The 2009 W-League Season was the league's 15th. The regular season began on May 8 with the

Hampton Roads Piranhas Hampton Roads Piranhas was an American women's soccer team, founded in 1995. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the Atlantic Divisio ...

defeating the Charlotte Lady Eagles 2–1 in

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

. The season ended with 10 games on July 19. The playoffs began on July 22 and ended on August 7. Pali Blues repeated as W-League champions, defeating the Washington Freedom Reserves in come-from-behind fashion 2–1, which was also how they had won their previous title.

Iris Mora Iris Adriana Mora Vallejo (born 22 September 1981) is a Mexican former footballer who played as a forward. She has been a member of the Mexico women's national team. College career Mora attended the University of California, Los Angeles in the ...

was named the Playoffs MVP. FC Indiana's

Laura del Río Laura del Río García (born 5 February 1982) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a forward. She last managed men's club Flat Earth FC. She used to play for Bristol Academy in England's FA WSL. Prior to that, she ...

finished with the most points (40) and goals (18), while her teammate Monica Ocampo led the league in assists (11). Shannon Lynn, also of FC Indiana, led the league in GAA (0.116) and shutouts (10), and only allowed 2 goals the entire regular season.

Changes from 2008 season

Name Changes

Six teams changed their name in the off-season:

Expansion Teams

Two teams were added for the season:

Teams Leaving

Six teams folded after the 2008 season: *

Bradenton Athletics Bradenton Athletics were a professional American women's soccer team based in Bradenton, Florida. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, then the premier women's soccer league in the United States and Canada, from 2004 to 20 ...

Carolina Dynamo North Carolina Fusion U-23, formerly known as Carolina Dynamo, is an American soccer team based in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The ...

Fredericksburg Lady Gunners Fredericksburg Lady Gunners was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2006. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League (1995–2015), W-League, and played in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team fo ...

Michigan Hawks Michigan Hawks was an American women's soccer team that joined the United Soccer Leagues W-League in 2004 as the Detroit Jaguars and renamed to the Michigan Hawks as growth from the larger Michigan Wolves/Hawks organization. The Hawks played in t ...

Vermont Lady Voltage Vermont Lady Voltage was a professional American women’s soccer team, founded in 2005, which is a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League. Voltage played in the Northern Division of the Central Conference. They play their home games at the ...

* West Virginia Illusion

Jersey Sky Blue Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2006. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League, W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team p ...

and

Washington Freedom Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Germantown, Maryland, that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's Uni ...

both have expansion teams in Women's Professional Soccer. Washington have chosen to keep their reserve squad in the W-League, while Jersey has sold the rights to their W-League team to New York-based

Quickstrike FC This is a sortable list of characters and toys in the ''Beast Wars'' franchise, part of the larger Transformers franchise, from Hasbro. This includes characters appearing in an animated series, comics or video games. This does not include ch ...

, which became

Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2006. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the ...

Standings

''Orange indicates W-League title and bye into W-League semifinals.''
''Purple indicates division title clinched''
''Green indicates playoff berth clinched''

Central Conference

Great Lakes Division

Midwest Division

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Northeast Division

Western Conference

Playoffs

Format

The

earned a bye directly to the W-League Semifinals. The Washington Freedom Reserves were moved into the top spot in the Northeast Division, and the Charlotte Lady Eagles received the division's second playoff spot (the

Boston Renegades Boston Renegades was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2003. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team plays in the Northeast Divisi ...

were the original holders of the second spot, but declined to enter). The Central Conference will have 5 playoff spots. The second and third place teams from the Great Lakes Division will play each other. The winner will play the Midwest Division champions, while the Great Lakes Division champion will play the second place team of the Midwest Division. The winners of those games will play to determine the conference champion. The Eastern Conference division champions will play the second place team of the opposite division, the winners facing off to determine who goes to the W-League Semifinals. The Western Conference will have their top two teams facing off to determine their conference champion. The W-League Semifinals will put the regular season champion against the lowest seeded conference champion, and the higher-ranked conference champions against each other. The winners of these games will play in the championship, while the losers will play in the Third Place game.

Conference Brackets

Central Conference Eastern Conference Western Conference

W-League Championship Bracket

Divisional Round

Conference Semifinals

---- ---- ----

Conference Finals

---- ----

W-League Semifinals

----

W-League Championship

Awards

The finalists for W-League MVP, U19 Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and Defender of the Year were announced on August 3, 2009, with the winners to be announced on August 5. The Goalkeeper of the Year was announced on August 3.

Most Valuable Player Finalists

Angelika Johansson Angelika may refer to: * Angelika (given name) * Angelika Film Center, theater chain See also * Pieris angelika, butterfly * Angelica (disambiguation) ''Angelica'' is a genus of herbs, especially the cultivated species ''Angelica archangelic ...

, F,

(Winner) *

, F,

FC Indiana F.C. Indiana, also known as F.C. Indiana Lionesses, is an American women's soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2003, the team is currently a member of the United Women's Soccer league. They play their home games at Newton Park ...

Amber Hearn Amber Liarnie Rose Hearn (born 28 November 1984) is a New Zealand association footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club EDF Logroño and the New Zealand women's national team, making her senior international debut in a 2–0 loss to A ...

, F, Ottawa Fury Women

U19 Player of the Year Finalists

Chanté Sandiford Chanté Sherese Sandiford (born 8 January 1990) is a footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Icelandic club Stjarnan and captains the Guyana national team. Sandiford has played in the UEFA Women's Champions League with Russian club FC Zorky K ...

, G, Washington Freedom Reserves (Winner) *

Sarah Chapman Sarah Chapman (later Dearman; 31 October 1862 – 27 November 1945) was a British trade unionist who was one of the leaders of the 1888 Bryant & May Matchgirls' strike. Chapman and others involved in the strike have since been recognised as "pion ...

, M, Tampa Bay Hellenic *

Fortuna Velaj Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...

, F,

Connecticut Passion Connecticut Passion was an American women's soccer team, founded in 2007. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League (1995–2015), W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team plays in ...

Defender of the Year Finalists

* Brittany Taylor,

(Winner) *

Ashleigh Gunning Sarah Ashleigh Gunning (born April 25, 1985) is an American retired soccer forward who most recently played for Kvarnsvedens IK in the 2012–2013 seasons. She previously played for Norwegian club Arna-Bjørnar in the Toppserien, Adelaide Unite ...

Ria Percival Ria Dawn Percival (born 7 December 1989) is a New Zealand professional women's footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur in the FA WSL and the New Zealand national team. She previously played for FFC Frankfurt and F ...

, Ottawa Fury Women

Goalkeeper of the Year

Michelle Betos Michelle Jenny Betos (born February 20, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Betos previously played for Vålerenga, Apollon Limassol, Po ...

Atlanta Silverbacks Women Atlanta Silverbacks Women was an American women's soccer team that played from 2005 through 2016. The team played in the USL W-League from 2005 until the league folded after the 2015 season. For the 2016 season they played in the Women's Premier ...

Coach of the Year Finalists

Fabien Cottin Fabien is both a French given masculine name and a French surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Fabien: * Fabien Audard (born 1978), French professional football (soccer) player * Fabien Barthez (born 1971), r ...

Quebec City Arsenal Quebec Dynamo ARSQ was a Canadian soccer club, founded in 2008 in the province of Québec. The women’s team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team debute ...

(Winner) *

Tony Anglin Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

Chicago Red Eleven Chicago Red Eleven was an American women’s soccer team, founded in 2005. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women’s soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the Midwest Division ...

George Fotopoulos George Fotopoulos is an American soccer coach with Greek background. He coached the Louisiana State University (LSU) women's soccer team from 2000 to 2004. Fotopoulos went 52–39–14 in five years at LSU, posting a 12–28–6 record in the S ...

, Tampa Bay Hellenic * Jesse Kolmel,

All-League and All-Conference Teams

Central Conference

IND Ind or IND may refer to: General * Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party * Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...

;

OTT Ott, OTT or O.T.T. may refer to: Entertainment * OTT (group), a pop band from the late 1990s * Ott (record producer), British record producer and musician * "O.T.T" (song), a song by Fugative * ''O.T.T.'' (television series), a UK TV programme f ...

; Caroline Smith,

MIN Min or MIN may refer to: Places * Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China ** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian * Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China * Min River (Fujian) * Min River (Sichuan) * Mineola (Amtrak ...

M: Gemma Davison*,

CHI Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese *Chi (length), ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter *Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon *Chi (surname) (池, pin ...

;

Jennifer Hance Jennifer or Jenifer may refer to: People *Jennifer (given name) * Jenifer (singer), French pop singer * Jennifer Warnes, American singer who formerly used the stage name Jennifer * Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer * Daniel Jenifer Film and televi ...

;

Fatima Leyva Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, th ...

;

Rosa Tantillo Rosa Anna Tantillo (born August 6, 1984) is an American soccer player from San Diego, California. She is a midfielder for the San Diego WFC SeaLions San Diego WFC SeaLions was an American women's soccer team, founded in 1988. The team was a me ...

*, BUF
D:

Jenny Jeffers ''The Babysitter'' is a novel series by R. L. Stine. The first novel in the series was published in 1989, and it led to establish Stine as a prominent author in the children's horror genre.Cullinan, Bernice E.; Person, Diane G''The Continuum Enc ...

;

Clare Rustad Clare Ada Rustad (born May 27, 1983) is a Canadian former soccer midfielder. Her last club was the Toronto Lady Lynx in 2010. She played for Canada women's national soccer team between 2000 and 2008, making 45 appearances and scoring three goal ...

TOR Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

G: Shannon Lynn,

Honorable Mention: Margaret Allgeier, D, FW; Haley Ford, D, CLE;

Christina Julien Christina Marie Katrina Julien (born 6 May 1988 in Cornwall, Ontario) is a Canadian women's soccer Striker (association football), striker who plays for German club 1. FC Köln#Women's section, 1. FC Köln and the Canada women's national soccer ...

, F, LAV;

Melissa Lesage Melissa is a female given name. The name comes from the Greek word μέλισσα (''mélissa''), "bee", which in turn comes from μέλι (''meli''), "honey". In Hittite, ''melit'' signifies "honey". ''Melissa'' also refers to the plant ''M ...

, F, QC;

Heather MacDougall Heather MacDougall is an American lawyer and former government official who currently serves as the vice president of worldwide employee health and safety for Amazon. She was a member of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHR ...

, M, HAM;

Courtney Nash Courtney is a name of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It has two quite distinct interpretations: firstly, the surname may be locational, from places called Courtenay in the regions of Loiret and Gâ ...

, M, WMi;

Anna Stinson Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

, M, KAL; Jenn Wolbert, G,

LON Lon or LON may refer to: People * Lon (photographer), pseudonym of Alonzo Hanagan, also known as "Lon of New York" * Lon (name), a list of people with the given name, nickname or surname Fictional characters * Lon Cohen, a character in the Ne ...

;

Casey Zimney Casey may refer to: Places Antarctica *Casey Station *Casey Range Australia * Casey, Australian Capital Territory * City of Casey, Melbourne * Division of Casey, electoral district for the House of Representatives Canada * Casey, Ontario * Ca ...

, D, ROC

Eastern Conference

*, HV; Jen Parsons, WAS;

Brittany Tegeler Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

, WAS
M: Lindsay Ozimek, CHA;

Christina Rife Christina may refer to: People * Christina (given name), shared by several people * Christina (surname), shared by several people Places * Christina, Montana, unincorporated community, United States * Christina, British Columbia, Canada * Chris ...

, CHA;

Megan Tomlinson Megan is a Welsh feminine given name, originally a diminutive form of Margaret. Margaret is from the Greek μαργαρίτης (''margarítēs''), Latin ''margarīta'', "pearl". Megan is one of the most popular Welsh-language names for women in W ...

ATL ATL may refer to: Places * Atlanta, a city in the U.S. state of Georgia ** Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (IATA airport code) ** Peachtree station (Amtrak station code) * Attleborough railway station, located in Norfolk, Engl ...

Casey Brown Casey may refer to: Places Antarctica *Casey Station *Casey Range Australia * Casey, Australian Capital Territory * City of Casey, Melbourne * Division of Casey, electoral district for the House of Representatives Canada * Casey, Ontario * Ca ...

, BOS;

*, HV; Philisha Lewis, TB; Brittany Taylor*, HV
G:

Honorable Mention: Mary Casey, G, NV; Brooke DeRosa, M, LI; Shaneka Gordon, F, HR;

Robyn Jones Robyn Jones Horner (born Robyn Leigh Jones; January 1, 1985) is an American soccer player. She is a goalkeeper. Jones previously played two years for the Philadelphia Independence of Women's Professional Soccer. The 2015 season marked Jones' fou ...

, G, NJ;

Courtney McMahon Courtney is a name of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It has two quite distinct interpretations: firstly, the surname may be locational, from places called Courtenay in the regions of Loiret and Gâ ...

, M, NY;

Rachel Richards Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aunt ...

, M, WMa;

, F, & Lindsay Vera, F, CON;

Jennifer Woodie Jennifer or Jenifer may refer to: People *Jennifer (given name) * Jenifer (singer), French pop singer * Jennifer Warnes, American singer who formerly used the stage name Jennifer * Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer * Daniel Jenifer Film and televi ...

, D, RIC

Western Conference

, PAL;

Jodi Ann Robinson Jodi-Ann Robinson (born 17 April 1989) is a former soccer player who played as a midfielder. Born in Jamaica to Jamaican parents, she moved to Canada at age 8. She was naturalised there and subsequently opted to play internationally for the Canad ...

VAN A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

Michelle French Michelle Ann French (born January 27, 1977) is an American soccer assistant coach for the United States women's national soccer team. She is a former United States women's national soccer team player and received a silver medal as a member of t ...

SEA The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

;

Tobin Heath Tobin Powell Heath (born May 29, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for OL Reign of the NWSL, as well as the United States national team. Heath has been described as "perhaps the USA's most skillful player" ...

, PAL;

Nikki Marshall Nicole Sue Marshall (born June 2, 1988) is an American retired soccer player. She most recently played for Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League from 2013 to 2014. Previously, she was a forward for the University of Colorado w ...

, COL; Carmelina Moscato,

;

Nikki Washington Madeline Nicole Washington (born August 1, 1988) is an American retired professional soccer forward and right midfielder who last played for Boston Breakers in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and is currently an assistant coach for th ...

*, PAL
D: Jenea Gibbons, LA; Kelli Smith,

; Leah Tapscott, PAL
G:

Katie Hultin Kathryn Joan Hultin (born September 27, 1982) is an American soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball a ...

Honorable Mention:

Kay Hawke Kay Joyce Hawke (born 28 March 1983) is an English footballer, who most recently played as a goalkeeper for Lincoln Ladies in the FA WSL. During her career she has played for Blackburn Rovers, Lincoln Ladies and Ventura County Fusion in Califo ...

, G, VEN,

Taryn Hemmings Taryn Elizabeth Hemmings (born April 26, 1986) is an American former professional soccer defender. Early life Hemmings grew up in Greeley, Colorado and attended Greeley West High School. During her junior and senior years, she led her high sc ...

, M, RC * ''denotes All-League selections.''

Source website

USL historical stats

References

{{2009 in American soccer USL W-League (1995–2015) seasons 2 2009 United Soccer Leagues W