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Women's Professional Soccer Recap: Week 4
FC Gold Pride went on the road and took sole possession of first with its 1-0 win over Sky Blue FC.
May 2, 2010 7:19:00 PM
By Giovanni Albanese Jr.
In the marquee match up of the week in WPS play, FC Gold Pride traveled cross country to Yucak Field in Piscataway, New Jersey, and handed Sky Blue FC a 1-0, taking sole possession of first in the process.
Minutes after Sky Blue FC (2-2) keeper Karen Bardsley stopped Camille Abily’s penalty kick -- and Marta’s follow-up shot -- she wasn’t able to stop Christine Sinclair, who buried a shot, assisted by Carrie Dew, giving the Pride all the offense they would need.
“This was a good win for us,” said the Canadian national team striker Sinclair. “Getting the shutout was huge. As a forward, it’s always nice to score, but most of the credit for our win today should go to our defense for holding off a tough Sky Blue attack.”
Sky Blue FC was playing without its top scorer Tasha Kai (out with a hamstring injury) but still managed to create several chances. In the first half, the Pride dominated, leaving Sky Blue FC with only one real chance at goal -- a Kacey White shot that nailed the crossbar behind Pride keeper Nicole Barnhart.
But in the second half, Sky Blue FC played a more physical game, which led to many chances, something Sky Blue FC coach Pauliina Miettinen was pleased with.
"We created many good chances in the second half,” Miettinen said. “I think it was the best second half effort that we've had all season."
Gold Pride coach Albertin Montoya was pleased with his team’s defensive execution, and happy the team could get the three points on the road.
“I thought it was a great performance, we gutted it out and found a way to win," said Montoya. "We were outstanding at creating chances and being defensively organized.”
After dropping the first game of the season, FC Gold Pride (3-1) have won three straight -- two against the defending WPS champions -- while taking sole possession of first place with nine points. But Montoya still believes each week will be just as challenging as the next, and knows the Pride need to keep improving.
"We just want to focus on getting better as a team in order to win a championship," said Montoya. "This (2010 FC Gold Pride) team has shown tremendous talent and I believe we have the potential to win it all. To do this, we need to continue improving week- to-week because at the same time, every other team will be improving, too."
Washington Freedom 3 @ St. Louis Athletica 1
Washington Freedom continued its up-and-down 2010 regular season with an impressive 3-1 win over the previously unbeaten St. Louis Athletica in front of 8,261 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Saturday night.
Abby Wambach set up Sonia Bompastor in the 18th minute to get things started for the Freedom, grabbing an early 1-0 advantage.
But the Athletica attack tied the game moments before the first half whistle. Lori Chalupny set up Eniola Aluko, who buried a left-footed shot past Freedom keeper Erin McLeod for her WPS-leading third goal (tying her with FC Gold Pride’s Christine Sinclair) to tie the game in first half stoppage time.
In the second half, both teams put the pressure on, but it was McLeod who out-dueled her counterpart, Athletica and US Women’s National Team keeper, Hope Solo.
"At the end of the day, getting three points against Hope Solo, one of the best goalkeepers in the world is a great day for Washington Freedom," said Abby Wambach.
Washington got the three points, evening its record to 2-2 on the season by putting two past the aforementioned Solo in the second half, while McLeod -- and a goal-line clearance by Nikki Marshall --prevented anything from going in for Athletica.
"The last few games our heart and our desire and our work ethic wasn't strong enough,” said McLeod. “But I think that last scramble was a tremendous example of those three things coming together.”
Homare Sawa, assisted by Bompastor, scored one minute into the second half to give the Freedom a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish; and Lene Mykjaland put one by Solo to give Freedom an insurance goal, and ensure victory.
"It was a pretty solid performance,” said Freedom coach Jim Gabarra. “We fought, we battled, and we focused," which resulted in the Freedom getting the three points it desperately needed.
Atlanta Beat 0 @ Philadelphia Independence 1
In a rematch of week one, the Philadelphia Independence showed the Atlanta Beat that that are a legit WPS contender as an expansion team while the Beat, well, are just getting their feet wet in the league.
With Philadelphia’s 1-0 win, courtesy of WPS Player of the Month of April Lori Lindsey’s 24th-minute goal, the Independence remain the only unbeaten team in the WPS.
“We played poorly in first half,” said Beat coach Gareth O’Sullivan. “We worked hard in the second, but we were unable to put one away.”
In the absence of Karina LeBlance, Independence keeper Val Henderson has stepped up her game, winning both games, although she only needed to make one stop in recording the clean sheet against Atlanta.
Atlanta finished up its month-long road trip to start the 2010 campaign with an 0-3-1 record. O’Sullivan is happy the team is going to return home and play in front of its fans at Kennesaw State University Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.
“It’s been a long month, and we are disappointed that we were unable to get a win today,” said O’Sullivan. “We are excited to come home, to play on grass and to play in our new home stadium.”
Chicago Red Stars 2 @ Boston Breakers 0
Chicago Red Stars finally broke through to the win column, taking down the previously unbeaten Boston Breakers, 2-0.
After a scoreless first half, the Red Stars had a quick flurry of goals, with Casey Nogueira and Cristiane tallying goals in the 63rd and 69th minutes respectively.
“I think the goal gave us confidence and kind of put Boston on their heels a bit as a goal does to any team,” said Nogueira. “I think we took advantage of it and Cristiane scored a few minutes later and that gave us even more confidence and I think it was great for our team to get the win. We really needed it.”
Jillian Loyden was able to stop all five shots the Breakers took on net to earn the clean sheet and boost Chicago out of last place in the WPS standings, much to the approval of Red Stars coach Emma Hayes.
"I think for the team, they really needed the result tonight," Hayes said. "It was a great team performance all around, and the result was fully deserved."
Nogueira’s second goal of the season came in her first start. It was exactly what Hayes was hoping to get out of the newly-inserted striker, changing the formation from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2.
"It justified her selection (of being in the starting 11)," Hayes said of Nogueira. "That's the expectation we have from her, to create and score, and she did that. She played a wonderful game."
Chicago welcomed Megan Rapinoe to the lineup for the first time this season, starting and assisting on Cristiane’s goal in the 69th minute. Rapinoe came out of the match after 75 minutes of play. Kosovare Asllani was sidelined with a fractured rib and will be missed for several weeks.
“They’re a team that has had very tough luck so they came in with a lot of incentive,” said Breakers coach Tony DiCicco. “I thought we played well but not good enough on the day.”
Looking ahead
In week five, a trio of games will take place on Saturday, May 8. Boston heads down to Boyds, Maryland, looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season, taking on the Washington Freedom at Maryland SoccerPlex at 7 p.m. ET. St. Louis hopes to recover from its first loss of the season, returning home to take on the lone unbeaten WPS team, Philadelphia. Kickoff is set for 8:10 p.m. ET at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri. And to conclude play on Saturday night, FC Gold Pride goes for its fourth straight win, hosting the Chicago Red Stars at Castro Valley High School Athletic Stadium at 10 p.m. ET.
In the week five game of the week, Atlanta plays its first home game of the season, hosting defending champion Sky Blue FC on Sunday, May 9. Kickoff at Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium is set for 6 p.m. ET and can be viewed on Fox Soccer Channel.
For more on Women's Professional Soccer, visit Goal.com's WPS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Minutes after Sky Blue FC (2-2) keeper Karen Bardsley stopped Camille Abily’s penalty kick -- and Marta’s follow-up shot -- she wasn’t able to stop Christine Sinclair, who buried a shot, assisted by Carrie Dew, giving the Pride all the offense they would need.
“This was a good win for us,” said the Canadian national team striker Sinclair. “Getting the shutout was huge. As a forward, it’s always nice to score, but most of the credit for our win today should go to our defense for holding off a tough Sky Blue attack.”
Sky Blue FC was playing without its top scorer Tasha Kai (out with a hamstring injury) but still managed to create several chances. In the first half, the Pride dominated, leaving Sky Blue FC with only one real chance at goal -- a Kacey White shot that nailed the crossbar behind Pride keeper Nicole Barnhart.
But in the second half, Sky Blue FC played a more physical game, which led to many chances, something Sky Blue FC coach Pauliina Miettinen was pleased with.
"We created many good chances in the second half,” Miettinen said. “I think it was the best second half effort that we've had all season."
Gold Pride coach Albertin Montoya was pleased with his team’s defensive execution, and happy the team could get the three points on the road.
“I thought it was a great performance, we gutted it out and found a way to win," said Montoya. "We were outstanding at creating chances and being defensively organized.”
After dropping the first game of the season, FC Gold Pride (3-1) have won three straight -- two against the defending WPS champions -- while taking sole possession of first place with nine points. But Montoya still believes each week will be just as challenging as the next, and knows the Pride need to keep improving.
"We just want to focus on getting better as a team in order to win a championship," said Montoya. "This (2010 FC Gold Pride) team has shown tremendous talent and I believe we have the potential to win it all. To do this, we need to continue improving week- to-week because at the same time, every other team will be improving, too."
Washington Freedom 3 @ St. Louis Athletica 1
Washington Freedom continued its up-and-down 2010 regular season with an impressive 3-1 win over the previously unbeaten St. Louis Athletica in front of 8,261 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Saturday night.
Abby Wambach set up Sonia Bompastor in the 18th minute to get things started for the Freedom, grabbing an early 1-0 advantage.
But the Athletica attack tied the game moments before the first half whistle. Lori Chalupny set up Eniola Aluko, who buried a left-footed shot past Freedom keeper Erin McLeod for her WPS-leading third goal (tying her with FC Gold Pride’s Christine Sinclair) to tie the game in first half stoppage time.
In the second half, both teams put the pressure on, but it was McLeod who out-dueled her counterpart, Athletica and US Women’s National Team keeper, Hope Solo.
"At the end of the day, getting three points against Hope Solo, one of the best goalkeepers in the world is a great day for Washington Freedom," said Abby Wambach.
Washington got the three points, evening its record to 2-2 on the season by putting two past the aforementioned Solo in the second half, while McLeod -- and a goal-line clearance by Nikki Marshall --prevented anything from going in for Athletica.
"The last few games our heart and our desire and our work ethic wasn't strong enough,” said McLeod. “But I think that last scramble was a tremendous example of those three things coming together.”
Homare Sawa, assisted by Bompastor, scored one minute into the second half to give the Freedom a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish; and Lene Mykjaland put one by Solo to give Freedom an insurance goal, and ensure victory.
"It was a pretty solid performance,” said Freedom coach Jim Gabarra. “We fought, we battled, and we focused," which resulted in the Freedom getting the three points it desperately needed.
Atlanta Beat 0 @ Philadelphia Independence 1
In a rematch of week one, the Philadelphia Independence showed the Atlanta Beat that that are a legit WPS contender as an expansion team while the Beat, well, are just getting their feet wet in the league.
With Philadelphia’s 1-0 win, courtesy of WPS Player of the Month of April Lori Lindsey’s 24th-minute goal, the Independence remain the only unbeaten team in the WPS.
“We played poorly in first half,” said Beat coach Gareth O’Sullivan. “We worked hard in the second, but we were unable to put one away.”
In the absence of Karina LeBlance, Independence keeper Val Henderson has stepped up her game, winning both games, although she only needed to make one stop in recording the clean sheet against Atlanta.
Atlanta finished up its month-long road trip to start the 2010 campaign with an 0-3-1 record. O’Sullivan is happy the team is going to return home and play in front of its fans at Kennesaw State University Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.
“It’s been a long month, and we are disappointed that we were unable to get a win today,” said O’Sullivan. “We are excited to come home, to play on grass and to play in our new home stadium.”
Chicago Red Stars 2 @ Boston Breakers 0
Chicago Red Stars finally broke through to the win column, taking down the previously unbeaten Boston Breakers, 2-0.
After a scoreless first half, the Red Stars had a quick flurry of goals, with Casey Nogueira and Cristiane tallying goals in the 63rd and 69th minutes respectively.
“I think the goal gave us confidence and kind of put Boston on their heels a bit as a goal does to any team,” said Nogueira. “I think we took advantage of it and Cristiane scored a few minutes later and that gave us even more confidence and I think it was great for our team to get the win. We really needed it.”
Jillian Loyden was able to stop all five shots the Breakers took on net to earn the clean sheet and boost Chicago out of last place in the WPS standings, much to the approval of Red Stars coach Emma Hayes.
"I think for the team, they really needed the result tonight," Hayes said. "It was a great team performance all around, and the result was fully deserved."
Nogueira’s second goal of the season came in her first start. It was exactly what Hayes was hoping to get out of the newly-inserted striker, changing the formation from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2.
"It justified her selection (of being in the starting 11)," Hayes said of Nogueira. "That's the expectation we have from her, to create and score, and she did that. She played a wonderful game."
Chicago welcomed Megan Rapinoe to the lineup for the first time this season, starting and assisting on Cristiane’s goal in the 69th minute. Rapinoe came out of the match after 75 minutes of play. Kosovare Asllani was sidelined with a fractured rib and will be missed for several weeks.
“They’re a team that has had very tough luck so they came in with a lot of incentive,” said Breakers coach Tony DiCicco. “I thought we played well but not good enough on the day.”
Looking ahead
In week five, a trio of games will take place on Saturday, May 8. Boston heads down to Boyds, Maryland, looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season, taking on the Washington Freedom at Maryland SoccerPlex at 7 p.m. ET. St. Louis hopes to recover from its first loss of the season, returning home to take on the lone unbeaten WPS team, Philadelphia. Kickoff is set for 8:10 p.m. ET at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri. And to conclude play on Saturday night, FC Gold Pride goes for its fourth straight win, hosting the Chicago Red Stars at Castro Valley High School Athletic Stadium at 10 p.m. ET.
In the week five game of the week, Atlanta plays its first home game of the season, hosting defending champion Sky Blue FC on Sunday, May 9. Kickoff at Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium is set for 6 p.m. ET and can be viewed on Fox Soccer Channel.
For more on Women's Professional Soccer, visit Goal.com's WPS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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