9 Game win streak, Aurora remains undefeated and top of the table closing in on playoffs

Minnesota Aurora came hungry in their away match in Chicago against the Chicago Dutch Lions – scoring three goals and completing a shutout. Maya Hansen, Morgan Stone, and Cat Rapp scored for Aurora while goalkeepers Sarah Fuller and Taylor Kane kept the Dutch Lions out of the net in the 3-0 victory. 

With Sarah Hagg – normally a defender – starting in goal, the Chicago Dutch Lions appeared to sit back in the opening minutes of the first half, preferring to look for a counter attack and keep the scoring low. 

Maya Hansen opened up the scoring in the 14th minute of the game, getting a ball played over the top of the Chicago defense and using her fancy footwork to make the score 1-0. Smelling blood in the water, Hansen nearly had a second goal a minute later. 

“The thing about this team is that there is a lot of creativity and players with different skills. It’s been cool to see how we can put different players on the field and how natural it looks, the combinations we continue to create. It’s so fun to be out here,” said forward Arianna Del Moral. 

Although Aurora had many scoring chances in the first half, the team wouldn’t be content to sit back with a 1-0 lead. Mackenzie Langdock rocketed a shot to hit the crossbar to open the second half.

Morgan Stone was fouled in the 18-yard box in the 60th minute, and it was Stone who stepped up and buried the penalty kick for 2-0. Stone has scored three goals in the past two matches; two of those goals came from the penalty spot. With five goals total, Stone is Minnesota Aurora’s scoring leader. 

Aurora’s third goal was sister-to-sister – Rami Rapp to Cat Rapp. R.Rapp played a leading pass to the top of the 18-yard box for C. Rapp to beat goalkeeper Hagg and make the score 3-0. 

“There was good combination play between Rami Rapp and Cat Rapp. They really helped us control our tempo in the second half,” said Head Coach Nicole Lukic. “Cat Rapp really opened up the game for us and created a lot of opportunities toward goal.” 

Minnesota Aurora FC finishes out its regular season on the road against the Green Bay Glory (July 7 and 9) with a playoff berth on the line. If Green Bay loses their match on Saturday (July 2), the Aurora will clinch a playoff spot. Regardless, Minnesota can clinch by winning both games against the Glory.