the face and to be able to compete with them ... Im very e

Steph Catley is well aware Melbourne City have targets on their backs this W-League season.The club captain just hopes the spike in pressure will drive her new-look team to back-to-back titles.Cashed-up City encounter a vastly different challenge in their second season, starting at the weekend.This time last year the clubs star-studded inaugural squad were standout contenders, however that also came with questions about how such a stacked side would gel on the field.Now, having set the bar absurdly high, the defending champions face a formidable task to replicate a campaign in which they scored 38 regular-season goals, conceded just four and finished 10 points ahead of nearest rival Canberra United.Catley admitted there was a strong sense other clubs were fixated on knocking them off their perch.Theres definitely pressure, Catley said.People have mentioned were the hunted.Going into last year there wasnt much because no one knew what to expect.Other teams have really amped it up and theyve got some incredible internationals in.Were very lucky that while weve had some great players go out, weve also had some great players come in.The loss of mercurial Matildas co-captain Lisa De Vanna and Scottish gun Kim Little leaves a hole in Citys front third.But Welsh midfielder Jess Fishlocks retention is a coup, as is snaring Erika Tymrak on loan from Kansas City and poaching Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams from Canberra United.Catley had her eye on all teams but named last seasons grand final victim Sydney FC as the biggest threat due to their balance and stability.Their base of Australian players is so strong, she said.Theyve been together for so long and know each other back to front.Playing against them is always difficult no matter what, and if you add internationals on top of that theyll definitely be a team to beat.The start of the domestic league caps a testing few months for Catley.The 22-year-old Matildas defender spent the entire Rio Olympics battling a stress fracture in her foot, only to succumb to a hamstring tear early in Australias quarter-final loss to Brazil.The issues forced her to cut short her season with US National Womens Soccer League side Orlando Pride to focus on recovery.She finally played her first minutes last weekend.I had to rehab both those things at the same time which was quite difficult, Catley said.Its been a long process, but Im almost there.The body is feeling quite good and its timed nicely in that Ill hopefully be able to get back into W-League quite quickly.Brisbane Roar kick off the W-League season against long-time rivals Sydney at Spencer Park on Saturday before City open their campaign against Newcastle on Sunday. 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Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Hydro Flask Sale Near Me . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. FARGO, N.D. -- James Madisons Mike Houston might not be the only Football Championship Subdivision coach to make five-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State the focus of the entire season. Hes probably the most blatant about it.When Houston took over an already solid program last spring, he immediately set about to change the culture and emphasize a physical, aggressive style of play he believed would give his team a shot at ending the Bison reign. The Dukes get that chance Friday night in an FCS semifinal at the Fargodome.In essence, weve built this team to try and go in and win this game, Houston said. Our style of play is something that I hope well be able to go in and challenge them. Certainly they are the standard at the FCS level.The Dukes (12-1) are the top scoring team in FCS with an average of just under 50 points per game. They scored 80 or more points twice and 60 or more points twice, including last weeks 65-7 dismantling of previously unbeaten Sam Houston State, the top-ranked team in FCS polling. The Dukes had a 607-270 advantage in total yardage.There is not anything about us that equates to finesse, soft ... you know, anything along those lines, Houston said. Our kids, when they take the field, theyre going to hit you right in the face. Theyre going to come at you as hard as they can.Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler said after last weeks game that the Dukes have the ability to beat any team in the country. Keeler said something similar about Jacksonville State last year after the Gamecocks defeated his team in the semifinals. The Bison then pushed around the Gamecocks -- billed as a physical team -- in last years championship.North Dakota State defensive end Brad Ambrosius called the brute force shown by James Madison special, but ssaid its tough to gauge by looking at video.ddddddddddddYou wont really know how physical they are until you start playing them, Ambrosius said. They claim to be physical, they look like theyre physical, but we wont know until Friday.North Dakota State (12-1) is 18-0 at home in the FCS playoffs and has won 19 straight home playoff games including a 1992 Division II first round victory against Northeast Missouri State in the final game outdoors at Dacotah Field. The Bison moved into the 18,700-seat Fargodome the next season.The Fargodome every year is all over ESPN, North Dakota State is all over ESPN, so finally being able to line up and look those players in the face and to be able to compete with them ... Im very excited, James Madison cornerback Taylor Reynolds said. This is a dream come true. Were looking to go into North Dakota State and win.Said North Dakota State fullback Chase Morlock, We welcome them into the dome. Come up here and lets tee it off. They are not going to be intimidated. Its going to take a solid effort to go out and get these guys.The Dukes are the only team in the final four the Bison have yet to play this season. They defeated Eastern Washington 50-44 in September and Youngstown State 20-3 in November, both times in the Fargodome. The last two teams standing advance to the national championship Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.It has been one tough game after another. We have been beat up, we have been beat down, we have come back, Ambrosius said. We just have to keep doing what were doing. Were used to his kind of thing.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '