The defending champion New England Riptide wins Game 1 of the series, beating Akron 3-0 behind an outstanding performance from pitcher Eileen Canney. She allowed no runs on 1 hit, striking out 6 and walking 2. Alicia Hollowell took the loss.

Offensively, NE scored twice in the top of the 4th on RBI singles from Lyndsey Angus (scoring Shanel Scott) and Alex Sutton (scoring Angus). They added an insurance run in the top of the 7th when KJ Kelley scored on a passed ball.

Game 2 between the Washington Glory and the Rockford Thunder will start soon. Game 3 will pit the loser of Game 2 against Akron, with a start time of 6 EDT. The nightcap of the 4 game set will immediately follow, with the winners of Games 1 and 2 facing off.