It's the seventh week of game action, and the last league action for awhile with the upcoming international break. If you like the league, make sure to watch the USA friendlies against China on June 2nd and 5th to hold you over. We were set to begin with two Friday games here, but the Houston Dash's home game against the Washington Spirit was postponed for weather concerns. Instead, the single Friday game is...
The Western New York Flash hosting the Boston Breakers. Jami Kranich and Britt Eckerstrom are the backups in goal. Find the game here. The first part of the game was cut off due to technical difficulties on the Western New York side, and entered with a Boston attempt from Kyah Simon. The Breakers' Katie Schoepfer had an attempt in to Simon, but couldn't make anything of it. Western New York tried to build something through Makenzy Doniak and Michaela Hahn before Boston broke it up. Kristie Mewis earned a free kick for Boston, and Christen Westphal had the service into Simon, whose bicycle kick was saved by Eckerstrom. Hahn answered with a service into Jessica McDonald in the twelfth minute, but it went over the bar on the header attempt. McCall Zerboni just stopepd an exchange between Meredith Speck and Lynn Williams as the Flash keep pressure up. Doniak went up the right side, blocked out by Mollie Pathman for a Western New York corner kick. Angela Salem guarded it out for Boston after Abby Dahlkemper served it in, with a shot by McDonald. Julie King knocked another one out for a corner kick away from Williams. Schoepfer stopped the original one, but Taylor Smith scored from the chaos, giving Western New York the 1-0 lead in the fourteenth minute. In the twentieth minute, Speck made a good deflection, but it fell to Pathman, who shot it just off the mark as the Breakers try to equalize. McDonald countered for Western New York, finding Williams in the box, who dribbled around Kranich but couldn't put the shot on an open frame. Smith had another shot in the twenty-second minute for the Flash, going over the bar after she got away from Pathman. In the twenty-fourth minute, Williams got around King but Kassey Kallman took the ball away in defense for Boston. Abby Erceg sent one forward for Doniak in the twenty-sixth minute, shielded cleanly by Kallman. Hahn had a shot go over the bar for Western New York in the twenty-seventh minute, off a pass from Doniak. Williams had Brooke Elby in the corner, passing back to Speck, but Salem picked it off. Schoepfer had a shot for Boston on the other end, saved by Eckerstrom. Salem tried to cross to Schoepfer, but Alanna Kennedy got their first, and then she was fouled by Simon to fully alleviate the Breakers pressure in the twenty-ninth minute. Smith fouled Simon in the thirtieth minute, giving Boston a dangerous free kick for Mewis. The shot went off Hahn, and Boston never got a clean look at goal. Kallman had a bad back pass to Kranich, and McDonald made a big charge forward, challenging the Breakers keeper. King cleared a long throw-in from McDonald away. McDonald shot and Kranich bobbled it before Kallman cleared it away off the line in the thirty-second minute. McDonald had a header off Dahlkemper's corner kick, and Schoepfer saved it with good positioning. Williams made a charge up the left wing from a pass by Erceg, deflecting one off of King for another corner kick, and Dahlkemper served a ball into a scrum, mostly with Kennedy and McDonald before Salem finally booted it from a dangerous area. In the thirty-eighth minute, Erceg served in to Williams, running long to the arms of Kranich. The Flash have been pretty dominant since scoring. Mewis earned a free kick after Kennedy fouled her in the fortieth minute, with the Breakers in the attacking third. Dahlkemper made a huge save off the line after Eckerstrom was out of position, with Westphal's service off King's head coming extremely close to tying the game. Doniak served in to Hahn in the forty-third minute, headed straight at Kranich for the save. Pathman knocked out away from Doniak in the forty-fourth minute after Speck sent it forward. On the same possession, Williams banged one off the post, Smith, Hahn, and Doniak all had a piece of the play. The game went into halftime at 1-0. The best players of the half for the Breakers have been CB Kallman, DM Salem, RW Mewis, and RF Simon, while the Flash's best efforts have come from RB Smith, CBs Dahlkemper and Kennedy, DMs Hahn and Erceg, RW Doniak, RF McDonald, and LF Williams. Westphal had a cross toward Eunice Beckmann, cleaned up by Dahlkemper in the forty-sixth minute. Stephanie McCaffrey kept the Boston pressure up with a cross to Simon, who had a handball to kill the attack in the forty-eighth minute. The Breakers kept it up with Zerboni flicking on to Simon, but with nothing coming of it. Louise Schillgard took two crosses in, but Dahlkemper got one and Eckerstrom was fouled on the other, giving the Flash possession again. Westphal had a low shot in the fiftieth minute, picked up by Eckerstrom. Boston has bossed control early in the second half. Boston had a bad pass toward Westphal, but Speck got taken down by Kallman to snap the Western New York counterattack. Salem took a shot wide right in the fifty-fourth minute for the Breakers. Schillgard couldn't quite get around Kennedy in a good defensive breakup for the Flash. McCaffrey charged forward, but Erceg stopped the attack. The Breakers have looked better in the second half. Speck found Williams in the fifty-eighth minute, but it was just a bit out of reach for a shot. Beckmann got around Kennedy, who recovered, and then McCaffrey crossed in front of goal, but Smith cleared it away. The Flash made it 2-0 in the sixty-fourth minute on a Williams goal, passed from Hahn and McDonald, with McDonald nutmegging Boston's center backs Kallman and King. In the sixty-fifth minute, Williams struck again for Western New York, making it 3-0 thanks to Speck and Hahn, with Williams evading Westphal and King to slot it far post. McDonald kept Western New York going in the sixty-sixth minute, running at King and Kallman, but the latter stood her up and Boston didn't bend again. In the sixty-ninth minute, Williams laid off to Doniak, and Kranich saved it out for a corner kick. Williams had a shot in the seventy-first minute off of a McDonald long throw. Dahlkemper broke up a Beckmann cross with a spinning kick in the seventy-fifth minute, as the Flash buckle down defensively against an erratic Boston attack. In the seventy-seventh minute, Jeon Ga-eul earned a penalty kick after Pathman fouled her after receiving a pass from Williams. Dahlkemper buried the penalty kick for a 4-0 Western New York lead. Williams served over to McDonald at the eighty minute mark, with the shot going right at Kranich on the far post. Zerboni decked Adriana Leon in the eighty-third minute after getting around Williams, and Boston also got the free kick on the play. King kept Courtney Niemiec off the ball in the eighty-fifth minute after service from Hahn. In the ninetieth minute, Beckmann had a yellow card for a foul. Williams crossed one in during stoppage time, and Leon shot just wide right in a blistering attack. The game ended 4-0. Williams was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Joining the halftime mentions for the Breakers are the sub RF McCaffrey, DM Zerboni, and RB Westphal, while GK Eckerstrom and LW Speck impressed for Western New York in the second half of a dominant win.
On Saturday, FC Kansas City welcomes the Orlando Pride. Aubrey Bledsoe and Nicole Barnhart are in goal. Here's the game link. Orlando's Jasmyne Spencer was shut down early in the first minute by Alex Arlitt of Kansas City. Toni Pressley helped to clear an attempt from Shea Groom after Bledsoe made the save on the Blues striker. Spencer couldn't quite connect with a cross from Sam Witteman in the sixth minute. In the eighth minute, Sarah Hagen had an attempt for the Pride against her former team, saved by Barnhart. Lianne Sanderson and Hagen made an exchange in the tenth minute, but Katie Bowen broke it up for Kansas City. Orlando had a corner kick, and Groom blocked a couple of shots before Hagen fired wide right. McCarty and Pressley collided in the eleventh minute, but both were okay. Belanger had a run broken up by Arlitt, but she retained control in the twelfth minute. Maddy Evans floated a ball into the box that no Orlando player could find. Sanderson tried to find Hagen in the fourteenth minute, but Brittany Taylor broke up the pass and Barnhart sent it forward as Kansas City tries to find an attack. This was repeated about a minute later, with Taylor again finding good position for the Blues. It took three Orlando players to stop a run up the right wing by McCarty, but she never got a cross into the box. There's been a lack of dangerous chances in this game in the first twenty minutes or so. Erika Tymrak had a shot after Arlitt and Alexa Newfield connected a sequence of passes in the nineteenth minute, but the shot was low and Bledsoe handled it. Mandy Laddish followed with a cross into Groom, but it didn't work out. Belanger had a long cross toward Witteman in the twenty-second minute, but it sailed out for a goal kick by Barnhart as Orlando have had the better of play. Sanderson tried to pick out Spencer, but Yael Averbuch broke it up for Kansas City in another of many good defensive efforts so far. Steph Catley and Christina Burkenroad made a play up the left wing, passed across to Witteman, whose shot challenged Barnhart into a save. Catley saw her free kick in the thirtieth minute plucked out by Barnhart. On the other end, Groom and Evans tangled up a couple of times with no calls made. The play ended with a high shot from Kansas City's Tymrak. Pressley fouled Groom hard in the midfield, but no foul was given and Orlando took possession. In the thirty-second minute, Catley shut down McCarty's run after a pass from Taylor. Groom went nutmeg on Belanger, forcing Bledsoe to come out and cover it before Tymrak got onto it. Belanger did well in the thirty-eighth minute to dispossess Tymrak again. In the thirty-ninth minute, Desiree Scott pounded a shot for the Blues that went over Bledsoe's goal. Laddish broke up a Witteman attempt toward Sanderson in the forty-first minute. McCarty took a high shot in the forty-second minute, continuing Kansas City's surge of pressure late in the half. In first half stoppage time, Bledsoe just got ahead of a McCarty cross intended for Groom. The game went into the half tied at 0. Impressing for the Pride are GK Bledsoe, CB Pressley, LB Catley, ACM Sanderson, and RF Witteman, while Kansas City's best have been GK Barnhart, CB Taylor, RB Arlitt, DM Scott, RW McCarty, and striker Groom. In the forty-seventh minute, Arlitt's shot-cross landed on the top of the Orlando net. Witteman tried a back-heel pass to Spencer in the fiftieth minute, as the Pride are getting a bit crafty early in the second half. Averbuch eventually cleared, with the help of Arlitt to stave off Orlando's attack. Bowen made a big tackle on Witteman to stifle an Orlando foray in the fifty-first minute, as Kansas City is just holding on right now. Bledsoe had to come out to grab one away from Groom in the fifty-second minute. Becky Edwards was called for a foul on Tymrak, and Averbuch pounded in the free kick with a deflection off Sanderson in the fifty-third minute to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead. This gave Bledsoe absolutely no chance to make a stop. In the fifty-fourth minute, Arlitt and Newfield combined, with the latter shooting a high shot. Burkenroad's foray forward in the fifty-fifth minute was shut down by Averbuch and Laddish, and a shot from the Pride's Witteman was handled by Barnhart. Newfield had another shot in the fifty-sixth minute, bouncing off the goal support behind the net. Catley's fifty-eighth minute cross was cleared by Averbuch, who has shown up more since scoring. Tymrak had a hot shot off of Groom's pass in the fifty-ninth minute, but Pride keeper Bledsoe made the two-hand stop to prevent another Blues goal. Newfield's through ball in the sixty-first minute caught Groom just offside, even as Bledsoe had it covered. Evans was ruled to have fouled Newfield in the sixty-sixth minute, giving Kansas City a free kick. Averbuch served in to Newfield, and then Laddish, Scott, Arlitt, and McCarty all got passes in before Groom headed it wide right of Bledsoe's goal. The game has slowed a bit, playing in the midfield mostly again, and around the back in possession at times. Spencer couldn't get around Arlitt in the sixty-ninth minute, but she had quite a few good moves in trying for the Pride. In the seventieth minute, Evans shot wide left for Orlando, searching for the equalizer. McCarty had an attempt hit out by Monica for a corner kick, after Kaylyn Kyle brought a lot of defense as a sub for the Pride. Spencer had a big foul in Laddish in the seventy-third minute, but no call was made. The free kick for the Blues went long and out of bounds from Taylor. Catley took a big shot in the seventy-sixth, caught and covered by Barnhart. In the seventy-seventh minute, Tymrak got to the top of the box after receiving a pass from Bowen, scoring to the lower right past Bledsoe for a 2-0 lead for the Blues. The shot got past both Kyle and Monica. In the seventy-ninth minute, Scott fouled Evans, and the Kansas City player took a yellow card for that infraction. Orlando's free kick in a dangerous area was taken by Catley, but grabbed by Barnhart ahead of Kyle. In the eighty-second minute, Pressley made a big sliding tackle on Groom to prevent the Blues striker from taking a shot. In the eighty-fourth minute, Caroline Kastor made a good run up the right side, and Laddish fired high, earning a corner kick as it was deflected out. Pressley cleared the header after being burned by Kastor's run. Kansas City has bunkered down well since doubling their lead, and Orlando isn't breaking much down. In the eighty-eighth minute, Belanger had no choice but to foul a breaking Tymrak, earning a yellow card for the professional foul before Tymrak could shoot. Averbuch's free kick went over the top of Bledsoe's goal. The game ended 2-0 for Kansas City, with CB Averbuch the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Also impressing in the second half was LW Tymrak of the Blues, who had the other goal in Kansas City's first win of the year.
On Sunday, the first of two games to end the week sees the Portland Thorns FC host the Seattle Reign FC. Haley Kopmeyer and Michelle Betos are the backups in goal. The game can be found here. Seattle's Jess Fishlock tried a long through ball toward Carson Pickett, but it was taken by Betos in goal for Portland. Fishlock had another deep ball toward Kim Little, but the Thorns' Emily Menges knocked it out. Fishlock had a cross in the seventh minute, but Mallory Weber stemmed the trouble away for Portland. Seattle has had the better of the early possession. Hayley Raso got the ball in Reign territory before Little poked it away. Meg Morris had to chase Merritt Mathias in the ninth minute, but Pickett's cross into the box was cleared out by Katherine Reynolds. Menges did well to poke one away from Mathias in the eleventh minute, earning the Reign's first corner kick from Lauren Barnes, going over the head of Keelin Winters and cleared by Reynolds. Dagny Brynjarsdottir also did defensive work on the play. Christine Sinclair found Nadia Nadim in the thirteenth minute, but Winters knocked it away, and Dagny couldn't get on it as the Thorns had a rare counterattack. Menges, under pressure from Little, headed a deep ball by Kendall Fletcher into the hands of Betos. Morris made a huge kick to break up a Beverly Yanez cross as Portland remains mostly pinned in their defensive third. Little found Pickett on the right hand side of the Seattle formation, but her shot-cross floated without a teammate in the area and Betos caught it in the seventeenth minute. Little and Fishlock connected in the nineteenth minute, but poked the ball out for a goal kick by Betos. Seattle's attack has definitely threatened so far. In the twentieth minute, Dagny crossed one into Sinclair, who flicked it to Kopmeyer for the save by the Reign keeper. Raso had a shot in the twenty-second minute, bouncing it off of Elli Reed after the pass from Sinclair and Kopmeyer had to dive to stop it. Nadim and Sinclair connected again, but Winters broke up the first attempt and Kopmeyer did the rest in the twenty-third minute. Raso made a break up the left wing against Winters, who stopped her a bit, and then Seattle's Rachel Corsie threw her down for a foul. Portland's free kick came from Nadim, blocked by the wall, and then Nadim had the ball in the box, covered by Kopmeyer in the Thorns' best chance. In the twenty-seventh minute, Morris battled Pickett off the ball on a Seattle counterattack. On the other end, Fletcher blocked a cross by Raso. Raso found Sinclair in the twenty-eighth minute, but the midfielder stumbled over the ball and Corsie got it out of danger. Portland has found a bit more daylight in attacking. Morris and Meleana Shim finally cleared a thirty-first minute attack by Seattle that featured heavily with Fishlock and Reed. Reynolds knocked a ball away from Yanez on a bad bounce on the Fishlock through ball. Menges and Morris combined to block a Reed cross toward Mathias in the thirty-fourth minute. Little twisted Morris around in the thirty-fifth minute and shot on goal, but Betos took it directly for the save. Corsie had to kick one out from Dagny to give Portland a corner kick, taken short but stolen away by Little from Dagny as Seattle relieves pressure. Nadim fouled Yanez in the thirty-ninth minute, and the Reign forward was down injured for awhile. In the forty-first minute, Celeste Boureille fouled Winters on the left side of the Seattle attack, and the free kick from Little bounced for Yanez, but Reynolds blocked it out for a corner kick. Barnes served into the six, but Betos snatched it out of the air. Little fed into Mathias, but Morris shielded her off long enough for Betos to get to it. Menges cleared out a cross from Little that found Barnes on the other side in stoppage time. The game went into halftime scoreless. Impressing for the Reign are CB Fletcher, DM Fishlock, DM Winters, AM Little, LF Pickett, and RF Yanez, while the Thorns have seen excellence from GK Betos, CB Menges, LB Morris, ACM Sinclair, RW Nadim, and LW Raso. In the forty-sixth minute, Raso got around Reed but couldn't get past Corsie. Raso tried to find Shim in the box in the fiftieth minute, but Corsie broke up the Thorns offense. Fishlock, Little, and Yanez all made a huge run in the fifty-first minute, but the shot from Yanez went straight at Betos for the save as Seattle made a great counterattack. Raso tried to find Dagny in the box, but Fletcher cleared it away on the other side of the field. Another Raso cross was knocked out by Fishlock. Little got around Morris, Menges, and Boureille to fire a shot, but Betos again made the save. McKenzie Berryhill turned over a ball in the defensive area and Yanez pounced with a shot going wide left in the fifty-seventh minute as Seattle continues to pour shots at Betos. Weber took one away from Barnes to get a Portland attack going, but she couldn't find Raso with Reed in coverage. Raso had a long shot bounced into Kopmeyer's arms in the fifty-ninth minute as Portland has been limited to counters for most of the game. Corsie came in with a long ball toward Havana Solaun, and Betos had to dive to cover it in the sixtieth minute. Yanez had a shot blocked out to Winters, who shot from distance and went over the bar. Raso took a shot that deflected off of Barnes in the sixty-fourth minute, and the appeals for a handball went unheard. Boureille knocked one off of Reed's feet for a sixty-seventh minute corner kick by Barnes. Solaun got a shot off, but it went well high. Shim tried to find Berryhill in the seventy-first minute, but Corsie again handled the play and passed back to Kopmeyer to clear. Paige Nielsen passed out to Yanez, and her shot-cross came in with pace, causing Betos to dive on it before it got to Solaun. Nielsen and Little combined down low, but Menges and the Thorns defense got it out for a corner kick in the seventy-fourth minute for the Reign. Barnes took it short, and Little served it into Yanez, who was saved off the line by Betos and Reynolds. Dagny also played defense on the play. Solaun forced Betos out of goal and deflected a cross off of the keeper for another Reign corner. Betos punched this offering away, but the Reign are swarming, including a shot by Barnes saved by Betos. Little and Solaun connected, but Weber got on Solaun and knocked it out for a throw-in after Nadim collided with a Seattle player. Little lost the ball in the seventy-ninth minute to Boureille. Weber had a go in the eighty-first minute when Pratt crossed it to her, but she was shut down by Little and forced to shoot high. Reynolds nearly left one open for Fishlock in the box, forcing Betos to pounce on it, and she went down injured again. Fishlock served a ball in cleared by Reynolds in the eighty-fourth minute. In the same minute, Reed fouled Raso and the Reign defended received a yellow card for the foul. The game went a bit end to end in the waning minutes, with Dagny playing defense against Little, and then on the next attack, Menges shut down Little. Weber sent one into the box in the eighty-ninth minute, but Kopmeyer got there for the catch. Pratt had a cross come to Raso after she had gotten around Fletcher, but Reed tracked back and stole it from Raso to clear for Seattle during stoppage time. Fishlock had a chip attempt blocked by Reynolds, and then Little's try was shut down by Morris, killing the clock on a scoreless draw. Impressing in the second half for the Reign in addition to the first half was CB Corsie and sub forward Solaun, while the Thorns saw DM Boureille do well. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was the GK Betos for a massive display of skill to preserve the draw.
Finally, the Chicago Red Stars bring in Sky Blue FC. Caroline Stanley and Michele Dalton protect the nets. The game can be found here. Danielle Colaprico had a long pass for Chicago toward Alyssa Mautz in the third minute. Vanessa DiBernardo had a shot for the Red Stars blocked by Raquel Rodriguez. Kelly Conheeney tried to find Shawna Gordon in the fifth minute, but it deflected off a Red Star for a corner kick, taken by Sarah Killion and cleared by Chicago's Katie Naughton. The game has been a bit slow at the start, with not many threatening balls for either side, and especially not for Sky Blue, a side that has lacked possession so far. Sky Blue looked to be breaking in the ninth minute, but Conheeney was called offside. Erica Skroski nearly outran Casey Short onto a ball that was served in from Sky Blue's Killion. Kim DeCesare pressured Dalton, but she got it away as the Red Stars made a sloppy clearance. Jen Hoy was called offside in the tenth minute on a through ball attempt. Rodriguez had a shot attempt in the eleventh minute for Sky Blue, blocked nicely by Sam Johnson. Naughton cleared away a cross from Taylor Lytle as Chicago's defense is holding up well under the increased pressure. DiBernardo tried to find Hoy, but Stanley got there first to grab it for Sky Blue. Short crossed toward Mautz in the thirteenth minute, cleared away by Erin Simon of Sky Blue. Skroski made a run up the middle of the field, getting particularly past DiBernardo before firing a weak shot toward Dalton, which was deflected and had to be covered by the Chicago keeper. Simon couldn't find DeCesare in the fifteenth minute thanks to a sliding tackle by Johnson. Sofia Huerta found herself offside in the sixteenth minute for the Red Stars. Kristin Grubka had a cross toward Gordon in the seventeenth minute, but it was just a bit long and went out for a goal kick by Dalton. In the nineteenth minute, Huerta was fouled by Grubka, and Colaprico's free kick went into the box, cleared out by Skroski. Arin Gilliland had a service, but Rodriguez cleared this one out for Sky Blue. Short tried to pick out Hoy in the twenty-first minute, but it ran long into Stanley's arms. Simon had a poor cross in the twenty-fifth minute as Gilliland made a solid defensive positioning play. DeCesare made a press in the twenty-sixth minute, but Johnson knocked it away. The game has gotten a bit stagnant approaching the half hour mark. Gilliland cleared a service in the thirtieth minute for the Red Stars. DeCesare tried to find Conheeney in the thirty-first minute, but the pass ran long and out of bounds. On the other end, Mautz fired at Stanley from distance with a long strike, forcing the Sky Blue keeper into a leaping grab. Short passed to Hoy and then on to Huerta, forcing Stanley to get out and cover it with Christie Rampone covering in defense. In the thirty-fourth minute, Huerta scored on a Colaprico through ball, dancing around Sky Blue's Stanley in the box, and then slotting from a sharp angle to give Chicago a 1-0 lead in the game. Grubka couldn't get behind the shot in time. Huerta and Mautz combined for a cross, but this went straight at Stanley. Short laid one off in the thirty-eighth minute to Huerta, who shot on target, but Stanley punched it over to give the Red Stars a corner kick. Short tried to make something of a low service by DiBernardo, but it went through the box. In the fortieth minute, Conheeney took a cross, but Dalton grabbed it easily to kill this Sky Blue attack. Gilliland made a foray between Lytle and Simon, and then got a shot off saved by Stanley in the forty-first minute. Rodriguez had a shot after Conheeney laid it off for her in the forty-fourth minute, but it was low and saved by Dalton. Lytle crossed one in, but it bounced over DeCesare and Gordon, as well as the keeper Dalton and Johnson before going out of bounds. The score at halftime favors Chicago 1-0. The best Sky Blue players so far are RB Skroski, DM Conheeney, ACM Rodriguez, and striker DeCesare, while Chicago's top players have been RB Gilliland, CB Naughton, DM Colaprico, RW Mautz, RF Hoy, and LF Huerta. Killion had a corner kick in the forty-eighth minute after Skroski earned it for Sky Blue, but Dalton was firm in catching it. DeCesare got blocked by Short in the box on her shot attempt, and Rodriguez couldn't made anything of the second attempt for Sky blue in the forty-ninth minute. Stanley nearly lost the ball to Huerta and Amanda Da Costa before Killion got it away. On the other end, Gordon had a chance when the Red Stars defense broke down, but it went wide. In the fifty-second minute, Gilliland slid a cross in the box, and Stanley came out and covered it. In the fifty-third minute, Huerta ran onto a through ball, but she was well-defended and Stanley booted it back up the field for Sky Blue. DiBernardo broke attempts by DeCesare and Conheeney in the fifty-fifth minute, showing poise for Chicago. Huerta fed Mautz in for a through ball, but Grubka slid in and knocked it away toward Stanley to prevent Mautz from taking a shot. Colaprico had a free kick, flicked by Naughton, but Stanley was there in the fifty-eighth minute. Da Costa fired a long shot in the sixtieth minute for Chicago, saved by Stanley. In the sixty-first minute, Hoy played into the box for Huerta, who shot wide left as the Red Stars have regained control of the game. Short danced around Lytle but couldn't escape Skroski in the sixty-second minute. Huerta got around Grubka in the sixty-third minute on a through ball, but shot wide right, with Chicago pouring on chances. Johnson broke up an attempt between Killion and Conheeney in the sixty-sixth minute as Sky Blue is pushing back a bit. Natasha Kai tried to get around Johnson to no avail, and then Skroski shot right at Dalton. Huerta flubbed a shot in the sixty-eighth minute after Mautz passed to her at the top of the box, with the game now going end-to-end. Kai found Lytle over on the right wing, and she crossed through the box, where it landed at the feet of Leah Galton, who shot back across goal into the side netting right between the center backs. Galton's goal for Sky Blue tied the game at 1 in the seventieth minute. In the seventy-second minute, Conheeney took a shot just wide left and low. Gilliland got around Simon but her cross was knocked away by Rampone in the seventy-third minute. In the seventy-sixth minute, Naughton fouled Kai outside of the Red Stars box, giving Sky Blue a dangerous free kick chance. Rodriguez took the shot from the set piece, and it went high over the bar. Huerta had a floating ball in the seventy-ninth minute, but Stanley was again there to take the ball. Colaprico had a corner kick in the eightieth minute headed down by Hoy and off of a Sky Blue defender. The second corner kick from the other side was from DiBernardo, and eventually fell to Gilliland, but Sky Blue cleared again. A third corner kick, also by DiBernardo, saw Kai clear it harmlessly. In the eighty-third minute, Gilliland crossed into the box to Short, who headed it over the goal and wide. Galton got deep in the eighty-fourth minute after a pass from Kai, but the cross went long. Huerta went right around Simon in the eighty-fifth minute as the Red Stars made a counterattack. Galton got around Naughton, but Dalton deflected it away from goal as Sky Blue attacked in the eighty-sixth minute. Kai and Conheeney tried to make something of Galton's cross into the box, but Short and Johnson blocked the shots. Kai was injured on her shot. Lytle couldn't find Rodriguez in the ninetieth minute, as Huerta got in front of it. DiBernardo ripped a long shot high on the Chicago counterattack. She had another in stoppage time with the same result. Naughton tried a long ball at the end, with Conheeney clearing it to end the game. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Huerta named Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Impressing for the Red Stars in the second half: DM DiBernardo. For Sky Blue, the RW Lytle made a good impression, as did LF sub Galton.
Outsider Sports Week 7 NWSL Best XI
GK Michelle Betos
RB Taylor Smith
CB Yael Averbuch
CB Abby Dahlkemper
LB Meg Morris
DM Michaela Hahn
DM Danielle Colaprico
RW Taylor Lytle
LW Erika Tymrak
RF Sofia Huerta
LF Lynn Williams
It was a bit of an interesting week across the league, as the USWNT players were absent due to a camp. We were also short a game due to storms in Texas. This week gave the opportunity for some lesser-known players to shine.
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