Minnesota Aurora headed to national semifinals this weekend
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The Minnesota Aurora are headed west to the national semifinals of the USL W League on Saturday.
That’s after the pre-professional soccer team earned a dramatic win over the holiday weekend. The Aurora beat Pittsburgh Riveters SC 2-1 on a goal by Gracie Dunaway in the 92nd minute on Sunday in Pittsburgh, securing the Central Conference championship for the second year in a row.
Flavie Dubé scored Minnesota’s other goal.
The Aurora will now play Salmon Bay FC in the national semifinals at 9:30 p.m. Central time Saturday at Interbay Stadium in Seattle.
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The Aurora were hoping to host the semifinals at home in Minnesota.
“We are incredibly frustrated that our bid to host the semifinals in Minnesota has been denied,” the Aurora wrote in a statement to fans on Facebook, noting the undefeated team had the league’s best record and had “earned the right to host.”
“This decision disregards player safety and well-being, forcing our team into a cross-country trip from the East Coast to the West Coast, crossing three time zones in barely over 72 hours, providing minimal recovery time and significantly increasing risk of injury.”
The team also wrote that the late start time “shuts out” many Minnesota fans from watching the game.
The Aurora lost in the national semifinals in the 2025 season. They won a semifinal but lost in the national championship game in their inaugural season in 2022.
