The Kickoff: Tuesday, Aug. 6
Your roundup of soccer news across Wisconsin and beyond
Top of the box
North Carolina Courage goalkeeper Marisa Bova (Hartland Arrowhead), who made her professional debut, won two shootouts in the Summer Cup and posted her first clean sheet in July, was named the team’s Player of the Month on Monday. The 23-year-old made six saves on eight shots and posted a 0.67 goals-against average in her three appearances in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, and stopped three out of the 12 shots she faced in the two penalty-kick shootouts. (NWSL photo)
Professional
Three players with state ties are in Kansas City for tonight’s semifinals of the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. Bova has started all three matches in goal for North Carolina in the tournament, while Courage midfielder Victoria Pickett (UW) started one game and came off the bench in the other two. North Carolina plays the host Kansas City Current, who signed midfielder Grace Bahr (UW) as a National Team Replacement player ahead of the Summer Cup. Midfielder Rose Lavelle (UW) plays for semifinalist Gotham FC, but she is in France playing with the U.S. national team in the Olympics. Today’s games are on Paramount+, with the winners advancing to the final on Oct. 25 in San Antonio.
NWSL x LIGA MX FEMENIL SUMMER CUP
Semifinals 8/6
At Kansas City
Gotham FC vs. Angel City FC, 4 p.m.
Kansas City Current vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m.
Final 10/25
At San Antonio
Semifinal winnersFollow all the players with state ties playing professionally in the U.S. and around the world on our Wisconsin Players in the Pros chart. If we've missed anyone, email us at wisconsinsoccercentral@gmail.com or connect with us on socials.
Amateur
Lakeland’s Jordan Davis-Troller (Monona Grove) had a hat trick as Lakeshore United powered past Mach IV 4-1 in the Noel Messou Cup final Sunday afternoon at St. Mary High School in Neenah. St. Norbert’s Tyler Bonin (Manitowoc Roncalli) had the opener for Lakeshore United in the 17th minute before Davis-Troller doubled the lead 10 minutes later. Mach IV (7-3-1) — which defeated Lakeshore United 5-2 in a regular-season match June 12 — pulled one back, but Davis-Troller added goals in the 65th and 87th as Lakeshore surged to its eighth straight victory to close out the Northern Wisconsin Soccer League season. Lakeshore United (8-3-0) outscored opponents 14-3 en route to winning the Noel Messou Cup for the first time; Bonin and Bryant & Stratton’s Dyland Maschio-Casas (Sheboygan South) recorded hat tricks, Jaden Robinson (Bryant & Stratton) had a goal and an assist and Davis-Troller added two assists in Saturday’s 10-2 victory over DC Express in the semifinals. List of Noel Messou Cup champions
NORTHERN WISCONSIN SOCCER LEAGUE
NOEL MESSOU CUP
Semifinals
No. 1 Mach IV 3:1 No. 4 Neenah Boom
No. 2 Lakeshore United 10:2 No. 3 DC Express
Final
Mach IV 1:4 Lakeshore United
College commitments
Men
Women
High school
2024 WIAA boys soccer key dates
Earliest day for practices: Monday, Aug. 19
Earliest day for games: Tuesday, Aug. 27
Regionals: Oct. 22 and 26 (Divisions 1 and 2); Oct. 22, 24 and 26 (Divisions 3 and 4)
Sectional semifinals: Thursday, Oct. 31
Sectional finals: Saturday, Nov. 2
43rd WIAA state tournament: Nov. 7-9 at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee
Linking play
Women's Olympic semifinals: U.S. vs. Germany, 11 a.m. today on USA Network, Telemundo and Peacock (U.S. Soccer)
Stop what you are doing and watch this goal (HTLCO on X/Twitter)