Buffalo Flash
Encyclopedia
The Western New York Flash is an American professional soccer club based in Buffalo, New York
(but play their games in Rochester, New York
). It was founded in 2008 and played its inaugural season in 2009. The team is a member of Women's Professional Soccer
(WPS), the highest tier of women’s soccer in the United States
and Canada
.
The franchise is owned by the Sahlen family, who run a meat packing
company in Buffalo. Joe Sahlen is the owner. Alex Sahlen
is the team President. Former New Zealand international Aaran Lines
, Alex Sahlen's husband, is the head coach.
The 2009 team roster included players from six countries across four continents. There were four local players from Western NY, various US players from numerous states (including two with USA U-20 National Team experience), players from the full Italian National Team
, Portuguese National Team
, South African National Team
, and also from Spain
and Japan
. To aid team bonding, the squad were housed in the same apartment complex.
trio Gemma Davison
, Eartha Pond and Ann-Marie Heatherson
. Mele French
and Kelly Parker
arrived from German
club SC Freiburg
. Kimberly Brandão
returned despite attending a training camp with Sky Blue FC
, but Erika Sutton
left for the Boston Breakers and Sarah Wagenfuhr
joined St. Louis Athletica
.
In 2010 Buffalo Flash competed in the Midwest Division of the W-League
, finishing the regular season 14-0-2 against Chicago Red Eleven, Cleveland Internationals
, Kalamazoo Outrage
and London Gryphons.
Buffalo Flash won the W-League Championship by defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps
3-1 at Harry Welch Stadium in Santa Clarita, California. They finished the season undefeated, while Kelly Parker was named W-League MVP
.
for the 2011 season. In September 2010, team president Alex Sahlen and coach Aaran Lines—both of whom have played for Rochester
-based soccer teams—indicated that the team was looking at playing up to half of its WPS home games at Rochester's Marina Auto Stadium (now Sahlen's Stadium). On September 24, WPS officially confirmed that the new team would indeed join the league. The name of the WPS team was announced as the Western New York Flash on December 1, 2010. The September announcement confirmed that the team would play half its home games at Marina Auto Stadium. The remaining games were originally intended to be played at Niagara Field, a smaller facility on the campus of Niagara University
in Lewiston
that is set to be expanded to 4,000 for the 2011 WPS season. However, the December announcement indicated that the entire 2011 home schedule would be in Rochester.
The Flash selected Alex Morgan
with the first pick in the 2011 WPS Draft
.
On January 25, 2011, the Flash signed 2009 and 2010 WPS MVP and WPS Golden Boot Marta.
With a 13-2-3 regular season record, the Flash earned the regular season title and the right to host the WPS Championship presented by Citi. On August 27, 2011, Western New York Flash capped their inaugural season in WPS by capturing the 2011 WPS Championship title 1-1 (5-4) in a penalty kick shootout in front of the largest championship crowd in league history.
Field, in Orchard Park, New York, 15 miles south-east of downtown Buffalo, NY, and trained daily at the nearby Sahlen's Sports Park in Elma, NY
. In 2010 the team played home games at the Demske Sports Complex at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.
The Sahlen family obtained the naming rights to Marina Auto Stadium in February 2011, so the team will play its inaugural WPS season at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester.
.
Jessica O'Rourke
Erika Sutton
Rosie Tantillo
Sarah Wagenfuhr
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
(but play their games in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
). It was founded in 2008 and played its inaugural season in 2009. The team is a member of Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
(WPS), the highest tier of women’s soccer in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The franchise is owned by the Sahlen family, who run a meat packing
Meat packing industry
The meat packing industry handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock...
company in Buffalo. Joe Sahlen is the owner. Alex Sahlen
Alexandra Sahlen
Alexandra Sahlen is an American professional soccer player and entrepreneur. She plays for Women's Professional Soccer team Western New York Flash and is also the club's President.-Career:...
is the team President. Former New Zealand international Aaran Lines
Aaran Lines
Aaran Franklyn Lines is a retired New Zealand association football player and current head coach of the Western New York Flash, the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer Champions. He has represented New Zealand at international level...
, Alex Sahlen's husband, is the head coach.
2009
In 2009 Buffalo Flash made its debut in the Great Lakes (formerly Northern) Division of the Central Conference, lining up against teams from Hamilton, Laval, London, Ottawa, Quebec City, Rochester and Toronto. It finished second, with a regular season record of 9-2-3 from their 14 matches, undefeated in their seven games on the road, and with 40 goals scored, and 10 conceded. In the post-season playoffs, the Flash reached the Central Conference semi-final, to end their inaugural season with a 10-3-3 record. They were beaten 3-0 by FC Indiana, the only other full-time professional outfit in the league.The 2009 team roster included players from six countries across four continents. There were four local players from Western NY, various US players from numerous states (including two with USA U-20 National Team experience), players from the full Italian National Team
Italy women's national football team
The Italy women's national football team represents Italy in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation .- Performances in the World Cup :...
, Portuguese National Team
Portugal women's national football team
-----------------------------2013 UEFA European Championship Qualifying:-----------------------------See also:* Portugal national football team* -References:...
, South African National Team
South Africa women's national football team
The South Africa national women's football team, nicknamed Banyana Banyana , is the national team of South Africa and is controlled by the South African Football Association.Their first official match was held in 30 May 1993 against Swaziland....
, and also from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. To aid team bonding, the squad were housed in the same apartment complex.
2010
Before the 2010 season Buffalo Flash signed EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
trio Gemma Davison
Gemma Davison
Gemma Suzanne Davison is an English female international football striker or winger. She currently plays her club football for Western New York Flash.-Club career:...
, Eartha Pond and Ann-Marie Heatherson
Ann-Marie Heatherson
Ann-Marie "Annie" Heatherson is an English female footballer. She plays as a striker for Bristol Academy in the FA WSL and is also employed by the club as an ambassador.-Club career:...
. Mele French
Mele French
Mele French is an American soccer forward who currently plays for SC Freiburg.-Career:Prior she joined to SC Freiburg, played for Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer, Ajax America, Pali Blues and Oregon Ducks....
and Kelly Parker
Kelly Parker
Kelly Parker is a Canadian soccer midfielder who plays for Atlanta Beat and the Canadian national team.-Career:Prior to joining SC Freiburg, Parker played for Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer, UTEP Miners, Ottawa Fury and F.C. Indiana.Parker played for W-League winners Buffalo Flash in...
arrived from German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
club SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg (women)
SC Freiburg is the women's association football team of SC Freiburg. The team played several seasons in Germany's top level league. In 2009-10 they were relegated from the Bundesliga to the 2. Bundesliga...
. Kimberly Brandão
Kimberly Brandão
Kimberly Maria Brandão is a Portuguese American professional women's soccer player who is currently a captain of the Portugal Women's National Team, which she has represented since 2007. At club level, Brandão plays professionally for the 2011 WPS Champions Western New York Flash , and has been a...
returned despite attending a training camp with Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....
, but Erika Sutton
Erika Sutton
Erika Christine Sutton is an American soccer defender currently playing for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer.-Club career:...
left for the Boston Breakers and Sarah Wagenfuhr
Sarah Wagenfuhr
Sarah Anne Wagenfuhr is an American soccer player from Colorado Springs, Colorado who plays for the Colorado Rush of the United Soccer Leagues' W-League...
joined St. Louis Athletica
St. Louis Athletica
Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte Stadium, on the campus of SIUE in Edwardsville,...
.
In 2010 Buffalo Flash competed in the Midwest Division of the W-League
W-League
The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
, finishing the regular season 14-0-2 against Chicago Red Eleven, Cleveland Internationals
Cleveland Internationals
Cleveland Internationals was an American soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2004, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Division of the Central Conference...
, Kalamazoo Outrage
Kalamazoo Outrage
Kalamazoo Outrage was an American soccer team based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid...
and London Gryphons.
Buffalo Flash won the W-League Championship by defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps Women
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC women are a Canadian women's soccer team founded in 2001 and a part of the greater Vancouver Whitecaps FC club. Originally called the Vancouver Breakers in 2001-02, the team is a member of the W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada...
3-1 at Harry Welch Stadium in Santa Clarita, California. They finished the season undefeated, while Kelly Parker was named W-League MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
.
2011
The team made plans to move to Women's Professional SoccerWomen's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
for the 2011 season. In September 2010, team president Alex Sahlen and coach Aaran Lines—both of whom have played for Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
-based soccer teams—indicated that the team was looking at playing up to half of its WPS home games at Rochester's Marina Auto Stadium (now Sahlen's Stadium). On September 24, WPS officially confirmed that the new team would indeed join the league. The name of the WPS team was announced as the Western New York Flash on December 1, 2010. The September announcement confirmed that the team would play half its home games at Marina Auto Stadium. The remaining games were originally intended to be played at Niagara Field, a smaller facility on the campus of Niagara University
Niagara University
Niagara University is a Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition, located in the Town of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. Originally founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1856 as Our Lady of Angels Seminary, it became Niagara University in 1883. The University is still run by...
in Lewiston
Lewiston, New York
Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, an early 19th-century governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.The Village of Lewiston,...
that is set to be expanded to 4,000 for the 2011 WPS season. However, the December announcement indicated that the entire 2011 home schedule would be in Rochester.
The Flash selected Alex Morgan
Alex Morgan
Alexandra Patricia "Alex" Morgan is an American soccer player from Diamond Bar, California. She is a forward for the Western New York Flash of Women's Professional Soccer and member of the US Women's National Team...
with the first pick in the 2011 WPS Draft
2011 WPS Draft
The 2011 WPS College Draft took place on January 14, 2011. It was the third college draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of college players to the American-based teams.-Format:...
.
On January 25, 2011, the Flash signed 2009 and 2010 WPS MVP and WPS Golden Boot Marta.
With a 13-2-3 regular season record, the Flash earned the regular season title and the right to host the WPS Championship presented by Citi. On August 27, 2011, Western New York Flash capped their inaugural season in WPS by capturing the 2011 WPS Championship title 1-1 (5-4) in a penalty kick shootout in front of the largest championship crowd in league history.
Stadium
In 2009 the team played their home games at Orchard Park High SchoolOrchard Park High School
Orchard Park High School is a secondary school in Orchard Park, New York. The school has approximately 1725 children in grades 9-12. The students are divided among three houses with a principal for each house and a principal who oversees the entire school....
Field, in Orchard Park, New York, 15 miles south-east of downtown Buffalo, NY, and trained daily at the nearby Sahlen's Sports Park in Elma, NY
Elma, New York
Elma is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 11,304 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a type of tree.The Town of Elma is located in the north-central part of the county, east of Buffalo, New York. Because of its location, Elma likes to refer to itself as the...
. In 2010 the team played home games at the Demske Sports Complex at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.
The Sahlen family obtained the naming rights to Marina Auto Stadium in February 2011, so the team will play its inaugural WPS season at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester.
Colours and badge
The Flash's home colors are red and away colors are black. As of 2010 the team's shirts are sponsored by MazdaMazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
.
Current roster
As of May 22, 2011Notable former players
Pamela ContiPamela Conti
Pamela Conti is an Italian football attacking midfielder currently playing for Energiya Voronezh in the Russian league....
Jessica O'Rourke
Jessica O'Rourke
Jessica Lynne O'Rourke is an American professional soccer player from Marlton, New Jersey. She is currently playing internationally for the club Zvezda-2005 in the Russian Women's Football Championship league and the UEFA Women's Champions League for the 2010/2011 season.In 2009, she competed in...
Erika Sutton
Erika Sutton
Erika Christine Sutton is an American soccer defender currently playing for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer.-Club career:...
Rosie Tantillo
Rosie Tantillo
Rosa Anna Tantillo is an American soccer player from San Diego, California. She is a midfielder for the Women's Professional Soccer club FC Gold Pride.-External links:**...
Sarah Wagenfuhr
Sarah Wagenfuhr
Sarah Anne Wagenfuhr is an American soccer player from Colorado Springs, Colorado who plays for the Colorado Rush of the United Soccer Leagues' W-League...
Year-by-year
| Year | League | Regular Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | USL W-League | 2nd, Great Lakes Division | Central Conference semi-final |
| 2010 | USL W-League | 1st, Midwest Division | USL W-League Champions |
| 2011 2011 Women's Professional Soccer season The 2011 Women's Professional Soccer season is the third season for the WPS, the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States... |
WPS Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion... |
1st | WPS Champions |