I apologize for the significant delay on this post. I have a very good reason though, as I attended the Seattle Reign VS. Orlando Pride game live last night at Memorial Stadium. The standard recap will be the last game in this post, but the experience was wonderful. It was my first time out to an NWSL game, and it was so much fun. I can't wait to go again. With that, let's begin with...
The Western New York Flash hosting FC Kansas City in the first of four games. Nicole Barnhart faces former backup Katelyn Rowland in goal. Here's the game. Molly Menchel tried to find Tiffany McCarty in the second minute for Kansas City, but the timing was a bit off and offside was called. Yael Averbuch of the Blues cleared Jessica McDonald's first long throw-in around the third minute, and the second one was cleared out to Elizabeth Eddy, who found McCall Zerboni offside. Lianne Sanderson's pass for Lynn Williams in the fifth minute went too long and got cleared by Barnhart of Kansas City. Brienne Reed surrendered a corner kick to the Blues in the fifth minute after McDonald and Zerboni couldn't produce from an Abby Dahlkemper pass. Dahlkemper served the corner kick, but McDonald sent it high and wide. Makenzy Doniak sent a ball in for Williams in the eighth minute, who shot wide left under pressure from the Blues' Brittany Taylor. Janice Cayman's cross in the ninth minute was cleared by Averbuch, and then Doniak's second effort went too long out of bounds for the Flash. Taylor of Kansas City blocked McDonald's eleventh minute cross. Rowland grabbed a McCarty cross in the twelfth minute, as the Blues winger got around Cayman. Eddy's pass for Doniak in the fourteenth minute was taken away by Averbuch, and her pass to Erika Tymrak led to the Blues' player getting fouled by Eddy, giving Kansas City more possession. Averbuch sent it in, but Rowland punched it out. Michaela Hahn tried to find Sanderson for Western New York, but the Blues cleared in the fifteenth minute. Taylor had a free kick in the seventeenth minute for the Blues, blocked by Zerboni. Averbuch had a free kick in the nineteenth minute caught by Rowland. Doniak crossed low and Barnhart grabbed it. Cayman took a yellow card in the twenty-first minute for fouling McCarty. Lo'eau LaBonta broke up a Williams breakaway after Taylor's free kick. Cayman flicked a ball on from McDonald's long throw-in in the twenty-third minute, but Barnhart made the catch. Eddy's twenty-fourth minute cross for Western New York went out of bounds. McCarty put a ball in front of Shea Groom in the twenty-fifth minute, but she chipped it over the bar on Kansas City's best chance so far. Williams sent a twenty-seventh minute shot across goal, under heavy pressure from Averbuch of the Blues. Reed had a cross for Kansas City in the twenty-eighth minute, with Courtney Niemiec sending it out. McDonald received a pass from Hahn and tried to crosses, with Taylor finally clearing it. Zerboni had a shot saved by Barnhart in the twenty-ninth minute as the Flash create a flurry of offense. McCarty's thirtieth minute shot went wide right as Dahlkemper closed her down. The hydration break was called after the shot. Dahlkemper blocked a Frances Silva shot in the thirty-third minute after Groom got shut down. Dahlkemper took a long shot that Barnhart saved in the thirty-fourth minute. Mandy Laddish of Kansas City sent one for Silva, but Eddy poked it away in the thirty-sixth minute. Barnhart made a save on Williams on the other end after she took a pass from Sanderson on a potent Flash counterattack. McCarty's thirty-seventh minute shot went wide left for the Blues. Eddy won a free kick due to Averbuch's foul, and Sanderson's thirty-ninth minute free kick went to McDonald, who shot wide right off the outside of the net. Menchel and Taylor provided the best defense here. Dahlkemper connected with Zerboni on the free kick in the fortieth minute, but Barnhart caught the high ball. McCarty, Tymrak, and Groom all strung passes together, but Groom got caught offside in the forty-first minute to end the Kansas City attack. Groom took a ball from Menchel and got around Rowland but sent a thin angled shot across the face of goal and out. Williams got around Taylor in the forty-third minute, but Barnhart stood tall for the save. Zerboni and McDonald combined for a play halted by Averbuch's steal for the Blues. Tymrak danced around about three Flash players (Sanderson, Eddy, and Dahlkemper) before shooting and forcing Rowland into a strong save. Averbuch blocked two offerings from Western New York, a shot by Williams after a cross from Cayman, and then Sanderson got caught offside on the third attempt. Cayman and Laddish had a battle, ending with the Blues' Laddish fouling Western New York's Cayman in stoppage time. Sanderson went to Cayman for the free kick, and Zerboni deflected it into Barnhart's hands. Hahn fouled Silva in stoppage time, earning a yellow card. Rowland caught Reed's cross, ending the half. The game is 0-0 at halftime, and the best players for the visiting Blues have been GK Barnhart, LB Menchel, CBs Averbuch and Taylor, DM LaBonta, LW Tymrak, RW McCarty, and striker Groom. For the Flash, the best efforts came from GK Rowland, LB Cayman, CB Dahlkemper, LW Zerboni, RW Doniak, LF McDonald and RF Williams. Niemiec broke up a McCarty cross, and Reed's second effort went out of bounds in the forty-sixth minute. Silva and Zerboni collided in the forty-eighth minute, but only a Flash corner kick came out of it. Dahlkemper's corner kick went to McDonald in the forty-ninth minute, who headed it firmly on goal, and Barnhart palmed it off the bar and then she caught it on the way down after Zerboni put it back on goal. Reed had a flip throw-in during the fiftieth minute, and while it didn't lead to anything for the Blues, it was a funny moment. Kansas City had a fifty-first minute corner kick from Tymrak which Williams cleared. Williams also had a cross on the other side, but it fell harmlessly to Barnhart. Doniak won a corner kick in the fifty-second minute for Western New York. Dahlkemper put it in for McDonald, but Groom cleared it. Zerboni and McDonald had a sequence of passes off of Niemiec's second effort, but Sanderson was called offside. Groom had acres of space in the fifty-third minute on a ball from LaBonta, but she glanced it just off the crossbar. Niemiec's deflection wasn't seen, so it was a goal kick for Kansas City. Tymrak had the next shot on a similar play in the fifty-fourth minute, but Rowland saved it. Doniak earned a free kick after Menchel's fifty-fifth minute foul, earning the Blues defender a yellow card. Western New York's free kick went from Sanderson to Williams on the low service, and Williams put it over the bar after a deflection off of LaBonta. Sanderson's free kick in the fifty-eighth minute was short for Niemiec, and cleared by LaBonta eventually. Cayman ripped a shot in the fifty-ninth minute, saved by Barnhart. Groom made it 1-0 for the Blues in the sixtieth minute after taking the ball from McCarty and running around Niemiec. Dahlkemper flicked a ball over the bar in the sixty-first minute for the Flash. Zerboni skimmed a shot over the top of the goal in the sixty-second minute. The Flash stole a corner kick as Barnhart made a bad touch out of bounds. The service went off the side netting, losing the gift. Reed pulled off another flip throw in the sixty-fourth minute, but Doniak won a free kick seconds later after Laddish's foul. Averbuch broke up a Zerboni chip in the sixty-fifth minute. McDonald's cross was grabbed by Barnhart in the sixty-sixth minute. McDonald tried again in the sixty-eighth minute, but it ended up on the top of the goal. Barnhart tipped a cross from Cayman to give Western New York a corner kick. Nothing came from the set piece beyond Williams fouling Reed with a high kick. Taylor shut down Williams in the seventy-first minute. Zerboni tried to go long, but Taylor was there again. Doniak ran into the box, but Taylor cleared it in the seventy-second minute. McDonald fired a shot on the next Flash effort, but Barnhart caught it. Taylor blocked a cross from Western New York's Kristen Hamilton. Eddy had a cross tipped by Barnhart and cleared by LaBonta in the seventy-fourth minute. Taylor continued her defensive flurry with a poke on Williams' cross in the seventy-fifth minute. LaBonta cleared a Taylor Smith cross. The Flash are pouring on a thick attack. The second hydration break came in the seventy-sixth minute. Smith's cross went for McDonald, but she couldn't turn on it, and Adriana Leon was too far ahead of it in the eightieth minute. Caroline Kastor cleared a Sanderson cross. McDonald did the long throw into traffic, with Leon trying to corral the Niemiec flick. Barnhart landed on it safely. Smith earned a corner kick off of Averbuch in the eighty-first minute, with Dahlkemper serving it short to Sanderson, who found Williams. The Flash earned a free kick just outside the box, where Sanderson fired it on goal, caught by Barnhart after one hop. Williams fell in the box in the eighty-fourth minute after colliding with Averbuch. Eddy's deflected cross was scooped up by Barnhart in the eighty-fifth minute. The Flash had a flurry in the eighty-sixth minute. McDonald headed a ball off Barnhart's face, which then fell to Hamilton, who was blocked by Taylor off the line, and then Sanderson's rocket third shot was saved by Barnhart. Dahlkemper's corner kick created another flurry eventually cleared by Menchel. Zerboni and Smith had the best effort, while Niemiec missed a shot. Dahlkemper had another corner kick, going for Niemiec, who sent it just wide left in the eighty-eighth minute. Sanderson had a free kick in the eighty-ninth minute, taken on goal on a curve that Barnhart grabbed just ahead of McDonald. Averbuch poked a Smith cross away to Silva. McDonald's stoppage time throw-in went to Niemiec, who sent it out wide right. Taylor shut down Williams in the box, allowing Barnhart to make the grab. The game ended 1-0 for the Blues, with Barnhart the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for maintaining a clean sheet against a massive barrage of Flash shots.
In the second game, Sky Blue FC welcomes the Washington Spirit. Kelsey Wys and Caroline Casey protect the nets. Watch the game here. Shawna Gordon had a shot for Sky Blue after Leah Galton sent a ball in, but Washington's Caprice Dydasco blocked it. Galton turned wrecking ball on Joanna Lohman, Megan Oyster, and Whitney Church all colliding with her in the third minute. Erin Simon of Sky Blue held off Cheyna Williams' run for Washington in the fifth minute. Taylor Lytle switched fields for Galton in the sixth minute, and the Sky Blue winger shot wide around Church but off target of Wys' Spirit net. The game so far has lacked many dangerous opportunities. Williams couldn't get to the ball in the twelfth minute, ending up fouling Simon of Sky Blue. Erica Skroski had a free kick in the thirteenth minute for Sky Blue, but she couldn't quite pick out Natasha Kai. Skorski sent a long ball in but without any teammate around in the fifteenth minute, giving the Spirit possession on a goal kick from Wys. Simon put a ball in the box for Sky Blue in the sixteenth minute, but Dydasco cleared it out for a corner kick. Catherine Zimmerman couldn't run it down. Galton took the corner kick, but it went through the box, and Christie Rampone got caught offside. Williams tried to make a break in the eighteenth minute for Washington, but Simon poked the ball away from her cleanly. Rampone intercepted Francisca Ordega's cross in the twentieth minute. Washington kept possession until Williams was offside in the box. Ordega poked one away from Skroski, but Rampone blocked the cross in the twenty-first minute. Tori Huster sent a ball forward for Washington, which Kristin Grubka sent away for Sky Blue. Dydasco cleared Lytle's twenty-third minute cross, allowing Washington a counterattack. Lohman's cross ran away from the Spirit and to Casey. In the twenty-fourth minute, Sky Blue started it at 1-0 with a Galton goal from a tough angle, coming after a pass from Simon. Galton got around Church, and Oyster was too late. Kai had a shot in the twenty-fifth minute that Wys just poked. Skroski was responsible for the through ball that beat Estelle Johnson of Washington. Lytle chipped a ball into a pack for Sky Blue in the twenty-sixth minute, with Lohman finishing the Washington clearance. Church just intercepted Lytle's return for Galton on a give-and-go in the twenty-eighth minute. Gordon's pass for Zimmerman got picked off by Dydasco as Sky Blue continues to dominate play. Lytle took a long shot in the twenty-ninth minute going off target. Galton sent a cross in that Church had to deflect out for a corner kick in the thirtieth minute. Gordon took the service for Grubka, who headed it off a Spirit player out for another corner kick. Gordon's second try also went to Grubka out wide right. The hydration break came in the thirty-first minute. Zimmerman put in a crisp cross in the thirty-fourth minute, and it proved too long for Galton. Simon put a ball out on Ordega's crossing attempt, giving Washington the corner kick. Christine Nairn, who has been quiet today, served in the set piece for Johnson, who found Lohman, but Casey saved it and Simon took it away. Grubka poked away Nairn's through ball in the thirty-seventh minute, but the Spirit got it back soon and built from the back again. Rampone made a block on a Nairn cross in the thirty-eighth minute. On the other side, Kai challenged Church but lost the ball out of bounds and Washington takes a goal kick. Kai found Lytle to establish the Sky Blue attack in the fortieth minute, but Zimmerman's pass to Kai found the forward offside, even as she took a diving header. Rampone blocked an Estefania Banini header for Washington on the other side. Johnson cleared away a Galton cross in the forty-third minute. Ordega flubbed a cross for the Spirit, which Grubka cleared, and Rampone cleared a second effort. Zimmerman finally sent Sky Blue forward again. Zimmermand tried for Lytle on a cross in the forty-fourth minute, but Wys caught it. Ordega came up injured just before the half, causing a slight delay. She was subbed out for Katie Stengel due to the injury. Banini put a shot on goal in stoppage time, which Casey saved. Church had the original service on the play. Simon got one away from Williams as Washington maintains an attack late in the half. Banini sent a ball for Nairn, who was offside on the play. The game went into halftime at 1-0. The best players for the Spirit have been LB Dydasco, CB Johnson, RW Lohman, and RF Williams. For Sky Blue, the top players have been LB Simon, CB Rampone, DM Gordon, RW Lytle, LW Galton, and LF Kai. Williams couldn't get around Rampone without fouling her in the forty-sixth minute. Simon's throw-in got headed away by Oyster in the forty-ninth minute. The second half started a bit slowly, much like the first half. Nairn's cross went over the goal and out of bounds in the fifty-fourth minute for the Spirit. Zimmerman had a shot that hit Lytle in the fifty-fourth minute. Stengel tried a shot on the other side for Washington after a Nairn pass, which Rampone blocked. Galton got around Johnson and passed beyond Oyster, with Dydasco sending it away from Zimmerman to prevent a dangerous shot in the fifty-sixth minute. Galton's corner kick went to Lytle, but Wys pounded it away. Stengel's fifty-seventh minute cross went behind the Sky Blue net. Lohman and Skroski bumped, but it didn't prevent Lohman's cross from coming in. It went over Williams, and Simon handled the defense. Lohman got a shot in the box that Skroski blocked from short distance Grubka previously block on Williams' shot, hitting the post to set up Lohman, marking a flurry of activity for Washington. Galton sent a shot just wide across goal as she ran at Wys and Johnson. Gordon put a ball long in the sixtieth minute, with Wys redistributing for the Spirit. Lytle couldn't get through Huster in the sixty-second minute, even as Sky Blue held the ball for awhile. Williams went to Stengel on the other side, and Stengel managed a shot that Casey caught. Lohman took a nice shot through Grubka, but Casey dove for the save. Banini had the pass to Lohman. Grubka blocked a hard shot from Nairn in the sixty-fourth minute. Grubka then headed away a cross by Banini. Oyster did well to disrupt Galton as Sky Blue made an attack. Things are moving a bit back-and-forth now. Grubka stole one from Banini in the box in the sixty-sixth minute. Gordon put Lytle through in the sixty-eighth minute, and Lytle tried to direct it toward goal, but it went out before it got there. Maya Hayes of Sky Blue went around Washington's Alyssa Kleiner in the sixty-ninth minute, passing to Lytle, who fired it high. Banini won a corner kick for the Spirit off of Grubka in the seventy-second minute. Nairn's set piece went for Williams and landed at Huster's feet. She put it in, but Kai sent it out for another corner kick from the other side. Nairn served this one to Oyster, who headed it out wide left. Lytle and Galton went with a pair of quick passes, although Oyster sent the cross from Lytle out for a corner kick by Sky Blue. In the seventy-fifth minute, Galton served the corner kick to to Kai, and Rampone put it in the mix. Williams finally cleared it for the Spirit. Oyster also contributed defensively. Skroski blocked Stengel's seventy-sixth minute cross. Kai and Dydasco crashed hard into one another in the seventy-seventh minute after running at the ball from Galton's clearance. While the players were injured, the rest of the teams took their hydration break. Kai was up before Dydasco, and received her medical treatment on the sideline. Both players returned to the game. Skroski and Hayes combined, but Dydasco cleared the cross from Hayes away cleanly in the eighty-second minute. Sky Blue earned a free kick as Hayes was fouled on the right wing just outside the box. Skroski served this one in, but Oyster headed it away. Nairn won a corner kick off of Grubka in the eighty-fourth minute, earning a Washington corner kick. Nairn put this one in, with Skroski knocking it out for another corner kick. The second one popped back out for Nairn, who shot a bit wide right. Grubka blocked a Nairn shot in the eighty-sixth minute, springing Kelly Conheeney, and then Oyster fouled Kai on the break. Sky Blue's free kick went from Domi Richardson directly on goal and caught by Wys. Richardson fouled Nairn in the eighty-ninth in a decent position. Nairn took the free kick, which got blocked by the firm Sky Blue defense. Richardson tried to pick out Hayes in stoppage time, but Wys sent it away from far out of her position. Sky Blue has begun to kill the clock, with Simon and Lytle on the left side. Lohman sent a shot wide about halfway through the added time, after a sequence with Stengel and Nairn passes. Sky Blue shut things down well, winning 1-0. Galton was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match, with GK Casey and RB Skroski also garnering positive attention in the second half. The CB Oyster and LF sub Stengel earned honorable mentions for the Spirit in one of their weaker efforts of the season.
Next up, the Chicago Red Stars bring in the Houston Dash. Bianca Henninger and Michele Dalton protect the nets. You can find the game here. Taylor Comeau had a cross in the second minute for Chicago that Stephanie Ochs cleared for Houston. The Red Stars quickly earned a corner kick, taken by Vanessa DiBernardo and going short for Danielle Colaprico, who buried it in the second minute as she traveled into the box before her shot deflected in. Originally, the goal was credited to Sofia Huerta, but review proved it bounced off of Cari Roccaro, and the goal was credited for Colaprico in the end. Huerta helped to take a Rachel Daly pass for Chioma Ubogagu away as the Dash tried to make something happen in the fifth minute. Kealia Ohai had a ball into the box in the sixth minute for Houston, but Colaprico sent it away to the other side. Ellie Brush cleared away a dangerous ball from Huerta toward Cara Walls in the ninth minute. Chicago did earn a corner kick, which DiBernardo served in for Short, but Ochs and Cami Privett managed the clearance. DiBernardo's long pass ran long for Jen Hoy in the eleventh minute for the Red Stars. Hoy just lost the ball on a Walls through ball as Ochs passed back to Henninger. Chicago still looks like the more organized team so far. Megan Crosson of the Dash had to head Short's cross away from Huerta and out for a corner kick. DiBernardo's service went to Short and deflected off a Houston player for another corner kick from DiBernardo in the fourteenth minute. This one went on top of the goal, which Henninger had covered had it dipped at all. Crosson tried a cross in the fifteenth minute, but it went out of bounds. Privett of Houston stopped Short of Chicago pretty well in the seventeenth minute. Arin Gilliland of the Red Stars came forward and won a corner kick off of Roccaro in the eighteenth minute, allowing another service by DiBernardo. She crossed it in and it came back out to her at the top of the box, where DiBernardo left the shot on top of the net again. Colaprico gave one away to Ubogagu, but blocked the first effort to Daly and then the cross in for Denise O'Sullivan to atone for her mistake. Ohai had a twentieth minute shot go wide right for the Dash. Hoy was taken down in the box in the twenty-first minute, but it was ruled clean. DiBernardo rocketed another one off the crossbar soon after. Ubogagu's cross went long and behind Daly, allowing Short to mop it up in the twenty-third minute. Ohai earned a corner kick for Houston soon after, allowing Crosson to serve one in. Amber Brooks had a look, but the Red Stars stayed strong in defense. Crosson's free kick in the twenty-sixth minute eventually came to O'Sullivan, and then Brooks, and she lost it out as Chicago took over for the goal kick. Ubogagu drew a foul in a decent spot for Houston, earning the free kick. Daly took this one, going for Privett, but Brooks fouled Johnson to kill the Dash attack. Daly and Katie Naughton had a battle in the corner. Ubogagu then tried a thirtieth minute shot and sent it over the bar. Privett saw a deflected cross almost find Daly, but a heavy touch ended up going out of bounds. Ochs put in a cross that Dalton caught in the thirty-first minute. Walls tried to battle with Privett but couldn't get around the Houston defender in the thirty-third minute. Heurta eventually got a shot to go wide right for the Red Stars. Ohai won a corner kick off of Short in the thirty-fourth minute, which Crosson took and Dalton caught. Huerta got a ball to Walls in the thirty-fifth minute, and Walls sent it too far in front of Hoy and out for a Henninger goal kick for Houston. O'Sullivan had a cross in the thirty-sixth minute cleared by Gilliland and then a Crosson through ball was caught by Dalton. Ubogagu ran down a ball ahead of Sam Johnson of the Red Stars in the thirty-seventh minute, but Daly dummied it and no one was behind her. Naughton's long ball nearly found Hoy, but Roccaro cleared for the Dash. Daly nearly caused Dalton problems on the long boot from the Red Stars keeper. Ochs had a cross blocked in the fortieth minute as Houston has seen more crosses and offense later in the half. Ohai's forty-first minute cross went too long for Ochs to track down on the other side. Gilliland sent a cross into the center of the box as DiBernardo shot wide left with Hoy nearly blocking it. On the other side, O'Sullivan hooked a shot wide left in the forty-third minute for the Dash. Daly's free kick was blocked out by Short. Ohai saw her cross flicked by Naughton into the corner. The game went into halftime at 1-0. The top Dash performers have been LB Crosson, RB Privett, RW Ohai, LF Daly, and RF Ubogagu. For the Red Stars, the top players are LB Short, RB Gilliland, DMs Colaprico and DiBernardo, and RW Huerta. Gilliland tried to poke one in, but Henninger grabbed it up for Houston in the forty-sixth minute. Gilliland's forty-seventh minute cross went over Hoy, but the Red Stars do look to be back into form early in the half. Chicago earned a free kick as Ohai fouled Short in the forty-ninth minute. Colaprico took it, looking for Naughton but finding Privett with the block for the Dash instead. Huerta couldn't control the ball in the box, and Roccaro cleared it away for Houston the fifty-first minute. After that free kick, the game went a bit stagnant for awhile. Daly fed Ohai out wide in the fifty-fifth minute, with Johnson deflecting it out for a corner kick. Crosson's service deflected off of Colaprico and she got a second chance. This one was better, going short to O'Sullivan, then taking it back and putting a cross in Dalton's arms. Dalton went long for Huerta, and then passed along to Hoy, but nothing came of it for Chicago. Ubogagu's fifty-ninth minute cross was picked up by Dalton without another Dash player in range. Walls saw a pass picked off by Privett in the sixty-second minute. DiBernardo was fouled by Crosson in the sixty-third minute, and the Dash's Crosson took a yellow card, likely for persistent infringement or the foul itself. The free kick went Colaprico to DiBernardo, and her cross bounced off Ubogagu for a corner kick. DiBernardo found Huerta, and Walls kept it in, but the Red Stars' chance ended when Daly got fouled. Privett went very long in the sixty-sixth minute, going out of bounds for a Dalton goal kick. Ochs did just enough to keep Alyssa Mautz of Chicago off the ball in the sixty-eighth minute, giving up a corner kick in the process. DiBernardo's service went to Colaprico on the short play, and DiBernardo got it back for a rocket shot saved off the line by O'Sullivan. Mautz didn't get a shot off in the seventy-first minute, but Comeau had a try from distance go over the bar. Daly nutmegged Short but her pass into the box was poked away by Gilliland in the seventy-second minute. Gilliland gave Houston a corner kick in the seventy-fourth minute, and Crosson did the service, going off of Colaprico for a second try as it went out again. The second one was again better, but ran long and flew over Privett's head. Colaprico made a block on an Ohai cross in the seventy-sixth minute, with the Dash appearing to pick up the pace again later in the half. A second chance from Ohai went into the outside of the netting. Gilliland found Huerta on a high cross, but Huerta headed it straight down to Henninger. Ohai won a corner kick off of Gilliland in the seventy-eighth minute. Ochs put this one in, but it was headed out, and Crosson took the next corner kick from the other side. DiBernardo knocked this one out, and Crosson tried again, but couldn't keep it in bounds. Melissa Henderson of Houston and DiBernardo battled quite a bit in the eightieth minute in the midfield. Mautz knocked an eighty-first minute cross off of Roccaro. In the eighty-second minute, Ohai fed Daly in the box, and Daly turned to shoot, putting it between Short's legs and into the bottom left corner past Dalton, tying the game at 1 for the Dash. Daly found Ohai, causing Johnson to dive to block it, and she tried a couple more times to find Henderson in the eighty-fourth minute. Chicago earned a corner kick in the eighty-sixth minute, with DiBernardo going for Comeau, but Naughton was called for a foul, halting the play. Mautz and Huerta got a couple of touches before trying to pick out the newest Red Star Stephanie McCaffrey, who was just offside. Houston got a free kick in the eighty-eighth minute, taken by Ohai and caught after a bobble by Dalton. Roccaro broke up the counterattack by taking it away from McCaffrey. Gilliland's long ball went beyond McCaffrey to Henninger. Huerta's cross in the ninetieth minute was cleared by Brush. McCaffrey had a stoppage time cross to DiBernardo, and the latter sent it just wide left of goal. Mautz took a shot over the bar for the Red Stars. Gilliland picked out Mautz on the next Chicago attack, but the sub sent it wide right. The game ended 1-1, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being Colaprico. Other players impressing in the second half were the Dash's ACM O'Sullivan and the Red Stars' sub Mautz.
The final game of the week had the Seattle Reign FC hosting the Orlando Pride. Kaitlyn Savage and Haley Kopmeyer are between the posts. The game can be found here. Seattle's Jess Fishlock had a first minute shot go wide left. Jamia Fields of Orlando made a steal against Kim Little of the Reign in the third minute. Sam Witteman went a bit too long for Christina Burkenroad in the fourth minute as the Pride start making moves forward. Fishlock blocked a crossing attempt from Fields in the fifth minute. Nahomi Kawasumi and Manon Melis tried to combine for Seattle in the sixth minute, but nothing came of this attack. Little went out wide for Melis in the seventh minute, but Toni Pressley of Orlando blocked the cross. Kawasumi took a long ball from Little in the ninth minute, but Witteman just poked it out in time to surrender the corner kick. Lauren Barnes took the set piece for the Reign, going for Kendall Fletcher, who collided hard with Maddy Evans of the Pride and both players stayed down for awhile. Barnes stopped Fields in the twelfth minute as the Orlando forward made a strong run on the right side of the offensive formation. On the next foray forward, it was Carson Pickett of Seattle shutting down Fields in the thirteenth minute. Burkenroad fed Jasmyne Spencer with a long ball, and she got a shot off, but Kopmeyer saved it out for a corner kick. Kristen Edmonds' corner kick for Orlando was punched weakly by Kopmeyer, but the Reign were able to prevent any dangerous shooting attempts. Kawasumi left one for Melis, who made a swerving run and fired a long shot on goal, which Savage saved for the Pride in the sixteenth minute. Keelin Winters and Little nearly connected for Seattle on the next attack, but Winters was fouled while passing, giving the Reign a free kick in a good spot. The seventeenth minute free kick was taken by Barnes directly on goal, with Savage collecting the ball on one hop for the save. Fields put in a cross in the eighteenth minute that Spencer couldn't quite get to. Fletcher later cleared a second effort as Orlando puts some pressure on. Elli Reed blocked a Witteman cross in the nineteenth minute. Merritt Mathias put one for Kawasumi on the wing, and this cross was blocked out for a corner kick from Barnes toward Fletcher. It was sent back into the area and Dani Weatherholt fouled Fletcher in the box, drawing a penalty kick for the Reign. Little took it and sent Savage the wrong way as Little buried it in the left side for a 1-0 Seattle lead. Mathias couldn't get a pass to Kawasumi after an interception from Witteman for the Pride. Kawasumi got the ball back and took a shot in the twenty-third minute, shooting high on the pass from Little. Weatherholt stole a ball from Winters to stop a Seattle attack in the twenty-fourth minute. Kaylyn Kyle finally made a steal after a spell of possession by the Reign, giving the Pride time to settle back into shape in the twenty-fifth minute. Little had a shot in the twenty-sixth minute shot deflected, and Mathias tried a rebound that Pressley put out for a Barnes corner kick. Her service went across goal and off an Orlando player for a corner kick from the other side, taken by Kawasumi and punched out by Savage. Cami Levin broke up a play keyed by Melis in the twenty-seventh minute. Kawasumi had a cross blocked by Evans in the twenty-eighth minute, but they maintained pressure in their offensive third. Little chipped in for Winters in the twenty-ninth minute, which Savage saved and knocked back off of Winters to give Orlando a goal kick. Pressley fouled Mathias in a dangerous area for Seattle, with Kawasumi taking it for Winters. It dropped to Fishlock, who buried the thirtieth minute shot to make it 2-0 Reign. Fishlock made a steal in the thirty-second minute against Spencer of the Pride. Melis got a through ball from Kawasumi in the thirty-third minute, but Savage came out to save it point-blank. Reed fouled Spencer in the thirty-fourth minute, giving the Pride a free kick a few yards outside the box. Edmonds went direct but hit Pickett in the wall as the Reign cleared easily. Evans picked out Spencer going forward, which Fletcher disrupted to get possession back for Seattle. Little went long for Kawasumi in the thirty-eighth minute, trying to chip her but getting distracted by Burkenroad tracking back defensively. Burkenroad took the ball from Edmonds, drawing Kopmeyer out. Burkenroad kept possession and fired a shot on goal, but Fletcher headed it away, and Winters completed the clear. Edmonds had a corner kick in the thirty-ninth minute, going for Kyle, and she sent it wide left. Mathias had a long cross go out of bounds in the forty-second minute, as the Reign spent a lot of time with the ball in the midfield. Melis took a shot in the forty-third minute, straight at Savage. Evans fell as she managed a shot that Kopmeyer had no trouble with. Burkenroad couldn't corral the ball in the box, and she fouled Reed in trying to get it back after a pass from Edmonds. Melis and Little tried to do a give-and-go, with Kyle poking it just quickly enough away to prevent a shot. Little won a corner kick off of Pressley in stoppage time, which Barnes took for Winters but cleared by the Pride. Melis put one in that Witteman took and the half ended with the Reign up 2-0. The Pride's best players have been FB Witteman, CB Pressley, RW Evans, LF Burkenroad, and RF Fields. The Reign's best efforts came from CBs Fletcher and Barnes, DCM Fishlock, RW Winters, LW Little, RF Kawasumi, and CF Melis. Little put a ball in the box in the forty-seventh minute, causing the Pride to break down defensively as Savage and Levin failed to clear it, and Melis buried it into an empty net to make it 3-0 Reign. Mathias tried a low shot in the forty-ninth minute, which was no trouble for Savage. Kawasumi had a pass intercepted by Kyle in the fiftieth minute as she looked for Little. Evans went long for Spencer, who managed a weak cross in the fifty-second minute that Kopmeyer picked up. Fields sent a ball central for Spencer in the fifty-second minute, with Spencer getting in front of Fletcher and poking it in the right post as Kopmeyer froze, cutting it to 3-1. Kawasumi found Melis, who made a deep run and Witteman just poked it out for a corner kick in the fifty-sixth minute. Barnes took the corner kick for Fletcher, who flicked it into the net in the fifty-seventh minute to make it 4-1 Seattle. Fletcher then broke out into a cartwheel and backflip for her celebration for the goal. Kawasumi couldn't get through three Orlando players in the sixty-first minute as the game seemed to hit a lull after the Reign's fourth goal. Melis had a ball in for Kawasumi that Levin flicked up in the sixty-second minute. Pressley then put the ball out for a Seattle corner kick, coming from Barnes and served in toward Winters and Fletcher, but cleared out by Evans when it went too high. Fletcher then had a shot blocked in the sixty-third minute. Barnes blocked an Evans cross in the sixty-fourth minute. Kawasumi went around Levin and fired a shot off of Kyle. Melis tracked it down and tried to find Mathias, but it went a little over her head and Orlando avoided danger. Evans tried to find Weatherholt in the sixty-sixth minute but her cross was long. Pickett blocked an Edmonds cross out for a corner kick in the sixty-eighth minute, and she took it short. Witteman served in to no results. Pickett had a cross on the other side that Savage grabbed. Orlando earned a corner kick through Spencer's attack in the sixty-ninth minute. Edmonds served it in for Kyle, but Kopmeyer punched it away. Spencer fouled Barnes in the seventieth minute after being unable to corral a ball served into the box. Pickett surrendered another corner kick as Spencer pressured her clearing effort. Edmonds served this one in the seventy-first minute, with Kyle getting the ball on the second effort before Barnes put it out for another corner kick. Edmonds' service this time went to Pressley, and Fishlock dribbled it out. Witteman fouled Mathias in the seventy-third minute, giving the Reign a good free kick chance. Little went short and then had a swerving ball caught by Savage as she sent the return pass from Pickett forward. Mathias had a shot go just wide left after Levin headed a ball away from Kawasumi in the seventy-fifth minute. Pressley blocked a through ball from Kawasumi to Mathias in the seventy-sixth minute. Melis found Kawasumi after an initial pass from Mathias, with Levin just poking it away for a corner kick. Barnes went short, and Little ended up with the ball. Levin blocked the first shot, and then carried it away as Kyle poked it away from Little. Kawasumi's cross was blocked by Levin, but Spencer made a steal. Kiersten Dallstream fouled Spencer on the breakaway, and the Seattle sub took a yellow card for it. Becky Edwards had a half-shot in the eighty-third minute for Orlando, going well wide right. Beverly Yanez of the Reign fired back with a shot on goal that Savage saved. Pressley blocked an eighty-fourth minute Fishlock shot, but the Reign kept possession. Levin just stole the ball from Reed as she couldn't fire a shot from a Little pass. Mathias lost a ball to Pressley on a through ball attempt. Dallstream sprung Elston down low, who looked to be out of bounds. Her first effort went off of Kyle, but right back at Elston, and the second effort bounced off of Pressley and behind Savage, making it 5-1 for the Reign on the hustle play by Elston. Sarah Hagen of the Pride quickly sprung Edmonds in the eighty-ninth minute, and she went just under Kopmeyer's knee to make it back to 5-2. Mathias tried to track back defensively. The Reign had a free kick in stoppage time, from Kawasumi over the wall and off the crossbar. Mathias volleyed the rebound wide right. The game ended at 5-2 for the Reign, with the CB Fletcher named Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Also impressing for the Reign was the sub midfielder Elston, while the Pride's FB Levin, DCM Edmonds, and CF Spencer made better efforts in the second half.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 14
GK Nicole Barnhart
LB Erin Simon
CB Kendall Fletcher (my pick for Player of the Week, and it shouldn't even be close)
CB Brittany Taylor
RB Cami Privett
DM Jess Fishlock
DM Danielle Colaprico
LW Leah Galton
RW Kealia Ohai
LF Rachel Daly
RF Shea Groom
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