Mar
Columbus Eagles FC released its full 2019 schedule on Tuesday, which marks the sixth season the club will compete in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. The schedule includes 14 total matches – eight of which are at home in Columbus, and six of which are on the road.
All eight home matches are included in Eagles season memberships, which are on sale now and start at $40. The club’s Family membership – it’s most popular tier – gets you and your entire immediate family tickets to every Eagles home match for just $100.
The Eagles start with preseason matches at home against Ohio Dominican University, Ohio University, and Otterbein University. Then on April 26, CEFC travels south to play Asheville City SC in the team’s final friendly of 2019. Asheville finished second in the WPSL’s Carolinas Conference, finishing with a plus-29 goal differential and only one loss. ACSC led the WPSL in attendance in its first year of existence.
After the preseason finishes up and the calendar turns, the Eagles start the WPSL season with a May 11 match in Ann Arbor, Mich. against the AAFC Lumberjills. Last season, Columbus beat Ann Arbor, 2-0, in the season’s opening match.
Columbus vs. Cincinnati: The Home WPSL Opener
Eight days later on Sunday, May 19, the Eagles host their WPSL home opener at Otterbein against Cincinnati Sirens FC, their rivals from the south. Kickoff at Otterbein is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Eagles are unbeaten in the WPSL against Cincinnati since 2016.
After two weeks on the road against Dayton and Detroit, the Eagles return home for most of June, playing four straight home games against Cleveland, Detroit, Dayton, and Ann Arbor between June 9 and June 30. In 2018, Columbus lost just once at home in the league and conceded just one goal.
The Eagles finish up the regular season with back-to-back road matches in Cleveland (July 2) and Cincinnati (July 6).
The winner of the Eagles’ division – the Ohio Valley – will host the East regional playoffs July 12-14. So, if the Eagles secure their first playoff appearance in club history, the East region semifinals and finals will take place at Otterbein University on those dates.
The WPSL’s national semifinals and finals take place in Oklahoma the following weekend (July 19-21). Seattle Sounders Women are the defending national champions.
In 2018, the Eagles set club records for wins, points, goals scored, and fewest goals conceded, en route to a second place finish in the Ohio Valley division. Cleveland is the reigning division (and East region) champion. Columbus was the only team to take points from Cleveland in 2018 (a thrilling 3-3 come-from-behind draw).
Camp Details, Released
Also on Tuesday, the club released details of its youth skills camp with Celtic Football Club – a key part of the international partnership signed by the clubs in December. The camp will be held June 3-7, 2019, at Spindler Road Park in Hilliard, Ohio, and is open to girls and boys ages 8-18. Every camp member gets 35 hours of training from Celtic’s professional academy coaches for just $350, and Eagles season members get a 10% discount on camp entrance. Sign up your daughter or son today!
The team’s sixth WPSL season is shaping up to be its biggest one yet, so don’t miss out on all the action. Get your season membership today – they start at just $40! Single-match tickets will go on sale in mid-March and are available for $10 each. Children six years old and younger receive free admittance to all Eagles home matches, as long as they’re accompanied by an adult.
