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WPS Previews: Week Six
Sky Blue FC returns to Women's Professional Soccer action this week and is still looking for its first win, along with Saint Louis Athletica. Boston, Washington and FC Gold Pride host the games this weekend.
May 1, 2009 10:53:05 PM
The month of May could potentially be a new beginning for the Women’s Professional Soccer teams. Saturday the Boston Breakers host the Los Angeles Sol. Then Sunday’s double header features Washington Freedom vs. Saint Louis Athletica and FC Gold Pride vs. Sky Blue FC. The Chicago Red Stars will sit the weekend out from WPS play.
Boston Breakers vs. Los Angeles Sol, Harvard Stadium, Saturday 7:00 pm ET
The Boston Breakers (2-2-0) were stunned last week when the Chicago Red Stars handed them a 4-0 loss. Returning home should be comfortable. Unfortunately, they’re going up against the hottest team in the league – the Los Angeles Sol (3-0-1).
Boston is a strong squad. There’s no doubt about it. The Breakers traveled to Chicago at the top of their game and found themselves silenced by the Red Stars. But at the end of the day, it’s hard to deny Boston goals. With 19 shots on goal, the Breakers have found the net six times. Kelly Smith is tied with the Sol’s Marta for the league lead with three goals. She leads the attack, joined by a deep squad, which includes veteran Kristine Lilly and newcomer Amy Rodriguez.
Last weekend’s loss wasn’t a good showing for Boston’s defense or goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill. Fresh off a penalty kick save, Luckenbill entered the game with all the confidence in the world. After allowing four goals, coach Tony DiCicco decided to give her a break. Allison Lipsher played the remaining 28 minutes of the match. Luckenbill has 13 saves on the year and should return to goal.
Los Angeles didn’t score any goals for the first time last weekend in a 0-0 deadlock with Saint Louis. But the Sol held strong defensively not allowing any goals either. The Sol is back to full strength with the return of Marta, who missed last weekend with Brazilian National Team duty. Expect her to keep pushing hard. She’s not the only offensive threat. Aya Miyama leads the team with nine shots. Shannon Boxx has seven. And Camile Abily and Aly Wagner both have five. There are tons of options.
Defensively, the Sol has been… well, perfect. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc has made 18 saves, keeping her net clean. In four games, Los Angeles has four clean sheets. Opponents have taken 56 shots, but only 18 have gotten too close for the net. LeBlanc and company have things under control.
The bottom line – Boston’s going to struggle to score. But if they can score, they may pull off the victory. Don’t count the Sol out however. Los Angeles is tough from A to Z.
Washington Freedom vs. Saint Louis Athletica, Maryland Soccerplex, Sunday 6:00 pm ET
The Washington Freedom (1-2-1) returns home after stunning FC Gold Pride 4-3 on a goal in injury time. The Freedom threw all that they had at the home squad on Sunday, and then some earning their first win of the campaign. Saint Louis (0-2-1) is fresh off a 0-0 draw with Los Angeles.
Washington had much success against FC Gold Pride last Sunday. At the top of the list was the performance of Abby Wambach. The U.S. veteran finally found the net, not once but twice to lead her club to victory. And she added an assist. Lori Lindsey and Allie Long added goals as well. Lindsey also tallied an assist. Cat Whitehill notched two assists on the evening. The Freedom showed when their offense is clicking, they’re tough to beat.
Defensively, well FC Gold Pride snuck three goals past goalkeeper Kati Jo Spisak. Although, she did make four saves. Spisak made her Freedom debut. She started her first match as a replacement for Briana Scurry. The duo has allowed nine goals in four games. There’s a bit of work to be done in back.
Saint Louis is the opposite. The club has struggled to find the net. Athletica is still waiting for its first goal. But they haven’t been without chances. The players have combined for 46 shots, including 10 on target. Lori Chalupny and Daniela lead the attack with nine shots each. Kerri Hanks is hot on their heals with seven. The ladies haven’t been able to finish in the final third. Either that or the opposing keepers have had their numbers. Either way, it’s only a matter of time before they find the net.
Hope Solo is turning into the rock for Saint Louis. Standing strong in goal, she’s made seven saves and allowed three goals. The entire team worked on defense last weekend and became the first team to shutdown the Los Angeles Sol. It marked the first time LA didn’t score a goal.
That being said – Sunday’s match should be interesting. Washington should still be riding a high from the 4-3 win. And Saint Louis from the 0-0 draw. So… it’s up for grabs. Although Athletica may be a bit hungrier since they have yet to earn a win.
FC Gold Pride vs. Sky Blue FC, Buck Shaw Stadium, Sunday 8:00 pm ET
FC Gold Pride (1-2-1) fell 4-3 in the final minutes of last Sunday’s match with the Washington Freedom. Sky Blue FC (0-1-2) returns after a weekend off.
FC Gold Pride stayed home this week, which should have given everyone a chance to rebound from the loss. But regardless, they scored three goals in the most exciting WPS match to date. Tiffeny Milbrett, Tiffany Weimer and Christine Sinclair all netted goals in the win. It looked like Sinclair’s game-tying goal in the 83rd minute might be enough for the draw. But Washington snuck another one in. Milbrett leads the club with two goals. Eriko Arakawa and Carrie Dew also tallied goals on the season for six in four games.
Goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart has allowed seven goals on the season, while making 14 saves. The defense has stood by Barnhart’s side, limiting the opponents seven goals on 23 shots on goal. It’s a team effort for FCGP.
Sky Blue FC has a few tricky stats. The club has only tallied one goal courtesy of Heather O’Reilly… but they haven’t allowed much either with only three goals allowed. Natasha Kai leads the offense with seven shots, while O’Reilly, Collette McCallum and Julianne Sitch each have five shots. If the chemistry comes together on Sunday, they should find a goal or two.
Karen Bardsley and Jenni Branam have split time in goal. Both players have played 135 minutes. Bardsley has allowed one goal, while Branam has allowed two. They have six combined saves (three each). Opponents struggle to form any kind of clean attack however. They’ve taken just 35 shots, 11 of which were on goal.
Sunday’s nightcap is going to be a close call. It could very well end up in a deadlock. However with Sky Blue FC still searching for a win, they may pick up the attack.
Goal.com
For more on Women's Professional Soccer, go to Goal.com's Women's Soccer page.
Boston Breakers vs. Los Angeles Sol, Harvard Stadium, Saturday 7:00 pm ET
The Boston Breakers (2-2-0) were stunned last week when the Chicago Red Stars handed them a 4-0 loss. Returning home should be comfortable. Unfortunately, they’re going up against the hottest team in the league – the Los Angeles Sol (3-0-1).
Boston is a strong squad. There’s no doubt about it. The Breakers traveled to Chicago at the top of their game and found themselves silenced by the Red Stars. But at the end of the day, it’s hard to deny Boston goals. With 19 shots on goal, the Breakers have found the net six times. Kelly Smith is tied with the Sol’s Marta for the league lead with three goals. She leads the attack, joined by a deep squad, which includes veteran Kristine Lilly and newcomer Amy Rodriguez.
Last weekend’s loss wasn’t a good showing for Boston’s defense or goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill. Fresh off a penalty kick save, Luckenbill entered the game with all the confidence in the world. After allowing four goals, coach Tony DiCicco decided to give her a break. Allison Lipsher played the remaining 28 minutes of the match. Luckenbill has 13 saves on the year and should return to goal.
Los Angeles didn’t score any goals for the first time last weekend in a 0-0 deadlock with Saint Louis. But the Sol held strong defensively not allowing any goals either. The Sol is back to full strength with the return of Marta, who missed last weekend with Brazilian National Team duty. Expect her to keep pushing hard. She’s not the only offensive threat. Aya Miyama leads the team with nine shots. Shannon Boxx has seven. And Camile Abily and Aly Wagner both have five. There are tons of options.
Defensively, the Sol has been… well, perfect. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc has made 18 saves, keeping her net clean. In four games, Los Angeles has four clean sheets. Opponents have taken 56 shots, but only 18 have gotten too close for the net. LeBlanc and company have things under control.
The bottom line – Boston’s going to struggle to score. But if they can score, they may pull off the victory. Don’t count the Sol out however. Los Angeles is tough from A to Z.
Washington Freedom vs. Saint Louis Athletica, Maryland Soccerplex, Sunday 6:00 pm ET
The Washington Freedom (1-2-1) returns home after stunning FC Gold Pride 4-3 on a goal in injury time. The Freedom threw all that they had at the home squad on Sunday, and then some earning their first win of the campaign. Saint Louis (0-2-1) is fresh off a 0-0 draw with Los Angeles.
Washington had much success against FC Gold Pride last Sunday. At the top of the list was the performance of Abby Wambach. The U.S. veteran finally found the net, not once but twice to lead her club to victory. And she added an assist. Lori Lindsey and Allie Long added goals as well. Lindsey also tallied an assist. Cat Whitehill notched two assists on the evening. The Freedom showed when their offense is clicking, they’re tough to beat.
Defensively, well FC Gold Pride snuck three goals past goalkeeper Kati Jo Spisak. Although, she did make four saves. Spisak made her Freedom debut. She started her first match as a replacement for Briana Scurry. The duo has allowed nine goals in four games. There’s a bit of work to be done in back.
Saint Louis is the opposite. The club has struggled to find the net. Athletica is still waiting for its first goal. But they haven’t been without chances. The players have combined for 46 shots, including 10 on target. Lori Chalupny and Daniela lead the attack with nine shots each. Kerri Hanks is hot on their heals with seven. The ladies haven’t been able to finish in the final third. Either that or the opposing keepers have had their numbers. Either way, it’s only a matter of time before they find the net.
Hope Solo is turning into the rock for Saint Louis. Standing strong in goal, she’s made seven saves and allowed three goals. The entire team worked on defense last weekend and became the first team to shutdown the Los Angeles Sol. It marked the first time LA didn’t score a goal.
That being said – Sunday’s match should be interesting. Washington should still be riding a high from the 4-3 win. And Saint Louis from the 0-0 draw. So… it’s up for grabs. Although Athletica may be a bit hungrier since they have yet to earn a win.
FC Gold Pride vs. Sky Blue FC, Buck Shaw Stadium, Sunday 8:00 pm ET
FC Gold Pride (1-2-1) fell 4-3 in the final minutes of last Sunday’s match with the Washington Freedom. Sky Blue FC (0-1-2) returns after a weekend off.
FC Gold Pride stayed home this week, which should have given everyone a chance to rebound from the loss. But regardless, they scored three goals in the most exciting WPS match to date. Tiffeny Milbrett, Tiffany Weimer and Christine Sinclair all netted goals in the win. It looked like Sinclair’s game-tying goal in the 83rd minute might be enough for the draw. But Washington snuck another one in. Milbrett leads the club with two goals. Eriko Arakawa and Carrie Dew also tallied goals on the season for six in four games.
Goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart has allowed seven goals on the season, while making 14 saves. The defense has stood by Barnhart’s side, limiting the opponents seven goals on 23 shots on goal. It’s a team effort for FCGP.
Sky Blue FC has a few tricky stats. The club has only tallied one goal courtesy of Heather O’Reilly… but they haven’t allowed much either with only three goals allowed. Natasha Kai leads the offense with seven shots, while O’Reilly, Collette McCallum and Julianne Sitch each have five shots. If the chemistry comes together on Sunday, they should find a goal or two.
Karen Bardsley and Jenni Branam have split time in goal. Both players have played 135 minutes. Bardsley has allowed one goal, while Branam has allowed two. They have six combined saves (three each). Opponents struggle to form any kind of clean attack however. They’ve taken just 35 shots, 11 of which were on goal.
Sunday’s nightcap is going to be a close call. It could very well end up in a deadlock. However with Sky Blue FC still searching for a win, they may pick up the attack.
Goal.com
For more on Women's Professional Soccer, go to Goal.com's Women's Soccer page.
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