Ali Riley has done it all in her debut season in Women’s Professional Soccer and on Sunday her magical 2010 campaign could culminate with a league championship. Last week, Riley was one of three Bay Area players to receive a year-end honor when she was named WPS Rookie of the Year. FC Golf Pride’s left defender started 23 games and tallied three assists for the regular season champions, who will host either the Boston Breakers or Philadelphia Independence in the championship game on Sunday. Riley’s solid defensive play helped Bay Area top the league in team defense with only 19 goals allowed, and her consistently aggressive runs up the left flank and dangerous crosses created opportunities for teammates all season. The Pacific Palisades resident and former Pali Blues and Stanford University star was picked 10th in the first-round of the 2010 WPS Draft by FC Gold Pride, the league’s Bay Area franchise. “Ali is one of the best outside backs in this league,” FC Gold Pride coach Albertin Montoya said. Riley, 22, led her hometown Blues’ march to a second consecutive W-League crown last August, then captained Stanford University to its first-ever NCAA College Cup finals berth. Riley played for New Zealand in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China. She led Harvard-Westlake High to the 2006 Southern Section Division I title and was named the Mission League Offensive Most Valuable Player twice. She also starred for the Westside Breakers and SoCal United club teams.
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