Riley's Defense Has Flash Streaking

"When we play our best, we are hard to beat."

Those were the words Palisadian Ali Riley used to describe the Western New York Flash upon her return to the soccer team in mid-July after playing for New Zealand in the Women's World Cup in Germany. 

At the time, the Flash had dropped into second place in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) standings and Riley said the squad's fate would depend on how quickly she and her teammates gelled the rest of the season--a busy stretch of eight games in less than four weeks.

It's safe to say the team has "gelled" fast enough. Since Riley reunited with her teammates against Sky Blue FC on July 17, the Flash are undefeated (five wins, zero losses and one tie).

Thanks to Riley's rock-solid play at left fullback and a pair of first-half goals by Brazilian star Marta, the Flash shut out the Atlanta Beat 2-0 Saturday night at Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium to take over sole possession of first place with two games remaining.

The win earned the Flash (11-2-3) three points and with a total of 36 they are three ahead of the Philadelphia Independence (10-3-3). Both teams have clinched the playoffs, but the regular season champion earns an automatic berth in the WPS championship game August 27. 

One reason the Flash have clicked so well is that Riley and seven of her teammates were on Bay Area's FC Gold Pride last year and thus have experience playing together. That team won the WPS title and Riley was named Rookie of the Year.

A few weeks after the Bay Area franchise folded in November, Riley signed with the expansion Flash and now she has her new team in prime position to claim its first championship in the highest level of women's soccer in North America.

The Flash play magicJack's Washington Freedom on Wednesday in Boca Raton, Florida, then return home for a rematch with Atlanta in their season finale August 14 at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, New York. If the Flash win both games, they will clinch first place. 

A second straight WPS crown would add an exclamation point to an already memorable year for the 23-year-old defender, who assisted on the tying goal in injury time as New Zealand rallied for a 2-2 draw with Mexico on July 5 to earn its first point ever in World Cup competition.

"It was probably the most exciting few minutes I've ever experienced [in soccer]," Riley admitted afterwards. "To be down two and score in the 90th and 94th minutes ... that was unforgettable."

Returning home to Pacific Palisades as a champion at the end of the month would be the latest in a lifetime's worth of accomplishments for the former Harvard-Westlake High School and Stanford University star who started in AYSO, then played club soccer with the Westside Breakers from 1998-04 and Real So Cal from 2004-06.