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Sports

Soccer Star Ali Riley Is No 'Flash' in the Pan

The Palisadian defender has paced Western New York to first place in the WPS.

It comes as no shock to those familiar with Ali Riley's career that her current team, the Western New York Flash, sits at the top of the standings of Women's Professional Soccer, the highest level women's soccer league in North America. 

The 23-year-old from Pacific Palisades has won everywhere she's gone and is one of the most decorated women's players in the world today. Riley was named the league's Rookie of the Year last season and led Bay Area's FC Gold Pride to its first WPS championship.

She's wearing a different jersey this spring, but her mission is the same: lead her team to the league title. When Bay Area's franchise folded in November after just two seasons, Riley was suddenly left without a team, but players as talented as she are not long for free agency. In December, she signed with the expansion Flash and her steady play at left wing-back has the Rochester-based club off to a 3-0-1 start. Riley has started all four games and, not surprisingly, the Flash lead the six-team league in goal differential.

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"Having eight of us from [FC Gold Pride] is a big advantage, we all get along great and we've been [practicing] together for five weeks," Riley told Jeff DiVeronica of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle eight days before the season opener. "We need to work on moving the ball a little bit faster, breaking down the defense and getting in behind. I'm really excited and confident."

The only child of longtime Palisadians John Riley and Bev Lowe, Ali honed her skills locally in AYSO, then on the Westside Breakers and Real So Cal club teams and at Harvard-Westlake High in North Hollywood, where she was a two-time Mission League Offensive MVP and led the Wolverines to the Division I final in 2006. She went on to a brilliant career at Stanford University, where she was an All-American, All-Pac-10 first-teamer and All-Pac-10 Scholar Athlete of the Year, captaining the Cardinal to the College Cup final as a senior. 

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Riley is also among the world's most accomplished international players, with 29 caps for the New Zealand national team. Her family being from Christchurch on the South island made Riley eligible to play for the Football Ferns, which she did in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China and 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She led her hometown Pali Blues to their second straight W-League title in 2009 and played in all 23 games for FC Gold Pride last year. 

"It's an honor to bring a player from my home country to the Flash in our inaugural season in the WPS," Flash head coach Aaran Lines told National Soccer Wire. "Ali's athleticism, international experience and pace will be a great addition to our team and I'm looking forward to working with her."

Lines made 31 appearances for the New Zealand men's national team and played professionally in Germany. Riley is but one of many talented players Lines has assembled on a team making the jump to WPS after two seasons in the W-League, where it was known as the Buffalo Flash. Riley's teammates include former Los Angeles Sol and Brazilian international star Marta and ex-Pali Blues , and .  

Riley continues to represent Pacific Palisades with pride, grace and an ever-present smile. The Flash will try to remain undefeated when they host the Boston Breakers on Friday night at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, N.Y.

Click here to watch a YouTube profile in which Riley and her new coach talk about their international experiences with New Zealand. 

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