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Washington Freedom Wins Second Match
Two first half goals for the Washington Freedom led the team to a 2-1 win.
May 24, 2009 3:03:22 AM
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Washington Freedom are climbing up the WPS ladder. Cat Whitehill and Lisa Devanna tallied goals to lead the club to a 2-1 win over Sky Blue FC.
“It’s just good to get a win right now,” Whitehill said. “It’s encouraging. The first half we came out and we really had possession of the ball. The second half we were a little sloppy and they came after us a little bit so I was glad to get the win.”
A surreal day for Sky Blue started with the news that General Manager and Head Coach Ian Sawyers was suspended indefinitely from his duties. Top Assistant Kelly Lindsey served as the interim coach. With that shakeup and four starters missing, Sky Blue still managed to put up a fight.
Washington jumped up to a 2-0 lead in an eight-minute span ending the first half. Sky Blue FC’s Rosana netted her first goal of the season in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as Sky Blue fell 2-1.
First Half
Sky Blue started off on fire, taking early shots in the match. In just the eighth minute, Rosana crossed the ball to Kacey White in the box. White sent a left-footed shot toward goal. Freedom goalkeeper Erin McLeod made the save.
But in the 35th minute, Washington struck first. Sonia Bompastor rocketed a corner kick into the box. Whitehill tapped the short ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.
The Freedom kept on the pressure. DeVanna sent the ball wide in the 40th minute. One minute later, Rebecca Moros sent the ball into the net, but the play was ruled offside.
Washington made it 2-0 in the 43rd minute. DeVanna found herself in the right place at the right time. She took advantage of a misplayed ball and dribbled it toward goal. DeVanna beat defender Keeley Dowling and shot the ball just inside the right post for a 2-0 lead.
Second Half
Sky Blue FC came out with a vengeance in the second half. They began firing in the early minutes of the half and it eventually paid off.
McLeod made two saves early in the second half, that held the visitors off for a bit. In the 47th minute, she tipped a Kacey White’s cross over the left post. Collette McCallum took the following corner kick, which Rosana headed toward goal. McLeod made the save.
“McLeod and her defense stopped maybe two shots off the line. I thought she had a great game but it was something we were looking at to try and take advantage of with only two games under her belt,” Lindsey said. “I really thought she came out like a true professional.”
In the 66th minute, Sky Blue got on the board. Jen Buczkowski forwarded the ball to the Kai, who controlled it and then slipped a perfect ball to Rosana. The Brazilian midfielder netted an easy finish into the lower right corner.
“It felt good - our team did well, our bench was up, the fans were into it,” Lindsey said. “I thought there were a lot of goal scoring opportunities and there were some dangerous moments and I think everyone enjoyed the last 15-20 minutes of the game.”
With the win, Washington improves to 2-2-3 while Sky Blue FC drops to 1-4-2.
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“It’s just good to get a win right now,” Whitehill said. “It’s encouraging. The first half we came out and we really had possession of the ball. The second half we were a little sloppy and they came after us a little bit so I was glad to get the win.”
A surreal day for Sky Blue started with the news that General Manager and Head Coach Ian Sawyers was suspended indefinitely from his duties. Top Assistant Kelly Lindsey served as the interim coach. With that shakeup and four starters missing, Sky Blue still managed to put up a fight.
Washington jumped up to a 2-0 lead in an eight-minute span ending the first half. Sky Blue FC’s Rosana netted her first goal of the season in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as Sky Blue fell 2-1.
First Half
Sky Blue started off on fire, taking early shots in the match. In just the eighth minute, Rosana crossed the ball to Kacey White in the box. White sent a left-footed shot toward goal. Freedom goalkeeper Erin McLeod made the save.
But in the 35th minute, Washington struck first. Sonia Bompastor rocketed a corner kick into the box. Whitehill tapped the short ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.
The Freedom kept on the pressure. DeVanna sent the ball wide in the 40th minute. One minute later, Rebecca Moros sent the ball into the net, but the play was ruled offside.
Washington made it 2-0 in the 43rd minute. DeVanna found herself in the right place at the right time. She took advantage of a misplayed ball and dribbled it toward goal. DeVanna beat defender Keeley Dowling and shot the ball just inside the right post for a 2-0 lead.
Second Half
Sky Blue FC came out with a vengeance in the second half. They began firing in the early minutes of the half and it eventually paid off.
McLeod made two saves early in the second half, that held the visitors off for a bit. In the 47th minute, she tipped a Kacey White’s cross over the left post. Collette McCallum took the following corner kick, which Rosana headed toward goal. McLeod made the save.
“McLeod and her defense stopped maybe two shots off the line. I thought she had a great game but it was something we were looking at to try and take advantage of with only two games under her belt,” Lindsey said. “I really thought she came out like a true professional.”
In the 66th minute, Sky Blue got on the board. Jen Buczkowski forwarded the ball to the Kai, who controlled it and then slipped a perfect ball to Rosana. The Brazilian midfielder netted an easy finish into the lower right corner.
“It felt good - our team did well, our bench was up, the fans were into it,” Lindsey said. “I thought there were a lot of goal scoring opportunities and there were some dangerous moments and I think everyone enjoyed the last 15-20 minutes of the game.”
With the win, Washington improves to 2-2-3 while Sky Blue FC drops to 1-4-2.
Goal.com
For more on Women's Professional Soccer, go to Goal.com's women's soccer section.
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