Wisconsin Soccer Central

For the second time in three weeks, an FC Wisconsin Under-23 women's team will play for a national title.

University of Wisconsin forward Cara Walls (Wauwatosa East) scored her second goal off the day in the first minute of second-half stoppage time as FC Wisconsin Eclipse topped FC Dallas 2-1 at the Elite Clubs National League nationals Saturday afternoon in Richmond, Va.

FC Wisconsin Eclipse (6-2-1) won all three of its group matches, allowing just two goals in the process, and will face Illinois' Eclipse Select in the national final at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

"I'd say the two best teams are playing," said FC Wisconsin Eclipse coach Christian Lavers, who works as an assistant to Eclipse Select coach Rory Dames with the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League.

"Tomorrow is going to be tough for us, they've got a fantastic team. They've got players that have been in with the U-20 national team, several college superstars. It will be a very difficult game, but we've been in difficult games and difficult situations before and our team has shown the ability on the day to beat anybody."

They haven't beaten Eclipse Select this season, though the Illinois side needed a 93rd-minute goal to salvage a 1-1 draw with their partner club in the teams' first meeting last month in Germantown. Eclipse Select won the second meeting between the Midwest Conference teams 1-0 in Illinois.

Needing a win or draw against FC Dallas to advance to the final, Walls gave FC Wisconsin Eclipse the lead about 10 minutes in when she poked in a rebound for her second goal of the week. The Texas team had a player sent off around the half hour mark, but FC Wisconsin Eclipse couldn't capitalize on the numerical advantage after the red card.

"We had plenty of chances to go to 2-0 and couldn't find the second one," Lavers said. "It would've made it a lot easier if we would've, but we didn't. Then they actually scored to tie it at 1-1 in probably about the 89th minute."

But for the second straight day, FC Wisconsin Eclipse found a goal in second-half stoppage time. Center back played a quick free kick to Walls, who cut inside and finished to the far post in the first of three minutes of added time.

"To get to this game, the girls have shown a lot," Lavers said. "We've always been a very organized, very discplined group with a lot of mental toughness, a lot of smart soccer. If we can put one more game together like that, they result will take care of itself. But it will be a tough game."

FC Wisconsin Eclipse and Eclipse Select both were in Bracket 1 in the six-team nationals field and defeated Bracket 2 sides FC Dallas, FC Virginia and Virginia's McLean SA. The top two teams, regardless of bracket, qualified for the final.

Several players on the FC Wisconsin Eclipse team were part of the FC Milwaukee team that won the U.S. Youth Soccer Under-18 National Championship in 2011, becoming the first state team to claim a USYS national title.

Two weeks ago, FC Wisconsin Nationals – with a different roster – advanced to the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Under-23 final, falling to St. Louis Scott Gallagher 2-1 after extra time in the final June 30 in Overland Park, Kan.