Los Angeles Sol v NJ Sky Blue FC Highlights &Trophy Presentation

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Washington Freedom v NJ Sky Blue FC Highlights

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WASHINGTON FREEDOM 1 - 2 NJ SKY BLUE FC

Sky Blue FC claimed a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Washington Freedom at the Maryland SoccerPlex yesterday to advance to the Super Semi-Finals of the WPS against Saint Louis Athletica.

Natasha Kai and Francielle both came off the bench to score with Francielle’s game-winning goal coming in the 84th minute.

With a 4 p.m. kickoff, the game was played in stifling 92-degree heat and that slowed the pace of the game noticeably.Sky Blue FC held the upper hand in the first half with a 14-5 advantage in shots. Rosana had a great chance in the seventh minute but volleyed right at Freedom keeper Erin McLeod. In the 21st minute, McLeod charged out the block a chance by Kerri Hanks, who started in place of Kai up front.

Washington did not create many chances in the first half. Abby Wambach and Lisa DeVanna did not make the impacts as expected and they looked like they were not on the same page.The whole first half they didn't manage a shot on goal.

In the second half, the Freedom started to create and play well. Ali Krieger hit a great chance over from close range less than two minutes in.

But the game turned in the 54th minute when Kai was substituted in for Hanks. With fresh legs against a tiring defence Kai latched on to a ball from Kacey White, stole the ball away from Cat Whitehill by sneaking in from behind her and rounded McLeod to put Sky Blue 1- nil up.

Washington were shocked into a response as Wambach shot right at Jenni Branam in the 61st minute and then Branam made a key save seven minutes later tipping a blast by Krieger off the crossbar.

The Freedom goal came in the 78th minute off a long ball played forward into the box. Branam charged off her line to box the ball and collided into Wambach in the process. The ball went right to De Vanna and the Australian striker nailed a shot just under the crossbar beating two defenders on the line to tie the score at 1-1.

It looked like the game was going to overtime when in the 84th minute Francielle received a pass from Yael Averbuch to the left side. She froze a defender with a move off the dribble and then unleashed a low shot from 20 yards that nicked off the fingertips of McLeod and into the lower right corner. McLeod should have saved the shot but it just sneaked in the inside of the post.

Sky Blue held out for the win by playing keep ball and making Washington run after the ball which they couldn't do in the searing heat.

Well deserved victory for Sky Blue and Interim player/coach Christie Rampone which keeps their season alive after so many off the field disturbances.They will travel directly to St. Louis to prepare for the WPS Super Semifinal at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo.



Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra

"It's difficult to play the same team twice in a row at home.They had a specific game plan, and we didn't get a goal to force them out of it. We let it play into their game plan. It was a very average performance."

On missing Sonia Bompastor

"She has been our security blanket."


Washington Freedom Forward Abby Wambach

"It was a game with a team like them, who were just keeping possession and getting crosses in the box, against a team like us, who were trying to get in behind on the transition. When you have two teams playing those opposite systems, and if we had gotten a little bit lucky, the result could have been totally different."



Interim Player/ Coach Christie Rampone

"I think the heat is just how you handle it. I was telling the girls that everyone was hot – deal with it and make the ball work. I think it definitely slowed the game for both sides but I think we got the better of it; pinging the ball around, especially late in the game, you could see when we were spraying the ball they didn’t want to make the 20-yard run. The key was keeping the ball and not giving away too many balls in the middle.

After our goal, I really felt like the team settled in and even though they scored, I still felt pretty confident in the team. A couple minutes after the goal they had a little momentum but we got it back. They left Fran wide open and she hit a good shot and we finished out better than we normally do."

Sky Blue FC forward Natash Kai

"I knew I needed to come in and help the team out and give that extra fire, that spark.The ball went over and I just saw Kacey with the ball. I don’t know if she was trying to shoot it or if it was more like a half cross. It had a weird spin to it and I knew Cat (Whitehill) had no idea I was behind her. I knew that if I beat her to the ball it was an easy goal for me.

They came back and scored a great goal but then Fran came in and finished an awesome ball. This is what we needed to do – coming into the playoffs we needed to score and play defense as a team. Our three subs that came in played strong and helped the team out."

Lineups:

Washington Freedom: Erin McLeod; Sarah Senty, Cat Whitehill, Becky Sauerbrunn, Ali Krieger; Lori Lindsey (Sarah Huffman 73'), Jill Gilbeau (Alex Singer 46'), Homare Sawa, Rebecca Moros (Allie Long 59'); Lisa De Vanna, Abby Wambach(C).

Sky Blue FC: Jenni Branam; Jen Buczkowski, Keeley Dowling, Meghan Schnur, Christie Rampone(C) ; Yael Averbuch, Collette McCallum (Francielle 61'), Heather O'Reilly, Kacey White (Kelly Parker 71'); Rosana, Kerri Hanks (Natasha Kai 54').

NJ Sky Blue FC v FC Gold Pride Highlights

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NJ SKY BLUE FC 2 - 0 FC GOLD PRIDE

Natasha Kai scored a goal to seal the 2-0 win for Sky Blue FC over FC Gold Pride at a packed Yurcak Field, New Jersey last night.

With a sold-out capacity crowd of 5,455 Sky Blue took one step into the playoffs.

The match was the first for Sky Blue with Captain Christie Rampone serving as interim player/coach. The match didn’t start smoothly with goalkeeper Karen Bardsley replacing Jenni Branam in the starting lineup at the last minute forcing Sky Blue to use one of its substitutions.

Sky Blue held an 11-2 edge in shots in the first half but couldn’t break through. Kai headed a corner kick from Yael Averbuch just wide of the post in the 18th minute and FC Gold Pride keeper Nicole Barnhart did a good job to pick the ball off the foot of Kai in the 35th minute.

FC Gold Pride’s best chance of the game came from Christine Sinclair in the 43rd minute, but Bardsley came up big to slide through the Canadian striker on a breakaway to keep the game scoreless.

After halftime, Sky Blue took control of the game right away as Rosana scored just 46 seconds into the second half. Heather O’Reilly carried the ball up the right side and floated a cross into the box that the Brazilian midfielder headed into the right side of the goal from eight yards out.

Kacey White then curled a 15-yard shot off the left post in the 59th minute. Two minutes later, substitute Collette McCallum just on, lofted a perfect ball forward for Kai and the striker took a touch before slotting a shot past a charging Barnhart for the 2-0 lead.

Gold Pride had a chance near the end.Sinclair rolled a shot just past the post in the 67th minute.

Kai could have got on the board again, once in the 70th minute and twice back-to-back in the 74th minute. Keeper Barnhart was on task to shut her out.

With the victory, Sky Blue FC moved into a tie for third place with a 7-7-5 record for 26 points. The Washington Freedom and Boston Breakers are the other two teams fighting for the final two playoff spots. Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Washington has an identical 7-7-5 mark but currently holds the tiebreaker with a victory and tie against Sky Blue FC. The pressure is on Boston with the Breakers sitting one point back at 7-8-4 for 25 points.

Sky Blue travels to the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday to take on the Freedom at 7 p.m. in the season finale. Boston hosts the regular season champion Los Angeles Sol on Sunday at 6 p.m. in a must-win game for the Breakers.

FC Gold Pride will return home to take on the second place Staint Louis Athletica for their final game of Inaugural season this Sunday, July 9 at 5 p.m. The Pride is 2-0-1 against the Athletica and will be looking to finish their season on a high note.



INTERIM PLAYER/COACH CHRISTIE RAMPONE

"It feels good now that we got a win. It’s been a great week. I think the team really had some great training sessions. Mike and I were just tweaking little things at training and everyone stayed focused and it really showed in the second half. I think the first half was just pure adrenaline and trying to find our rhythm but I think we came out in the second half really focused and we had nothing to lose at that point."


FC GOLD PRIDE HEAD COACH ALBERTIN MONTOYA

"Obviously I thought we did a little bit better in the first half and dealt with their high pressure. We knew they would come out at us. We had three tough games coming into this game and they had a week's rest and I don’t think our players have played in this type of weather in some time but that’s not an excuse. I thought Sky Blue FC played extremely well today and were very effective in making their runs and the way I look at it, they were just buzzing around everywhere. They had good energy and they played like a team that’s fighting for a playoff spot and we unfortunately didn’t come out with the intensity and energy and I think it cost us in the second half. "



Lineups:
Sky Blue FC:– Jenni Branam (Karen Bardsley 1’); Meghan Schnur, Christie Rampone(C), Jen Buczkowski, Keeley Dowling; Heather O’Reilly, Yael Averbuch, Rosana, Kelly Parker (Collette McCallum 60’); Kacey White (Kerri Hanks 71’), Natasha Kai.

FC Gold Pride: – Nicole Barnhart; Greer Barnes, Carrie Dew, Kristen Graczyk, Rachel Buehler; Tina DiMartino, Tiffeny Milbrett (Kim Yokers 83’), Leslie Osborne(C), Brandi Chastain (Adriane 60’); Christine Sinclair, Tiffany Weimer (Eriko Arakawa 56’).

NJ Sky BlueFC V Washington Freedom Highlights

NJ SKY BLUE 4 - 4 WASHINGTON FREEDOM

In an evenly-played match with end-to-end action, Sky Blue FC and Washington Freedom traded goals back-to-back in the early minutes of each half to keep the fans on the edge of their seats. Both Natasha Kai and Kacey White finished with two goals each for Sky Blue FC while Lisa De Vanna connected twice for the Freedom to go along with single scores by Cat Whitehill and Sonia Bompastor.

The action started quickly as the Freedom connected just 3:41 into the match. Alli Krieger carried the ball up the right side before crossing into the middle for Bompastor, who flicked a header inside the far post for the 1-0 lead. Just 1:14 later, Sky Blue FC tied the game at 1-1 when Heather O’Reilly sent a cross in from the left side and a wide open Kai easily touched the ball in from five yards out.

The teams traded chances again midway through the opening half with Rebecca Moros sending in a cross that deflected off the crossbar in the 21st minute. Less than two minutes later, Keeley Dowling struck a shot from distance that eluded Freedom keeper Erin McLeod but bounded off the left post.

Sky Blue FC struck for its second goal in the 27th minute following a scramble in the box after a corner kick. Dowling sent the ball toward the goal and White finished in acrobatic fashion, lifting her leg high to flick the ball into the upper left corner with the outside of her foot.

The Freedom had two chances before halftime as Abby Wambach’s shot from an angle gave Sky Blue FC keeper Jenni Branam a bit of trouble in the 39th minute and then Whitehill blasted a freekick right at Branam in stoppage time.

The second half started off with a bang as White scored an accidental goal just 27 seconds in. The Sky Blue FC forward’s cross from the left side went over the head of McLeod and deflected off the inside of the far, right post into the goal.

Just 58 seconds later, the Freedom responded to cut the lead to 3-2 on a goal by De Vanna. Bompastor crossed the ball in from the left and the Australian striker buried a header from five yards out.

Washington kept up the pressure and three minutes later, Wambach banged a first-time shot from eight yards out off the right post. In the 54th minute, the Freedom tied the match when Wambach chipped forward to De Vanna, who beat the offside trap and carried into the box before cutting past Branam and rolling a shot into the open goal.

Branam kept the score tied with two strong saves. In the 68th minute, the Sky Blue FC keeper dove to stop Bompastor, who attempted to sneak a free kick in at the near post from an angle. In the 76th minute, Branam made a diving stop off a header from Wambach.

Sky Blue FC seemed to have come up with the game-winner when Rosana fed Kai into the box for the first-time finish past a charging McLeod, but in a game as wild as this one that wasn’t the case. Two minutes into stoppage time, the ball took a surprising deflection off a Sky Blue FC player toward the goal and Branam did well to touch the ball off the crossbar to keep it out. However, Whitehill flew in to bury the rebound to tie the score at 4-4.

Washington could have or maybe should have had a penalty to win in the last 20 secs as Wambach was bundled over inside the box. Ref ignored the strong protests by the Freedom players and the bench.

Sky Blue was without their English star Anita Asante who was on international duty in England.

Sky Blue FC returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Faith Day at Yurcak Field. Kickoff is set at 4:30 p.m. as Sky Blue FC seeks to stake its claim for a playoff spot with a match against the Chicago Red Stars.

The Freedom now return how to host the second-place Saint Louis Athletica on Saturday, July 18 at 5pm ET/2pm PT (Comcast Sports Net Mid-Atlantic, KPLR in St. Louis and webcast at saintlouisathletica.com).

SKY BLUE FC COACH KELLY LINDSEY

On the past three games

I think they are doing really well right now and they are peaking at the right time and really starting to gel and come together so I think the next 2 or 3 weeks will be exciting for them to pull it together going into the playoffs and see if we can earn a spot.

On Kacey White and Natasha Kai’s performance

I think they are finally getting on the same page and connecting with each other by obviously scoring some goals today, which is great for them and good for their confidence. Overall I’m really proud of the way they are working together.

WASHINGTON FREEDOM COACH JIM GABARRA

On his team’s performance

It was great that they came back and continued to play for the full 90 minutes. The first half there was way too much standing around and reacting which put us in the hole we probably shouldn’t have been in. We went up by a goal and all the things we were doing we just stopped doing. You can’t do that against any team in this league.

Lineups:

Sky Blue FC – Jenni Branam; Julianne Sitch (Jen Buczkowski 58’), Keeley Dowling [Capt], Christie Rampone [Capt], Meghan Schnur; Heather O’Reilly [Capt], Yael Averbuch, Rosana, Collette McCallum, Natasha Kai (Kerri Hanks 87’), Kacey White (Kelly Parker 58’).

Washington Freedom – Erin McLeod; Sarah Senty (Alex Singer 46’), Becky Saurbrunn, Cat Whitehill, Ali Krieger; Sonia Bompastor, Homare Sawa, Lori Lindsey, Rebecca Moros (Allie Long 79’); Abby Wambach [Capt], Lisa De Vanna (Jill Gilbeau 86’).

Boston Breakers v NJ Sky Blue FC Highlights

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BOSTON BREAKERS 1 - 2 NJ SKY BLUE FC

For the first time this season, Sky Blue FC can boast about a spot in the top four of Women’s Professional Soccer. Natasha Kai and Rosana connected for goals and Sky Blue FC held off a late charge to claim a 2-1 victory over the Boston Breakers at Harvard Stadium.

With the win, Sky Blue FC climbed into a third-place tie with the Breakers with both teams holding 5-6-3 records for 18 points. The top four teams qualify for the WPS playoffs. The victory was Sky Blue FC’s second straight over Boston and its third in three games this season over the Breakers.

The game started as well as Sky Blue FC could’ve hoped for as the visiting side built a 2-0 lead in the opening 45 minutes. Kai and Rosana both netted their third goal of the season in the offensive outburst.

Jenni Branam came up with a nice save in the 18th minute off a shot from Boston’s Jenny Nobis. Amy Rodriguez rolled a low cross into the box from the right side and Branam was quick to react to the first-time effort from Nobis, kicking the ball away to keep the game scoreless.

Sky Blue FC took control of the game in the 24th minute on a piece of shaky goalkeeping from Breakers keeper Alli Lipsher, who also let in a goal directly off a corner kick in Sky Blue FC’s 1-0 victory last weekend. Collette McCallum floated a cross forward and Kai flicked a header toward goal from 20 yards out. Lipsher was cheating off her line on the play and the ball bounced into the vacated goal for the 1-0 lead.

In the 37th minute, Sky Blue FC doubled the lead off some brilliant play by Rosana. The Brazilian midfielder started the sequence by finding Heather O’Reilly out in the right side and O’Reilly controlled the ball before sliding a cross into the box. Kai let the ball run past and Rosana, with her back to the goal, stopped the ball with her right foot, spun to her right, and sent a left-footed shot inside the left post from eight yards out for the 2-0 lead.

In the second 45 minutes, Boston got forward more as the half went on but couldn’t find the back of the net until stoppage time.

The teams traded opportunities midway through the second half. In the 65th minute, Candace Chapman had a good chance for the Breakers, but her shot from 10 yards out was wide left. Two minutes later, Lipsher made a nice save by diving to her left to stop a left-footed shot from Kacey White from the top of box.

Kelly Schmedes came off the bench and saved a ball on the goal line in the 81st minute before passing it in front of the net, but a defender got to it before one of her Breakers teammates.Angela Hucles also had an open shot before her assist at the start of second-half stoppage time, but shot the ball high after gathering up a deflected Alex Scott shot 25 yards from goal.

The Breakers got their only goal two minutes into stoppage time off a nice piece of skill from Nobis. Getting the start with leading scorer Kelly Smith on the bench, the Boston forward chested down a pass from Hucles in the box and sent a nice finish into the upper right corner from 12 yards out.

The Breakers next game is Wednesday, July 15 at Harvard Stadium where they will face the Chicago Red Stars for their third and final meet of the regular season. The game will serve as a series tie-breaker as each team won each of the previous meetings.

Sky Blue's next two will be home matches at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. starting on Wednesday night with a battle against the Washington Freedom at 7 p.m. Sky Blue FC will also host the Chicago Red Stars at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 19.

Boston Breakers head coach Tony DiCicco

“You can’t argue (our team’s) work in the second half. They worked incredibly hard. Our final passes weren’t good enough. Final pass quality and finishing pass quality haven’t been good enough. We’ve got three goals from Lilly and five from Smith and we’ve probably scored 13 or 14 goals so now our third double goal scorer is Nobis and she’s played a third of what these others have played. We’ll have to play her more.”

Boston Breakers forward Jennie Nobis

“I don’t think we played horrible. We didn’t capitalize on our chances early like Sky Blue did. I think we had more chances than they did. Capitalization is what is missing and obviously not going down early. It’s frustrating, but it could change very soon. So many teams are close. We have to regroup (and start) thinking forward.”

“Fabiana had a great cross to me for a volley, (But I) just missed it on the outside of my foot. That would have changed the momentum of the game. Tony touched base on that at halftime. It’s something I have to work on. I get one chance; I have to capitalize.”

Boston Breakers defender Alex Scott

“Tony pushed me forward to pick up the pace. We put ourselves in good position and we adjusted to Sky Blue who played a great game. Sky Blue showed more effort; they outworked us. Their forward line worked hard against us the whole game.”

Sky Blue FC forward Natasha Kai

“We came out strong with our first time playing on turf. We wanted to score early and stay composed; we knew the goals would come. We got one in the 24th or 25th minute. Two goals in the first (half). We knew they were going to come out hard in the second half. They got one in stoppage time, but we held off. That’s what it’s going to take to win games. We fought hard as a team and the people who came off the bench did a great job.”

Sky Blue FC midfielder Heather O’Reilly

“I think we were very, very pleased with the first half. We got the goals and the finishes we were looking for all season. Great job by Rosana to finish the second goal. We still have to work on managing the game and continuing to play good soccer in the second half when we are up. We’ll learn from things we did in the second half. We need to keep focused on the next 5 or 6 weeks of the season.”

“We were very pleased walking into that locker room (at halftime). Let’s not make this too hard on us, let’s not turn off and give away an early one and then scrap the rest of the second half. We are happy with our defense. It was a world class finish at the end, but we have to say what a great finish it was. We are soccer players and perfectionists, but we will be happy to get back to Jersey.”

Lineups:

BOSTON: Ali Lipsher; Alex Scott, Amy LePeilbet, Candace Chapman (Kasey Moore, 73rd minute), Heather Mitts; Christine Latham (Kelly Schmedes 60th minute), Fabiana (Nancy Augustinak-Goffi, 54th minute), Angela Hucles, Kristine Lilly; Jenni Nobis, Amy Rodriguez.

SKY BLUE FC: Jenni Branam; Keeley Dowling, Anita Asante, Christie Rampone, Megan Schnur; Yael Averbuch (Jen Buczkowski, 57th minute), Rosana (Noelle Keselica, 62nd minute), Heather O'Reilly, Collette McCallum; Kacey White, Natasha Kai (Kelly Parker, 49th minute).

WPS RESULTS SUN JUNE 7TH

Saint Louis Athletica 1 - 0 Sky Blue FC

Athletica moved up to 3rd place in the league with a win over Sky Blue. Amanda Cinalli coming of an injury scored in the 15th minute for her 1st goal of the season. Cinalli was injured on the eve of the WPS.In the 15th minute Angie Woznuk passed the ball to Eniola Aluko inside the penalty area. Aluko sent a high ball over Sky Blue FC’s defenders. Cinalli chested the ball down and shot it into the net past Sky Blue keeper Karen Barsdley for a 1-0 lead.“It was a great build up coming up the field. We worked it to Aluko and she had a great cross and I was in the right place at the right time,” said Cinalli. “It was a great feeling and it has been so much fun to be a part of this team so it was great to be out there contributing.”

Sky Blue FC’s Natahsha Kai blasted a ball toward goal in the 22nd minute. Athletica goalkeeper Hope Solo tipped it over the bar, keeping her net clean. Heather O’Reilly shot the ball toward Solo in the 33rd minute. Hope Solo punched it out of harm’s way.

Saint Louis turned up the pressure toward the end of the half. Christie Welsh, Stephanie Logterman, Elise Weber and Woznuk all had decent chances in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

In the 58th minute, Saint Louis received a scare when Aluko began running a bit slower. She was removed from the game for a hamstring strain.

Sky Blue FC continued to push for the equalizer. They came close in the 74th minute. Collette McCallum stood wide open in front of the net. With plenty of space, McCallum shot and missed the goal.
Saint Louis held on for the 1-0 win.

Sky Blue FC out shot Athletica 14-10, including six shots on goal. But the visitors couldn’t convert. Solo made six saves on the night for Saint Louis. Bardsley had three stops for Sky Blue.


“The important thing is that we took the three points today,” said Jorge Barcellos. “Stephanie Logterman gave us a lot of quality on the outside of the defense. Cinalli was a very good marking player today and she really helped the team and of course scored the goal but we will take her progress slowly as she makes her way back.”


Lineups :
Saint Louis Athletica – Hope Solo; Kendall Fletcher, Tina Ellertson, Kia McNeill (Sara Larsson 69’), Stephanie Logterman; Elise Weber, Lori Chalupny, Amanda Cinalli (Francielle 66’), Angie Woznuk; Christie Welsh, Eniola Aluko (Kerri Hanks 57’).

Sky Blue FC – Karen Bardsley; Julianne Sitch (Jen Buczkowski 70’), Christie Rampone, Anita Asante, Meghan Schnur; Heather O’Reilly, Yael Averbuch, Rosana (Kelly Parker 57’), Collette McCallum; Natasha Kai, Kacey White.


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FC Gold Pride 1 - 1 Chicago Red Stars

FC Gold Pride played the Chicago Red Stars to a 1-1- draw at Buck Shaw Stadium. The teams squared off in front of 2,956 fans under blue skies on Sunday evening.
FC Gold Pride struck first in the match, going up 1-0 on the Red Stars as Christine Sinclair, assisted by Eriko Arakawa, put away her fourth goal of the year in the 15th minute of play.
The Red Stars struck back early in the second half with a goal served up by Megan Rapinoe and headed in by Cristiane 47th minute. The teams exchanged attacks throughout the second half seeing close calls for both teams, but neither team would find the back of the net again. After 90 minutes of well played soccer the match ended in a 1-1- draw.

The physical game saw the Pride suffer 19 fouls. A trio of cautions were issued in the game, one to the Pride's Leslie Osborne in the 27th minute and two to the Red Stars' Chioma Igwe in the 43rd minute and Frida Ostberg in the 66th.

Despite the tie, Chicago drops to sixth place in the WPS standings with 10 points – but the Red Stars are just a point back of a three-way tie for third place. Boston, FC Gold Pride and Saint Louis are knotted together with 11 points each.

Both teams will be looking to pick up more points to get in the top four -playoff place and to chase LA Sol who are way out in front.

"For me its just being comfortable with the team," said Sinclair on scoring goals. "To come in late to a team where you don't really know anyone it's an interesting position to be out in to. I think the team has come together very nicely. We're starting to sort of click up front. We could have scored a couple more goals today, but for me personally, when the goals start going, your confidence starts going up, which is nice because it's something I didn't have the first couple of games this season when it seemed we were all missing open nets, that gets kind of frustrating as a forward."

"I thought the first half was really poor by our standards," said Red Stars Head Coach Emma Hayes. "I think playing two games back-to-back takes its toll on you… We bounced back really well we lost 1-0 at home to this team. For us to get a point away from home is a great stepping stone and we know we can play better than that. In the end we had chances to win the game as did they."

"I love them I'm never going to change that opinion," said Hayes regarding her players. "They showed today they have the character that represents our club really well. As I said, last time around this team beat us 1-0, this time we take a tie and next time we're off with the three points. So character matters if you're chasing championships and we showed a lot of that in the second half even when we didn't play well."

Lineups:

FC Gold Pride – Barnhart; Robinson, Abegg, Buehler; Graczyk, Osborne, DiMartino, Formiga (Yokers, 87); Arakawa (Adriane, 90), Sinclair, Weimer (Milbrett, 56).

Chicago Red Stars – Jönsson; Dalmy, Spilger (Krzysik, 68), Oakes, Östberg; Carney, Igwe, Klein, Rapinoe (Masar, 57; Adams, 76); Tarpley, Cristiane.


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Los Angeles Sol 3 - 1 Washington Freedom


The LA Sol defeated the Washington Freedom 3-1 at The Home Depot Center again. The Freedom played better than they did in the Inaugural game but so did the Sol.
The Sol opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Captain Shannon Boxx's long pass from the left side of the defense found Japanese midfielder Aya Miyama in stride in the center of the field.Miyama touched it quickly to get in behind the Washington defense then played a perfect ball to French star Camille Abily who was unmarked, she then lobbed the ball over the on-rushing Freedom GK Erin McLeod who got a touch of the ball but could not stop it going into the net. This was a carbon copy of the goal Abily scored in the Inaugural game against the Freedom but with Briana Scurry in goals. The goal was Abily's fourth in as many matches and her fifth overall this season, tying her with the Boston Breakers' Kelly Smith for the WPS lead.

Washington nearly drew even in the 18th minute, with a shot from Abby Wambach from outside the penalty area from a great pass from defender Cat Whitehill. Sol GK Karina LeBlanc was there once again to make a great save to preserve the lead. The teams traded chances in the latter stages of the half, but neither converted. The Sol looked comfortable in possession and dominated the midfield.

In the 2nd half LA kept up the early pressure with Boxx feeding Miyama at the edge of the box, but the long shot sailed over the Washington goal.The Freedom leveled the match with a Sonia Bompastor goal.They got a free kick 40 yards away from goal in the 57th minute. Whitehill's shot at goal was gathered by Bompastor in the box, who turned and took the quick shot leaving LeBlanc no chance for the save.

The Sol was quick to regain the lead, however. In the 60th minute, midfielder McCall Zerboni served a cross from the right byline for a diving Brittany Bock. Just as Bock got her head to the ball, Whitehill stepped in, only to see the ball deflect off her arm - and referee Ted Unkel wasted no time in pointing to the penalty spot. Abily calmly stepped up and drilled the ensuing effort into the left of the goal past McLeod to giver team a lead they would not surrender.
In the 66th minute, the LA extended the lead to 3-1. Bock and Marta worked a give-and-go on the left side of the area, with the rookie and recent Notre Dame graduate slotting her effort past McLeod. Good play all round and good goal by Bock who has played everywhere for the Sol except in goals.

LA were just too strong for the Freedom. They are the team to beat in WPS.

LOS ANGELES SOL HEAD COACH ABNER ON TODAY'S MATCH
"It was a great performance out there today; we are very happy with the way we played. We did what we had to do today to control the rhythm and win the game."

WASHINGTON FREEDOM HEAD COACH JIM GABARRA ON TODAY'S MATCH
"It was a fairly even game, but we made three pretty bad defensive lapses. They have been taking advantage of those all year and they did again today."

"We got the equalizer, but next time they were in our end we gave up a hand ball."

"We are getting better defensively but, obviously they are the best team in the league with so many weapons and so hard to stop."

Lineups:

LA Sol: Karina Leblanc; Keri Sanchez, Allison Falk, Martina Franko, Stephanie Cox; Aly Wagner (28: McCall Zerboni (88: Katie Larkin)), Camille Abily, Shannon Boxx ©, Aya Miyama; Brittany Bock, Marta.

Washington Freedom: Erin McLeod; Jill Gilbeau (72: Rebecca Moros), Cat Whitehill, Alex Singer, Becky Sauerbrunn, Joanna Lohman, Sonia Bompastor, Homare Sawa; Allie Long (81: Parrissa Eyoroken), Lisa DeVanna, Abby Wambach ©.

LOS ANGELES SOL 1-0 SKY BLUE FC

Gooaalll!

The Los Angeles Sol defeated Sky Blue FC by a 1-0 margin on Friday night at The Home Depot Center. A strike from Brazilian forward Marta was the difference as Los Angeles won its second straight match against their cross-country rivals.
The Sol nearly opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Aya Miyama's low shot slipped through Sky Blue goalkeeper Jenni Branam's hands and squirted to Aly Wagner on the end line, but her rebound went untouched across the goal mouth and Sky Blue cleared it out of danger.
Their next chance came in the 21st minute, as forward Han Duan played a low ball perfectly to Wagner's right foot just inside the penalty area, but Wagner's shot flew wide and high of the goal. Neither team threatened again in the first half and the game was scoreless after 45 minutes.

The second half was a more even battle and it appeared as if Sky Blue FC would get the draw on the road against the league leaders.Sky Blue had a good scoring chance in the 73rd minute when Heather O’Reilly served a cross into the box from the right side and Natasha Kai rose up to head the ball, but her effort was cleared off the line at the right post by the Sol’s Liz Bogus.
The next chance fell to the Sol and Marta.After collecting a long ball from Camille Abily at the top of the penalty area,she was just onside. She split two defenders and put her shot past a sprawling Jenni Branam who had come out to block the shot.

On the 84th minute Kai was stretchered of after she collided with Los Angeles Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc. It looked like a serious injury.

In the closing moments of stoppage time, Meghan Schnur had a golden opportunity to tie the match. A misplay on a cross by the Sol fell right to Schnur, who had ventured forward after playing left back for most of the game, but her awkward shot rolled harmlessly past the left post from six yards out. Win Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Sol Head Coach Abner Rogers
"It was a close battle and each team had opportunities, we had better opportunities in the first half, but we just didn't capitalize. But, at the end of the game, we scored the goal that mattered."

"We had a great fan base tonight; the fans really got to see an exciting match and we were able to reward them with three points."

Los Angeles Sol Forward Marta
"Even though it was an individual play that I scored the goal on, it was the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of my teammates."

"We have a lot of players who are just getting used to one another, the goals will come.

Sky Blue FC Head Coach Ian Sawyers
"Overall, we were unlucky not to come away with a win. The difference was Marta's breakaway that led to the only goal of the game."

"We didn't play well in the first half, so we made some adjustments at halftime and dominated a large part of the second half."

"Overall, we are disappointed, but the team played well."

Lineups:

Los Angeles Sol: Karina LeBlanc; Brittany Bock, Allison Falk, Martina Franko, Stephanie Cox; Camille Abily, Shannon Boxx (c), Aya Miyama, Aly Wagner (61: Liz Bogus); Han Duan, Marta.

Sky Blue FC: Jenni Branam; Christie Rampone (c), Anita Asante, Megan Schnur, Julianne Sitch; Kelly Parker, Collette McCallum (58: Yael Averbuch), Keeley Dowling; Natasha Kai (84: Jen Buczkowski), Heather O'Reilly, Rosana (67: Kasey White).

HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS WEEKENDS GAMES -MAY 9-10

Los Angeles Sol 0 - 0 Boston Breakers






Chicago Red Stars 2 -0 Sky Blue FC


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St Louis Athletica 1 - 0 FC Gold Pride

CHICAGO RED STARS V SKY BLUE FC

Adam Ant?

Sky Blue FC won their first match, Chicago Red Stars lost their first match. Sarah Walsh scored her 1st goal and so did Natash Kai. A game of many 1st's at Toyata Park, Chicago.
Sky Blue came out to attack from the start with the midfield picking up all the loose balls and harassing Chicago's midfield. Not letting them have time on the ball.Even in the first 5 minutes Sky Blue were looking to put the speedy Australian forward Sarah Walsh through with the through ball.She was just off side.Her Australian international teamate Collete McCallum got the range right a couple of minutes later. In the 7th minute McCallum passed a perfect ball to Walsh(wearing war paint! nah it was sunblock-she is Australian after all) who had timed her run brilliantly slipping in behind two Red Stars defenders.She coolly passed the ball past GK Caroline Jonsson to the left of her goal putting Sky Blue one up and shocking the Red Stars.
Sky Blue never let up in the first half. They were 1st to every ball.Chicago were making mistakes and couldn't get their offensive players on the ball a lot.When they were they were swarmed by orange jersey's. Who were hunting in packs. At times it looked like Sky Blue had more players on the field than Chicago. I even tried to count them just to make sure.
On 10 minutes the very busy Heather O’Reilly played the ball up to Kai and then ran onto to the striker’s flick.As O’Reilly broke into the box alone and took a shot at goal, Red Stars GK Jonsson came off her line to stuff O’Reilly’s shot.Five minutes later, Sky Blue appeared to double the lead after a steal in the box by Julianne Sitch playing in the center of the midfield after playing at right back in previous games. Sitch stole the ball from Chicago's midfielder Frida Ostberg in the box and cut the ball across for Walsh to hammer home but the flag was up for offside.
Chicago's talented offence were held in check by Sky Blues defence brilliantly marshaled by Christie Rampone. The defence played very high. I mean VERY HIGH!They compressed the field knowing that they had the speed in Rampone and English star Anita Asante as insurance. At times the defence were on the halfway line. Chicago were caught out time and time again with offsides. They came close when the ball was fed through the defence by substitute Cristiane. Carli Lloyd and Karen Carney both raced to the ball and ended up getting in each others way. The ref calling offside for Lloyd. Carney was onside and through but Lloyd had touched the ball negating the opportunity.
Sky Blue sealed the game when play started once again by the impressive McCallum in the 78th minute. The Australian playmaker fed a nice through ball behind for Kelly Parker to run onto. As Jonsson charged out off her line, the Canadian midfielder slid a slow roller across the goal and Kai flew in to bury the ball into the open goal from five yards out.
Chicago’s last play came in stoppage time off the foot of Lindsey Tarpley. Carney passed in from the left and Tarpley hit a first time shot from the top of the box but GK Jenni Branam was there to punch her shot wide of the goal. 2 nil Sky Blue.

"Chicago made it very difficult, especially at the end of the game. I’m getting old, but that last ten minutes of the game made me even older. I’m very proud of the players today; they really stepped it up and expressed themselves." Ian Sawyers.

"Collette McCallum and I know each other’s game inside and out so the ball through was perfect. We’ve had three or four games without a goal, so it was just a huge relief to get a goal and to be up. To be honest, I was surprised we were up.""I’ve never been so relieved, to have my club win a game. We worked hard for it and we deserved it." Sarah Walsh.

"The goal came off a great run from Kelly Parker. The ball was probably already going in, but I made sure it went in to secure a 2-0 lead.""It felt good to score not just for me, but for our team in general. I just hope this carries on to our next game." Natasha Kai

“I don’t think any one of our players had a good game today,” “You can’t win games if your players are under performing. Unfortunately, we didn’t do some basic things, got exposed and were punished for it. I don’t think it was one single area, I thought it was everywhere.” Emma Hayes

Lineups:
Chicago Red Stars: – Caroline Jonsson; Marian Dalmy, Nikki Krzysik, Ifeoma Dieke, Chioma Igwe (Natalie Spilger 79’); Megan Rapinoe (Ella Masar 66’), Brittany Klein (Cristiane 54’), Frida Ostberg, Karen Carney; Carli Lloyd, Lindsay Tarpley.

Sky Blue FC: – Jenni Branam; Meghan Schnur, Christie Rampone (Christie Shaner 72’), Anita Asante, Keeley Dowling; Collette McCallum, Julianne Sitch, Kelly Parker, Heather O’Reilly; Natasha Kai (Rosana 82’), Sarah Walsh (Yael Averbuch 65’).

WPS REVIEW

Power Rankings

1. Los Angeles Sol -- Played 2 and won 2 and keep looking better and Marta's started scoring.

2. FC Gold Pride -- Big home win over one of the preseason favorites.Quick and athletic side.

3. Chicago Red Stars -- Without Cristiane dug deep to get win.Strong defence.

4. Boston Breakers -- Too many good players to play the way they did. Just couldn't get on the same page. Light at the end of the tunnel Kelly Smith.

5. St. Louis Athletica -- Had lots of chances, needs to put them away.Daniela, Kerri Hanks and Eniola Aluko need to play better and be on the same page.

6. Sky Blue FC -- Unfortunate home opener. Rampone is key. Kai needs to up her game.

7. Washington Freedom -- Bye week after looking flat in the inaugural game loss. Needs to play at a faster tempo.

WPS UPDATE

A new franchise has been approved for a team in Philadelphia. They have still to decide on a team name. You know what these americans are like with their names. Anyway thats good news for all soccer players worldwide. Another 22 spots up for grabs.
Heres hoping for the other two teams Dallas & Atlanta to be approved also.In total 66 more players could get the chance to play in season 2010.

NJ/NY Sky Blue have officialy signed US WNT captain Christie Rampone & US WNT player Natasha Kai. Rampone will be captain for Sky Blue.

St louis Athletica have named US WNT Vice-captain Lori Chalupny as captain of the team.
Coach Jorge Barcellos is happy with what he is seeing in pre-season and his team is going to play offensive soccer but with a compact defence.GK Hope Solo will be a big part of that area.HOPE had minor surgery last week on her elbow. She will be back training this week.

Finally some of the teams have put up their headshots for the season. Check them all out here