(INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA) — The inaugural Peoria City WPSL season is officially underway, with both the main roster and WPSL II squad heading to Indianapolis, Indiana, to take on FC Pride.
Peoria’s WPSL II team took on FC Pride Reserves at 3:00 p.m. Central Time (4:00 p.m. local time).
The team was composed of a mix of local Central Illinois athletes and players from across the globe.
Ainara Aldeano, Valentina Bernal, Kayley Carew, Abbie Gleason, Jenna Gravitt, Sophie Lampert, Viviana Sanchez, Juanita Tibocha, Saki Tsuchiya (goalkeeper), Ashley Wolfe, and Makenna Yeager were the inaugural starters.
Our WPSL II scoring started quickly. In the second minute, Ainara Aldeano (Heartland Community College) found the back of the net, giving Peoria a 1-0 lead.
Peoria held on to that lead heading into halftime.
Peoria City went up 2-0 in the 58th minute after a goal by Jenna Gravitt (Illinois Wesleyan University).
FC Pride Reserves scored two goals late in the second half, ending the game in a 2-2 draw.
Now the two WPSL teams would take the field, hoping to get started soon after the conclusion of the WPSL II match.
However, Mother Nature would have something to say about that.
Attempts were made to start the game earlier, but multiple weather delays due to lightning in the area pushed the action back for hours.
The bulk of the game didn’t start until 9:45 p.m. EST, while the original start time was set for 7:00 p.m. EST.
The inaugural WPSL starting XI featured Peyton Rhodes (goalkeeper), Ellen Dahlquist, Yeirdan (YeYe) Padilla, Sosi Dadekian, Leah Crotty, Lily Sutter, AJ Mayock, Bree Cordray (Captain), Erika Wells, Liza Wiley, and Annika Klauss.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half, leaving both sides scoreless after 45 minutes.
FC Pride struck first in the second half, going up 1-0 in the 50th minute.
Just three minutes later, they netted a second goal—giving the Pride a 2-0 lead by the 53rd minute. Both goals came from set pieces.
In the 70th minute, Peoria City’s Annika Klauss (Ball State University) scored the first-ever goal in Peoria’s WPSL history, assisted by YeYe Padilla (Heartland Community College).
Peoria remained aggressive the rest of the game, getting close on several scoring chances, but the match ended 2-1 in favor of the Pride. Peoria fought until the final minutes, giving a major challenge to FC Pride, ranked #19 overall by WPSL in the pre-season power rankings.
Peoria City would like to thank the fans who traveled to Indianapolis and waited out the weather, as well as those at home who stuck with the game’s livestream, for your unconditional support during our inaugural WPSL weekend. We are very proud of the work put in on Friday and are looking forward to our WPSL home opener on Saturday, May 24, against Lou Fusz Athletic.
Peoria’s WPSL home opener will kick off at 7:00 p.m. CT at Shea Stadium.
On the men’s side, Peoria’s USL League Two franchise is back in action for our home opener today (Saturday, May 17).
After a 2-1 victory over FC Ambush last weekend, the Carp now play host to the Ambush here in the River City.
Shea Stadium will see a 7:30 p.m. kickoff for the USL League Two side. The tailgate lot opens at 4:30 p.m., and stadium gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online at peoriacitysoccer.com/tickets or in person at the gate.
#UpTheCarp
