Jul 11, 2026
Minnesota Aurora FC readies for National Semifinals showdown with Salmon Bay FC
SEATTLE – Reigning Central Conference champions Minnesota Aurora FC return to the road to face Western Conference champions Salmon Bay FC
The first ever meeting between the two kicks off at 9:30 PM Central Time at Salmon Bay’s InterBay Stadium.
Aurora FC, winners of the Heartland Division for an unprecedented fifth straight season, enter the match 14-0-0 overall, having clinched their second straight Central Conference title with a dramatic 2-1 win over Pittsburgh Riveters last weekend.
They are the only club in the USL W League this season to finish with a perfect record and were only one of five teams in the league to close out the regular season with zero losses.
Aurora FC are also in the midst of their best defensive season in club history, having allowed two goals all campaign, finishing the regular season tied with Real Colorado for the fewest conceded in the league. It also marks the fewest goals against during a regular season in club history.
Aurora have also set new club records for total clean sheets (12), consecutive wins (14) and earlier this season, recorded a club record 837 consecutive minutes without conceding.
The Northwest Division champions Salmon Bay are into the final four of the USL W League’s postseason after upending Capo FC in the Western Conference final. To get there, the hosts from Seattle took down Mountain Division winners Colorado Storm, 5-4 in penalties,
Salmon Bay have yet to concede a goal in the 2026 postseason.
A dynamic offense that put three goals past Capo FC last round, Salmon Bay are paced by the duo of Virginia Lackey and Ameera Hussen, who have each scored 7 goals this season. Overall, 12 different players have tallied at least one goal in 2026. Samiah Shell leads the way in distribution, tallying 6 assists this season.
After losing in late May to West Seattle Roadies, Salmon Bay closed out the regular season unbeaten in their final nine matches, winning seven of them outright. The hosts enter Saturday on a four match win streak and have outscored teams 10-2 in their last five matches at InterBay Stadium.
News & Notes
There will officially be a first time USL W League champion in 2026; prior champions Utah United (2025), NC Courage U23s (2024) and Indy Eleven (2023) all failed to qualify for the postseason, while 2022 champions South Georgia Tormenta ceased operations prior to the start of the season.
Forward Ai Kitagawa (11 goals) closed out the regular season in a tie for second place in the league’s Golden Boot race, awarded annually to the player with the most goals at season’s end. Long Island’s Kayleigh Goodrich ended the regular season atop the leaderboard with 17 goals.
Across their last 540 minutes of playoff football, Aurora FC have only conceded two goals, one of which came at the hands of eventual 2025 champions Utah United in last season’s National Semifinal round. All-time, Aurora have only allowed 1 goal in the USL W League’s National Semifinals.
With a win Saturday, Aurora FC coach Jen Larrick would pass former coach Nicole Lukic to become the winningest manager in club history.
Postseason Picture
Elsewhere around the USL W League Playoffs, Vermont Green and Asheville City SC meet in the other National Semifinal, kicking off at 6p CT Saturday.
Vermont Green closed out the regular season 6-0-4 overall, claiming the Northeast Division crown. They defeated Eagle FC, 2-0, last weekend to claim the Eastern Conference championship.
Asheville City, winners of the South Central Division in 2026, closed the regular season 8-1-1. Asheville claimed a 3-0 win in the opening round against Lonestar SC before playing to a scoreless draw against FC Miami City in the Southern Conference final, where they later won the penalty shootout.
Follow Along
Aurora FC’s playoff match will be carried on FOX 9 broadcast platforms for the fourth season, available over-the-air on FOX 9+ and streaming on FOX Local | Minnesota.
FOX9+ can be found on Comcast channel 10/807, DirecTV channel 29, DISH channel 29, Spectrum channel 10, Mediacom channel 10/803, and Over-The-Air channel 9.2. You can also access FOX 9+ on Hulu with LiveTV, Sling TV, Tubi, fuboTV and YouTube TV. In addition, games stream on FOX Local | Minnesota, FOX 9’s mobile and on FOX9.com, the FOX 9 YouTube page.
