Laval loses W-League final on a heartbreaking own goal By Steven Sandor Posted on July 29, 2013 Comments Off on Laval loses W-League final on a heartbreaking own goal 0 610 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Canadian defender Sasha Andrews and the Pali Blues took the W-League title on Sunday in Bradenton, Fla., getting the benefit of a late own goal to defeat the No. 1 seed, Laval Cometes, 1-0. The goal came in the 87th minute, off the foot of Laval’s player/coach Cindy Walsh. On Saturday night, Walsh was named the W-League coach of the year. Walsh got her foot to a shot from American U-20 star Katie Stengel, but that deflection ended up beating Laval keeper Genevieve Richard. On Saturday, Richard was named the W-League goalkeeper of the year. And, in the final, she showed why she’s considered the best netminder in the circuit: She stopped a second-half penalty from Chioma Ubogagu to keep the score level. Cindy Walsh Laval had a great chance in the first half to open the scoring, but Blues goalkeeper Anna Maria Picarelli stopped a low shot from Nkem Ezurike after the Laval and former national U20 striker was sent in alone. For Andrews and the Pali Blues, it was revenge of sorts. Last season, the Blues dropped the W-League championship game to another Canadian team, the Ottawa Fury.
