make something happen whenever Ln whenever Lynch gets the ball I can tell Aurora is uneasy whipped into the middle to win from bush bush will win it [Applause] back turned away from gold there by Green now served to the back post and headed away ripped away by [Applause] [Music] dong long goes forward to Bush now laid off to Donley [Applause] Donley’s ball goes skipping into the middle and a dangerous ball is gobbled up by Bell shop that’s a heads up read by shop as that was promptly in the most dangerous area the ball has seemed to be in River light’s half for a majority of the second half so far [Applause] Joe tried to serve it out wide to Casey lorri and it’s out for a river light throw we’ve played an hour in this contest we’ve seen some great endtoend action so far three really impressive goals right now it’s Minnesota in front on the score line Katy Dong’s second half goal in the 47th minute the difference so [Applause] far po place for a turnover if you’re Casey Lorry nent and the lights attacking up ahead to Teta left off for nent now here’s Lynch this is a promising buildup here for River light gold Branson the lights goal scorer with it that ball falls through charging forward for the shot is Burke and it goes high I would have liked to see Branson um challenge Donnelly a little more right there and see if she could get past her oh looks like they’re fighting over the ball I remember those days of watching soccer and when the ball comes into your area just fighting the other kids trying to get it [Applause] Mariah win wins a throw in for Minnesota quickly taken away though by riverlite Ella Burke has done a good job stepping up at times from that outside back spot doing it again there to stab it away from cat rrap Aurora do have another throw however yeah riverlite has done a great job consistently getting these throwin that Aurora earns Katella with pressure coming will steer this one back to Bell shop shop another one of these riverlight players with previous US LW experienced one appearance last year for Chicago city and goal the Branson will Corral this [Music] in plays that into a wide area won’t find a teammate instead finds the touchline and Casey ly quickly tosses it in to resume play Whenever Aurora has been getting pushed they push right back and that is a testimony to their gritty [Music] limes gets tied up and now numbers here for Minnesota oh that’s great defense from Taylor green could have been a Surefire scoring opportunity one back though off The Challenge from wi options all around cuts it back to Wi wi to WP it’s cancelled out back the cross goal cleared off the line by riverlight that was so [Applause] close what a defensive effort from the riverlite back four keeping this team in it inches away becoming a 31 [Music] game flag is up Mariah win offside and that will end a frantic sequence of events for riverlite a look at it here it all starts with a defensive effort from Mariah win to win it back cleared off the line by Sam [Applause] bodensteiner Aurora did not give up on that goal they were so close they just need to keep going with these opportunities you’re looking Colette Montgomery Minnesota’s coach emphasized arora’s transition game this week as there’s a hard Collision on the outside between Casey Lori and that looks like Ella Burke it is Burke and Lori is still down yeah sometimes we need a moment to just be able to catch your breath after a hard hit like [Applause] that Lory will get an ovation from the crowd back to her feet ret back to dur nen run off the ball here by Aurora counterattacking once again as Minnesota this is wi Wes will take it deep and wimes Goes Down official says play on despite the pleas from Aurora for a foul they do get a corner for their efforts that was a great effort by wi she knows she’s faster than the defender so it she pretty much passed that ball to herself trying to outrun the defender for River river [Music] light sixth corner of the match coming for [Applause] [Music] Minnesota sailing to that back post short clearance Donley shot is blocked and a whistle and a foul against win will end the chance for Minnesota dang has been an essential part for corners for the Aurora [Applause] team bringing up the Defenders that are tall players is also very very important in order to get these goals and get those headers and get that ball in the back of the net another ball for the crowd a huge result to make you aware of going final just seconds ago in Milwaukee Bavarian United has upended Chicago City at top the table as we have a whistle and a foul 4 One a huge blow delivered to the current league leaders entering today meaning Minnesota if this result stands could Propel themselves at top the table in the Heartland for the first time this season that is a shocking score line out of Milwaukee that’s a testimony to what Minnesota’s coach kette had said soccer is a cruel game you may be the better team but it’s about who’s finishing looks like there’s some substitutions a will make one change riverlite will make two as Ellen person the Illinois fighting Ali and Sophia skubish will come on and Julia Satler enters for the first time today from [Applause] Minnesota Satler played for Capital football club athletica during the club’s first USL W season in 2023 playing nine of the team’s 10 matches and after college sat also played for various teams in Europe Europe including Albania and Austria and [Applause] Germany the ball finds the head of Casey lur headed back on by Joe and flicked back away by Rachel catella glancing header finds Devin Lynch Lynch looking for options here almost found the foot of a teammate carams back to Bowden Steiner and her cross goes off the side netting and [Applause] out riverlite needs to be able to maximize this productivity because when they make these runs and they’re not able to finish it is Wast ing their efforts and it gets so tiring out there Donell thumbs that one clear and now glancing header from WP Wes forcing the issue and WRA will win it back tried to cut it back into the middle short clearance dong will pick up the pieces and Dong lofs one back in to the gloves of B this seems like a sweet spot for dwan she likes to take these big floater kicks and ch Cheng the goalkeeper lch side steps One Challenge from [Applause] Don a simple Mistake by riverlite but it gave Aurora the ball they can’t afford to do that with only around 20 minutes of play left [Music] change of possession will occur via the throw once again this time River Light will have it as the Minnesota crowd comes to life for what feels like the first time in a long time even after Aurora took the lead you could still tell there was an anxious air about the crowd here at TCO Stadium I I thought Charlie latshaw summed it up really good when talking about going against a crowd especially of this size here at TCO he said in a lot of cases it actually puts more pressure on the home team it forces the away team to elevate themselves because they’re excited to play in front of a big crowd like that as Donley will Corral this one in yeah this is a lot of pressure for Aurora they don’t want to disappoint their fans Donley tries to cut it back and does cuts it back to the outside serves one up in the middle it’s wines off the volley the shot is [Applause] blocked Donley has been making some big plays for aora tonight L tried to flick that past the defender it’s a hand [Applause] bom a look at the opportunity again Wes couldn’t take the touch and then Sophia Bush’s shot goes keming off the back of a Defender again though Aurora piling up the chances up to 13 shots [Applause] now that shot was blocked or more like a cross from Gio casy Lorry will toss it in from the far touch Line This is the most I’ve seen Casey Lori on the pitch and I think she’s doing an incredible job Lory making just her second start of 2022 or 2024 I should say G I sure hope we didn’t go back in the time machine for 2022 no thank you ball finds the foot of Alex Teta first time we’ve really called her name this evening and she will win a throw for River Light Teta such an impressive player OBC newcomer team selection second team pick as well in the Ohio Valley Conference seven points for the Eastern Illinois Panthers I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of teda but also when you get less playing time in a game it’s harder for you to find your rhythm [Music] [Applause] flick on header from win and now will’ll try her hand at it again this time more successful almost found wrap and wrap is run down by the defender that will be a free kick for Minnesota outside the 18 we’ve seen a lot of aerial Duss this evening and one player who’s been a consistent theme in all of them is Mariah win doing her best to just get something going from Minnesota a credit to River light’s defense because it has been more of a start and stop attack as opposed to fluid football for Aurora yeah this game has definitely been unpredictable for both teams [Applause] sharp angle here for dong who is the setpiece specialist for Aurora that one headed high and out a corner one by [Applause] Minnesota I like that Colette had taken a point to bring in new players in this game I know she had said I want to give everybody an opportunity to play everybody wants to play in front of a crowd like this and to have Sage wimes join and Julia Satler it’s a great opportunity for both Aurora and these individual [Music] players ins swinger from dong crow in front of go second ball back in for Donley again cleared but headed in it’s Sage ryes adding to the Aurora lead Donley said nope I’m getting that ball and used her long legs to assist sage wimes in an incredible goal so much excitement is in the air the young Sage ryes doubles the Aurora lead her second goal of 2024 three unanswered since conceding the opener and Aurora are in charge in Egan and I know how she said she was disappointed not being able to play in the last game but I know she’s happy now as she got her go for Aurora Aurora making two changes as Ramy WP and test Works sub on riverlake countering with the one Victoria Adams on for the first time this [Applause] evening aora scor number 24 s this week Colette Montgomery saying that this coaching staff this brand new Aurora coaching staff as Minnesota and works will have a throw emphasizes day in and day out the importance of good character when facing adversity she says we challenged this team to play without fear they went down and faced adversity at home just this second time in the last 450 minutes they had conceded the opener here at TCO stadium and boy oh boy has this team responded Aurora has such a great encouraging environment and I know players like Sage wimes who just got the goal says she truly loves Colette and feels that Colette truly cares about each and every player and empowers the team [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] fans will try to announce that the attendance for tonight’s match is [Applause] 6,053 that was the right [Music] [Applause] call a whistle and a foul Adams wins the free kick announced attendance 6,053 in attendance at TCO Stadium the largest crowd Aurora has played in front of this evening that is simply impressive to think about 6 thou almost 6,100 people coming out on a Saturday evening to watch pre-professional women’s soccer in the words of Charlie latchaw III that Minnesota Aurora they have something special Brewing up there in Minneapolis each and every player on the Aurora team always has one thing to say about the fans and is how great they are and how they just hope they’re able to play in front of them at first they didn’t have a lot to cheer for through those first 30 minutes or so and then Morgan Stone found the back of the net and since then they have had a lot to be excited about they definitely found their spark and their cre their creativity and just need to keep playing hard throughout the final minutes of play Adams works that back to green and intercepted by sh numbers here for Minnesota canceled out there by The Challenge from riverlite pressure still back on though for Aurora as Joe weaving through the [Applause] defense Ser back out wide this is Ramy [Applause] W dur applies the challenge Aurora looking for the foul they won’t get it it is a free kick gramy rap can’t believe [Applause] it Ramy rap is one of the triplet sisters on the Aurora team the triplet sisters were the Colorado 4A State Runners up in 2019 and 2021 they have so much chemistry and I hope we get to see them in a game for Aurora all [Applause] together Aurora supporters group the rant toet one of my favorite things about them they have three white flags that have the letter r on them and for each wrap that’s on the field they drape a new flag right now only one R Ramy replacing her sister cat and of course Eli starting the season on the injury Rehabilitation list as that skips all the way back into the gloves of Bella shop River Light seems to be taking their time here but I don’t think that’s the smartest Choice as they are down by two one back by wimes through to bus cuts it back bus tucks it in off the post couldn’t finish and it’s out for a goal [Music] kick it seems he wasn’t really able to get her head up there to really clearly have a great shot of the goal bus just tried to tuck this short side on Bella shop and the post says no that’s twice now the post has come to the aid of riverlight Keepers this [Applause] evening River Light plays from Deep hoping to make something happen their transitions have started to get slower this is not the team we saw in the first half it seems to they may be getting tired more frazzled as they know that Aurora has the control right now wimes with another interception here goes Aurora building on a counter WS gets to her right and uncorks a shot that sails wide wz is from Portland Oregon she went to Utah State University last year she played with South Georgia tour menta football club alongside Kaylee Chambers who is on the bench right now for Aurora she’s known to make impacts when entering a game her freshman year at Utah scored her first goal for the Aggies first match guided all the way back to Taylor [Applause] Kane BS will slow up try to steer that one through the middle doubled up on Taylor green who was able to get it to catella now River Light will try to build from the back here coming up on 7 Minutes Plus stoppage time remaining in this contest Aurora is just trying to waste time now which is very smart [Applause] [Music] number five for River Light Victoria Adams is in and she was born in 2008 she’s 16 years old and 6 foot [Applause] one chop will get things restarted with the drop kick we mentioned it in the first half Aurora have been simply incredible when rallying from a deficit the 14th most points gained from losing positions this season in the US LW and if this result holds that would move them up to Five Points gained from losing positions on the campaign that would be the third most in the entire league only Oakland soul and Olympic Club have more Soul have seven gained from losing positions as Lynch cuts it back to the outside her cross is intercepted and cleared out by Ramy WP riverlite will have a [Applause] throw two more changes set to be made by rlfc Shaina D Silva the deple player who made 11 appearances last year and Evan Shakur who is signed to Winthrop former Club teammate with Ellie Ellie eagland and both of those players will come on and here is Victoria Adams Charlie latshaw very complimentary of Victoria Adams She is the number one rated high school player in the state of Illinois for the class of 2026 he said when you watch her play it’s AAR parent she’s one of the best players on the pitch even at this age called her arguably the best young player here in the US LW yeah she’s a player I was super excited to see out here tonight wimes will flick this one out wide Here Comes Minnesota but Tess Works in an offside position I thought Aurora had gotten over their offside calls but at the as this second half comes to an end it seems to have been now two offside calls yeah [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Aurora has made life difficult for opposing Keepers Minnesota has posted more shots on goal than their opposition in 16 of their last 17 fixtures only USL W’s reigning champions in the 11 have out chanced Minnesota during that span and that was in the central Conference Final in Flint Michigan last season as Lynch tries to cut it to the inside finds the foot of Shakura tried to fight through a challenge was tripled up there by Minnesota yeah those are almost impossible to win R thought she had wimes through the middle WS will clear it back down and Shop will come out trying to just jump start something for River Light you have to give River Light credit and it plays into what Charlie latshaw said midweek we are going to play We referring to riverlite are going to play for 90 full minutes we’re not just going to sit back and defend we are going to give it our all and even down two goals with less than four minutes remaining this team is still going for it played out wide to Lynch now Lynch had her pocket pick there by Sophia bus it’s no fun when you’re watching a game if another team gives up just cuz they’re down so this is awesome for River Light to continue to play hard meanwhile Aurora content to just hoof these balls forward and take as much time off the clock as possible [Music] left off on the corner nice move played back in the middle Shakura on the doorstep and riverlite have pulled one back plate oh it’s not over yet they need to move quick if they want to make another goal happen that was will put this Pro Aurora crowd on uneasy footing Evan Shakur finding goal in the 88th minute this is why you need to play hard every minute and that is a beautiful feed back in the middle Rachel catella coming up from the center back spot for her assist that was just a one V one between her and Taylor Kane and she buried it in the back of the net [Applause] [Applause] [Music] as a reminder twin City’s Orthopedics and training house powered by TCO are proud to be the official Sports Medicine partners and performance providers for Minnesota Aurora FC together TCO and training house are trusted by some of the biggest names in sport and bring that same level of care to our athletes our Aurora sideline team is led by team physician Dr Christine hikis a trainer Danielle Armstrong Sports Performance Coach Kayla Russell and physical therapists Alexis Mosley and Kelsey Majerus thank you TCO and training house for being part of our team visit tcomn.com and training haus.com to learn more here is Lynch Lynch Lofts one up and Taylor Kane will glove it down trying to waste as much time as possible just laying down but also trying not to do it overboard where the ref makes a [Applause] call long with the flick back on that will roll all the way to the end line bell shop will quickly move for a goal kick as we are 20 seconds away from the 90th minute stoppage time to be [Music] [Applause] added it is down to the wire for River Light if they want to make something happen they need to make it happen now and it looks like there’s 2 minutes of stoppage time added and that is probably due to the injuries that we saw with Casey Lori here is riverlite and Devin Lynch carrying forward can they find something at the death a whistle and they say a foul against Devin Lynch and she is not happy as we look at our L and Hoffman rules of the game Maya going back to stoppage time though what is the importance of stoppage time this is a period of time that is added to the end of the half an instance of injuries such as what we saw with Casey Lori in this second half and you need to be able to have that full 45 minutes of play for it to be fair so that is the importance of the stoppage [Applause] [Music] time once this season as we have a whistle and a foul against Aurora Once this season River light has been on the wrong end of a result at the death dropping all three points to Chicago city in the 90th minute at home can riverlight pull a rabbit out of a half hat on the road Aurora trying to bleed as much clock as possible rap will head to the [Applause] corner Adams knocks it out of play it will be a throw for Minnesota referee checks the [Applause] watch the players on the bench seem excited it’s nice to see Maya Hansen with a smile on her face R again heads for the corner and again the result the same Aurora have won the throw [Applause] in this is how you waste time Aurora is doing a perfect job at [Applause] that a tie up ensues now wimes is in there across the end line and a corner one by Minnesota one would have to think that would just about do it our player of the game Star of the game presented by the Star Tribune Alicia Donley for her efforts across the back the whistle sounds fulltime at TCO Stadium Aurora in the return match against riverlite picks up a hard fought 32 result and propels themselves back at top the Heartland division table Alicia Donley with a big smile on her face doesn’t even know she won star of the game yet definitely earned it the Ohio native brought her all being a huge playmaker for Aurora tonight this was everything you could want from a top of the table tilt goals early goals often big saves physicality this felt like the playoffs Minnesota improves to 40 and2 on the Season River L drops to 3 2 and one we will head to break on fox9 plus but stick around the postmatch report when we return [Music] a match that felt like a playoff fixture in June goes the way of the homeside Minnesota Aurora pulls out a 32 Victory here at TCO Stadium we’re back here on fox9 Plus for the postmatch report she’s Maya a flp I’m Jake Griffith thanks for joining us all evening long Maya overall your thoughts on what was another hardfought win for Minnesota I thought both teams Str showed True Grit throughout this match but Aurora was able to finish which helped them get on top with a 32 lead Alicia Donley was so important she was a true spark for the team just not letting Defenders not letting attackers get behind her while also creating in the attacking third speaking of finishing saw some great finishes this evening but one of those was good enough for our Minnesota lottery Play of the game that goes to Katie dong whose long distance laser unlocked the contest to that point Maya it really felt like River Light was in control of this match but right out of the halftime break dong finds goal they let that goal affect them and that is where riverlite truly started to lose their spark lose their momentum with that goal Minnesota went ahead 2-1 they later as we mentioned went on to win 3-2 a chance now to look at the charity goals update for Aurora as they’ve added three more to their total up to 22 goals scored a reminder for every goal scor during the 2024 season the St Paul and Minnesota foundation will donate $100 to roots for the home team that QR code on your screen if you scan it now you can donate alongside St Paul and Minnesota Foundation to routs for the home team 22 goals already we’re almost H well we’re now halfway home at the halfway point of the Season that is a pretty high-scoring clip for Minnesota it really is Aurora is continuing to make it rain in goals this season and it’s so much fun to watch and as we mentioned during the broadcast Chicago City falling on the road 41 to Bavarian United with this win tonight Minnesota now finds themselves once again back at top the Heartland division table for Maya a flp and the rest of our awesome fox9 plus broadcast crew I’m Jake Griffith saying so long from TCO Stadium Aurora wins 32 over riverlite [Music] [Applause] n [Music] [Music]