It's the last normal week for the league for awhile. In news, the Houston Dash's game against the Washington Spirit was rescheduled for August 18, during the Olympic break. For this week, we begin with...
The Western New York Flash hosting the Portland Thorns FC. Adrianna Franch and Britt Eckerstrom protect the nets. Watch the game here. Portland had a good effort in the third minute with Katherine Reynolds throwing in long to Dagny Brynjarsdottir, who sent it back to Lindsey Horan for a rocket shot saved by Eckerstrom. In the fifth minute, Emily Sonnett danced out of trouble around Western New York's Lynn Williams. The Flash's Abby Dahlkemper made a good steal off of Horan of the Thorns in the sixth minute, but Jessica McDonald got shut down by Sonnett on the counterattack. Nadia Nadim crossed in during the ninth minute, bounced out by Western New York's Alanna Kennedy. Tobin Heath took it for Portland, getting it to Christine Sinclair for two efforts, one blocked by Jaelene Hinkle. Samantha Mewis cleared it as far as Sonnett, who fired a shot that Eckerstrom saved to end the sequence. Western New York had a free kick from Dahlkemper, but Lynn Williams headed it out wide of Franch's net. Dagny had a deep rocket in the twelfth minute going just over the bar for Portland. Elizabeth Eddy had a cross caught by Franch in the fifteenth minute. Dahlkemper broke up a Sinclair cross toward Dagny in the sixteenth minute, and the rest of the Flash held on to prevent another dangerous ball from coming. Emily Menges had to make a clear for the Thorns when Meg Morris got overwhelmed by the right side of the Flash attack. Abby Erceg went long looking for McDonald, but Menges knocked it away in the eighteenth minute. Morris had to go out injured after a previous collision with Makenzy Doniak. Mallory Weber replaced her. Heath burned Eddy on the Thorns left wing side, getting a low cross in directly to Eckerstrom. On the counterattack in the twenty-second minute, Williams settled the ball and crossed against Sonnett. Hinkle made the second cross, finding Mewis, who shot off the crossbar, and then McDonald had a chance blocked by Horan. Doniak won a corner kick off of Weber in the twenty-fourth minute for Western New York, and Hinkle's service found Dahlkemper, who headed just wide. Allie Long had a good steal from Hinkle, but play stopped for Kennedy's hit on Heath, causing a delay. Kennedy stole the ball from Nadim in the twenty-eighth minute after the delay. Menges broke up a long throw by McDonald in the twenty-ninth minute. On the next effort, Doniak got around Reynolds and crossed, but Horan took it out. McDonald passed to Mewis in the thirtieth minute, but the Flash midfielder shot a bit weak and Franch hauled it in. Nadim had a cross for Portland in the thirty-second minute, finding Sinclair, whose header fell to Eckerstrom. In the thirty-third minute, Heath did everything but score, dancing around Eddy and Erceg to shoot an angled shot that ended on a diving save by Eckerstrom. McDonald and Mewis had a good combination in the thirty-sixth minute, but Mewis' shot went high, bailing out Long who had flubbed the defensive play. Hinkle had a shot after a long throw-in by McDonald after a pass from Michaela Hahn, but Nadim made the block. Horan headed away a cross by Eddy for Western New York in the fortieth minute. Portland got lazy in the forty-fourth minute, and Mewis made a steal to feed into Doniak, who fired on goal against Franch. The game went into halftime scoreless, with the best players for the Thorns being GK Franch, CBs Sonnett and Menges, RB Reynolds, DM Horan, RW Nadim, and LW Heath, while the Flash's top players are GK Eckerstrom, CB Dahlkemper, LB Hinkle, RW Mewis, and forwards McDonald and Williams. In the forty-seventh minute, Mewis earned a yellow card for the Flash for fouling Portland's Horan. Heath's free kick was knocked away by McDonald. In the forty-eighth minute, Sinclair scored for the Thorns on a series of passes from Long and Dagny, after the Western New York center backs failed to close her down. Portland leads 1-0. Western New York had a free kick after a Horan foul. Hinkle served it in toward Erceg, earning a Flash corner kick, taken by Dahlkemper in the fifty-first minute. This went long and out of bounds. Doniak made a run against Sonnett and Reynolds, which netted another Flash corner kick in the fifty-third minute. Dahlkemper had a poor service again. Hinkle had a serve into the box, where Franch poked it away just in time. Kennedy tripped Sinclair in the fifty-fifth minute, earning herself a yellow card and giving the Thorns another dangerous free kick chance. Heath took it on goal, forcing Eckerstrom into a save to create a corner kick, eventually resulting in Weber getting a shot on goal, again saved by Eckerstrom. Doniak earned Western New York a sixtieth minute corner kick, taken by Hinkle and served in to McDonald, who sent it wide left. Sonnett did well to block Williams on a long ball play from Erceg in the sixty-second minute. Things have calmed a bit as the Thorns play solid defense and most of the game is getting stuck in the midfield without many shots or dangerous crosses involved. Doniak forced Amandine Henry into a foul in the sixty-eighth minute. Western New York's free kick came from Kennedy, who banged it off the crossbar. Erceg had a second effort, heading off frame. In the seventy-first minute, Doniak had a cross through the box, but Heath picked it up and cleared it away for Portland. In the seventy-second minute, Eddy and Heath battled in the box, with Eddy interfering with Heath. This drew a penalty kick, and Nadim took it and scored down the middle as Eckerstrom froze, putting Portland ahead 2-0. The whole situation was a bit of a soft call. Sonnett blocked a Mewis cross to give Western New York the corner kick. They didn't get a good attempt, but Taylor Smith earned another one in the seventy-sixth minute. Hinkle's service was cleared by Nadim back out to Smith. Eddy's cross was stopped by Franch. In the eighty-first minute, Portland sub Hayley Raso took a yellow card for fouling Hinkle. The free kick that followed from McCall Zerboni was punched by Franch, and Hinkle couldn't get a shot off on the second try. Zerboni had a feed into Doniak, but Franch just got there in time to cover it in the eighty-third minute. Henry had a cross in the box off a free kick, but Dahlkemper cleared it out cleanly. Doniak settled a ball in the box for the Flash in the eighty-sixth minute, but Kristen Hamilton couldn't settle it in front of Menges. Mewis had a try also blocked by Menges. In the eighty-eighth minute, Eddy won a corner kick off of Heath. Hinkle's service for the Flash didn't work out well, allowing the Thorns to chew up more time. In the eighty-ninth minute, Doniak fouled Heath and took a yellow card for the play after tripping on her foot. Williams got control of the ball in the box but took a heavy touch around Franch and it rolled just long out of bounds. Dahlkemper's free kick went out for a corner kick. This led to Hinkle's cross into Williams, who forced Franch into a remarkable save. Williams had a rebound off the post, all in stoppage time. Doniak laid off to Mewis, whose shot was blocked by Horan. The game ended 2-0 for the Thorns, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being the ACM Sinclair, who joined the ranks of the impressive for her second half work. The Flash winger Doniak impressed as well in the second half, as well as DM Zerboni in her substitute appearance for her old new team.
On Saturday, the Washington Spirit welcome the Orlando Pride in the first of two games. Ashlyn Harris faces her former team and Stephanie Labbe in goal. Here's the game. Washington's Ali Krieger had a cross blocked by Jasmyne Spencer in the third minute, as the game has started slow but in the Spirit's favor. Spencer for around Krieger in the fourth minute, but couldn't get anything on the cross, and had no Orlando teammates in the area anyway. Crystal Dunn had a steal from Josee Belanger in the fifth minute, but Maddy Evans stole it right back for the Pride to shut down the Washington attack. Shelina Zadorsky finally cleared after a frenzy from the Pride, working along the right wing with Sam Witteman and Spencer getting blocked. Toni Pressley broke up a Diana Matheson cross toward Francisca Ordega in the eighth minute. Megan Oyster made a steal on a Monica through ball, a good move for the Spirit defender to start a counterattack. The Spirit struck first with an Estefania Banini goal off a pass from Alyssa Kleiner in the ninth minute, dancing around Pressley to strike the goal. Dunn had a good dummy to let that ball get through. In the tenth minute, Zadorsky fouled Witteman hard on the right wing, giving Orlando a dangerous free kick chance. Steph Catley had the chance, but Dunn blocked and cleared. Dunn was harassed by Pressley and Laura Alleway on a Christine Nairn through ball in the twelfth minute. Nairn got caught offside in the thirteenth minute after combining with Banini and Krieger. Alex Morgan was fouled in the fourteenth minute as Zadorsky challenged her, another dangerous chance for Orlando. Zadorsky took a yellow card at this point for her persistent infringement. Catley did the free kick again, bending it just left of the goal. Nairn had consecutive corner kicks for Washington, one cleared by Kristen Edmonds and the other running high over Oyster's head. The Spirit had a series of unfortunate misses, as Dunn's pass back to Ordega was a bit heavy, and then Nairn's shot was saved by Harris. The rebound was taken by Ordega but wide, and Catley made the block, causing a Nairn corner kick in the twenty-fourth minute. The service came up short and went out of bounds. In the twenty-fifth minute, Witteman blocked a cross by Dunn for another corner kick. Nairn's service was too high for Tori Huster this time. Oyster had a good defensive shield on Spencer to allow Labbe to get to the through ball first. Banini had a cross toward Ordega just stopped by Pressley in the twenty-eighth minute. Matheson had a shot from the top of the box at the 28 minute mark, with Harris diving to her right to save it and create a corner kick. Nairn's service this time was punched out by Harris. Dunn found Matheson, who had another shot, sliding in to get the touch, but Harris' slide stopped the opportunity in the thirtieth minute. On the counterattack, Krieger fouled Spencer in a dangerous position, giving the Pride another good free kick position. Alleway took the shot but straight at Labbe for a save. In the thirty-second minute, a deep ball from Alleway to Morgan forced Oyster into a shield. The Spirit had some efforts on the counterattack, all blocked, until Banini shot high and wide in the thirty-third minute. Ordega went straight around her defender and found Harris out of position, but Ordega only managed a pass into the center of the box toward Banini and Nairn. Dunn then had a shot, blocked by Pressley. Spencer had a cross for the Pride in the thirty-seventh minute, blocked by Krieger. Ordega had been hurt earlier, but did an unassisted goal in the fortieth minute, as Ordega shoved Alleway down, and then navigated around Monica and Pressley before chipping Harris to make it 2-0 for the Spirit. In the forty-fourth minute, Evans crossed in toward Morgan, who flicked toward the goal but was blocked for a corner kick by Zadorsky. Witteman's through ball got just a bit too close to Labbe, ahead of Morgan and knocked out harmlessly by the Spirit keeper. Pressley had a stoppage time pass into Morgan, who took a shot off the right post behind Labbe, and then sent the second shot wide right. The first half ends 2-0 for Washington. Orlando's best players are the LB Catley, RF Witteman, and CF Morgan, while the Spirit have seen excellence out of CB Oyster, LB Kleiner, RW Matheson, RF Banini, CF Dunn, and LF Ordega. Matheston had a cross in the forty-sixth minute to Nairn, but she shot wide left. In the fifty-first minute, Catley took a ball from Spencer and crossed, but Oyster blocked it and gave Orlando a corner kick. Edmonds served in, but Kleiner sent it out. In the fifty-second minute, Ordega had a long through ball knocked out by the Pride's Pressley. Dunn had a fifty-fourth minute cross right in front of Harris but too far away from Ordega to get a shot attempt off for the Spirit. Catley tried to find Morgan in the fifty-seventh minute, and Zadorsky just got ahead of the ball instead for the defensive stop for Washington. Dunn had a cross in the sixtieth minute that went long. Spencer, Morgan, and Catley had a sequence of passes, with Catley then crossing in front of goal, missing both Spencer and Witteman with the cross in the sixty-fifth minute. Catley had a strong long ball in the sixty-sixth minute, but just out of the reach of Sarah Hagen, as Orlando missed another chance to get their offense going. Nairn made a steal from Kyle and nearly chipped Harris in the sixty-seventh minute, with the Spirit looking to put the dagger in. Nairn's sixty-ninth minute corner was blocked by Edmonds and Witteman of Orlando. Zadorsky halted a Pride break through Spencer with a savvy poke. Kleiner had a cross into Dunn in the seventy-fourth minute, touching around Monica to give Cheyna Williams a chance to shoot, but the Spirit sub's shot sailed high. In the seventy-fifth minute, the Pride had a corner kick from Catley that Huster cleared after some scuffling in the box. Dunn nearly found Williams in the seventy-ninth minute, but Evans made a good interception. Dunn and Krieger nearly connected on the next Spirit foray forward, but it ran long into the arms of the keeper Harris. Dunn continued to be a crossing machine, with an eighty-first minute offering blocked by Monica. Witteman took a shot on goal in the eighty-fourth minute for Orlando, but she fell as she shot and Labbe had no trouble with the save. An eighty-sixth minute Edmonds cross was headed away by Oyster as the Spirit have entered shut-down mode. Harris took a free kick in the eighty-eighth minute, flicked on by Hagen and then to Morgan, who got knocked down by Zadorsky before Labbe grabbed the ball to end the Orlando chance. Krieger had a steal in the eighty-ninth minute and Dunn got around Pressley again, but Monica blocked the cross out to prevent Washington from getting another goal. Katie Stengel had a shot on goal against Harris, and then Williams was called for a handball, diffusing another late Spirit attack in the ninetieth minute. The game ended 2-0 for Washington, with Oyster being the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. No players made an extra impression in the second half to warrant specific mention.
The other Saturday game saw the Chicago Red Stars host the Boston Breakers. Libby Stout and Alyssa Naeher are the goalies. The game can be found at this link. Chicago tried to get to an Amanda Da Costa through ball, but Christen Press was offside in the second minute. Arin Gilliland found Press on the next Red Stars attack, and Press dropped back to Vanessa DiBernardo, who then found the goal scorer, Sofia Huerta, on the deflection shot for a goal in the third minute, giving the Red Stars a 1-0 lead. Boston's Kyah Simon tried a long shot in the fourth minute, shooting high over Naeher's net. Whitney Engen just beat Press to a Da Costa through ball in the sixth minute. Louise Schillgard tried a chip to Simon in the eighth minute, but Sam Johnson headed back to Naeher to halt Boston's attack. On the other side, the Red Stars saw Alyssa Mautz cross in near Press, but Stout got there first to grab it out of the air. Chicago continued to have luck crossing to Press, with Casey Short creating a chance that Stout saved and the Breakers' Mollie Pathman cleared away. Schillgard's shot for Boston was blocked by Julie Johnston, and lack of a clock is making it tough to know when this all is happening. Gilliland finished the clearance. Press had another shot for Chicago skim off the top of the net, and the traffic has been virtually all directed at the Breakers net. Boston's Stephanie McCaffrey had a shot-cross that Naeher easily got to before Simon. In the fifteenth minute, Gilliland almost picked out Huerta, but the Red Stars forward was offside. Huerta tried a cross to Mautz in the seventeenth minute, picked off by Pathman. Johnston's free kick went straight to Press, who controlled it and battled with Kassey Kallman before losing possession in the eighteenth minute. DiBernardo had a corner kick for the Red Stars, with Huerta getting a head on it and Stout catching the deflection. Schillgard did a free kick for the Breakers, cleared first by Johnston, and Kristie Mewis put it back in where Naeher caught it. Things got a bit stale in the middle of the half, with no real chances either way for a few minutes. Schillgard had a funny moment, down on the ground with the ball between her feet, and she pivoted 180 degrees but the ball floated out while she carried it. On the next Boston attack, Johnston and Gilliland stalled a McCaffrey run. Mautz got a cross into the box in the twenty-ninth minute, but Stout just tipped it away from Da Costa. Mautz tried a thirtieth minute cross, but Pathman knocked it out for a DiBernardo corner kick. The play was cut short by a quick foul whistle, giving the Breakers a free kick. Danielle Colaprico took the ball off Schillgard's foot just before she shot in the thirty-first minute. Boston maintained possession with McCaffrey, but she couldn't get out of the defensive swarm. Colaprico made a big run in the thirty-second minute before dishing off to Short, who was just offside. She did take a shot and would have scored had the flag not gone up. Chicago kept their foot on the gas in the thirty-third minute, as Press took another high shot. King found Simon on a deep ball, but Johnston made the block. Naeher had to handle the strange spin with a punch and grab to give the Red Stars possession again. Press took another shot in the thirty-fifth minute, shooting wide left. Pathman had a bad turnover to Da Costa, but Gilliland's cross was blocked by Kallman. Gilliland did get another shot, caught by Stout. Mautz took a Short cross and deflected it toward Da Costa, who tried a two-touch shot but whiffed on the second one, allowing Stout to pick it up for the Breakers. Simon took a cross from King in the forty-third minute, popping the ball over the net. In the forty-fifth minute, Simon took a Schillgard pass and shot on goal, but the shot around Johnson was stopped by Naeher. Chicago got a corner kick in first half stoppage time off of King's block of Press' cross. Colaprico had the service right back out of bounds. DiBernardo had a high shot after Press lost control of Mautz's cross. The game went into halftime with the Red Stars leading 1-0. Impressing for the Breakers are LW Schillgard and RF Simon, while the Red Stars have seen good play from RB Gilliland, CBs Johnston and Johnson, LB Short, DMs Colaprico and DiBernardo, RW Mautz, LW Da Costa, RF Huerta, and LF Press (everyone but Naeher, who has been mostly unchallenged). Chicago added on in the forty-seventh minute with another Huerta goal, set up by Mautz after a failed challenge from Pathman, making it 2-0. Brooke Elby had a shot off a Schillgard free kick in the forty-eighth minute, cleared by Johnson. Press got onto a long Da Costa offering, but lost control to Engen as Boston takes over. The Red Stars are still owning possession in the second half early on. In the fifty-fifth minute, Schillgard fouled Da Costa and earned a yellow card for the play. DiBernardo had the free kick, and Huerta took a yellow card for colliding with the goalie Stout in the fifty-sixth minute. Stout was shaken up a bit on the play. Press had another run in the fifty-eighth minute, but lost the ball to King before getting to the back line. In the sixtieth minute, Boston sub Eunice Beckmann fouled Colaprico with a heavy shove, earning a yellow card for the foul. Johnston did the free kick for Chicago, with the service in to Huerta. Gilliland had an effort, and Beckmann nearly got sent off with a high kick on the defender. In the sixty-second minute, Chicago had a free kick taken by Press. Stout just saved it, but Huerta got it to DiBernardo, and then Short poked it home off DiBernardo's pass, making it 3-0 for the Red Stars. Mewis tried to play one through in the sixty-fifth minute, but Colaprico stopped it. Boston looks deflated at this point. DiBernardo had one shot blocked by Engen and another saved by Stout in the sixty-sixth minute, as the Red Stars continue to push forward relentlessly. Press took a shot in the sixty-seventh minute from the right wing side, and Stout got mitts on it before King sent it out of danger for the Breakers. Johnson had an errant clearance off of Beckmann, but she handled the ball to ruin the chance for Boston. Mautz tried a cross that Kallman deflected up for Stout to catch. Da Costa went out wide to Jen Hoy in the seventieth minute, and the cross came into Press, who headed wide left. Short had a cross blocked out by Kallman in the seventy-first minute, with Chicago continuing the one-directional traffic. Christen Westphal had a pass to Simon on a Breakers counterattack, but Colaprico and Johnston quickly shut it down. Westphal had a cross into the box after a free kick was punched out by Naeher, which saw Mautz do the defensive duty of clearing it away in the seventy-fourth minute. Boston's Rachel Wood took a high shot in the seventy-fifth minute. Chicago poured it on with a cross from Mautz toward Press, caught by Stout in between. Elby saw her cross on the left side cleared out by the Red Stars' Colaprico in the seventy-seventh minute. Boston's Beckmann tried a shot in the eighty-fourth minute, with Johnston blocking the shot. Simon tried a shot on Beckmann's next pass, but it went wide left of the Red Stars net. In the eighty-seventh minute, Mautz and Taylor Comeau tried for a weak attempt on goal that Stout had no trouble saving. Press went one-on-one against Stout, but Engen protected the near post and Press shot wide right in the eighty-eighth minute. Chicago had a couple of late corner kicks that didn't produce anything off services from Colaprico. Both were in toward Short. Simon took a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The Red Stars finished off a very dominant 3-0 win, and the RF Huerta was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Getting a mention for her work in the second half is the LB Kallman.
On Sunday, Sky Blue FC brings in the Seattle Reign FC. Hope Solo and her former understudy Caroline Stanley are the goalies. Watch the game. Seattle had a lot of early possession, and in the third minute, Jess Fishlock tried to find Beverly Yanez, but Sky Blue's Christie Rampone disrupted the play. Leah Galton had a pass into Kelley O'Hara for Sky Blue in the eighth minute, earning a corner kick. O'Hara's effort found Kristin Grubka, but she went the wrong way and the Reign took possession. In the ninth minute, Fishlock received a Havana Solaun pass and fired wide right for Seattle. Erica Skroski managed to outrun Solaun in the tenth minute to give Sky Blue possession. Sky Blue attacked, but Rachel Corsie cleared it out for the Reign. In the twelfth minute, Taylor Lytle had a pair of shots, one off the cross bar and the other saved by Solo as Sky Blue was very close to opening the scoring. O'Hara tried a long ball toward Kelly Conheeney in the thirteenth minute, running long into Solo's hands. Galton's cross in the fifteenth minute got blocked before Conheeney could get there, as Sky Blue has taken the edge in possession in recent minutes. In the seventeenth minute, Lauren Barnes took a Solaun pass and gave it to Kim Little. The Seattle midfielder found Fishlock, who flipped a shot off the post, and then Yanez had a shot blocked by Grubka. A further attempt ended without danger as Seattle had a flurry of opportunities go to waste. Outside of the two plays involving the crossbars, there has been little in the way of dangerous chances. Conheeney's steal from Yanez in the twenty-fourth minute ultimately earned a corner kick for Sky Blue thanks to O'Hara's work against Elli Reed. The corner kick didn't produce anything. Fishlock had a big through ball to Yanez in the twenty-fifth minute, and the Sky Blue keeper Stanley just covered it in time. Merritt Mathias had a cross in the twenty-eighth minute that went by both Fishlock and Solaun. Galton defensively broke things up on a Little pass, as Seattle went without a shot again. Stanley had a misplay on the next Reign foray, but Fishlock couldn't find it in the sun, and the Sky Blue defense cleaned it up. Galton had a cross for Sky Blue in the thirty-first minute that went by everyone and out for a Reign throw-in. Galton burned Reed in the thirty-fifth minute, but Conheeney whiffed on the shot. Raquel Rodriguez failed to get a second effort off, and then committed a foul to turn possession back to Seattle. O'Hara had a shot in the thirty-seventh minute as Sky Blue continues the solid play, saved by Reign keeper Solo. Sarah Killion chipped forward to Galton, who got a cross around Corsie. Sky Blue kept the ball with Lytle, Skroski, and Kim DeCesare, but lacked another crossing chance. Lytle then crossed to Conheeney in the fortieth minute, but she headed it over the bar. Rampone blocked a Mathias cross in the forty-second minute, and Barnes did the corner kick for Seattle. The service went toward Corsie, but Rodriguez cleared it, and Solaun made nothing of the second try. Fishlock served a through ball headed out by Grubka. Barnes had a stoppage time free kick, finding Kendall Fletcher, who headed just wide left. The game went into halftime scoreless. Impressing for Sky Blue are CBs Rampone and Grubka, LB O'Hara, LW Galton, RW Conheeney, and RF Lytle, while Seattle's best have been GK Solo, LB Barnes, RW Fishlock, RF Solaun, and CF Mathias. DeCesare had a forty-sixth minute shot blocked by Fletcher as the Reign start the second half on the defensive. Fishlock had a cross in the forty-eighth minute, blocked out for a corner kick by Grubka. Later, Solaun sent a shot just wide left. Galton tried a cross in the fifty-second minute, but Mathias made the block for Seattle. Sky Blue's corner kick from O'Hara found Grubka, who shot wide. Natasha Kai got pushed by Fishlock and Corsie on the play, but no call was made. Galton had another cross right in front of Solo, but Conheeney was caught offside, saving the Reign's effort. Galton turned Reed inside out in the fifty-fourth minute, shooting on goal to force Solo into the save. Kai had the rebound shot, but put it over the goal, and Sky Blue is now swarming the net. Lytle crossed toward Conheeney, but it bounced out off of the midfielder for a Solo goal kick. Grubka broke up a pass intended for Fishlock, but Little had the shot sailing wide left of Stanley's goal. Yanez and Little countered on a fast break, with Little's precise shot causing Stanley to parry it over for a corner kick. Barnes' service in the fifty-ninth minute went toward Corsie, who sent it wide left. Little tried a sixtieth minute cross, with Rampone clearing for Sky Blue. Galton and O'Hara took down Fishlock and Mathias on consecutive Reign attacks, both clean. Fishlock made a big takeaway in the midfield, passing forward to Little, who danced around a falling Grubka and Rampone applied pressure before Little shot. Stanley kicked it out for a corner kick. Kai cleared the Barnes service out of the box. Galton saw a cross in the sixty-fifth minute get tangled in Kai's feet, and then cleared by Reed. Erin Simon crossed in for Sky Blue, and Solo grabbed it. In the sixty-eighth minute, Simon crossed into Kai, who shot off O'Hara's head, and then she was offside, so when she buried the pass from Kai, it was not a valid goal, and the game remained scoreless. Corsie followed up with a header out of bounds on a Skroski cross, creating a Sky Blue corner kick. O'Hara's service went toward Rampone in the box. Solo blocked it, and the ball dribbled out for another O'Hara corner kick. This one found Grubka in the box. The ball went high, and Rampone sent it out wide of the goal, ending the pressure against the Reign. Seattle subs Carson Pickett and Kiersten Dallstream nearly combined in the Sky Blue box in the seventy-first minute. On the other side, Kai had a heavy touch for Sky Blue, allowing Solo to grab it. Reed finally stalled Galton in the seventy-fourth minute, forcing a corner kick. O'Hara served this one into Galton, but it was low, and she fouled Reed. Dallstream and Little sequenced passes to Pickett, who had her shot blocked by Grubka. Dallstream took a shot across goal going wide left. Rampone stole the ball from Little in the box in the seventy-seventh minute, preventing a shot from Seattle's star. Pickett laid off for a Fishlock shot in the seventy-eighth minute, but Stanley was up to task for the save. On the other side, Sky Blue saw Galton cross toward Kai, with Fletcher making the clearance. Yanez had a cross for the Reign in the eighty-third minute, caught by Stanley. Lindsay Elston had to make a strong defensive play against O'Hara in the box, after Lytle bumped a ball away from Fishlock. Fletcher just cleared away from Kai in the eighty-ninth minute as Sky Blue continues to look dangerous late in the game. Grubka had a header on a free kick later on, but Solo made the block. Dallstream stole from Simon in stoppage time, but Grubka headed the cross out for a corner kick. Barnes served in toward Pickett, but it was cleared out. O'Hara saw a shot in stoppage time blocked by Reed, and then Rodriguez dribbled a ball to Solo. Pickett took a shot wide right on the Reign counterattack. Corsie deflected a Shawna Gordon shot out for a corner kick, but the final whistle blew to end the match at 0-0. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is CB Grubka, while Sky Blue also saw the LF sub Kai do well, while CB Fletcher earned a mention for the Reign in the effort.
Finally, the Houston Dash host FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Lydia Williams are the gloved women. The game can be found here. Houston saw a passing sequence end with a high shot by Chioma Ubogagu in the third minute after passes from Denise O'Sullivan, Poliana, and Kealia Ohai. Cari Roccaro knocked a ball away from Katie Bowen on a Kansas City attack. Ubogagu had a cross in the sixth minute toward Morgan Brian, but the Blues keeper Barnhart got there first. Ohai had a cross in the seventh minute for the Dash, with Desiree Scott knocking it out for a corner kick ahead of O'Sullivan. Ubogagu got around Yael Averbuch in the ninth minute after a pass from Allysha Chapman, but Becky Sauerbrunn shut down the Houston attack. On the other side, Roccaro got burned by Shea Groom, but got her back for a corner kick by Heather O'Reilly for the Blues. Brittany Taylor couldn't get good contact on the service, and Brian sent it away. Another Ubogagu cross toward Brian went too close to Barnhart once again in the tenth minute. O'Reilly had a shot in the twelfth minute blocked by Ellie Brush. Alex Arlitt had a steal against Ohai to give the Blues possession again. Ohai and Ubogagu tried a connection in the box in the thirteenth minute, but it was errant. Ubogagu had a shot, saved by Barnhart. Roccaro did well in the fifteenth minute to keep Groom facing away from the Dash goal before the Dash got clear. Ohai crossed in, with Taylor blocking off O'Sullivan and watching Janine Beckie getting knocked over in the sixteenth minute in another lost chance for Houston. The Dash had many passes before Erika Tymrak came back to break it up for Kansas City. Ohai got a cross off in front of Sauerbrunn, but O'Sullivan couldn't get a shot off in the nineteenth minute. On the next attack, Scott stole it away from O'Sullivan. Beckie had a long pass to Ohai, broken up Sauerbrunn to give Houston a corner kick. Brian's service went toward Poliana, who hit it out wide right of Barnhart's goal. Sauerbrunn tried a pass to Arlitt, but Poliana kept the chance outside, and Arlitt lost control for a goal kick by Dash keeper Williams. Tymrak tried to set up Mandy Laddish in the twenty-fifth minute, but Roccaro got away. On the Houston counterattack, Barnhart came out to stop Ubogagu. Laddish had a cross for Kansas City caught by Williams. Arlitt tried to break up Ohai's cross, and did enough to make it weak, allowing Sauerbrunn to clear it out. Groom tried to nutmeg Chapman in the thirtieth minute, but Chapman got to the ball first in a strong defensive play. Tymrak laid off to Laddish for a shot that went wide right. Bowen tried a shot in the thirty-first minute blocked by O'Sullivan, with Poliana clearing. O'Reilly went to Arlitt on a cross, and Brian blocked it out for a corner kick. O'Reilly's service for the Blues went toward Taylor, but Brian was again there first. Beckie twice tried to find Brian, but Taylor and Sauerbrunn got in the way in the thirty-sixth minute. O'Sullivan, Beckie, and Brian all had a string of passes end with a Tymrak steal to give the Blues possession. Ubogagu saw a shot in the thirty-ninth minute blocked by Scott in the box. Houston continued to press with Ohai just off the mark on her pass to Ubogagu. Errant passing destroyed a Houston effort in the forty-third minute, as Beckie took a heavy touch thanks to O'Reilly of the Blues, and then Ohai missed Chapman. Chapman did eventually send it in, straight to Barnhart. Taylor had a steal from Ohai, passing to Groom, Bowen, and then O'Reilly had the shot on goal, saved by Williams. The game went to halftime scoreless. Kansas City's best players were GK Barnhart, CB Sauerbrunn, RB Taylor, DM Scott, and LW O'Reilly, while the Dash's top players are CB Roccaro, RB Poliana, RW Brian, ACM O'Sullivan, and forwards Beckie and Ohai. Ohai had two crosses in the forty-ninth minute blocked quickly by Sauerbrunn of Kansas City. Poliana had a swerving cross in the fiftieth minute for the Dash, but O'Reilly got to it first for the Blues. Ohai worked around Arlitt to get a cross into the box, going behind Ubogagu. Ohai went at Arlitt again, earning a corner kick for Houston this time. Brian's fifty-second minute service went to Arlitt, who cleared as far as Andressa. Beckie had another cross in to Brian. Taylor turned it out, and Brian had another corner kick, cleared by Sauerbrunn. Chapman unleashed a rocket off the crossbar after a pass from Beckie. O'Reilly managed to head around Brush in the fifty-fifth minute, but Williams knocked it away from the charging Kansas City midfielder. Scott managed a steal from Poliana after Ubogagu tripped over the ball under the pressure of Arlitt. Ubogagu made a steal from Arlitt, but Taylor stole it back, and Beckie couldn't avoid fouling Arlitt in the fifty-eighth minute. Ohai's cross in the fifty-ninth minute found O'Sullivan, but Barnhart was in good position to deflect it away from goal. Beckie lost the ball to Averbuch in the sixtieth minute as Houston continues a foray. Poliana took a shot at Barnhart that was saved on the second effort. Groom and Roccaro battled for the ball in the sixty-first minute, with Groom shooting low and Williams stopping the chance. In the sixty-fifth minute, O'Sullivan and Beckie combined for heavy pressure for the Dash, earning an Andressa corner kick. Rachel Daly headed it down, but without a shot. Both Daly and Ohai had shots, with passes also from Beckie, O'Sullivan, and Brian. Daly's was off the post, and Ohai's went high in the sixty-sixth minute, with the Dash pouring on all the shots. Bowen had a knockdown to Groom in the box in the sixty-seventh minute, but Roccaro knocked it out wide. In the seventy-second minute, O'Reilly took a shot off the crossbar that Williams sloppily managed to clear. Sauerbrunn's long throw-in nearly caused trouble with Taylor and Averbuch crashing, and Brush put it out for a corner kick by O'Reilly. This went in to Averbuch, who sent it over the net in the seventy-third minute. O'Sullivan tried a ball to Daly in the seventy-sixth minute, but Barnhart got there first. Beckie tried to get one around Sauerbrunn as the Dash continue a fervent attack. O'Reilly drew a foul in the seventy-eighth minute, giving the Blues a good free kick chance. Taylor took the kick, bouncing off Roccaro and out for a corner kick by O'Reilly. The eightieth minute service went to Groom, who got it back to Averbuch. Her attempt was blocked out by Daly, and went to Sauerbrun, who headed it in for a goal. Kansas City leads 1-0 late in the game after a tremendous effort by Houston so far. Fran Silva earned a corner kick off of Poliana, and O'Reilly served another in the eighty-second minute toward Brian, who combined with Daly for a half-clearance. Laddish fired the shot and sent it wide, and O'Reilly tried again from the other side on a corner kick. This one went to ran long to Roccaro, and Chapman finished the clearance. O'Sullivan had a cross in the eighty-fourth minute, and Daly got a shot, but Averbuch made the block. Andressa took a shot in the eighty-fifth minute, and Silva had the block for the Blues. Poliana had a cross toward Melissa Henderson, but Sauerbrunn blocked it. A Chapman cross found the hands of Barnhart. Alexa Newfield of Kansas City had a shot on goal after getting around Amber Brooks, and Williams was up to task to make the save. Roccaro took an eighty-ninth minute yellow card for a foul, happening previously in the play. Averbuch stood up Beckie as she wanted to shoot in the ninetieth minute, after a string of quick Dash passes. Poliana's cross went over Brian and beyond Chapman, with Averbuch putting it out for a corner kick. Andressa did the set piece in stoppage time, and it went long off Barnhart. Brian took the corner kick on the other side, but Sauerbrunn got it out. O'Sullivan had the shot on the second try, but it went wide left. Scott took the ball away from Daly to help the Blues kill the clock. Brooks teed up a shot over the bar deep in stoppage time, the last chance for the Dash. The game ended 1-0 for Kansas City. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is the CB Sauerbrunn for her brilliant goal and solid defensive play in arguably her best game of the year. Also impressing for the Blues in the second half were the CB Averbuch and LB Arlitt, while Houston LB Chapman also gets a mention.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI for Week 9
GK Hope Solo
RB Arin Gilliland
CB Becky Sauerbrunn
CB Kristin Grubka
LB Casey Short
DCM Desiree Scott
RW Jess Fishlock
LW Leah Galton
RF Sofia Huerta
CF Christine Sinclair
LF Christen Press
This was a tough one to compile this week. I'd like to give an honorable mention to Megan Oyster of the Spirit, as she shut down Alex Morgan for the most part. Her play just didn't beat the work of Grubka against Seattle or the presumptive player of the week Sauerbrunn against a potent Dash attack. Huerta also played well this week with a brace, but it was a bit of a short appearance for her as she propelled the Red Stars to a win over the Breakers in dominant form.
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