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WPS Previews: Week Three
Week three of WPS action is here. This weekend all the action is on the East coast, with all three games on Saturday. The only team that has some time off is Los Angeles. The Sol will return to action next weekend. Meanwhile, Boston hosts Saint Louis. Washington hosts Chicago. And Sky Blue FC hosts FC Gold Pride.
Apr 10, 2009 8:46:37 PM
Washington Freedom vs. Chicago Red Stars, Saturday at 6 pm ET at Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, MD
Washington played in just one match so far – the inaugural match against Los Angeles. The Freedom came up short with a 2-0 loss. However the club wasn’t without its chances. Washington tallied 12 shots in the match, forcing Los Angeles goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc to make three saves. The defense stood relatively strong, despite allowing two goals.
However during their bye week, the Freedom played in a benefit match against the University of Virginia. Abby Wambach and Jayme Leigh Cargnoni tallied to lead the women to a 2-0 win. Now it’s back to WPS action. The squad should be ready.
Wambach will look to lead the offense. The ladies should be hungry to get back out there and make some noise.
The Chicago Red Stars are also playing in their second match. Linday Tarpley led Chicago to a 1-0 win against Saint Louis in last week’s opener. The Red Stars were a strong defensive squad. They limited Saint Louis’ chances, which wasn’t easy. Megan Rapinoe was relentless in the midfield, breaking up plays and creating a couple opportunities. Goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson also impressed in her debut. The Swedish international stopped four attempts collecting the clean sheet.
The Red Stars will look to pick up where they left off. Scoring late in the game could be the momentum they need to take the lead early in Washington.
Boston Breakers vs. Saint Louis Athletica, Saturday at 7 pm ET at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, MA
Saint Louis was held scoreless in its WPS debut. But don’t count Athletica out. The club is full of offensive power. In their debut they took 15 shots, forcing Chicago goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson to make four saves. Lori Chalupny and Daniela each had three shots. Lisa Stoia and Angie Woznuk also had two apiece. Five other players added one shot each to bring the total to 15. The bottom line is – there are options. Boston will need to keep its defense strong and break up plays in the midfield to limit Atheltica’s chances.
Defensively, Hope Solo had a strong performance. She allowed one goal out of four attempts. Saint Louis’ squad really didn’t allow Chicago too many chances in the opener. And quite honestly, Athletica controlled the majority of the play in the match. Saturday’s match against Boston should be a good test for them.
Boston allowed a 32nd minute goal against FC Gold Pride in both teams’ debuts. Eriko beat goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill to give her club the lead. But the Breakers didn’t back down. It took a while for them to get the equalizer, but they pushed and pushed until they made it happen. Kelly Smith came through for her club with a 79th minute unassisted goal. FC Gold Pride tallied again to give Boston the 2-1 loss. But the Breakers didn’t hang their heads down.
All-in-all, Boston attacked well. The Breakers posted eleven shots on the evening, including seven in the second half. Defensively, they may have let too many chances sneak through. Luckenbill did come up with four saves in the match. But the defense will have to toughen up to stop Saint Louis’ feisty front line.
Sky Blue FC vs. FC Gold Pride, Saturday at 7:45 pm ET at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, NJ
Sky Blue FC is hosting so they have that going for them. But the club is going to have to work hard to get some goals. While they’ve only played one game, the ladies created quite a few chances. Fourteen shots, including eleven in the second half isn’t bad. However out of those shots, only three of them were threatening shots. And Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc had no trouble making the saves. So… Sky Blue needs to be a bit more creative and score early. Look for Natasha Kai and Anita Asante to lead the offense. Both ladies had three shots each in the club’s debut.
Sky Blue had a three-minute lapse defensively against Los Angeles. and it cost them a 2-0 loss. Marta saw an opening and she took it… twice, giving the Sol a 2-0 win. Sky Blue is going to have to be a solid team from front to back for 90 minutes, plain and simple.
FC Gold Pride earned a hard-fought win over Boston in their debut. Eriko Arakawa and Tiffeny Milbrett led the team to a 2-1 win over Boston. FCGP tallied 12 shots, including six on goal. Tiffany Weimer led the push with three shots of her own. Erika, Milbrett and Kandace Wilson each had two apiece. FC Gold Pride has many offensive options.
Nicole Barnhart had a strong game in goal, making four saves on the evening. Four saves could be too many however. The midfielders will need to slow things down to keep the back line from being so busy.
- Kathryn L. Knapp, Goal.com
Go to Goal.com's women's soccer section for all the latest about the sport.
Washington played in just one match so far – the inaugural match against Los Angeles. The Freedom came up short with a 2-0 loss. However the club wasn’t without its chances. Washington tallied 12 shots in the match, forcing Los Angeles goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc to make three saves. The defense stood relatively strong, despite allowing two goals.
However during their bye week, the Freedom played in a benefit match against the University of Virginia. Abby Wambach and Jayme Leigh Cargnoni tallied to lead the women to a 2-0 win. Now it’s back to WPS action. The squad should be ready.
Wambach will look to lead the offense. The ladies should be hungry to get back out there and make some noise.
The Chicago Red Stars are also playing in their second match. Linday Tarpley led Chicago to a 1-0 win against Saint Louis in last week’s opener. The Red Stars were a strong defensive squad. They limited Saint Louis’ chances, which wasn’t easy. Megan Rapinoe was relentless in the midfield, breaking up plays and creating a couple opportunities. Goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson also impressed in her debut. The Swedish international stopped four attempts collecting the clean sheet.
The Red Stars will look to pick up where they left off. Scoring late in the game could be the momentum they need to take the lead early in Washington.
Boston Breakers vs. Saint Louis Athletica, Saturday at 7 pm ET at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, MA
Saint Louis was held scoreless in its WPS debut. But don’t count Athletica out. The club is full of offensive power. In their debut they took 15 shots, forcing Chicago goalkeeper Caroline Jonsson to make four saves. Lori Chalupny and Daniela each had three shots. Lisa Stoia and Angie Woznuk also had two apiece. Five other players added one shot each to bring the total to 15. The bottom line is – there are options. Boston will need to keep its defense strong and break up plays in the midfield to limit Atheltica’s chances.
Defensively, Hope Solo had a strong performance. She allowed one goal out of four attempts. Saint Louis’ squad really didn’t allow Chicago too many chances in the opener. And quite honestly, Athletica controlled the majority of the play in the match. Saturday’s match against Boston should be a good test for them.
Boston allowed a 32nd minute goal against FC Gold Pride in both teams’ debuts. Eriko beat goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill to give her club the lead. But the Breakers didn’t back down. It took a while for them to get the equalizer, but they pushed and pushed until they made it happen. Kelly Smith came through for her club with a 79th minute unassisted goal. FC Gold Pride tallied again to give Boston the 2-1 loss. But the Breakers didn’t hang their heads down.
All-in-all, Boston attacked well. The Breakers posted eleven shots on the evening, including seven in the second half. Defensively, they may have let too many chances sneak through. Luckenbill did come up with four saves in the match. But the defense will have to toughen up to stop Saint Louis’ feisty front line.
Sky Blue FC vs. FC Gold Pride, Saturday at 7:45 pm ET at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater, NJ
Sky Blue FC is hosting so they have that going for them. But the club is going to have to work hard to get some goals. While they’ve only played one game, the ladies created quite a few chances. Fourteen shots, including eleven in the second half isn’t bad. However out of those shots, only three of them were threatening shots. And Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc had no trouble making the saves. So… Sky Blue needs to be a bit more creative and score early. Look for Natasha Kai and Anita Asante to lead the offense. Both ladies had three shots each in the club’s debut.
Sky Blue had a three-minute lapse defensively against Los Angeles. and it cost them a 2-0 loss. Marta saw an opening and she took it… twice, giving the Sol a 2-0 win. Sky Blue is going to have to be a solid team from front to back for 90 minutes, plain and simple.
FC Gold Pride earned a hard-fought win over Boston in their debut. Eriko Arakawa and Tiffeny Milbrett led the team to a 2-1 win over Boston. FCGP tallied 12 shots, including six on goal. Tiffany Weimer led the push with three shots of her own. Erika, Milbrett and Kandace Wilson each had two apiece. FC Gold Pride has many offensive options.
Nicole Barnhart had a strong game in goal, making four saves on the evening. Four saves could be too many however. The midfielders will need to slow things down to keep the back line from being so busy.
- Kathryn L. Knapp, Goal.com
Go to Goal.com's women's soccer section for all the latest about the sport.
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