Vlora Women versus St. Croix | UPSL Women’s Division | May 31, 2026 | Saint Paul, MN
Starting XI: Claire Acker, Aleisha Cortez, Keira Olabode, Andrea Cuenca Medina, Sam Poeschl, Marissa Wentland, Haley Gschrey, Amelia Gregory, Lizzy Jaraczeski, Emma Olson, Halima Bigirindavyi
Vlora FC’s UPSL women’s team earned its second win of the season last Sunday, picking up a big 1-0 win over St. Croix SC. It marked a first home win, first clean sheet, and second overall win for the season after Vlora beat the St. Paul Blackhawks 2-1 on the road a few days prior.
The day began with a relatively even-locked 40 minutes of play. Gschrey placed a clever pass for a big Jaraczeski chance early in the game, while Vlora were able to see out a few dangerous corner kicks from the visitors. Neither team had found quite the shot they were looking for when Bigirindavyi earned a free kick for Vlora a few yards back from the top of the box. Gschrey, who played four years at La Salle University after coming out of Pennsylvania, stepped up to take it. Her attempt was a simple, keeping the shot low and floating as it went wide of the wall and snuck into the near post, leaving the St. Croix goalkeeper planted on her line and giving both Gschrey and the team a much-needed goal. That 1-0 lead lasted going into halftime.
Vlora came into the second half looking to better-control the tempo and did just that. Defenders like Olabode, Gregory and Poeschl brought some new calm defensively while playing ahead of goalkeeper Kaitlyn Krengel, a halftime substitute. The midfield also grew into the game, with Cuenca Medina, Bigirindavyi, and Olson building things out into the midfield as the rain began to pour down.
Ingrid Lienke and Sienna Latta entered the game to provide some fresh energy, before being joined by Olivia Ziemann and Lila Endo. All four additions helped keep the trajectory positive for Vlora, though neither team could find a goal to further affect the game. Endo had a close call after being played in by Latta, and Millennium Amha brought some good energy off the bench late, but defensive solidity proved key as the game ended at 1-0.
The Goalscorer’s Take
Gschrey was named Woman of the Match for her goal-scoring heroics and told club media that it felt good to start to build momentum as a team.
“I definitely think we needed that win tonight just as motivation to keep pushing this season,” she said. “I don’t think the season started the way we wanted it to. Conditions today didn’t help, but we got it done when we needed it most. … I know there’s been tough seasons in the past and I’m one of the new players here, so it’s been good to get these two wins and start to build something as a group.”
Gschrey added that the team came into the game against St. Croix looking to play a more-composed 90 minutes and that she was happy to see that work result in an encouraging victory.
“We’ve worked on keeping the intensity high in practice and it showed today,” Gschrey said. “We kept our composure today and that was a big thing that Coach Vince talked about after the win at Blackhawks, having more control in the last 10 to 15 minutes. I think we tried our best to do that today and made it work. … I’ve definitely been finding my role here and getting used to playing as a forward again, it’s been awhile for me, but everyone’s been so nice and welcoming. It’s been a good experience and I’ve already made new friends for sure.”
