This is the final set of games for awhile, as the Olympic Break keeps the league out of action until August 18, when the Houston Dash get their makeup game against the Washington Spirit. Speaking of makeup games, this week's Spirit match against Sky Blue is now the fourth game in the post, being rescheduled for 11 AM EDT. I will have to recap these after my trip to watch the Seattle Sounders of MLS tomorrow afternoon, so expect the games to be fully recapped tomorrow night around 10 PM PDT. Thus, this week leads off with...
The Chicago Red Stars hosting FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Michele Dalton protect the nets. The game can be found here. This game also featured a number retirement for #17 Lori Chalupny of the Red Stars, which came after the game. Sam Johnson of Chicago had a through ball go too long and into the hands of Kansas City keeper Barnhart. Sofia Huerta of the Red Stars made a run into the box in the fourth minute, but Yael Averbuch of the Blues shut her down. Chicago soon earned a corner kick, with Vanessa DiBernardo serving it in where Kansas City's Shea Groom cleared it away. A stoppage after the second error happened as Katie Naughton got hit in the face by Red Stars teammate Danielle Colaprico's shot. Arin Gilliland couldn't get a cross off with Molly Menchel and Erika Tymrak stopping her for the Blues in the seventh minute. Stephanie McCaffrey made a long run for the Red Stars in the ninth minute before a crafty steal by Brittany Taylor of Kansas City. Chicago has appeared to have the better of possession in the first ten minutes, but neither team has created a truly dangerous chance yet. Frances Silva threaded a ball through to Tiffany McCarty in the eleventh minute, which Dalton just clipped and sent out for a corner kick for the Blues. Huerta headed out the service from Tymrak, but it fell to Lo'eau LaBonta, who boomed a shot low that Dalton scrambled down to save. Cara Walls had an errant cross in the thirteenth minute, sending it well out of bounds for the Red Stars. Groom tried a long ball for McCarty, but the Kansas City winger had to foul Chicago's Casey Short to win the ball. Huerta tried a fifteenth minute cross that got blocked. Taylor Comeau nearly had a shot as Johnson sent the ball forward off of a one-touch pass from Walls. A corner kick resulted, with DiBernardo serving in towards Comeau and Short. The Blues sent it back out for another corner kick on the opposite side. DiBernardo's service went short for Colaprico, who flicked it to McCaffrey, but Kansas City's Brienne Reed disrupted the play. Huerta tried a cross for McCaffrey in the eighteenth minute, but Barnhart got there first. Katie Naughton had a free kick for the Red Stars in the nineteenth minute, which Walls flicked on but into Barnhart's hands. McCarty won a corner kick off of Short in the twentieth minute for the Blues. Menchel served this one for Groom, who collided with the Red Stars keeper Dalton, who ultimately grabbed the ball. Gilliland blocked a shot by Mandy Laddish after a McCarty cross. The play started with a Reed flip throw-in, which is quickly becoming her mark on the league. McCarty couldn't manage a cross against Johnson and Short in the twenty-seventh minute. The pace of the game has slowed a bit in the middle of the first half. Huerta found DiBernardo for a twenty-eighth minute shot saved by Barnhart. Walls tried to lay one off for McCaffrey, but LaBonta put it out for a corner kick. DiBernardo sent this one in short for Colaprico and then McCaffrey, poked out for another corner kick. DiBernardo put this one to Short, whose shot was blocked. Gilliland had a chance as well, and then the Red Stars earned another corner kick. This time, DiBernardo went for Naughton, and then it fell to Gilliland, who shot wide right to end the Chicago attack. Gilliland's cross in the thirty-first minute went around LaBonta and was caught by Blues keeper Barnhart. Reed had a cross that Gilliland sent out and Laddish sent a shot over the bar for Kansas City. DiBernardo just sent a shot wide in the thirty-fourth minute after receiving a pass from Huerta. Johnson blocked a McCarty cross after Silva fed her in the thirty-seventh minute. Laddish had a cross to Silva blocked, and then LaBonta fired a shot wide right. Walls took a pass from Huerta in the thirty-ninth minute and shot on goal where Barnhart again made the save. McCarty countered and fired wide left on an open goal that Dalton had gotten out of position for, after a pass from Tymrak. Kansas City had a couple more chances off of a Laddish service, but Gilliland cleared it. Naughton blocked a McCarty cross after Johnson and Short failed to make a block. Groom was the intended target for the forty-second minute attack. Walls made a big run in the forty-third minute, going out wide for McCaffrey, whose low cross was sent away by LaBonta. Chicago maintained a flurry of chances late in the half, working from side to side but without a real shot. Short managed a cross in the forty-fifth minute that Walls sent over the bar. The game went into halftime tied 0-0. Starring for the Blues in the first half were the GK Barnhart, DMs Laddish and LaBonta, RW McCarty, and striker Groom. For the Red Stars, the top players were RB Gilliland, CB Johnson, LB Short, DM DiBernardo, RW Huerta, RF Walls, and LF McCaffrey. Huerta dropped a ball off for McCaffrey in the forty-seventh minute, and she shot on goal, forcing Barnhart into a save. McCaffrey had a shot got high in the forty-ninth minute, as the Red Stars continue their stronger play early in the second half. Johnson headed away a McCarty flick forward for the Blues in the fiftieth minute. Gilliland got a ball on the wing, going to Walls in the six-yard box, dropping it back to DiBernardo, whose shot was palmed over the bar by Barnhart. DiBernardo's corner kick came to Walls off a teammate's head, but Barnhart was in the right spot to halt that shot. Johnson made a big run after catching McCarty off guard, and then she went for Walls, to sent another ball to DiBernardo, whose shot was once again deflected out for a corner kick. Barnhart caught the service this time in the fifty-third minute. Walls played a ball into Huerta in the fifty-fourth minute, and Huerta had two shots saved by Barnhart, but the second rebound went out to an open McCaffrey, who buried it through three defenders to make it 1-0 Red Stars. Averbuch was close to getting a block. Tymrak and Menchel combined to steal the ball from Gilliland in the fifty-sixth minute. McCarty's fifty-seventh minute cross for the Blues was harmless, as Dalton caught it easily. Kansas City earned a dangerous free kick chance after Colaprico fouled Tymrak. Averbuch took the free kick, going for a shot that sailed right. The Blues got another one after Groom was fouled. This one came from farther back in the fifty-ninth minute, and Averbuch sent it well over the goal. Johnson got in the way of Silva's flick after a Reed cross in the sixty-first minute, as the Blues have gained a bit more offense since falling behind. McCaffrey couldn't quite win a corner kick off of Averbuch in the sixty-second minute. The two met again on another Chicago attack, and Averbuch prevailed once more. McCarty earned a corner kick off of Short in the sixty-fourth minute, giving Kansas City a corner kick. Menchel's service went straight to Dalton. Colaprico and Naughton combined to clear a Menchel cross away from Groom. Reed blocked a Walls run with a heavy hit in the sixty-seventh minute after a spell of Chicago possession. Reed then covered Short on the wing to prevent a cross for the Red Stars. DiBernardo, Alyssa Mautz, and McCaffrey all combined for a chance before Taylor made a steal. The Blues eventually put it out for a corner kick for the Red Stars. DiBernardo served it in for Mautz, but Barnhart caught it first. Caroline Kastor of Kansas City put in a high cross that Groom headed, and Silva managed a shot over the bar in the seventy-first minute. Laddish had a shot after another Kastor cross fell to Tymrak, who laid it off for the chance. DiBernardo had a cross picked off by Taylor. Walls had an errant cross go out in the seventy-fifth minute, as the Red Stars keep the pressure on entering the final fifteen minutes. Short and Colaprico sandwiched Silva's run centrally for Kansas City in the seventy-eighth minute. Colaprico cleared a Reed cross in the seventy-ninth minute as the Red Stars preserve their defensive form. The game got a bit slow in its late stages. Tymrak made a run into the box for the Blues in the eighty-sixth minute, but Kastor's foul killed their attack and gave Chicago possession again. Jen Hoy lost the ball on an eighty-seventh minute attack, and when the Blues countered, Mautz shut down Kastor. Mautz took a shot wide right in the eighty-eighth minute for the Red Stars. Silva found Groom, who crossed to Kastor in the eighty-ninth minute, but Gilliland made the block for Chicago. Taylor had a cross that DiBernardo sent away for the Red Stars in the ninetieth minute. Johnson blocked a Groom cross, which Dalton grabbed before it crossed the end line. The game ended 1-0 for the Red Stars, with McCaffrey named the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Also impressing in the second half were a pair of Blues, CB Averbuch and RB Reed.
Down in Houston, the Dash welcome the Western New York Flash. Katelyn Rowland and Bianca Henninger protect the nets. Here's the game. Houston's Melissa Henderson was caught offside in the first minute. Cami Privett cleared a Lynn Williams cross for Western New York, and Lianne Sanderson couldn't muster a shot on the second effort. The Flash won a corner kick in the second minute, which Jaelene Hinkle served too long, allowing the Dash to break the pressure. The ball came back into Sanderson, who scored in the third minute with a low shot that bounced off Henninger's hands after Williams passed it centrally. Western New York leads 1-0. Jessica McDonald had a long throw-in for Williams in the fourth minute, but Amber Brooks cleared the initial threat and Houston eventually gained a goal kick. Becca Moros sent a cross to Rachel Daly for Houston, whose return was sent off of Hinkle of the Flash. Taylor Smith of Western New York sent a cross out of bounds in the sixth minute. Williams had a cross in the six-yard box that McDonald got stuffed on, and Henninger collected it just in time to prevent a goal in the seventh minute as the Flash look extremely dangerous. Cari Roccaro prevented Williams from taking a shot after McDonald flicked on an Abby Dahlkemper free kick. McCall Zerboni fouled Henderson just outside the box in the tenth minute, giving the Dash a good free kick after the Stephanie Ochs service was cleared by Courtney Niemiec. Daly took the Houston free kick, shooting it off of Zerboni. Ochs of Houston stole a ball from Hinkle, but lost it in the corner. Sanderson fired a shot wide right in the thirteenth minute for the Flash. Privett poked a ball away from McDonald after a pass from Williams. Roccaro made a steal on a Sanderson pass forward. Privett's eighteenth minute cross was caught by Rowland cleanly. Kealia Ohai had a pass to Daly and Denise O'Sullivan in the nineteenth minute, but one or both of them were called offside, and the shot went wide right anyway. Brooks released a deep shot that went over the bar as Houston gets their legs under them. O'Sullivan lost the ball to Hinkle on the next Houston attack. Daly and Niemiec collided in the twenty-first minute, with Daly needing some time to shake it off. Eddy had a cross in for Makenzy Doniak, which Privett covered and Ochs cleared. Brooks cleared a twenty-fifth minute McDonald throw-in. Houston has had trouble clearing their lines at times. Hinkle picked off Daly's pass intended for Henderson in the twenty-sixth minute. McDonald nearly disrupted a catch for Henninger, who has looked shaky in goal. Houston countered with Ohai passing for Henderson, and Hinkle just broke up the play. The Flash shot back as McDonald played a ball in the twenty-eighth minute to Williams that Henninger grabbed first. Ellie Brush and O'Sullivan cleared out a Dahlkemper free kick in the twenty-ninth minute. Ochs put a cross harmlessly through the box that Doniak collected. Moros tried to find O'Sullivan but it went off-target. Daly rocketed a thirty-first minute shot with acres of space to run into the top left corner, shooting around Dahlkemper to tie the game at 1 for the Dash. This triggered the hydration break. Moros nearly found O'Sullivan in the thirty-sixth minute, but Niemiec picked it off for Western New York. Sanderson tried to put a ball into the box in the thirty-eighth minute, but Henninger had no trouble with it. Ochs threaded a forty-first minute pass to O'Sullivan, whose shot went wide left across goal, going beyond Niemiec and Dahlkemper. Eddy crossed to McDonald, but Moros cleared the flick. Sanderson then sent the ball wide of goal to return it to Houston in the form of a goal kick. Daly made a big run, passing toward Henderson, but Niemiec intercepted it in the forty-fourth minute. Daly ran down a ball that Dahlkemper mishandled, but Daly sent it across goal and wide right. Western New York had a decent attack in first half stoppage time, ending with Eddy's long cross that ended up with Henninger. Ohai sent a cross into the box that Ochs took a shot on but Niemiec blocked again. Ochs, Daly, and Brooks all helped to clear the results of a McDonald throw-in. Brush cleared away a ball from Williams. Hinkle took down Ochs in the box, but nothing was called except for the halftime whistle, sending the teams to the locker rooms tied at 1. The best players for the Flash have been RB Eddy, CB Niemiec, ACM Sanderson, RF Williams, and LF McDonald, while the Dash have seen impressive efforts from RB Privett, DCM Brooks, LW Ohai, RW Ochs, and LF Daly. Roccaro made a big block on a shot by Smith of the Flash in the forty-sixth minute. Hinkle took the Western New York corner kick, cleared by Daly. Moros sent it out for Ohai, who went coast to coast and danced around Eddy and Rowland in the Flash box, sending it on the ground for a big goal to give the Dash a 2-1 lead. Eddy and Smith shut down another Houston attack that featured Ohai and Daly. McDonald had a long throw-in in the fifty-first minute that Dahlkemper headed out wide left of goal for the Flash. Doniak cleaned up a McDonald leave with a shot for Western New York in the fifty-second minute, but Henninger made the save. Williams sent a shot over the goal in the fifty-third minute. Henderson sent a strong cross into the box for the Dash in the fifty-fourth minute, catching Daly offside as she made an athletic kick on the ball. Ochs and Daly nearly connected in the sixty-sixth minute, but the play was again ruled offside. Doniak sent a ball into Williams in the fifty-seventh minute, whose weak shot was taken up by Henninger for Houston. Ohai went right around Eddy in the fifty-eighth minute and sent a ball in for Daly, who lost a bit of control to Niemiec and Rowland covered for Western New York. Hinkle swerved a ball in on one hop for Henninger to control in the sixty-first minute. In the sixty-third minute, Ochs sent a cross that went long and landed with Ohai, whose shot bounced off of Eddy and into the goal, giving Ohai the brace and Houston the 3-1 lead. Brooks fouled Zerboni in the sixty-fifth minute, creating a decent Western New York free kick. Hinkle took the set piece and Daly cleared it the first time. Doniak sent in a cross, and Dahlkemper returned it, where Brooks cleared to Smith. The Flash lost the control for a bit, but Privett surrendered a corner kick to Western New York in the sixty-seventh minute as Hinkle pressured. Dahlkemper's service was cleared by Daly. Smith's return went to McDonald, who headed it wide right. Brush and Brooks blocked a Williams shot in the sixty-ninth minute. The Flash put together a signature goal in the seventieth minute as Eddy went with a long ball for Williams, who crossed it low from the touch line into McDonald, who roofed it under the bar to cut the deficit to 3-2. Privett made a big stop on a Hinkle attack in the seventy-second minute. Ohai, Daly, and Henderson all combined for a chance that Niemiec ultimately cleared, and Rowland caught the Moros second effort. Hinkle had a cross in the seventy-fifth minute for Zerboni, but it went a bit long and out of bounds, triggering another hydration break. McDonald had a seventy-ninth minute long throw-in that Niemiec bounced off of Brush in the box. The Flash wanted a handball called, but none was given. The Dash constructed a good sequence with Daly, O'Sullivan, Tessa Florio, and then the shot by Ochs going just over the bar in the eightieth minute. O'Sullivan and Daly had a combination that ended with Rowland out of position but Daly falling down. O'Sullivan and Ohai tried to connect immediately after, but that was broken up by the Flash. Roccaro blocked an eighty-fifth minute Williams cross. The second effort went out of bounds. Roccaro cleared a cross by Hinkle away in the eighty-seventh minute. Brooks and Brush had to combine again in the eighty-eighth minute to clear a Williams cross. The Flash seem to be increasing their pressure late in the game as they try to tie it. Western New York earned a corner kick in the eighty-ninth minute, with Hinkle serving in and Roccaro and Moros clearing before Caity Heap of the Dash got fouled by the Flash's Michaela Hahn. In the ninetieth minute, Heap took a yellow card after kicking the ball away after fouling Western New York's Kristen Hamilton. Dahlkemper fouled Daly in stoppage time, marking a bit of late chippiness. In the third minute of added time, Williams buried a goal on a pass from McDonald to tie the game at 3 for the Flash. Dahlkemper keyed the initial pass to McDonald on the long ball. McDonald nearly got a winner but Henninger shut her down. Dahlkemper fouled Daly in the fifth minute of stoppage time, drawing a yellow card for the Western New York defender. Houston's Daly took the free kick, going short for Ohai, who fired a shot that Rowland knocked out for a corner kick. Megan Crosson of Houston found Florio, who headed it wide right. The game ended in a 3-3 tie, with Ohai the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for her impressive brace. Also impressing in the second half were Dash CBs Roccaro and Brush, while the Flash had a good performance out of CB Dahlkemper.
The third and final Saturday game has the Portland Thorns FC hosting the Seattle Reign FC. Haley Kopmeyer and Michelle Betos are the keepers. Find the game here. Hayley Raso made a run for Portland in the first minute, with Jess Fishlock of Seattle sending it out for a corner kick. Elli Reed headed out the Nadia Nadim corner kick, and Dagny Brynjarsdottir couldn't flick a ball on goal. Raso's pass for Meleana Shim in the third minute ran long and straight to Reign goalie Kopmeyer. Nahomi Kawasumi had a long ball for Merritt Mathias as Seattle tried to build an attack, but Emily Menges of the Thorns shielded it out. Kawasumi saw a cross blocked by Portland's Celeste Boureille. Nadim lost the ball to Kim Little of the Reign on the counterattack in the seventh minute. Keelin Winters tried to pick out Mathias in the ninth minute, but Betos jumped on it and cleared it away for the Thorns. Boureille just broke up a ball from Little to Melis in the tenth minute. The game has gone fairly back and forth so far. Boureille did well to head away a Fishlock chip in the twelfth minute after Menges blocked Little's path forward. Kawasumi sent a cross into Melis, who was just offside. Carson Pickett of the Reign tried to find Melis in the fourteenth minute, but the cross was high and Betos caught it with ease. Melis put in a seventeenth minute cross from the end line that Betos caught for the Thorns. Portland's Menges blocked a cross from Seattle's Mathias in the eighteenth minute. Fishlock stole the ball away from Raso in the twentieth minute to stall a Thorns attack. Kawasumi had a cross that Winters redirected on goal with a header, and Betos caught it for the save. Lauren Barnes of the Reign helped corral a long ball from Maureen Fitzgerald of the Thorns in the twenty-third minute. At this stage, Seattle has had more possession. Little took a shot in the twenty-fourth minute, but Katherine Reynolds blocked the attempt after the Kawasumi cross. Little's chip over the back line was too long for Mathias to get to, and Betos took it for the Thorns in the twenty-sixth minute. Nadim tried to take a shot in the twenty-seventh minute, but Seattle's Kendall Fletcher shut it down. Shim had a second effort, getting a shot on goal that Kopmeyer saved. Menges made a good defensive play against Little in the twenty-ninth minute. Fitzgerald fouled Winters in the thirty-first minute, giving the Reign a good free kick. Kawasumi took the free kick for Seattle, going for Fletcher, but it ran too long and out of bounds for a goal kick from Betos. Raso had a cross in the thirty-second minute for the Thorns, which Reed and Fishlock both deflected out for a corner kick. Nadim's first chance went toward Boureille, but it bounced off Mathias for another corner kick by Nadim. This one went to Dagny and off Fletcher and out for a third corner kick. Nadim put this one in for Dagny but it came up short and Reed headed it out, finally allowing Seattle to clear their lines. Kawasumi's cross was cleared by Dagny, intended for Winters in the thirty-fourth minute. Mathias tried a low shot in the thirty-sixth minute, easily scooped up by Betos, and all after a good move by Fishlock against Nadim. Raso's cross to Nadim on the counterattack bounced off of her and was collected by Little. Dagny blocked a Fishlock effort in the thirty-ninth minute. Fletcher and Nadim battled in the fortieth minute, with Fletcher winning out and finding Winters to spring a Seattle attack. Kawasumi just lost the ball to Reynolds and Betos in the forty-first minute in culmination of the play. Shim got a head on a Fishlock ball intended for Mathias in the forty-second minute. Shim tried to go long for Nadim, but Kopmeyer got there first. Fletcher blocked a Raso shot in the forty-third minute as the Thorns made a good string of plays. Reed took a shot after Mathias threw in to Pickett and Winters had an intermediate touch before Reed's shot, which was over the bar. Pickett found Mathias in the box in the forty-fifth minute, but she hooked the shot wide right from a wider angle. The game went into halftime at 0-0. The Reign's top players have been the LB Pickett, CB Fletcher, RW Winters, LW Little, RF Kawasumi, CF Melis, and LF Mathias. For the Thorns, the top players were GK Betos, CBs Reynolds and Menges, DMs Boureille and Shim, LW Raso, and striker Nadim. Raso tried to find Nadim in the forty-sixth minute, but Fletcher's touch and Dagny's pass created an offside situation called against the Thorns. Little had a heavy touch on her forty-eighth minute run, and Menges booted it away. Pickett won the ball away from Fitzgerald as Nadim sent a ball forward in the fifty-first minute. Reed had a long ball in for Little, but Reynolds cleared it in time in the fifty-third minute. Jennifer Skogerboe stole the ball from Little on the edge of the box as the Reign continue to build offense. Mallory Weber sent a ball up for Raso, who found Nadim, but she lost control of the ball with Fishlock pressuring in the fifty-fifth minute. Nadim and Fletcher had a big battle in the fifty-sixth minute, and Fletcher let it roll out for a goal kick. Boureille shut down Little in the box after Fishlock had chipped it in for Seattle. Fishlock found Melis in the fifty-eighth minute, but Betos slid in and grabbed the ball for a big save. Boureille broke up a pass from Kawasumi to Mathias in the fifty-ninth minute. Menges and Boureille combined for a clearance of a Pickett ball, and then Fishlock's foul in the sixty-first minute on Dagny drew a yellow card for the Seattle midfielder. Fishlock unleashed a sixty-second minute shot that grazed the top of the net. Pickett had a good steal in the sixty-third minute, finding Melis, who was just a touch offside and saw her goal taken off the board. Dagny flicked a ball into the box from Weber's long ball in the sixty-fourth minute, which Kopmeyer grabbed. Fishlock and Little tried to connect in the sixty-eighth minute as the chances started to slow down a bit. Reed, Kawasumi, and Little all had touches before Dagny sent it out for a Seattle corner kick. Barnes took the set piece, going for Fletcher, who collided with Betos before it was cleared by Boureille. Little got around Menges in the seventieth minute, and Betos covered it just before Beverly Yanez could poke at it. Shim fouled Little after she battled through the likes of Boureille and Fitzgerald. This created a dangerous free kick in the seventy-second minute for the Reign. Fishlock fired it on goal, forcing Betos into a big save. Barnes took the corner kick for Seattle, going for Winters, who popped it up for Little, but Betos made the catch and settled things down for the Thorns. Raso sent a ball on the Portland counterattack, which Barnes cleared out. Shim found Nadim in the seventy-fourth minute, and her header finally found the back of the net, giving the Thorns a 1-0 lead. Nadim and Raso combined, but Fletcher disrupted this sequence in the seventy-seventh minute. Winters poked a ball forward for Melis, who nearly caught Betos sleeping, but the Portland keeper regained control. Menges just got a ball away from Kawasumi in the eighty-second minute as Seattle created more chaos in the box. Boureille cleared a Winters through ball in the eighty-third minute. Menges dove down to make a stop on Little's through ball for Melis. Fishlock's ball just went a bit long for Pickett, allowing Betos to make the grab. Pickett's cross went out of bounds in the eighty-sixth minute after a Kawasumi pass. Yanez picked out Melis on a long run, with Menges pressuring, and Melis managed a shot to the near post that Betos caught for a save. Fishlock's through ball nearly caught Kawasumi offside, allowing Portland to kill more time. Raso fired an eighty-ninth minute shot wide right. Shim fouled Little in the ninetieth minute. The Reign's free kick came from Barnes, and then Yanez won a corner kick out wide off Skogerboe. Kawasumi's corner kick went for Kopmeyer, who had come up, and Barnes had a half-shot blocked. Betos had a punch in there as well. Boureille cleared a Yanez cross after Kiersten Dallstream made a big run through the Thorns defense. Portland held on for a 1-0 win, with Betos the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match.
On Sunday, the Washington Spirit bring in Sky Blue FC early in the day to make up the postponement from Saturday. Caroline Casey and Kelsey Wys are the goalies. Here's the game. The early morning game started off slowly. Taylor Lytle tried a ball for Leah Galton for Sky Blue in the third minute, but Caprice Dydasco of Washington stepped in the way for the interception. Cheyna Williams of the Spirit battled with Christie Rampone of Sky Blue to earn a Spirit corner kick in the fifth minute. Christine Nairn went for Estelle Johnson, but Natasha Kai and Casey combined to save it off the line for Sky Blue. Galton and Catherine Zimmerman had a miscommunication on offense in the sixth minute, and Dydasco made the break. Williams was caught offside in the eighth minute on a Nairn pass as Washington lost an attacking chance. Galton's cross in the ninth minute was punched by Wys and cleared by Johnson for the Spirit. Wys needed a bit of medical attention, but stayed on the field. Nikki Stanton of Sky Blue surrendered a corner kick to Washington off of a throw-in. Nairn served it in during the thirteenth minute, picking out Whitney Church and forcing Rampone into a block and clear. Estefania Banini crossed one in the fourteenth minute, and Katie Stengel took it but left it behind Williams. Sky Blue cleared, but the Spirit quickly regained control. Church's cross for Williams in the fifteenth minute went too far and into Casey's hands. Stengel tried to find Nairn in the seventeenth minute, but Rampone cleared it. Banini tried a nineteenth minute cross to Stengel that was just over her head and grabbed by Casey. Raquel Rodriguez had a long ball go too long for Galton and fell to Wys in the twenty-second minute. Williams won a corner kick off of Sky Blue's Erin Simon in the twenty-third minute. Nairn served it in for Lohman, who flicked to Tori Huster, and it went back into Rodriguez and Rampone. On the second effort, Huster and Williams had chances before Sky Blue finally cleared it fully. Galton took a shot on a pass from Lytle in the twenty-fifth minute, Sky Blue's cleanest look yet. Church, Lohman, and Banini strung passes together, but Banini's cross found Sky Blue keeper Casey before Nairn could get to it. Rampone cleared a Stengel and Banini give-and-go sequence. Church found Stengel in the twenty-seventh minute, who worked against Kristin Grubka and found Lohman, who passed it along to Banini, and she shot low and tucked it in the left corner for a goal, making it 1-0 for the Spirit. Banini and Stengel tried the give-and-go again in the twenty-ninth minute, but Casey picked the ball up. A hydration break occurred in the thirtieth minute despite the early hour. In the thirty-third minute, Kai tied it for Sky Blue with her goal after the restart. Casey booted the ball up to Galton, who flicked on to Kai and she got around Megan Oyster before firing the shot in to tie it at 1. Banini saw a cross in the thirty-fourth minute picked off by Lytle after Lohman had an earlier shot blocked by Grubka. Stanton lost a ball out for a corner kick in the thirty-fifth minute, with Nairn serving this in low and cleared by Galton. She got a second chance in the thirty-sixth minute, going for Johnson, who flicked to Huster, and she shot it over the goal. Nairn had a free kick cleared by Rodriguez and Galton. Galton later found Lytle but lost the ball to a strong Spirit defense in the thirty-eighth minute. Nairn put a ball out wide for Dydasco, and she found Williams in the box, with Williams turning and shooting, scoring to put Washington ahead 2-1. Nairn put a free kick on goal from deep, taking one bounce straight at Casey. Maya Hayes had a pair of crosses, going too low for Rodriguez and too high for Kai in the forty-second minute for Sky Blue. Kai stayed down a bit, and stoppage time can be expected to be quite extensive to end this half. Johnson fouled Galton on her stoppage time burst forward for Sky Blue. Rodriguez took the dangerous free kick chance, going for goal and caught by Spirit keeper Wys. Williams won a corner kick off of Simon about four minutes into the added time. Nairn served this one, and Stanton sent it back out. Sky Blue surrendered another corner kick, which Nairn put in for Stengel, but Casey punched it. Huster's second effort cross was cleared out by Sky Blue. The game went into halftime at 2-1. Sky Blue's top players were CB Rampone, DM Rodriguez, LW Galton, LF Lytle, and RF Kai. Washington's best efforts came from RB Dydasco, CB Johnson, RW Nairn, LW Lohman, RF Williams, and LF Banini. In the forty-seventh minute, Banini put a cross in for Lohman, who poked a shot on goal that Casey saved. Williams had a cross deflected for the Spirit in the forty-eighth minute, creating a corner kick. Nairn booted this one in, but Casey bobbled and then grabbed it to end the Washington threat. Banini put up a nice series of plays with her fellow forwards and midfielders, but Lytle eventually stole it away from Huster in the fiftieth minute. Washington is swarming. Dydasco and Williams nearly connected on a second effort. Dydasco put a ball forward for Stengel that Rampone tracked down faster for Sky Blue. Hayes had a low cross for Sky Blue in the fifty-third minute which Oyster intercepted. Kai was caught offside on the next service in from Rodriguez. Lohman battled with Rampone and Grubka, winning a corner kick for Washington in the fifty-fifth minute. Nairn went for Lohman, who shot around Rodriguez, but Casey was in the right spot to make the save. Nairn won a corner kick off of Simon in the fifty-sixth minute, and then served in the set piece for Oyster, but it was too high. Williams got caught offside in the fifty-ninth minute on a Nairn through ball. Williams made a steal, but Domi Richardson of Sky Blue took it back. Kai charged back in the sixty-first minute for Sky Blue, firing a shot, but Wys kicked it away. Erica Skroski had a cross in for Kai, who headed it wide. Kai got alone in the box, sending Oyster the wrong way and then firing a shot that Wys saved at short range. Dydasco kicked the ball out just wide of her own goal in a dangerous play. Galton's corner kick landed on top of the net. Nairn put a sixty-fourth minute free kick in from deep to Stengel, but Grubka popped it up for Casey to catch. Kai had a sixty-fifth minute cross graze the top of the Washington net. Richardson cleared a Nairn free kick in the sixty-ninth minute, as the game has lulled a bit. Cali Farquharson sent a cross into Stengel in the seventy-first minute, whose shot appeared to graze off of Grubka, but no corner kick was given, and Casey sent the goal kick forward for Sky Blue. Rodriguez took a free kick after a Nairn foul in the seventy-second minute, shooting it over the bar. Lytle chipped a ball over the goal in the seventy-third minute in another decent chance for Sky Blue, with Oyster failing to make a defensive play to prevent a shot in an uncharacteristically iffy game for her. In the seventy-fifth minute, they took the second half cooling break. Skroski blocked a Banini shot after Farquharson and Dydasco covered the right wing for Washington in the seventy-eighth minute. Stengel had a deflected cross intended for Farquharson, but Nairn tracked it down and fired it wide right. Rodriguez's heavy touch in the eighty-first minute allowed Huster to clear it for Washington. Francisca Ordega managed a weak shot under heavy pressure after Lohman's pass, and Casey made the save. Galton crossed in on the counterattack in the eighty-second minute, going for Hayes but with Wys just getting there in time. Hayes won a corner kick off of Church in the eighty-sixth minute, giving Sky Blue a valuable set piece. Galton put it in over Rodriguez, and Oyster and Church cleared for the Spirit. Galton found Rodriguez on a cross in the eighty-eighth minute, and her header went straight to Wys. Dydasco had a cross go long in the eighty-ninth minute. Richardson sent a ball over the goal for Sky Blue in the ninetieth minute. Church put a ball forward in stoppage time for Alyssa Kleiner, but it ran too long for the Spirit sub to reach. Hayes won a corner kick off of Church in the third minute of stoppage time. Ordega blocked a Lytle shot, and Hayes lost it out of bounds. Banini and Farquharson collected the ball forward in the final minute, and a deflected shot from Farquharson fell to Kleiner, who blasted it into the goal to make it 3-1, the final, for Washington. Banini was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match, with Kleiner getting a mention for that late goal as a sub.
Finally, the Boston Breakers host the Orlando Pride. Kaitlyn Savage and Jami Kranich are in goal. You can find the game at this link. Boston's Angela Salem made a steal against Orlando's Jasmyne Spencer in the third minute to break up the first real Pride attack. Spencer couldn't stay in bound in the fifth minute, going against Christen Westphal of the Breakers. Things started fairly slowly in this game, with few chances being produced. Brooke Elby of Boston just broke up a pass from Maddy Evans for Cami Levin of Orlando. Julie King of the Breakers outran Jamia Fields of the Pride to get onto a Kristen Edmonds long ball. In the tenth minute, Natasha Dowie scored for Boston after an errant back pass from Edmonds to Toni Pressley. The Breakers lead 1-0. Brittany Ratcliffe put a shot over the bar after a pass from Louise Schillgard in the fourteenth minute for Boston. Edmonds put a long ball into the box for the Pride, looking for Sam Witteman, but Kranich was there first for Boston. On the next Pride attack, Witteman nearly got the ball to Fields, but King shut it down for the Breakers enough to let Kranich grab it. In the seventeenth minute, Kaylyn Kyle stole the ball away from Dowie to give Orlando some possession. Fields got caught offside in the eighteenth minute, ending a Pride attack. Edmonds tried to work around Salem in the nineteenth minute, but couldn't keep control of the ball. Katie Schoepfer of Boston made a clear on an Evans through ball in the twentieth minute. Orlando got a free kick after King fouled Spencer in the twenty-first minute. Pressley took the free kick, going low. Pressley got a second ball into the box, but Kyle was offside, even as she poked it in the net. The goal didn't count, and the score remained 1-0. Kassey Kallman cleaned up a forward ball for the Breakers, with Orlando's Levin putting it into the box. Becky Edwards fouled Verdoia in the twenty-fifth minute near midfield, but Kallman took the free kick short to restart the Breakers possession. Schillgard had a cross in the box that Savage grabbed on one hop in the twenty-sixth minute. Elby blocked and cleared a Dani Weatherholt cross for Orlando in the twenty-seventh minute. Schillgard's long ball for Verdoia got taken by Pressley instead in the twenty-ninth minute. King just poked a ball away from Spencer before she could tee up a shot in the thirty-second minute. King and Schoepfer then blocked another Spencer try in the thirty-third minute after Fields and Witteman were well-defended by Kallman and Elby. Kallman cleared up a Witteman touch in the thirty-seventh minute. Spencer got fouled trying to regain the ball for Orlando, with Schillgard called for the violation, which drew a yellow card for the Breakers forward. The Pride's free kick came from Edmonds, with Edwards hitting the post on the chance, and the second effort was cleared by Ratcliffe and then Dowie managed a shot that Savage saved. Fields made a steal on Salem, and King had to clear it away in the thirty-ninth minute. Spencer curled a shot in the fortieth minute, but the effort was caught by Kranich to keep the Breakers in fine form. Levin found Weatherholt on a forty-first minute cross, and she left it for Edwards, but her shot went wide with a lot of Breakers crashing around her. Schoepfer's long ball for Dowie went a bit too long, and Savage picked it up for Orlando. Ratcliffe had a chance that she just missed on, whiffing on her shot attempt and allowing Savage to grab the ball again. Edmonds took a ball away on a through ball from Schoepfer for Dowie in stoppage time. The game went into halftime at 1-0 with a mostly uneventful game in the books. Impressing for the Pride are RB Levin, DCM Edwards, RW Evans, and LF Spencer. For the Breakers, the best efforts have come from GK Kranich, CB King, LB Elby, DM Salem, LW Ratcliffe, LF Dowie, and RF Schillgard. Weatherholt flicked a ball to Spencer outside of the box, and she was quickly fouled by King. The dangerous free kick in the forty-eighth minute came from Edmonds, who went for goal and saw King clear it out for a corner kick. Pressley took this set piece, but sent it long and out of bounds. Fields couldn't get around Kallman in the fiftieth minute. Levin had a cross blocked in the fifty-first minute after Elby had prevented Fields from working toward the box. Levin, Weatherholt, and Spencer connected, but King made another block and clear play for the Breakers in the fifty-second minute. Kyle cleared a ball from Verdoia to Dowie on the Boston counterattack. King blocked a Fields shot for the Pride in the fifty-fourth minute. Westphal and Spencer collided, but Westphal got the ball away for the Breakers first. The game is being played very direct, and currently quite back-and-forth. Schillgard was fouled by Kyle in the fifty-sixth minute after receiving a Verdoia pass just outside the box. Boston's free kick chance went out for a goal kick after a quick take. Pressley cleaned up a Verdoia through ball for Dowie in the fifty-eighth minute. Pressley headed a King throw-in out for a corner kick. Schillgard took this in the fifty-ninth minute, which Savage punched away for Orlando. Elby put in the second effort, but Savage beat Ratcliffe to the ball. Westphal headed a Weatherholt through ball in the sixty-first minute, and Boston countered through Schillgard. Spencer was offside as she chased down a Weatherholt ball in the sixty-second minute. Salem fired a shot high and wide for Boston after Ratcliffe put a ball in the box. Westphal and King shut down an Orlando attack in the sixty-fifth minute. The game has returned to a slower pace now. Elise Krieghoff sent a ball for Dowie in the sixty-ninth minute, and Dowie sent the shot over the Pride goal. Pressley and Verdoia had a run in during the seventieth minute, but only a corner kick was ruled for the Breakers. Schillgard's corner kick found King's head, and Savage got a punch to clear it before the whistle signaled a foul on the play. Elby won a battle with Spencer on the other end in the seventy-first minute. Edmonds had a free kick for the Pride in the seventy-second minute, going for Pressley, but Elby kept it away from the goal. King blocked Edmonds' next effort at a through ball. Boston took over as Kyle touched the ball offside on Witteman's pass to her. Fields was offside in the seventy-fifth minute after Elby held up Spencer well. In the seventy-sixth minute, Elby and Spencer both needed medical attention after a collision. Levin's long ball for Orlando in the eighty-second minute caught Christina Burkenroad offside. Westphal won a corner kick off of Burkenroad in the eighty-fourth minute. Schillgard served the Breakers set piece for King, but Pressley was there first. The second effort also came to King, but Pressley broke this up as well. Schillgard tried to get another corner kick to Rachel Wood, but Fields led the Pride counterattack in the eighty-fifth minute. Spencer's through ball ended up with Kranich, and the Breakers regain control to try to see this game out. Kyle beat Wood to a Schillgard free kick in the eighty-sixth minute for Boston. Wood put a shot wide left in the eighty-eighth minute for the Breakers on a Verdoia pass. Kyle just came in to disrupt Wood's shot, and Pressley had Verdoia pressured as well. Westphal defended against Burkenroad in the ninetieth minute after a long ball from Pressley. Schillgard had a free kick for Boston in stoppage time, going over Wood and caught by Savage. Ratcliffe and Wood tried to do a give-and-go, but Wood was offside. Spencer flicked a ball to Fields, whose shot went a bit wide and was handled by Kranich. King cleared a ball away from Burkenroad's heavy touch, and Verdoia took it to the corner to kill some time. Edmonds sent a ball up for Spencer, but King and Westphal combined to stop her progress cleanly. Boston earned a corner kick for Burkenroad losing the ball out of bounds. Kyle had a yellow card for a foul in the stoppage time, just moments before the final whistle. The game ended 1-0, with Dowie the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for the game-winner in her first NWSL game. Also impressing for the Pride in the second half were CB Pressley and CF Fields. For the Breakers, the RB Westphal also improved.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 15
GK Michelle Betos
RB Cami Privett
CB Courtney Niemiec
CB Estelle Johnson
LB Caprice Dydasco
DCM Celeste Boureille
RW Stephanie McCaffrey
LW Kealia Ohai
RF Cheyna Williams
CF Nadia Nadim
LF Natasha Dowie
No comments :
Post a Comment