Salmon Bay FC's first playoff match in club history required 120 scoreless minutes and a penalty shootout before Morgan Manalili finally sent the team to the Western Conference Final and launched Interbay Stadium into celebration.
Salmon Bay punched their playoff ticket with a 2-1 must-win victory over Snohomish United the previous weekend and entered Friday’s match eager to take another step in their first-ever playoff run.
For their part, Colorado earned their trip to Seattle in dramatic fashion, claiming the Mountain Division title on the final day of the regular season. Needing to overturn a significant goal-difference deficit, the Storm entered their finale against Albion SC knowing they had to win by nine goals to leapfrog Real Colorado. They routed Albion 11-0 to grab the division crown and a playoff berth.
From the opening kick, Salmon Bay took control and moved the ball beautifully, but were unable to create many dangerous chances. As the first half wore on, the game’s physicality shifted the momentum, and Colorado ended the half on the front foot. As has been true for both sides all season, the defenses were organized and stout. Neither team registered a shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes, a testament to two of the league's best defensive sides.
Colorado conceded just five goals all season, and it was easy to see why. Every Salmon Bay move into the penalty area was quickly snuffed out before a clean shot could develop.
Salmon Bay's defense was just as organized. After allowing only 11 goals during the regular season, the home side rarely had to defend deep in its own end. The midfield, led by Aliyah Dockter and Maya Hindson, kept the Storm from getting into dangerous positions by forcing turnovers and possessing the ball well throughout the match.
Former Seattle Reign standout and current Salmon Bay co-owner Lu Barnes started for Salmon Bay at left back, and had several key defensive interventions and runs into the attack. Barnse also had one of Salmon Bay’s best chances late in regulation when her 25-yard screamer was just parried away by the keeper.
The second half opened up as the short-handed visitors began to tire. The challenges became more physical, and Salmon Bay inched closer to opening the scoring.
It looked to the entire stadium that they had done just that late in the half, when a set piece was bobbled by the keeper and tucked home, only to be flagged offside. After consulting with the assistant referee, the center official stuck with the call, much to the displeasure of the home crowd, which was still upset over a couple of hard fouls they felt should have been cautioned.
By the end of regulation, Colorado's lack of depth was becoming increasingly apparent. The Storm traveled with only 15 players, while Salmon Bay continued to rotate fresh legs into the match.
The first period of extra time had a handful of promising moments from both sides, including a near Olympico by U’i Kaaihue in the 99th minute, but it was the second 15 minutes that saw Salmon Bay with multiple chances to seal the win. Several shots just missed the frame, including one roller that just clipped the post.
By then, the match seemed destined to go to penalties, and most of the near-capacity crowd stayed to see the teams finally settle the matter.
After having very little to do over the course of 120 minutes of open play, Salmon Bay goalkeeper Elena Milam came up huge with two nearly identical penalty saves, including the first one she faced.
After Milam’s second save, and with penalties knotted at 4-4, midfielder and second half sub Morgan Manalili stepped up and buried the winner past the Colorado keeper, setting off a long celebration among the players and fans. After the match, Milam talked about her mentality heading into penalties. “I was just confident because my team did such hard work to get us where we were, so I just focused on the moment.”
In just their second season, Salmon Bay FC won its division, reached the playoffs for the first time, and now has its first postseason victory. This is a team that has grown into a cohesive unit over the course of their short season, and it was their tactical focus and sharp ball movement that saw them through this match and into the Western Conference Final, where they will face Capo FC from San Juan Capistrano, California. Capo FC advanced on a 2-1 victory over the Monterey Bay Sirens earlier on Friday.
The short turnaround and limited recovery time are staples of the USLW playoff format. Salmon Bay and Capo FC will have less than 48 hours to recover before Sunday's Western Conference Final. The winner advances to the USL W League National Semifinals.
The USLW Western Conference Final kicks off at 6:30 on Sunday, July 5th at Interbay Stadium. Tickets and playoff information are at https://www.salmonbayfc.com/playoffs/
