We're back with the full slate of games this weekend, beginning on Friday in...
Houston, as the Dash host the Orlando Pride. Ashlyn Harris and Lydia Williams guard the woodwork.
Here's the game link. Houston earned a corner kick in the first minute, but Andressa's service was handled by Harris. Toni Pressley had a bad pass in the second minute in Orlando's defensive third, and Janine Beckie just missed with the touch, as the Dash made some pressure. Houston made another foray in the third minute, as Poliana played into a slightly offside Kealia Ohai. The Pride had their first look in the fourth minute as Josee Belanger sent a ball for Kristen Edmonds, which was tracked by Becca Moros. The early part of the game has been a bit open. Ohai had a low shot saved by Harris in the fifth minute. Allysha Chapman did very well to block Edmonds' shot in the sixth minute after a good pass from Lianne Sanderson. This earned a corner kick, with Sanderson finding Steph Catley, who fell in the box after Chapman blocked her. Beckie had a charge up the left flank in the ninth minute, and Catley just cleared the service away from Rachel Daly as Orlando makes another good defensive stop. Daly made an attempt in the twelfth minute after thorough build up by the Dash. The Pride countered with Alex Morgan up the middle, but no shot came until Sanderson went wide left of Williams' goal. Morgan crossed into Becky Edwards, stopped by Andressa, and Jasmyne Spencer was too far behind the play to get a chance on the other side. Houston countered with Beckie in the fifteenth minute, defended by Belanger on the break after a through ball from Andressa, allowing Harris to pick it up. Chapman and Moros of Houston had a bit of an issue against Morgan, but Chapman got back and stopped Morgan from shooting cleanly to keep the Pride away from a good opportunity. Beckie shot wide right from the right flank in the seventeenth minute as Houston has had a number of chances. Spencer had a cross defended by Chapman in the twentieth minute, and on the other side, Ohai shot off the wrong side of the net wide right after a nice break by the Dash. Andressa made a run up the middle in the twenty-first minute, blocked by Edwards. Denise O'Sullivan tried to find Ohai in the twenty-fourth minute, but Belanger got there first. Houston saw a series of quick passes up the middle, ending as Daly took a heavy touch and knocked the ball to Harris. Daly and Ohai connected again in the thirtieth minute, but the play was offside again. In the thirty-first minute, Daly had a shot as she fell, surrounded by Catley and Pressley on the Dash's right wing, and Harris made the catch. Ohai got around the defense on the same side, but Monica poked the cross away. Orlando pushed forward immediately after, but Andressa led the attack out for Houston. Daly sent a ball into the box in the thirty-seventh minute, and Belanger dangerously knocked it out near Harris' goal. Andressa's corner kick was poor, going directly out of bounds. Chapman made a cross in on the left side, but Monica again cleared it away. Beckie and Ohai nearly made a connection in the Pride box, but Ohai mishandled and never got a shot off in the forty-third minute. The game went into halftime tied at 0-0. The Pride's best players so far have been RB Belanger, RW Edmonds, ACM Sanderson, and CF Morgan, while the Dash's best has come from LB Chapman, LW Andressa, and LF Beckie. In the forty-seventh minute, Ohai was again offside on a Daly cross, and well defended by Monica regardless. The danger on the end-to-end balls has been reduced at the start of the second half. Spencer laid one off to a fast-incoming Morgan in the fifty-third minute, but her heavy touch thwarted any chance of a shot for Orlando. Sanderson had one attempt at a cross knocked out by Moros and another taken off her foot by O'Sullivan. Beckie tried to get around Catley and lost the ball in the fifty-fifth minute. Cari Roccaro took a poor touch in the Dash box, and this allowed Orlando's sub Sam Witteman a shot that went just high over the bar. Andressa let a long shot fly in the fifty-eighth minute, going wide right. Chapman went through one defender on the left flank, crossing into Daly, who was blocked by Monica. Pressley put it out for a Morgan Brian corner kick, but Edwards cleared it out. Sanderson had a shot after a short clearance from Moros and Roccaro in the sixty-first minute. Stephanie Ochs had a dangerous cross in front of Harris, but she fell on it before Chapman could strike for the Dash. On the next attack, Daly tried to find O'Sullivan, but it was again just too close to Harris. Catley served in the free kick for the Pride in the sixty-sixth minute, and a back-heel from Monica went straight to Williams, who covered it. Witteman put one in over the top in the sixty-eighth minute, grabbed by Williams before Morgan could get her head to it. Witteman saw her shot at the seventy minute mark get deflected and stalled, falling harmlessly into the arms of Williams. In the seventy-first minute, Chioma Ubogagu took a shot for Houston over the bar. The Dash kept the pressure high, as O'Sullivan sent one to Daly, but her cross came into Harris' range again. Roccaro did well to block Morgan as she ran toward goal on a Pride counterattack. In the seventy-eighth minute, O'Sullivan stole the ball from Orlando's Jamia Fields, and she fed Ochs for a juicy shot that Harris needed two hands to punch out before tracking it down for a catch. Andressa and Ubogagu connected in the seventy-ninth minute, but she couldn't get around Belanger. Morgan made a good play on a free kick, but Chapman covered the space that Williams couldn't from Belanger's service. Daly and Brian had a combined three chances in the eighty-first minute for the Dash, but Orlando took the 1-0 lead as Sanderson passed to Edmonds, who shot from outside the box to give the visitors the lead.Chapman had an eighty-third minute cross punched away by Harris near Ubogagu. Orlando has tightened defensively since their goal. Ubogagu went long for O'Sullivan, but the through ball was too long in the eighty-sixth minute. Amber Brooks powered a shot in the eighty-eighth minute, caught by Harris as the Dash continue to search for an equalizer. Brian's free kick at the end of the game hit Poliana but went wide. Houston couldn't really connect in stoppage time, losing 1-0 to the Pride. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is the RW Edmonds, while CB Monica, and AM Witteman also impressed in the second half for the Pride in addition to the other players. For the Dash, RF Daly, CB Moros, and RW O'Sullivan improved dramatically to earn honorable mentions.
On Saturday, the first game is the Western New York Flash welcoming Sky Blue FC. Caroline Stanley and Sabrina D'Angelo are in goal. The game can be
found here. Western New York had a first minute attempt with Makenzy Doniak crossing into Jessica McDonald, but she didn't get all of the ball. In the fifth minute, Maya Hayes crossed to Taylor Lytle, who was just a bit offside as Sky Blue made a good effort. The Flash earned a corner kick, with Jaelene Hinkle's service going to McDonald, who headed it around Stanley for the goal. Western New York has an early 1-0 lead in the sixth minute. Lynn Williams tried a cross in the ninth minute for the Flash, but Sky Blue's Erica Skroski got in the way and cleared it. Meredith Speck found Williams in the tenth minute, but the shot got deflected, deadened enough for Stanley to handle it. Doniak poked one away from Hayes, and then Williams got around Skroski, but a heavy touch allowed Stanley to shield it out. Kelley O'Hara made a block on a Speck cross in the thirteenth minute. On the other side of the Flash attacking third, Elizabeth Eddy got around Erin Simon before losing control of the ball to a clearance by Christie Rampone. A long throw by McDonald was headed by Samantha Mewis, stopped by Stanley, and then the rebound was shot wide by Doniak. Western New York has dominated in the first fifteen minutes, keeping the ball firmly in Sky Blue's defensive area. Nikki Stanton of Sky Blue hammered a distance shot right at D'Angelo, who caught it for a save in the sixteenth minute. Hinkle's service on a nineteenth minute free kick came off of Stanton directly to Mewis, who sent it back over Stanley across goal and into the net, creating a 2-0 lead for the Flash in an amazing opening to the game. Hayes tried a cross in to Natasha Kai after the goal, but she couldn't get a good shot off and it went wide. O'Hara tried to find Kai again in the twenty-second minute, but the cross was long. Western New York made it 3-0 on a Williams goal in the twenty-third minute, on a pass from Doniak from the right wing. The play began with Mewis switching fields. Alanna Kennedy did her part defensively as Sky Blue's Lytle crossed one in. Eddy dispossessed Lytle in the twenty-eighth minute to diffuse a Sky Blue attack. Sky Blue has taken a bit of possession back since the third goal. Speck had a long cross in the twenty-ninth minute as the Flash get another chance. Michaela Hahn took down Sarah Killion in the thirty-first minute, but O'Hara's free kick was low and wide. Hinkle tried a through ball to Williams in the thirty-third minute, but the Flash forward was offside. Hahn took one away from Lytle in the thirty-fifth minute as Western New York has displayed good defense. O'Hara nearly got one through to Kelly Conheeney, but Hinkle's defense gave D'Angelo time to cover it. Skroski blocked a shot from McDonald on the other end, earning a Flash corner kick in the thirty-seventh minute. Hinkle had two corner kicks, with Stanley punching one just beyond Kennedy to stave off the attack from Western New York. Hinkle had another opportunity in the fortieth minute, but Skroski cleared it away from Kennedy. In the forty-second minute, Killion had a long ball picked up by D'Angelo as Sky Blue hasn't really challenged the Flash keeper yet. In first half stoppage time, Stanton shut down a break by Williams with a sliding block for a corner kick from Abby Dahlkemper. This resulted in a McDonald goal, after Sky Blue couldn't clear it. Mewis headed it, knocked back by O'Hara, and then Kennedy headed it off the post, allowing McDonald's clear shot to make it 4-0. The best players of the half were the entire team for Western New York, save for the unchallenged D'Angelo, while Sky Blue has seen relatively strong performances from DM Stanton, LW Lytle, and striker Kai. In the forty-seventh minute, Killion cleared away a dangerous opportunity that began with McDonald and saw Mewis and Hinkle get big touches as well. Eddy nearly ran down a ball in the fiftieth minute, but Rampone knocked it away once it got behind O'Hara. In the fifty-second minute, Conheeney of Sky Blue took a yellow card for her foul on Mewis. Dahlkemper had a long cross grabbed by Stanley with McDonald bearing down. In the fifty-fourth minute, Leah Galton passed to Killion, then got it back and found O'Hara open, who shot a curling ball into the far side netting to make it 4-1 as Sky Blue has found life. In the fifty-sixth minute, Galton got open and went direct to D'Angelo, but the keeper made the save. In the fifty-seventh minute, the Flash's Eddy had a yellow card for a foul on O'Hara. The free kick saw Killion go short and O'Hara tried to replicate her previous goal, but she shot high this time. McDonald had two crosses for Western New York, but Skroski got both of those out as the game opens up offensively. Hinkle's cross was cleared by Rampone in the fifty-ninth minute. In the sixtieth minute, Hahn took a long ball from Hinkle and shot it top shelf to make it 5-1 for the Flash. Kennedy and Doniak had the passes leading to Hinkle's pass. Hahn looked offside on the first look, but replays showed otherwise. In the sixty-first minute, Williams had a shot that Stanley grabbed. Galton had a cross in the sixty-fourth minute, but Kennedy made a block to get rid of it. Dahlkemper had a block in the sixty-sixth minute against Conheeney and Galton after they tried to make something happen. In the sixty-seventh minute, Conheeney took a shot just over the bar. Dahlkemper broke up a Simon cross into the box before D'Angelo was threatened. Hahn cleared a Galton cross in toward Kim DeCesare. Taylor Smith got around O'Hara in the seventy-second minute, but she recovered and knocked it out for the corner kick by Hinkle. In the seventy-sixth minute, O'Hara again did well defensively on Eddy, but the Flash got another corner kick. Galton set up Shawna Gordon for a shot in the seventy-ninth minute, which D'Angelo had a bit of trouble with before stopping it. McDonald's long throw in the eighty-third minute found Mewis, whose flick landed in Stanley's arms. Smith fouled O'Hara in the eighty-fifth minute inside the penalty area, and Killion converted the penalty kick for Sky Blue, making it a 5-2 Western New York lead. The Flash turned defensive after the goal, with many probing balls from the Sky Blue back line cleared harmlessly by the Flash. DeCesare had a half-shot in the second half stoppage time, picked up by D'Angelo. Near the end of the game, McDonald fired a shot wide right and high, messing up a clean chance at a hat trick. The final stayed at 5-2, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being RF McDonald, for her brace and incredible work off the ball. Also impressing (and this is a long list): RB Eddy, CB Kennedy, LB Hinkle, DMs Mewis and Hahn, RW Doniak, LW Hahn, and LF Williams. For Sky Blue, joining the halftime stars were outside back O'Hara, DM Killion, and forward Galton.
The other game has the Portland Thorns FC hosting the Washington Spirit. Stephanie Labbe and Adrianna Franch tend the nets. Here's
the game. The game began with a lot of play in the midfield and short passes between teammates. Portland finally got deep with Nadia Nadim trying to find Allie Long, but she couldn't control the ball and Labbe did a goal kick. Washington's Crystal Dunn tried a cross in the seventh minute, but Emily Menges sent it out for a corner kick by Diana Matheson, cleared by Lindsey Horan and Nadim together. Horan did her part to slow down Christine Nairn, and then Menges cleared it out of bounds. Long was fouled just outside her own box by Joanna Lohman, moments after Katie Stengel nearly forced Franch into a mistake. Portland had their first true shot in the twelfth minute by Tobin Heath, but it was high over Labbe's net. On the next Thorns attack, Heath crossed too long for another goal kick by Labbe. Nairn's fourteenth minute corner kick was plucked out of the air by Franch. Nadim crossed one to Dagny Brynjarsdottir, who sent it back in with a touch from Long, stopped by Labbe in the fifteenth minute on a great chance. Christine Sinclair made a break up the left wing, passing to Nadim, who got centered again, with just Megan Oyster in the way to deflect it out for a corner kick by Heath. The seventeenth minute chance was cleared out by Lohman a bit sloppily. Dagny found Sinclair, who played patiently against the back line, but the cross to Heath was offside due to the line holding strong. Long tried to find Nadim in the twentieth minute, but Dunn and Lohman made the defensive play. Heath crossed into the box, but the Spirit's Shelina Zadorsky made the clearance as Portland keeps the pressure high. Dagny brought a Katherine Reynolds through ball down, and passed to Horan, who just shot a bit high after Tori Huster slipped up. In the twenty-third minute, Matheson and Heath tangled cleanly on the Spirit's right wing attacking zone, with Heath drawing the foul to give the Thorns possession. Emily Sonnett took a free kick in the twenty-sixth minute, headed by Horan to Dagny, who shot on goal, but Labbe tipped it over. Meghan Klingenberg got the next offering in for the Thorns, and Horan dribbled a bit but earned another corner kick. Heath's service found Horan in the twenty-seventh minute, and deposited it in the net behind Labbe to give Portland the 1-0 lead. Nairn countered for Washington, with a pass into Matheson resulting in a weak shot that Franch covered. Sinclair passed into Nadim, which Labbe swatted out back, where it bounced off of Alyssa Kleiner, resulting an own goal from the Spirit that made it 2-0. The Thorns' Sonnett took a yellow card for a foul in the thirty-second minute on Dunn. Nairn's service on a free kick from a dangerous spot went long. Long couldn't quite get a shot in the thirty-fourth minute. Kleiner did well to break up a play from Sinclair to Nadim, which fell to Horan, whose cross caught Sinclair offside just in front of Labbe. Klingenberg saw her through ball taken out by Zadorsky. Heath had Krieger beat on the Portland left wing, but Huster and Nairn cleared the cross. In the forty-third minute, a Nairn free kick went off Sinclair and out for a corner kick by Matheson, who took a poor service for Nadim to boot away. Franch had to pick up the ball that Dunn sent in toward Matheson in the forty-fourth minute as Washington wants to get one back. In first half stoppage time, Sinclair put one behind Huster and Oyster, and Heath two-touches it into the net after getting around Labbe, making it 3-0 at the half. Impressing for the Spirit so far are CB Zadorsky, RW Nairn, and RF Dunn, while the Thorns saw great efforts from CB Menges, DM Horan, LW Heath, RW Nadim, ACM Sinclair, and striker Dagny. Sinclair made a forty-sixth minute shot on Labbe, who saved the low effort. Stengel crashed dangerously into Franch in the forty-eighth minute after a Nairn free kick. Dunn had a cross in later on, with Lohman firing wide right for Washington. Oyster stopped an effort by Sinclair, but Heath got it back in the fiftieth minute, blocked by Krieger, and then Dagny had a header on goal that Labbe stopped. Heath made a great play to shut down Krieger and Dunn in the fifty-fourth minute, but the Thorns got nothing on the counterattack. Washington got on the board with a stunning bit of work on the right side by Dunn, beating Klingenberg after working away from Heath, and Lohman headed it just inside the left post past Franch to cut the game to 3-1 in the fifty-fifth minute. In the fifty-seventh minute, Klingenberg sent one in to Nadim, who shot wide left. Meg Morris, the Portland sub, sent the original pass to Klingenberg. Sonnett broke up a run by Dunn in the fifty-eighth minute, with the Spirit pressing hard to get back in the game. In the fifty-ninth minute, Morris charged forward and ran into Labbe, earning herself a yellow card. Nadim and Nairn had a collision in the sixty-first minute, and their chippy play earned both players yellow cards. When these teams previously met, many cards were given, and the pattern appears to be repeating itself now. Kleiner had a cross into Matheson in the sixty-third minute cleared by Long. Krieger made a strong play to dispossess Dagny after her long run up the left. Horan later broke one up as Stengel pressed in a frenetically-paced game. Dunn had a push forward blocked by Katherine Reynolds in the sixty-seventh minute. A series of passes gets Portland in attacking position, which led to Nadim being offside. Kleiner's cross in the sixty-ninth minute went straight at Franch, with the Spirit holding a good chunk of possession in this half. Dagny earned a free kick in a dangerous spot outside the Washington box after a foul by Oyster. Heath took the kick pretty high in the seventy-first minute. Reynolds had a big cross come into Long in the box, and her hit forced Labbe into a big save in the seventy-fourth minute. Heath's kick saw Horan and Sonnett both get touches but without a shot to come from it. In the seventy-sixth minute, Horan fouled Dunn hard on the Spirit right wing, earning a yellow card for the challenge. Klingenberg shut down Cheyna Williams in the seventy-seventh minute. In the seventy-eighth minute, the Thorns made it 4-1 with a Morris goal, getting around Oyster to fire a shot past Labbe. In the eightieth minute, Matheson shot a ball high on a pass from Williams for the Spirit. Williams had a shot at the top of the box in the eighty-third minute, caught by a diving Franch. Williams was hurt and had to be stretchered off the field. Franch had to make a stop as Dunn fed one in to Cali Farquharson in the eighty-sixth minute. On the other end, Morris took a shot wide left in the eighty-eighth minute after a pass from Heath. Dunn ran all the way from her half to the box, but Sonnett blocked it out for a corner kick at the start of stoppage time. Matheson's corner kick came into Lohman, and Dunn had the second effort going wide left. Farquharson had her cross blocked by Heath on the next Spirit attack. The game ended 4-1, with the LW Heath named the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Also impressing for the Thorns in the second half beyond the halftime players: DM Long, LB Klingenberg, and sub Morris. For the Spirit, the LW Lohman and RB Krieger both played well in the second half.
On Sunday, the first of two games features the Boston Breakers bringing in FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Libby Stout protect the nets.
Here's the game link. Boston saw Brooke Elby and Angela Salem put a couple of balls into the box in the first minute, without much danger. The Breakers saw Kyah Simon crash toward Barnhart in the sixth minute, causing the keeper to mishandle the ball but giving plenty of time for Kansas City to clear. Simon had a chance on a Mollie Pathman cross, but Barnhart grabbed that as well for the Blues. Shea Groom couldn't quite corral a ball between Kassey Kallman and Whitney Engen. Fran Silva nearly got the ball to Groom in the ninth minute, but the play was offside as the Blues have pressed back after weathering an early storm. Pathman worked a ball through Heather O'Reilly and off Desiree Scott before Alex Arlitt cleaned it up. McCall Zerboni tried to serve it in, but Scott slid it away. Groom got stood up by Engen at the top of the box in the thirteenth minute. Silva followed with an offside play on a pass from Groom. Katie Schoepher and Simon worked to dispossess and force the Blues' Yael Averbuch into a foul, allowing Engen to serve a free kick into the box, where Barnhart made a leaping grab. Elby had a cross in toward Schoepfer turned out for a corner kick by Kristie Mewis in the nineteenth minute. The service went to Engen, who headed it over Barnhart's hand for a 1-0 Breakers lead. Pathman had a free kick in the twenty-third minute after Averbuch fouled Zerboni on the Boston left wing. Averbuch fed O'Reilly for a shot in the twenty-fourth minute, blocked by Kallman and cleared by Pathman in the end as the Breakers are showing well defensively. Scott made a good breakup for the Blues, kicking it away from Simon after a return pass from Mewis. In the thirtieth minute, Arlitt won a corner kick for Kansas City off Pathman. O'Reilly served it in toward the center of the box, where Stout snagged it. Simon made a cross for Boston in the thirty-first minute, where Elby tried to get it back across goal, but ended up hitting it out wide right of the Blues goal. Salem won a foul in the thirty-second minute in her own defensive third. Kallman had a bad giveaway to Groom, but she helped Engen shut down a shooting chance, and Stout deflected the stunted shot out for a Kansas City corner kick. Stout grabbed a headed attempt from Becky Sauerbrunn in the box. The Blues kept on attack, with Mandy Laddish shooting on goal, forcing Stout to tip another one out for a corner kick. Arlitt headed the service wide right of the goal. Engen took down Laddish on the edge of the box, but there was no call on the play, and the ball went to midfield in the thirty-eighth minute. Pathman tried to find Simon, but Sauerbrunn was there on defense. Elby took a shot on goal against Barnhart, who saved it but took some damage. Elby collected the rebound, but Silva took it away from her and start a break for the Blues. In the forty-second minute, O'Reilly had a corner kick that Groom appeared to put in the net, but Stout was taken out of the play, so the goal was disallowed. Sauerbrunn shut down a chance from Mewis in the forty-fifth minute. Mewis served one in during first half stoppage time toward Schoepfer, who headed over Barnhart's goal. On a similar play, Sauerbrunn broke it up before Schoepfer could find it. The game went into halftime favoring the Breakers 1-0. Impressing for the visiting Blues are CB Sauerbrunn, DMs Scott and Averbuch, and RW O'Reilly, while Boston's best are GK Stout, CB Engen, RB Elby, LW Pathman, DM Salem, RW Mewis, and forwards Simon and Schoepfer. Katie Bowen had a cross come close to being dangerous in the forty-sixth minute, but Stout handled it. Arlitt found Groom for a high shot in the forty-eighth minute for Kansas City, with Kallman taking a heavy hit. Arlitt won a corner kick off of Kallman, and O'Reilly provided the service, with Zerboni blocking the original. O'Reilly had another cross picked up by Stout, and then Zerboni got knocked down and stayed there for awhile in the fiftieth minute minute. Mewis had a shot on goal against Barnhart in the fifty-second minute, but it was an easy save on the low shot for the veteran keeper. Boston had a good effort through Louise Schillgard and Mewis, shut down by Arlitt and Brittany Taylor, and then a cross went into Schoepfer, who headed it over. Simon tried to get around Bowen in the sixty-first minute, but it didn't work at the top of the box, and the Breakers are struggling a bit to find another goal. O'Reilly tried to find Tiffany McCarty on a counterattack, but King poked it away solidly. Simon had a shot blocked by Arlitt in the sixty-fourth minute, and then Schoepfer and King challenged the left side of the Kansas City defense without producing a shot. Schoepfer had a shot in the sixty-sixth minute, blocked by the right hand of Barnhart, and then Simon fired wide right. Averbuch tried a trip but nobody ran onto it, making it an easy catch for Stout in the sixty-eighth minute. Averbuch fired high again in the seventieth minute as Kansas City tries to equalize. McCarty had a weak shot in the seventy-first minute that nearly caught Stout off-guard before she recovered for the save. Kansas City kept pressuring, with Groom heading over the bar, but she was offside again on the service from Arlitt. Stephanie McCaffrey earned a corner kick for the Breakers off of Sauerbrunn, and Mewis' service was caught by Barnhart again. Mewis sent a seventy-fifth minute corner kick toward Kallman on the far side, which was headed out wide. Boston has continued to pin the Blues in the seventy-sixth minute, with Mewis firing high over the Kansas City net. After Stout stopped a long range shot from O'Reilly, Simon shot off the bar behind Barnhart in the seventy-eighth minute. An eightieth minute Mewis free kick went curling wide right, ultimately a harmless effort. King stole the ball from Alexa Newfield as she made a foray forward for the Blues in the eighty-first minute. Pathman made a big block on a shot from Arlitt in the eighty-fifth minute. In the eighty-seventh minute, Arlitt sent it in to Groom in the box, who tried her weekly diving header, but she hit it wide right. Schillgard crossed in towards Simon in the eighty-ninth minute, broken up by Sauerbrunn. Engen had a yellow card early in stoppage time for time wasting. Arlitt slammed Mewis to the turf in stoppage time for a hard foul, allowing the Breakers to eat up time before the free kick. Scott took a long play with seconds to go, caught by Stout. The game ended with a 1-0 Boston win, and Engen was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Bowen did well in the second half, and the LB joined the halftime mentions for strong play.
Finally, the Seattle Reign FC host the Chicago Red Stars. Alyssa Naeher faces a lesser foe in Haley Kopmeyer in goal.
Find the game here. Chicago's Julie Johnston made two early stops in the third minute on service towards Merritt Mathias of Seattle. Arin Gilliland tried to find Sofia Huerta for the Red Stars in the fifth minute, but Keelin Winters cleared it for the Reign. Chicago's Vanessa DiBernardo served in a free kick toward Amanda Da Costa, but the play was ruled offside in the seventh minute. Mathias made a run off of an Elli Reed and got behind Sam Johnson of the Red Stars, but the defender came back and stopped the rush. Kendall Fletcher made a good defensive stop in the eleventh minute against Jen Hoy. On the corner kick, Danielle Colaprico had poor service cleared by Reed. Hoy had a cross in the thirteenth minute, with Fletcher making the clearance for the Reign. The Red Stars stayed on attack, with Casey Short blasting a shot from distance that Kopmeyer parried out for a corner kick. Colaprico was better, but Beverly Yanez sent it out for another Seattle clearance. The ball came back in, and Rachel Corsie elbowed Johnston unintentionally, causing a delay. Seattle had a flurry, beginning with Reed crossing toward Carson Pickett, and then Little had one knocked away by Johnson as Chicago holds strong. Gilliland fouled Yanez on the left wing, giving Little a free kick in the nineteenth minute for Seattle. DiBernardo stuck a foot out to clear it. Little had a header in front of Naeher, but it went wide and high. Pickett tried a through ball into Yanez, but Johnson managed to shut it down on a good breakup for Chicago. Huerta tried a service in the twenty-fourth minute for the Red Stars, which Gilliland failed to corral before it went out of bounds. Winters crossed to Little in the twenty-sixth minute, but Little ran into Johnston and couldn't shoot as Seattle sustains some offense for awhile. Seattle's Kiersten Dallstream had a cross go long in the thirty-third minute, and then Pickett sent it back before Johnson kicked it out. On the other side, Christen Press went against Fletcher and Lauren Barnes on a Red Stars counterattack. DiBernardo got a shot off in the thirty-fifth minute, going wide left. In the thirty-seventh minute, Hoy passed to Press in the box, shooting straight at Kopmeyer for the save by the Reign keeper. Press had another shot in the thirty-eighth minute after stealing the ball from Little, with the shot going high and wide left. Pickett saw her service go between Short and Johnson, who gave it to Colaprico for the clearance as the Red Stars remain strong in defense late in the first half. A Seattle free kick in the forty-first minute was taken directly by Little, saved easily by Naeher in goal for Chicago. DiBernardo unleashed a shot at the forty-one minute mark, and Kopmeyer had to parry it out for a corner kick. Colaprico's set piece was punched out by Kopmeyer on the ensuing play. Gilliland made a good cross in the forty-fourth minute, which Press flicked off of a Reign defender for a corner kick. The first half ended at 0-0, with the Red Stars seeing their best play from CBs Johnson and Johnston, DMs Colaprico and DiBernardo, and striker Press. Seattle's top players were GK Kopmeyer, LB Barnes, CB Fletcher, LW Pickett, and striker Mathias. In the forty-eighth minute, Reed found Mathias just offside as Seattle makes a big attack early in the second half. Reed was taken down by Short, but Mathias got a cross off from the end line, where Naeher snagged it safely for Chicago. Colaprico played a long ball, trying to find Press, which went a bit long in the fifty-fourth minute. DiBernardo fed a pass up to Press in the fifty-fifth minute, which Kopmeyer saved on a full extension, but this left her out of the play, allowing Hoy to bury the rebound for a 1-0 Red Stars lead. In the sixty-first minute, Hoy was making a run in midfield and Barnes closed her down to stop the Chicago attack. Yanez made a good defensive play against DiBernardo, although the Reign failed to make much of the attacking opportunity. In the sixty-seventh minute, the Red Stars made it 2-0 with another Hoy goal, coming on a long pass from DiBernardo. In the seventy-first minute, Little received a long ball in the box, and it took DiBernardo helping Johnston to break up the attempt, with Johnson also in the area. In the seventy-third minute, Corsie fouled Press before she could break, resulting in a yellow card for the Seattle center back. The second half has seen very few truly dangerous shooting opportunities apart from the goals. Winters had one in the seventy-seventh minute with a long ball into the box that Naeher grabbed. Press made a left side run in the seventy-eighth minute, coming to shoot from the top of the box and hitting the crossbar after beating Kopmeyer and Reed defensively. Hoy made a run on the right side, but a heavy touch took the ball out of bounds before she could cross one in for the Red Stars. Yanez tried a shot in the eighty-second minute, which bounced toward Mathias, who also missed contact as Seattle presses to get on the board. Little found Paige Nielsen in the eighty-fifth minute, who attempted a shot-cross that went to the left wing without challenging Naeher. Huerta's cross in the eighty-sixth minute was tipped away from Press by Corsie. Huerta got around Barnes and deflected a shot off Fletcher, which Kopmeyer handled. In the eighty-ninth minute, Yanez was fouled by Johnson, creating a Seattle penalty kick. Little stepped up and made it against Naeher, sending the keeper the wrong way to make it 2-1. Short made a critical deflection on a Lindsay Elston through ball in the ninetieth minute, with the Reign looking freshly alive from the goal. Little and Johnston battled late in the box, but it was cleared. Little flicked a header in the box, but Naeher made the stop. The final stood at 2-1. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was RF Hoy, who had a big brace in the second half. Also impressing in that time was the RW Huerta for the Red Stars. On the Reign side, DM Little did well in the second half.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 6
GK Libby Stout
RB Josee Belanger
CB Whitney Engen
CB Alanna Kennedy
LB Jaelene Hinkle
DM Samantha Mewis
DM Desiree Scott
RW Kristen Edmonds
LW Tobin Heath
RF Jen Hoy
LF Jessica McDonald
