Aztecs, Phoenix, Phantoms fighting for national titles

July 25, 2011

It is the business end of the season for New England's entries in the Women's Premier Soccer League and Premier Development League, and three New England-based teams have chances at national titles. On the women's side, the Boston Aztec Breakers Reserves have a chance to defend their 2010 WPSL national championship, while the MPS Portland Phoenix and Seacoast United Phantoms will battle for the chance at a PDL crown on the men's side.

The Boston Aztec Breakers Reserves booked a ticket to the WPSL final four for the second straight year with a 3-0 win over the ASA Chesapeake Charge in the Eastern Conference championship match on the road on July 24th. The Aztecs are the defending WPSL national champions and will look to win back-to-back championships for the first time. The Boston Aztec Breakers Reserves (8-2-3) will take on the Pacific Conference champion Orange County Waves (11-1-0) on Saturday, July 30 at 1:00 PM at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex in Lisle, Illinois. The winner will face the winner of the other semifinal between the Midwest Conference champion Chicago Red Stars (10-1-0) and the Sunshine Conference champion Tampa Bay Hellenic (10-1-1).

As for the PDL, the Phoenix and Phantoms qualified for the playoffs as the top two regular season teams in the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division. The Phoenix finished in first with an 8-3-5 record, while the Phantoms needed a 1-0 win over the Phoenix in the last game of the season to clinch second place and a playoff berth with a 7-6-3 record. The two teams will now face off at Memorial Field at Deering High School on Tuesday, July 26th at 8:15 PM for the right to represent the Northeast Division and move on deeper into the PDL playoffs. The Phoenix and Phantoms faced each other five times in the regular season, with MPS winning three and Seacoast winning two.