It has only been two years since the Atlanta Silverbacks Women won the 2011 USL W-League Championship.
There are still a small core left from that championship roster, but the 2013 team is quite a bit younger.
They are also in a battle to finish first or second in the final regular season standings, thus earning a spot in post season play.
Coming off a 3-2 rain-shortened win over VSI Tampa Bay in Pant City, FL, the 3-2-1 Silverbacks are in a three-way tie for first place.
However, they are looking at a two-game road trip to Dayton, Ohio for key games against the Dutch Lions.
Only two teams from the Southeastern Conference will advance to the playoffs. The Carolina Elite Cobras, Charlotte Eagles and Dutch Lions are the competition for the Silverbacks as the W-League regular season rolls to a conclusion on July 12.
Seven players returned this year from last season. Atlanta also has a new head coach as Chris Davidovicz took over for Chris Adams.
Among the newcomers are goalkeeper Jane Campbell, midfielder Allison Wetherington and forward Savannah Jordan. All three are members of the U.S. Women’s Under-20 National Team.
Campbell is headed to Stanford this fall and Wetherington will also play on the West Coast at Portland.
Jordan, who graduated early from Whitewater High School, enrolled at the University of Florida in January. She has provided the Silverbacks with a lot of their offense.
She’s scored five goals and a pair of assists for team-leading 12 points.
She is tied with four others for third in scoring league-wide.
Campbell, the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. U20s, has played in four games for the Silverbacks and has a 1.142 goals allowed average.
Carolina Elite Cobras
The Cobras took a big step back into the playoff picture with a 3-1 win over the Dayton Dutch Lions. Debbie Smith’s header of a Steph DeVita’s corner kick put the Cobras up 1-0 in the eighth minute of play. India Trotter made it 2-0 before halftime.
The Charlotte Eagles strengthen their claim for a playoff spot by beating the Carolina Elite Cobra 2-0 in a rain-delayed win in Greenville, SC
Both teams will wrapup the season on July 13 when the Cobras play on the road in Charlotte against the Eagles.
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