Spiders hit by a rash of injuries

When the Utah Spiders of the Women's Premier Soccer League released their 2007 roster before the season began, many hailed it as the most talented array of players the team had accumulated in its outstanding history.

Then came injuries.

Up to this point, that has been the dominant theme of Utah's 2007 season, as the squad has been forced to overcome a rash of injuries to star players.

Nonetheless, the Spiders remain in position to get to the postseason.

With Utah's regular season heading down the stretch — it concludes league play with a game at local neighbor Rush Salt Lake City this Saturday — the team leads the WPSL's Southwest Division by one point over the Denver Diamonds.

Utah played twice against Colorado teams last weekend, and both results yielded draws. Accordingly, the Spiders must beat Rush this Saturday to ensure they finish ahead of Denver, which faces Albuquerque in its final game.

At stake is the Southwest Division title. The winner of the league will face the champion of the South Division, composed of Florida teams, with a spot in the 2007 WPSL Final Four on the line.

Like the Ogden Outlaws, Utah is composed primarily of local talent.

And — for the most part — that local talent is very young. So regardless of how its 2007 campaign finishes, expectations for Utah will remain very high in the years to come.

RUSH SALT LAKE CITY: As you might expect, Rush Salt Lake City has endured plenty of ups and downs during its first season of existence.

Rush opened its season with a 2-0 win over San Diego in non-division action. And once league play began, Salt Lake continued to do well.

Heading into its first-ever meeting with in-state rival Utah last week, Rush was tied with its neighbor in the division standings.

The Spiders emerged with a 3-0 win that day, but Salt Lake controlled large segments of the second half and more than proved it can play with Utah.

Accordingly, Rush will have revenge on its mind when it faces the Spiders for the second time this Saturday.

That contest will be held Saturday evening at Millcreek Jr. High, located in Bountiful.

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E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com