METUCHEN, N.J. – Its that time of the season in the East Conference of United Women’s Soccer when the contenders for the title begin to separate themselves from the pack.

A big encounter that could very well determine the conference champion kicks off on Sunday afternoon when the defending East title-holders New Jersey host the New York Surf. Two other East contenders – Long Island (1st place) and New England (2nd place) – will not have games this weekend. Western New York and Lancaster will look to get back to winning ways as they host two winless sides at home.

SATURDAY, JUNE 17

Western New York Flash vs. Rochester Lady Lancers
7 p.m. ET – Niagara University (Buffalo, N.Y.)

Almost as soon as it started, the Western New York Flash (1-3-2) will host its final home game of the season Saturday night before hitting the road for the last three games. Western New York will take on Thruway rivals Rochester Lady Lancers (0-5-1) at Niagara University. After a humbling loss to East leaders Long Island on June 3rd, the Flash rebounded last Saturday to notch their first conference win over the New England Mutiny by a tight 1-0 score. The match featured many scoring chances for both sides, and the Flash got the game-winner in the 33rd minute via Carissima Cutrona’s second goal of 2017. Western New York held the lead despite being outshot by a 17-9 margin and goalkeeper Alanna Rossi was credited with the win in her first appearance.

Facing a quick turnaround, the Flash hosted New Jersey Copa FC on Sunday afternoon and nearly came away with a positive result, but two late goals by the visitors resulted in a 3-1 defeat. Copa jumped out to an early lead in the 12th minute, but the Flash bounced back and equalized on a goal from Cutrona, her second of the weekend. NJCFC scored goals in the 76th minute off of a set piece, and in the 83rd minute to put the game away. Rochester hosted the same two sides last weekend and lost to New Jersey by a similar 3-1 score on Saturday before dropping a tough 2-1 loss to New England on Sunday. The Lady Lancers have proven to be a tough opponent in their last four matches and will look to tally their first victory against their thruway rival.

SUNDAY, JUNE 18

Lancaster Inferno vs. New York Magic
3 p.m. ET – Millersville University. (Millersville, Pa.)

After an impressive 2-1 victory at home over the Surf June 4, the Lancaster Inferno (2-3) would not come close to a positive result last Sunday, dropping a 6-1 loss to East leaders Long Island at Pucillo Field. In the first half, the Inferno held the Rough Riders to only one goal with outstanding play by goalkeeper Jordan Kamp (five saves). But the Long Island trio of Christina Dutcher, Hope Quinonez and Erica Modina would put the game out of reach in the second half. Lancaster tallied their lone goal of the match in the 52nd minute, as Haley Crawford notched her team-leading sixth goal of the season on a Tesa McKibben assist.

The Inferno host the New York Magic (0-3-1) in their third consecutive home match before hitting the road for a rematch against the New York Surf. The Surf thoroughly dispatched the Magic last Saturday in the first edition of the New York derby, running away with a 5-0 win. Lancaster also had their way with the Magic in Week III action, as they earned their first win of the season by a 4-1 score with thanks to four first half goals from Crawford. After conceding an early goal in the first half, the Inferno tied the game in the 22nd minute and never looked back. Lancaster out-shot New York by a 6-5 margin and Magic keeper Sierra Bonham made two saves.

New Jersey Copa FC vs. New York Surf
4:30 p.m. ET – St. John Vianney H.S. (Holmdel, N.J.)

The Surf (3-1-1) return to action on Sunday afternoon, traveling to New Jersey Copa FC (4-1) for a critical conference match at Saint John Vianney High School. The Surf enters this weekend on the heels of a 5-0 home victory over the New York Magic last Saturday, a game where midfielder Furtuna Velaj registered two goals and forward Erica Murphy scored in her third consecutive match. Goalkeeper Colleen Hickey recorded the clean sheet as the Surf saw outstanding form across its back line of Totianya Guadalupe, Brooke Salmon, Hannah Uhlan and Amy Marron.

New York will need its defense to be stout as 2016 UWS Player of the Year Krystyna Freda recently returned to New Jersey and is already back into top scoring form. Freda tallied four goals in wins over Rochester and Western New York last weekend, and is currently tied for the team lead in scoring with Jeanine Nunez (three goals, two assists). The outcome of Sunday’s fixture carries implications on the East standings, where first and fourth place are separated by just three points. The Surf and Copa are two of the clubs sitting in that top portion of the table, with the other two teams unbeaten Long Island (4-0-1) and the New England Mutiny (4-2). The Rough Riders and the Mutiny are off this weekend.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.