We're back with a full week of soccer. There will be a blip in Saturday coverage of the league as I'll be on the road, but I should get everything done when I return. We begin with...
The New York Red Bulls hosting FC Dallas. Jesse Gonzalez and Luis Robles man the nets. In the twenty-second minute, Ronald Zubar of New York took a yellow card for a foul. The Red Bulls opened in the thirty-seventh minute on a Lloyd Sam goal, passed from Sal Zizzo and Sacha Kljestan. In the thirty-eighth minute, Dallas had a yellow card for a Mauro Diaz foul. New York added on with a Kljestan goal in the fifty-second minute. The Red Bulls extended the lead as Mike Grella scored in the seventy-first minute, assisted by Felipe and Sam. In the eighty-third minute, New York padded the lead with a Felipe goal, set up by Alex Muyl. The final held at 4-0, with Sam named man of the match.
The first of Saturday's seven sees the Montreal Impact welcome the Colorado Rapids. Zac MacMath and Evan Bush are the goalies. Montreal began in the ninth minute with a Didier Drogba goal. Colorado's Marlon Hairston took a yellow card for his dissent in the forty-fifth minute. The Rapids tied it on a forty-seventh minute Shkelzen Gashi goal, assisted by Mekeil Williams and Jermaine Jones. The Impact retied it with a fiftieth minute Maxim Tissot goal, set up by Harry Shipp. In the sixty-first minute, Axel Sjoberg of Colorado had a yellow card for a foul. Laurent Ciman of Montreal had a yellow card for a sixty-sixth minute. The Rapids retied it in the seventy-third minute on a Bobby Burling goal, passed from Sjoberg and Gashi. Gashi had a yellow card for a foul in the seventy-eighth minute. This made it 2-2, the final, with the man of the match being Gashi.
Stateside, New York City FC bring in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Josh Saunders man the nets. Vancouver started in the first minute with an Octavio Rivero goal, via Nicolas Mezquida. New York City tied it on a thirty-fifth minute David Villa goal, assisted by Khiry Shelton. New York City took the lead in the forty-first minute with another Villa goal, coming off of Andrea Pirlo. In the forty-sixth minute, Mikey Lopez of New York City received a yellow card for his foul. The Whitecaps tied it with a Christian Bolanos goal in the sixty-third minute. New York City regained the lead on a Steven Mendoza goal, made possible by Thomas McNamara and Ronald Matarrita. In the eightieth minute, Frederic Brillant took a yellow card for an argument for New York City. In stoppage time, Pa Modou Kah of Vancouver took a yellow card for his foul, as did New York City's Matarrita for time wasting. New York City won 3-2, and Villa's brace earned him man of the match honors.
Into Pennsylvania, as the Philadelphia Union host the San Jose Earthquakes. David Bingham and Andre Blake man the nets. Philadelphia led off in the thirtieth minute with a Chris Pontius goal, courtesy of Tranquillo Barnetta. San Jose had yellow cards given to Fatai Alashe in the thirty-first minute for dissent and Anibal Godoy's foul in the thirty-fifth minute. The Earthquakes went down to ten men when Godoy took a second yellow card for a foul in the fifty-ninth minute. San Jose tied it on an eighty-third minute Simon Dawkins goal. This made it 1-1, the final, with Dawkins earning the man of the match honors for a shorthanded equalizer.
Out west, the Seattle Sounders FC welcome the Columbus Crew SC. Steve Clark and Stefan Frei tend the nets. Seattle had a yellow card for an Osvaldo Alonso foul in the twenty-seventh minute. The Sounders took a yellow card on an eighty-second minute Erik Friberg foul. Columbus had yellow cards for fouls by Waylon Francis in the eighty-sixth minute and Ethan Finlay in the eighty-seventh minute. Seattle got going in the eighty-eighth minute on a Jordan Morris goal. This stood for a 1-0 win, with Morris named man of the match for the late winner.
Back east, the Chicago Fire bring in DC United. Travis Worra and Matt Lampson are the unknown goalies. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the forty-first minute with a Jonathan Campbell goal, via Arturo Alvarez. In the forty-fourth minute, Kennedy Igboananike of the Fire had a yellow card for his foul. DC had a yellow card given to Chris Rolfe for his foul in first half stoppage time. United tied it on a sixty-fourth minute Patrick Nyarko goal, guided in by Luciano Acosta and Lamar Neagle. DC's Steve Birnbaum had a yellow card for his eighty-third minute foul. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Rolfe's equalizer making him the man of the match.
Further east, the New England Revolution host Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Bobby Shuttleworth are between the posts. New England struck first in the seventh minute on a Diego Fagundez goal, courtesy of Lee Nguyen. Darwin Ceren of Orlando City took a yellow card for his twenty-fourth minute foul. Orlando City tied it on a thirtieth minute goal by Kevin Molino. The Revolution took the lead on a seventy-first minute Juan Agudelo goal, set up by Kelyn Rowe and Nguyen. In the seventy-eighth minute, Fagundez took a yellow card for his foul for New England. In the eighty-seventh minute, Orlando City's Carlos Rivas had a yellow card for a foul. Rivas atoned for the mistake with a ninetieth minute goal to tie it for Orlando City. Rafael Ramos of Orlando City had a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The game ended 2-2, with the man of the match being Nguyen for his role in both Revolution goals.
Saturday ends with Real Salt Lake welcoming the Houston Dynamo. Joe Willis is mismatched with Nick Rimando. Houston had yellow cards given to DaMarcus Beasley in the third minute and Ricardo Clark in the twenty-fourth minute, both for fouls. In the fifty-fourth minute, the Dynamo were first to score with a Leonel Miranda goal, set up by Giles Barnes. Salt Lake tied it on a sixty-second minute goal by Jordan Allen, via Justen Glad. Real took the lead with a Yura Movsisyan goal, assisted by Demar Phillips and Allen. This stood for a 2-1 win, with Allen being the man of the match for a goal and an assist.
On Sunday, the Portland Timbers bring in Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Jake Gleeson are the keepers. Portland was first to score in the seventeenth minute with a Fanendo Adi goal, coming off of Diego Valeri and Darren Mattocks. Toronto tied it on a Will Johnson goal in the fortieth minute, set up by Sebastian Giovinco. In the fifty-seventh minute, Toronto had a yellow card given to Damien Perquis for his foul. Liam Ridgewell of the Timbers took a yellow card for a sixty-second minute foul. Portland took the lead back with a seventy-fourth minute goal by Valeri. The Timbers had a yellow card go to Dairon Asprilla in the eighty-second minute for his foul. This held for a 2-1 win, with the man of the match being Valeri for his winner and assist.
Finally, Sporting Kansas City host the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and Tim Melia draw the starts in goal. Kansas City cracked the scoresheet in the thirtieth minute on a Brad Davis goal, via Graham Zusi and Matt Besler. Los Angeles tied it on a forty-second minute Giovani Dos Santos goal, helped along by Gyasi Zardes. The Galaxy went down to ten men when Ashley Cole took two yellow cards in quick succession, for time wasting in the sixty-ninth minute and a foul in the seventieth minute to seal the ejection. Ike Opara of Sporting had a yellow card for an eighty-second minute foul. Los Angeles' Jose Villarreal took a yellow card in stoppage time for dissent. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Dos Santos the man of the match for his equalizer to grab a road point.
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Sunday, May 1, 2016
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Pacific Division Playoffs: 1) Anaheim Ducks VS. 4) Nashville Predators
As usual, this post covers the entire series in the first round of this year's NHL playoffs.
Game 1: Honda Center, Anaheim, California. In goal: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and John Gibson for Anaheim. Nashville began in the first period with a James Neal goal, via Ryan Johansen. Anaheim tied it on a Ryan Getzlaf power play goal, powered by Cam Fowler and Corey Perry. The Ducks took the lead in the second period with a Ryan Kesler goal, made possible by Andrew Cogliano and Hampus Lindholm. The Predators tied it again with a Colin Wilson goal, fueled by Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi. Nashville took the lead in the third period with an unassisted goal by Filip Forsberg. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Forsberg, Wilson, and Neal. The Predators own a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: Honda Center, Anaheim, California. In goal: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and John Gibson for Anaheim. Anaheim led off in the first period with an Andrew Cogliano goal, going in unassisted. Nashville tied it on a Mattias Ekholm goal, via Colin Wilson and Craig Smith. The Predators took the lead in the second period with a Smith goal, passed from Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. Nashville added on with a Shea Weber power play goal, powered by Josi and Forsberg. The Ducks got one back in the third period with a Nate Thompson goal, coming off of Jakob Silfverberg and Cogliano. The final stood at 3-2, and the three stars were Cogliano, Smith, and Forsberg, while Josi gets an honorable mention. The Predators are taking a 2-0 series lead back home.
Game 3: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In goal: Frederik Andersen for Anaheim and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Anaheim opened in the first period with a Jamie McGinn goal, via Shawn Horcoff and Chris Stewart. The Ducks added on in the second period with a Rickard Rakell goal, assisted by Sami Vatanen and Corey Perry. Anaheim extended the lead as Stewart scored, thanks to Ryan Getzlaf and Hampus Lindholm. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars awarded to Andersen (27 save shutout), Stewart, and McGinn. The series is now 2-1 for the Predators.
Game 4: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In goal: Frederik Andersen for Anaheim and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Anaheim started in the first period with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by David Perron and Kevin Bieksa. Nashville tied it in the second period on a Mike Fisher goal, helped along by Colin Wilson and Shea Weber. The Ducks took the lead back with a Nate Thompson goal, his second of the playoffs, via Rickard Rakell and Sami Vatanen. Anaheim added on with a Jamie McGinn goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Chris Stewart. The Ducks extended the lead in the third period as Andrew Cogliano scored his second of the playoffs, thanks to Jakob Silfverberg. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars given to Andersen (30 for 31 in saves), Thompson, and McGinn. The series heads back to California tied at 2.
Game 5: Honda Center, Anaheim, California. In goal: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and Frederik Andersen for Anaheim. Nashville got going in the second period with a Ryan Johansen goal, coming off of Colin Wilson. Anaheim tied it on a David Perron goal, going in unassisted. The Ducks took the lead with a Ryan Garbutt goal, made possible by Ryan Getzlaf and Perron. Anaheim added on with a Sami Vatanen goal, courtesy of Jakob Silfverberg. The Predators got one back with a Miikka Salomaki goal, passed from Shea Weber and Mike Ribeiro. The Ducks replied with a Cam Fowler power play goal, powered by Vatanen and Corey Perry. Anaheim iced it at 5-2 with a Ryan Kesler empty net goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Getzlaf and Silfverberg. The three stars were Vatanen, Perron, and Getzlaf, while Silfverberg gets an honorable mention. Heading east for the next game, the Ducks own a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In goal: Frederik Andersen for Anaheim and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Nashville dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Mattias Ekholm goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Ellis. The Predators added on with a James Neal goal, his second of the playoffs, via Ryan Johansen. Anaheim got on the board with a Ryan Kesler power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Corey Perry and Cam Fowler. Nashville iced it at 3-1 with a Shea Weber empty net goal in the third period, his second of the playoffs, set up by Neal. The three stars were Neal, Rinne (26 for 27 in saves), and Ekholm. The series heads to California once more for game 7, with the current score being 3-3.
Game 7: Honda Center, Anaheim, California. In goal: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and Frederik Andersen for Anaheim. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Colin Wilson goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Predators added on with a Paul Gaustad goal, made possible by Shea Weber and Viktor Arvidsson. Anaheim got on the board with a third period Ryan Kesler goal, his fourth of the playoffs, coming on the power play from Jakob Silfverberg and Hampus Lindholm. The final held at 2-1 for the Predators, and the three stars were Gaustad, Rinne (36 for 37 in saves), and Wilson. The Predators take the series 4-3 and will face the San Jose Sharks in the second round.
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Game 1: Honda Center, Anaheim, California. In goal: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and John Gibson for Anaheim. Nashville began in the first period with a James Neal goal, via Ryan Johansen. Anaheim tied it on a Ryan Getzlaf power play goal, powered by Cam Fowler and Corey Perry. The Ducks took the lead in the second period with a Ryan Kesler goal, made possible by Andrew Cogliano and Hampus Lindholm. The Predators tied it again with a Colin Wilson goal, fueled by Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi. Nashville took the lead in the third period with an unassisted goal by Filip Forsberg. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Forsberg, Wilson, and Neal. The Predators own a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: Honda Center, Anaheim, California. In goal: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and John Gibson for Anaheim. Anaheim led off in the first period with an Andrew Cogliano goal, going in unassisted. Nashville tied it on a Mattias Ekholm goal, via Colin Wilson and Craig Smith. The Predators took the lead in the second period with a Smith goal, passed from Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. Nashville added on with a Shea Weber power play goal, powered by Josi and Forsberg. The Ducks got one back in the third period with a Nate Thompson goal, coming off of Jakob Silfverberg and Cogliano. The final stood at 3-2, and the three stars were Cogliano, Smith, and Forsberg, while Josi gets an honorable mention. The Predators are taking a 2-0 series lead back home.
Game 3: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In goal: Frederik Andersen for Anaheim and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Anaheim opened in the first period with a Jamie McGinn goal, via Shawn Horcoff and Chris Stewart. The Ducks added on in the second period with a Rickard Rakell goal, assisted by Sami Vatanen and Corey Perry. Anaheim extended the lead as Stewart scored, thanks to Ryan Getzlaf and Hampus Lindholm. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars awarded to Andersen (27 save shutout), Stewart, and McGinn. The series is now 2-1 for the Predators.
Game 4: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In goal: Frederik Andersen for Anaheim and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Anaheim started in the first period with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by David Perron and Kevin Bieksa. Nashville tied it in the second period on a Mike Fisher goal, helped along by Colin Wilson and Shea Weber. The Ducks took the lead back with a Nate Thompson goal, his second of the playoffs, via Rickard Rakell and Sami Vatanen. Anaheim added on with a Jamie McGinn goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Chris Stewart. The Ducks extended the lead in the third period as Andrew Cogliano scored his second of the playoffs, thanks to Jakob Silfverberg. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars given to Andersen (30 for 31 in saves), Thompson, and McGinn. The series heads back to California tied at 2.
Game 5: Honda Center, Anaheim, California. In goal: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and Frederik Andersen for Anaheim. Nashville got going in the second period with a Ryan Johansen goal, coming off of Colin Wilson. Anaheim tied it on a David Perron goal, going in unassisted. The Ducks took the lead with a Ryan Garbutt goal, made possible by Ryan Getzlaf and Perron. Anaheim added on with a Sami Vatanen goal, courtesy of Jakob Silfverberg. The Predators got one back with a Miikka Salomaki goal, passed from Shea Weber and Mike Ribeiro. The Ducks replied with a Cam Fowler power play goal, powered by Vatanen and Corey Perry. Anaheim iced it at 5-2 with a Ryan Kesler empty net goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Getzlaf and Silfverberg. The three stars were Vatanen, Perron, and Getzlaf, while Silfverberg gets an honorable mention. Heading east for the next game, the Ducks own a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. In goal: Frederik Andersen for Anaheim and Pekka Rinne for Nashville. Nashville dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Mattias Ekholm goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Ellis. The Predators added on with a James Neal goal, his second of the playoffs, via Ryan Johansen. Anaheim got on the board with a Ryan Kesler power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Corey Perry and Cam Fowler. Nashville iced it at 3-1 with a Shea Weber empty net goal in the third period, his second of the playoffs, set up by Neal. The three stars were Neal, Rinne (26 for 27 in saves), and Ekholm. The series heads to California once more for game 7, with the current score being 3-3.
Game 7: Honda Center, Anaheim, California. In goal: Pekka Rinne for Nashville and Frederik Andersen for Anaheim. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Colin Wilson goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Predators added on with a Paul Gaustad goal, made possible by Shea Weber and Viktor Arvidsson. Anaheim got on the board with a third period Ryan Kesler goal, his fourth of the playoffs, coming on the power play from Jakob Silfverberg and Hampus Lindholm. The final held at 2-1 for the Predators, and the three stars were Gaustad, Rinne (36 for 37 in saves), and Wilson. The Predators take the series 4-3 and will face the San Jose Sharks in the second round.
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MLS Midweek 2016: April 27th
Three games on to hold over American soccer fans until the weekend. We begin with...
New York City FC hosting the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Josh Saunders protect the nets. New York City saw yellow cards for a twenty-ninth minute foul by Mikey Lopez and a thirty-fifth minute foul by Federico Bravo. In the forty-third minute, Ignacio Piatti of Montreal took a yellow card for his dive. New York City got going with an RJ Allen goal in the fifty-first minute, via Thomas McNamara and Khiry Shelton. The Impact's Marco Donadel took a yellow card for a sixty-fifth minute foul. New York City had a yellow card for time wasting by Ethan White in the seventy-eighth minute. Montreal had yellow cards for persistent infringement in the seventy-ninth minute and Wandrille Lefevre in the eighty-ninth minute for his foul. The Impact tied it in stoppage time with a Dominic Oduro goal, set up by Didier Drogba. This made it 1-1, the final, with the man of the match being Oduro for his late equalizer.
Up in Massachutsetts, the New England Revolution welcome the Portland Timbers. Jake Gleeson and Bobby Shuttleworth are in goal. Zarek Valentin of Portland had a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. In the fifty-fourth minute, Diego Fagundez of New England took a yellow card for a foul. The Timbers dented the scoreboard in the sixty-fourth minute with a Jack Barmby goal, assisted by Darlington Nagbe and Fanendo Adi. The Revolution tied it as Jermaine Taylor of Portland put the ball in his own net for an own goal in the eighty-ninth minute. In stoppage time, Lee Nguyen of New England took a yellow card for his foul. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the man of the match being Barmby for his critical road goal.
Finally, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC bring in Sporting Kansas City. Alec Kann and David Ousted are in the six-yard boxes. Vancouver struck first in the fourteenth minute with a Christian Bolanos goal, courtesy of Cristian Techera. Kansas City had a yellow card given to Matt Besler for his twenty-second minute foul. Sporting tied it in the twenty-seventh minute on a Diego Rubio goal, coming off of Lawrence Olum and Saad Abdul-Salaam. In the fortieth minute, Kendall Waston of the Whitecaps received a yellow card for a foul. In the forty-first minute, Kansas City's Rubio took a yellow card for his foul. In the fifty-first minute, Vancouver went down to ten men when Waston got a second yellow card for another foul. In the sixtieth minute Nuno Coelho of Sporting had a yellow card for dangerous play. The final held at 1-1, with Rubio the man of the match for the equalizer.
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New York City FC hosting the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Josh Saunders protect the nets. New York City saw yellow cards for a twenty-ninth minute foul by Mikey Lopez and a thirty-fifth minute foul by Federico Bravo. In the forty-third minute, Ignacio Piatti of Montreal took a yellow card for his dive. New York City got going with an RJ Allen goal in the fifty-first minute, via Thomas McNamara and Khiry Shelton. The Impact's Marco Donadel took a yellow card for a sixty-fifth minute foul. New York City had a yellow card for time wasting by Ethan White in the seventy-eighth minute. Montreal had yellow cards for persistent infringement in the seventy-ninth minute and Wandrille Lefevre in the eighty-ninth minute for his foul. The Impact tied it in stoppage time with a Dominic Oduro goal, set up by Didier Drogba. This made it 1-1, the final, with the man of the match being Oduro for his late equalizer.
Up in Massachutsetts, the New England Revolution welcome the Portland Timbers. Jake Gleeson and Bobby Shuttleworth are in goal. Zarek Valentin of Portland had a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. In the fifty-fourth minute, Diego Fagundez of New England took a yellow card for a foul. The Timbers dented the scoreboard in the sixty-fourth minute with a Jack Barmby goal, assisted by Darlington Nagbe and Fanendo Adi. The Revolution tied it as Jermaine Taylor of Portland put the ball in his own net for an own goal in the eighty-ninth minute. In stoppage time, Lee Nguyen of New England took a yellow card for his foul. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the man of the match being Barmby for his critical road goal.
Finally, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC bring in Sporting Kansas City. Alec Kann and David Ousted are in the six-yard boxes. Vancouver struck first in the fourteenth minute with a Christian Bolanos goal, courtesy of Cristian Techera. Kansas City had a yellow card given to Matt Besler for his twenty-second minute foul. Sporting tied it in the twenty-seventh minute on a Diego Rubio goal, coming off of Lawrence Olum and Saad Abdul-Salaam. In the fortieth minute, Kendall Waston of the Whitecaps received a yellow card for a foul. In the forty-first minute, Kansas City's Rubio took a yellow card for his foul. In the fifty-first minute, Vancouver went down to ten men when Waston got a second yellow card for another foul. In the sixtieth minute Nuno Coelho of Sporting had a yellow card for dangerous play. The final held at 1-1, with Rubio the man of the match for the equalizer.
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Monday, April 25, 2016
Central Division Playoffs: 2) St. Louis Blues VS. 3) Chicago Blackhawks
As usual, this post covers the entire series in the first round of this year's NHL playoffs.
Game 1: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis. St. Louis won the tight game 1-0 in overtime with a David Backes goal, assisted by Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo. The three stars were awarded to Backes, Elliott (35 save shutout), and Crawford (17 for 18 in saves). The Blues take a gritty 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, guided in by Jaden Schwartz and Jori Lehtera. Chicago tied it on a Duncan Keith goal, made possible by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks took the lead with an Andrew Shaw power play goal, powered by Brent Seabrook and Kane. Chicago added on with an empty net goal by Artemi Panarin, set up by Keith. The Blues got one back late with a Kevin Shattenkirk goal, with a lone assist by David Backes, but this only made it 3-2. The three stars were Keith, Kane, and Crawford (29 for 31 in saves). The series is tied at 1 heading into Illinois.
Game 3: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Brian Elliott for St. Louis and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Chicago led off in the first period with a Brent Seabrook goal, via Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. St. Louis tied it on a Colton Parayko power play goal, powered by Alex Pietrangelo and Robby Fabbri. The Blackhawks took the lead with an Artem Anisimov goal, with a lone assist by Artemi Panarin. The Blues tied it on a Patrik Berglund goal in the third period, helped along by Kevin Shattenkirk and Fabbri. St. Louis took the lead with a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, powered by David Backes and Vladimir Tarasenko. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Schwartz, Fabbri, and Elliott (44 for 46 in saves). The Blues are up 2-1 in the series.
Game 4: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Brian Elliott for St. Louis and Corey Crawford for Chicago. St. Louis began in the first period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz. Chicago tied it in the second period with an Andrew Shaw goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Marian Hossa and Erik Gustafsson. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Duncan Keith power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Shaw and Patrick Kane. The Blues tied it again on a Tarasenko power play goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, coming off of Alexander Steen and Kevin Shattenkirk. St. Louis took the lead in the third period on a Jaden Schwartz goal, his second of the postseason, a power play goal made possible by Shattenkirk and Tarasenko. The Blues added on with a Steen goal, going in unassisted. Chicago pulled back with a Keith goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, helped along by Artemi Panarin and Shaw. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to Tarasenko, Steen, and Schwartz, while Shattenkirk, Keith, and Shaw get the honorable mentions. The Blues head home leading the series 3-1.
Game 5: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period with a shorthanded Marian Hossa goal, set up by Niklas Hjalmarsson. St. Louis tied it on a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko. The Blackhawks took the lead back with an Artem Anisimov goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Artemi Panarin and Teuvo Teravainen. Chicago added on with a Panarin goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The Blues got one back in the third period with a Robby Fabbri goal, passed from Pietrangelo. St. Louis tied it on a David Backes goal, his second of the playoffs, made possible by Pietrangelo and Fabbri. The Blackhawks won 4-3 in double overtime on a Kane goal, with a lone assist by Richard Panik. The three stars went to Kane, Pietrangelo, and Panarin, while Fabbri gets an honorable mention. The series heads north again, with the Blues leading 3-2.
Game 6: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Brian Elliott for St. Louis and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Chicago opened in the first period with an Andrew Ladd goal, passed from Marcus Kruger. St. Louis tied it on a Scottie Upshall goal, via Steve Ott. The Blues took the lead on an Alex Pietrangelo goal, courtesy of Troy Brouwer and Paul Stastny. St. Louis added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz. The Blackhawks pulled back in the second period on an Artem Anisimov power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin. Chicago tied it with a Trevor van Riemsdyk goal, coming off of Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik. The Blackhawks took the lead on a Dale Weise goal, fueled by Panarin. Chicago extended the lead as Andrew Shaw scored his third of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Patrick Kane and Toews. The Blackhawks iced it at 6-3 with a Hossa empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Ladd. The three stars were Ladd, Hossa, and Toews, while Panarin gets an honorable mention. The series shifts to Missouri again for its last game, currently tied at 3 apiece.
Game 7: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis. St. Louis started in the first period with a Jori Lehtera goal, passed from Jay Bouwmeester and Jaden Schwartz. The Blues added on with a Colton Parayko goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Patrik Berglund and Alexander Steen. Chicago got on the board with a Marian Hossa goal, his third of the playoffs, via Richard Panik. The Blackhawks tied it on an Andrew Shaw power play goal in the second period, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. St. Louis took the lead back in the third period with a Troy Brouwer goal, assisted by Robby Fabbri and Paul Stastny. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Brouwer, Parayko, and Lehtera. The Blues advance to face the Dallas Stars for the Central Division title.
Game 1: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis. St. Louis won the tight game 1-0 in overtime with a David Backes goal, assisted by Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo. The three stars were awarded to Backes, Elliott (35 save shutout), and Crawford (17 for 18 in saves). The Blues take a gritty 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, guided in by Jaden Schwartz and Jori Lehtera. Chicago tied it on a Duncan Keith goal, made possible by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks took the lead with an Andrew Shaw power play goal, powered by Brent Seabrook and Kane. Chicago added on with an empty net goal by Artemi Panarin, set up by Keith. The Blues got one back late with a Kevin Shattenkirk goal, with a lone assist by David Backes, but this only made it 3-2. The three stars were Keith, Kane, and Crawford (29 for 31 in saves). The series is tied at 1 heading into Illinois.
Game 3: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Brian Elliott for St. Louis and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Chicago led off in the first period with a Brent Seabrook goal, via Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. St. Louis tied it on a Colton Parayko power play goal, powered by Alex Pietrangelo and Robby Fabbri. The Blackhawks took the lead with an Artem Anisimov goal, with a lone assist by Artemi Panarin. The Blues tied it on a Patrik Berglund goal in the third period, helped along by Kevin Shattenkirk and Fabbri. St. Louis took the lead with a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, powered by David Backes and Vladimir Tarasenko. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Schwartz, Fabbri, and Elliott (44 for 46 in saves). The Blues are up 2-1 in the series.
Game 4: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Brian Elliott for St. Louis and Corey Crawford for Chicago. St. Louis began in the first period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz. Chicago tied it in the second period with an Andrew Shaw goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Marian Hossa and Erik Gustafsson. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Duncan Keith power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Shaw and Patrick Kane. The Blues tied it again on a Tarasenko power play goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, coming off of Alexander Steen and Kevin Shattenkirk. St. Louis took the lead in the third period on a Jaden Schwartz goal, his second of the postseason, a power play goal made possible by Shattenkirk and Tarasenko. The Blues added on with a Steen goal, going in unassisted. Chicago pulled back with a Keith goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, helped along by Artemi Panarin and Shaw. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to Tarasenko, Steen, and Schwartz, while Shattenkirk, Keith, and Shaw get the honorable mentions. The Blues head home leading the series 3-1.
Game 5: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period with a shorthanded Marian Hossa goal, set up by Niklas Hjalmarsson. St. Louis tied it on a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko. The Blackhawks took the lead back with an Artem Anisimov goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Artemi Panarin and Teuvo Teravainen. Chicago added on with a Panarin goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. The Blues got one back in the third period with a Robby Fabbri goal, passed from Pietrangelo. St. Louis tied it on a David Backes goal, his second of the playoffs, made possible by Pietrangelo and Fabbri. The Blackhawks won 4-3 in double overtime on a Kane goal, with a lone assist by Richard Panik. The three stars went to Kane, Pietrangelo, and Panarin, while Fabbri gets an honorable mention. The series heads north again, with the Blues leading 3-2.
Game 6: United Center, Chicago, Illinois. In goal: Brian Elliott for St. Louis and Corey Crawford for Chicago. Chicago opened in the first period with an Andrew Ladd goal, passed from Marcus Kruger. St. Louis tied it on a Scottie Upshall goal, via Steve Ott. The Blues took the lead on an Alex Pietrangelo goal, courtesy of Troy Brouwer and Paul Stastny. St. Louis added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz. The Blackhawks pulled back in the second period on an Artem Anisimov power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Marian Hossa and Artemi Panarin. Chicago tied it with a Trevor van Riemsdyk goal, coming off of Jonathan Toews and Richard Panik. The Blackhawks took the lead on a Dale Weise goal, fueled by Panarin. Chicago extended the lead as Andrew Shaw scored his third of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Patrick Kane and Toews. The Blackhawks iced it at 6-3 with a Hossa empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Ladd. The three stars were Ladd, Hossa, and Toews, while Panarin gets an honorable mention. The series shifts to Missouri again for its last game, currently tied at 3 apiece.
Game 7: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri. In goal: Corey Crawford for Chicago and Brian Elliott for St. Louis. St. Louis started in the first period with a Jori Lehtera goal, passed from Jay Bouwmeester and Jaden Schwartz. The Blues added on with a Colton Parayko goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Patrik Berglund and Alexander Steen. Chicago got on the board with a Marian Hossa goal, his third of the playoffs, via Richard Panik. The Blackhawks tied it on an Andrew Shaw power play goal in the second period, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. St. Louis took the lead back in the third period with a Troy Brouwer goal, assisted by Robby Fabbri and Paul Stastny. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Brouwer, Parayko, and Lehtera. The Blues advance to face the Dallas Stars for the Central Division title.
2015/16 Premier League Week 35
Just seven games spanning this weekend. We begin with...
Manchester City hosting Stoke City. Shay Given and Joe Hart are in goal. Manchester City began in the thirty-fifth minute with a Fernando goal, via Jesus Navas. Manchester City added on with a forty-third minute Sergio Aguero penalty kick goal. Manchester City extended the lead in the sixty-fourth minute as Kelechi Iheanacho scored, thanks to Pablo Zabaleta. Manchester City padded the lead with another Iheanacho goal, via Wilfried Bony in the seventy-fourth minute. This made it a 4-0 win for Manchester City.
Down to Aston Villa welcoming Southampton. Fraser Forster and Brad Guzan make the starts in goal. Southampton opened in the fifteenth minute with a Shane Long goal, via Ryan Bertrand. Southampton added on in the thirty-ninth minute with a Dusan Tadic goal, passed from Long. In first half stoppage time, Aston Villa got on the board with an Ashley Westwood goal. In the fifty-eighth minute, Alan Hutton of Aston Villa took a yellow card for a foul. Southampton replied on a Tadic goal in the seventy-first minute, set up by Long. Aston Villa's Idrissa Gueye received a yellow card for an eighty-second minute foul. Aston Villa pulled back on a Westwood goal in the eighty-fifth minute, coming off of Kevin Toner. Southampton shot back with a Sadio Mane goal in second half stoppage time, set up by Cedric Soares. This made it a 4-2 win for Southampton.
Next up, Bournemouth brings in Chelsea. Asmir Begovic and Artur Boruc are in the six-yard boxes. Chelsea started in the fifth minute with a Pedro goal, assisted by Cesc Fabregas. Chelsea added on in the thirty-fourth minute with an Eden Hazard goal, passed from Fabregas. In the thirty-sixth minute, Bournemouth got on the board with a Tommy Elphick goal, via Simon Francis. Chelsea answered in the seventy-first minute with a Willian goal, set up by Fabregas. Bournemouth's Matt Ritchie took a yellow card for an eighty-ninth minute foul. Chelsea extended the lead in stoppage time with a Hazard goal, made possible by Nemanja Matic. Chelsea took the game 4-1.
Ending Saturday, Liverpool hosts Newcastle United. Karl Darlow and Simon Mignolet are between the posts. Liverpool led off in the second minute with a Daniel Sturridge goal, via Alberto Moreno. Newcastle United's Cheick Tiote received a yellow card for a twenty-second minute foul. Liverpool added on with a thirtieth minute goal by Adam Lallana, passed from Moreno. Newcastle United got on the board with a forty-eighth minute goal from Papiss Demba Cisse, coming off of Vurnon Anita. Liverpool saw a yellow card for fifty-third minute foul by James Milner. Newcastle United tied it on a sixty-sixth minute Jack Colback goal, courtesy of Georginio Wijnaldum. The game remained in a 2-2 draw to the end.
On Sunday, Sunderland welcomes Arsenal for the first of the two scheduled games. Petr Cech and Vito Mannone are the keepers. Arsenal had a yellow card for Aaron Ramsey in the fortieth minute. In the forty-ninth minute, Hector Bellerin of Arsenal received a yellow card for his foul. Fabio Borini of Sunderland took a yellow card for a foul in the fifty-eighth minute. Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny had a yellow card for a foul in the seventy-sixth minute, and so did teammate Laurent Koscielny in stoppage time. Sunderland's Wahbi Khazri had a yellow card for his foul a minute later. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.
Up to Leicester City bringing in Swansea City. Lukasz Fabianski and Kasper Schmeichel man the nets. Leicester struck first in the tenth minute on a Riyad Mahrez goal. Leicester City added on with a thirtieth minute goal by Leonardo Ulloa, passed from Daniel Drinkwater. Leicester City extended their lead in the sixtieth minute as Ulloa scored again, thanks to Jeffrey Schlupp. Swansea City saw yellow cards for Federico Fernandez in the sixty-third minute and Ashley Williams in the seventy-second minute, both for fouls. Robert Huth of Leicester City took a yellow card for his eighty-first minute foul. Leicester City padded the lead on an eighty-fifth minute Marc Albrighton goal. This stood for a 4-0 win for Leicester City.
Finally, Monday sees Tottenham Hotspur host West Bromwich Albion. Ben Foster and Hugo Lloris guard the woodwork. Tottenham Hotspur got going with a thirty-third minute own goal by West Bromwich Albion's Craig Dawson. In the sixtieth minute, Jonny Evans of West Bromwich Albion took a yellow card for his foul. In the seventy-third minute, West Bromwich Albion tied it as Dawson put the ball in the correct net (coincidentally, the same net as before), with the help of Craig Gardner. The final ended at a 1-1 draw.
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Manchester City hosting Stoke City. Shay Given and Joe Hart are in goal. Manchester City began in the thirty-fifth minute with a Fernando goal, via Jesus Navas. Manchester City added on with a forty-third minute Sergio Aguero penalty kick goal. Manchester City extended the lead in the sixty-fourth minute as Kelechi Iheanacho scored, thanks to Pablo Zabaleta. Manchester City padded the lead with another Iheanacho goal, via Wilfried Bony in the seventy-fourth minute. This made it a 4-0 win for Manchester City.
Down to Aston Villa welcoming Southampton. Fraser Forster and Brad Guzan make the starts in goal. Southampton opened in the fifteenth minute with a Shane Long goal, via Ryan Bertrand. Southampton added on in the thirty-ninth minute with a Dusan Tadic goal, passed from Long. In first half stoppage time, Aston Villa got on the board with an Ashley Westwood goal. In the fifty-eighth minute, Alan Hutton of Aston Villa took a yellow card for a foul. Southampton replied on a Tadic goal in the seventy-first minute, set up by Long. Aston Villa's Idrissa Gueye received a yellow card for an eighty-second minute foul. Aston Villa pulled back on a Westwood goal in the eighty-fifth minute, coming off of Kevin Toner. Southampton shot back with a Sadio Mane goal in second half stoppage time, set up by Cedric Soares. This made it a 4-2 win for Southampton.
Next up, Bournemouth brings in Chelsea. Asmir Begovic and Artur Boruc are in the six-yard boxes. Chelsea started in the fifth minute with a Pedro goal, assisted by Cesc Fabregas. Chelsea added on in the thirty-fourth minute with an Eden Hazard goal, passed from Fabregas. In the thirty-sixth minute, Bournemouth got on the board with a Tommy Elphick goal, via Simon Francis. Chelsea answered in the seventy-first minute with a Willian goal, set up by Fabregas. Bournemouth's Matt Ritchie took a yellow card for an eighty-ninth minute foul. Chelsea extended the lead in stoppage time with a Hazard goal, made possible by Nemanja Matic. Chelsea took the game 4-1.
Ending Saturday, Liverpool hosts Newcastle United. Karl Darlow and Simon Mignolet are between the posts. Liverpool led off in the second minute with a Daniel Sturridge goal, via Alberto Moreno. Newcastle United's Cheick Tiote received a yellow card for a twenty-second minute foul. Liverpool added on with a thirtieth minute goal by Adam Lallana, passed from Moreno. Newcastle United got on the board with a forty-eighth minute goal from Papiss Demba Cisse, coming off of Vurnon Anita. Liverpool saw a yellow card for fifty-third minute foul by James Milner. Newcastle United tied it on a sixty-sixth minute Jack Colback goal, courtesy of Georginio Wijnaldum. The game remained in a 2-2 draw to the end.
On Sunday, Sunderland welcomes Arsenal for the first of the two scheduled games. Petr Cech and Vito Mannone are the keepers. Arsenal had a yellow card for Aaron Ramsey in the fortieth minute. In the forty-ninth minute, Hector Bellerin of Arsenal received a yellow card for his foul. Fabio Borini of Sunderland took a yellow card for a foul in the fifty-eighth minute. Arsenal's Mohamed Elneny had a yellow card for a foul in the seventy-sixth minute, and so did teammate Laurent Koscielny in stoppage time. Sunderland's Wahbi Khazri had a yellow card for his foul a minute later. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.
Up to Leicester City bringing in Swansea City. Lukasz Fabianski and Kasper Schmeichel man the nets. Leicester struck first in the tenth minute on a Riyad Mahrez goal. Leicester City added on with a thirtieth minute goal by Leonardo Ulloa, passed from Daniel Drinkwater. Leicester City extended their lead in the sixtieth minute as Ulloa scored again, thanks to Jeffrey Schlupp. Swansea City saw yellow cards for Federico Fernandez in the sixty-third minute and Ashley Williams in the seventy-second minute, both for fouls. Robert Huth of Leicester City took a yellow card for his eighty-first minute foul. Leicester City padded the lead on an eighty-fifth minute Marc Albrighton goal. This stood for a 4-0 win for Leicester City.
Finally, Monday sees Tottenham Hotspur host West Bromwich Albion. Ben Foster and Hugo Lloris guard the woodwork. Tottenham Hotspur got going with a thirty-third minute own goal by West Bromwich Albion's Craig Dawson. In the sixtieth minute, Jonny Evans of West Bromwich Albion took a yellow card for his foul. In the seventy-third minute, West Bromwich Albion tied it as Dawson put the ball in the correct net (coincidentally, the same net as before), with the help of Craig Gardner. The final ended at a 1-1 draw.
Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
NWSL Week 2
It's the second week of the NWSL season, and we begin with three Saturday games. The first is in...
Chicago, as the Red Stars host the Western New York Flash. Sabrina D'Angelo and Alyssa Naeher are given the starting nods in goal. Watch the game. Western New York has had a number of chances early in the game, mainly going through Adriana Leon, including three corners in the first five minutes. Chicago made a foray in the tenth minute, with a lot of passing that led to a corner kick that was barely saved by D'Angelo from Alyssa Mautz. The extra pressure allowed Cara Walls to send a cross in. The Red Stars have had a lot of attacks go through Casey Short on the left side. Around the twenty-first minute, the Flash had a bit of possession, with Samantha Mewis setting up a shot for Alanna Kennedy that deflected out for a corner, and Abby Erceg just missed on the header from the set piece. Western New York had the best chance so far in the twenty-fifth minute, as Lynn Williams crossed in, and Jessica McDonald nearly beat Naeher with a half-powered shot that Naeher covered. Chicago began the scoring with a goal on deflected shot from Short, bouncing off of Erceg and past D'Angelo, giving the hosts the 1-0 lead. The pressure remained high on an Arin Gilliland cross in, and a later Mautz through ball that didn't got too close to D'Angelo. Williams had a shot for the Flash that went wide in the thirty-fifth minute, but they haven't had much offense since the first ten minutes or so. Sofia Huerta had a cross in that D'Angelo just plucked out of the air in front of Walls on the counterattack. Christen Press nearly found a goal from way out, and D'Angelo had to palm it out for a corner kick. Press tried running at the defense of Western New York before the half, embarrassing Michaela Hahn but getting shut down by Elizabeth Eddy and Abby Dahlkemper in the box. The half closes with a 1-0 Red Stars lead. The Flash have seen strong efforts out of Mewis and Williams particularly, while the Red Stars have seen Short and Mautz be their best players so far. Chicago picked up right where they left off, attacking relentlessly toward the Flash net. Press had a shot, and both Mautz and Short were taken down with no calls made. Huerta got around Erceg after a Short through ball, but the chip went wide of the net as D'Angelo could only watch. Leon managed a shot in the fifty-fifth minute, but straight at Naeher on the fast break. Chicago has since seen crosses by Vanessa DiBernardo and Gilliland get taken care of by D'Angelo. Mautz and Press exchanged passes around the Flash box, and a DiBernardo shot went high and wide in the sixty-fifth minute. The Red Stars have done well to suppress any chance of a Western New York attack. Huerta had two good chances, but one hit the post and another was high and wide as Chicago can't quite get a second goal. Taylor Comeau quickly followed that up with a shot of her own, directly to D'Angelo. The Flash have taken over a bit since the seventieth minute, earning a couple of corner kicks, but Julie Johnston and the defense have worked well to clear for Chicago. Williams couldn't quite connect with Flash sub Taylor Smith on a cross straight on front of Naeher, which Gilliland cleared up. Huerta had another shot on the counter in the eightieth minute. Smith had a free kick, which McDonald missed and Johnston cleared, only to hear the offside whistle blow. The Red Stars are just trying to hold on at this point in the game. Press nearly added to the lead, but her eighty-fourth minute break was stopped at close range by D'Angelo. The Flash had a corner kick in the eighty-ninth minute and had the ball in the box for awhile, and then a second effort after a halfhearted clear saw Williams shoot high. The game ended 1-0 for the Red Stars. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Short, the left back, while CB Johnston, RB Gilliland, F Huerta, and RW Mautz impressed for the Red Stars, while DM Mewis, RB Eddy, and F Williams played well for the Flash.
Down in Florida, the Orlando Pride welcome the Houston Dash. Lydia Williams and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. You can find this game here. Orlando had the first chance early on with Steph Catley crossing in to Becky Edwards, who just shot over the bar. Houston picked up some pressure after the fifth minute or so, but nothing came of it. The Pride had a decent chance in the seventh minute with a Kristen Edmonds cross that saw Kaylyn Kyle crash into Williams, but the play was offside. Officially, Carli Lloyd was subbed off due to injury in the thirteenth minute, with Kealia Ohai coming on. There is no official information, but Lloyd's knee was being examined on the sideline. On a fifteenth minute sequence, Poliana cleared a ball dangerously for a corner, and Orlando's Monica had a header chance that was saved by Williams. The Dash's Janine Beckie capitalized on a defensive mistake from Edwards, but Harris gloved it away and created a corner kick for the Dash. Houston's Ellie Brush received a yellow card for her twenty-first minute foul on Alex Morgan. The free kick produced nothing, and the game is scoreless about midway through the first half. Andressa had a free kick for the Dash in the twenty-fourth minute, and a rebound out to Ohai resulted in a wide right shot. Ohai had some pressure in the twenty-sixth minute, but a heavy touch sent the ball out. Laura Alleway had a breakup of one of Ohai's ventures forward in the thirty-second minute. The game has played tight, and not many big plays have occurred. The Pride thought they had a play going, but Jasmyne Spencer was offside, nullifying the attack. Orlando had another decent chance as Spencer went wide to Catley, who crossed to Edmonds, but Williams knocked it away from the post for a corner kick. Orlando couldn't attack the goal from the play. Orlando's Josee Belanger made a foray forward on the right side, earning another corner kick. In first half stoppage time, Spencer received a yellow card for her foul on Rachel Daly. Impressing so far for the Pride are Catley, Kyle, Edwards, and Spencer for their fruitless thus far attacks, while the Dash have seen great work from Williams and Poliana in particular. In the forty-sixth minute, a Morgan shot from Spencer's pass bounced off Houston's Andressa and into her own net, giving the Pride the 1-0 lead. Houston tried a quick answer through a Morgan Brian low shot. The combination of Daly and Ohai produced early second half pressure, including earning a corner kick. Orlando sustained some pressure after the fiftieth minute, including Lianne Sanderson having the ball just taken off her feet in the penalty area. Morgan had a shot on the fifty-fourth minute, which Williams snatched out of the air. In the fifty-seventh minute, Sanderson struck on a free kick to double the Pride lead. Houston nearly got on the board with an Andressa shot in the sixtieth minute, which Harris bobbled but covered. On the counterattack in the next minute, Morgan scored on a Catley pass to make it 3-0 in a wonderful second half effort by the Pride. In the sixty-sixth minute, an Edwards foul earned her a yellow card. In the seventy-third minute, Morgan had a wide shot for Orlando as they maintain decent pressure even with the big lead. Morgan had another cross come in during the seventy-fourth minute, but Becca Moros cleared it, and Kyle's second chance didn't hit quite right. Houston got on the board with a seventy-fifth minute Andressa goal from far out. Spencer did more work in the seventy-eighth minute, earning a free kick after a throw-in, which Sanderson put over the mob and out. Daly nearly had one again in the eighty-third minute, but Harris challenged her and sent it away to preserve the 3-1 scoreline. The Dash kept their pressure up in the eighty-fifth minute with another Daly shot stopped by Harris, followed by Poliana's shot in the next minute, with Harris coming up big again. Ohai shot one for the Dash in the eighty-ninth minute, but Harris was up to the task yet again as the Pride keeper stars late in the game. In stoppage time, Houston's Allysha Chapman took a yellow card for her foul on Spencer. The game ends 3-1 for the Pride, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being Alex Morgan. Also impressing on the Pride side: GK Harris, LB Catley, DCM Kyle, ACM Sanderson, RF Spencer. For the Dash, the best players were CF Daly and CB Poliana.
Saturday's final game has FC Kansas City hosting the Portland Thorns. Michelle Betos and Nicole Barnhart tend the nets. The game can be found at this link. Kansas City's Shea Groom didn't hesitate to make an impact early, firing off a quick shot in the first minute that went over the bar. Portland hasn't had a lot beyond an early Meghan Klingenberg free kick grabbed by Barnhart. Groom had another shot on goal in the fifth minute, keeping the Blues dangerous. Kansas City had a bit of time in the Thorns end, but Heather O'Reilly and Groom were caught offsides once each. Groom had another chance disrupted by a clean tackle in the box by Kat Williamson in the tenth minute. Brittany Taylor had a good cross in the fourteenth minute, and the punch from Betos dropped to Amanda Frisbie. On the restart, chances by Desiree Scott and Frisbie were blocked. In the nineteenth minute, Taylor crossed to Groom, who was shoved from behind by Williamson, resulting in penalty kick opportunity. Groom took her own kick, but Betos knocked it away and the defense managed to clear for Portland. The chances the Thorns have developed have been mostly harmless, taken care of by Barnhart. A bad pass from Portland's Emily Menges ultimately was harmless, as Groom, Taylor, and Yael Averbuch couldn't connect with teammates. The next attack for the Blues saw O'Reilly take a pass from Mandy Laddish, but the cross went across goal with no connection. In spectacular fashion, O'Reilly had another cross in the thirtieth minute, and Groom scored a diving header to the bottom right behind Betos for the 1-0 Kansas City lead. The play started with Laddish in the midfield. Barnhart didn't quite get all of an over-the-top ball, and Nadia Nadim couldn't quite score as Averbuch cleared it. Williamson hurt something in the thirty-seventh minute, looking like the right leg for the defender. In the forty-first minute, Groom took a yellow card for her foul on Emily Sonnett. The game was 1-0 at halftime. The Blues have seen good efforts from Taylor, Averbuch, Scott, Laddish, O'Reilly, and Groom, while the Thorns have had their best work from Williamson, and Klingenberg. Early in the second half, Groom crashed into Sonnett and Betos in the box, and received a yellow card in the forty-seventh minute. This put Kansas City down to ten women, as that's Groom's second yellow of the game. Laddish worked on a counter in the fiftieth minute, but Betos swallowed the shot up. Portland has predictably upped the pressure with the player advantage. The Thorns had another break in the fifty-sixth minute with Hayley Raso taken down outside the box. Tobin Heath shanked the free kick, but the Thorns are still pressing well. Becky Sauerbrunn did her part to disrupt Heath, not for the first time tonight, in the sixty-first minute. In the sixty-fourth minute, Sauerbrunn fouled Allie Long in a decent shooting position for Portland. Heath took the free kick off the wall. Kansas City had some sixty-eighth minute pressure, but Menges did well to clear. The Blues earned a free kick when Laddish got fouled, but Averbuch had a low hit on the kick. Katherine Reynolds had a cross in that Barnhart grabbed as Portland continues to dominate the half. Tiffany McCarty had a break for the Blues, but Menges shut it down before McCarty could get a shot off. The Thorns have lacked much danger on their attacks so far in the half. That changed on a Heath corner kick in the seventy-eighth minute, where she found Lindsey Horan to tie the game with a sharply placed header, scoring over Taylor and Barnhart. Long had a deep shot in the eighty-first minute, drawing a corner as Barnhart knocked it out. They had a number of shots blocked on the corner kick, the best being one dribbling off Heath's foot but just out of reach of Raso. The Blues sustained some pressure as McCarty laid a pass off to Taylor, who just shot high with the booming kick. The Thorns nearly had a shot, but Averbuch disrupted Long just enough to allow Barnhart to clean things up. After bumps to Klingenberg and Betos, play restarted with a lot of extra time. The Thorns had a late free kick from a good range, which Long put directly on goal for Barnhart to cover. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was Groom, despite her ejection. Also solid for the Blues are LB Taylor, DM Scott, and AM Laddish, while the Thorns saw strong efforts out of AMs Horan and Heath, as well as RF sub Raso for the pressure in the second half and LB Klingenberg.
On Sunday, Sky Blue FC brings in the Washington Spirit. Stephanie Labbe and Caroline Casey protect the nets. Watch here. Things started even, although Sky Blue had the best chance with pressure from Shawna Gordon early in the game. Washington had a decent chance with Christine Nairn's pressure in the sixth minute. The Spirit saw a shot from Crystal Dunn bounce off Joanna Lohman and out of danger as the visitors gets more comfortable. Christie Rampone did well to clear a dangerous service in the eleventh minute, keeping the Sky Blue back line safe. Kelley O'Hara nearly had a cross in for Sky Blue, but got caught offside. There's been a lack of dangerous scoring chances in the first twenty minutes for either side. Shelina Zadorsky dispossessed Maya Hayes in the nineteenth minute on the latter's forays forward. Washington saw Alyssa Kleiner give Dunn space on the flank, but the cross went to Casey. In the twenty-fourth minute, Tori Huster's clearance out gives Sky Blue a corner kick, but O'Hara's corner was too strong. On the other end, Washington saw a Katie Stengel header go wide right. Hayes made another move forward, but Zadorsky again nullified the efforts. In the twenty-eighth minute, O'Hara fouled Dunn hard, but avoided a card. Dunn had a decent shot in the thirty-seventh minute, but it found the wrong side of the netting. Washington began with an Ali Krieger goal in the fortieth minute, passed from Huster, with Krieger using a shot-cross to fool Casey. Labbe snagged a Rampone service in from a group of five players or so. In the forty-fourth minute, Natasha Kai set up O'Hara, but the latter's cross was cleared out by Megan Oyster. On a Spirit corner kick, Taylor Lytle of Sky Blue had to bail out Casey after Nairn's service was left on the line. On the break by Hayes, Zadorsky tossed her down and earned a yellow card for the Spirit for the foul. At half time, Washington leads 1-0, with the best efforts coming from Zadorsky, Huster, Krieger, and Dunn, while Sky Blue has seen their best play from Rampone, O'Hara, and Lytle in the tightly contested game. The Spirit defense is holding strong to start the second half. In the forty-seventh minute, a sliding block from Rampone stuffed Stengel's shot to keep the deficit steady. Washington had another decent chance as Kleiner set up Matheson in the box, but Casey knocked it aside, earning the corner by Nairn, cleared by Sky Blue. Washington added on with a Matheson goal, set up by Dunn, going right through the legs of Casey. Sky Blue had a decent counter attack with Erin Simon feeding Hayes, but Zadorsky shut Hayes down once again. An O'Hara cross to Kai resulted in a header going straight at Casey in goal for the moderately difficult save. In the sixty-sixth minute, Hayes scored with a quick chip past Labbe off a pass by Lytle, with Hayes outrunning Zadorsky this time. Simon had a pretty deep shot-cross that Labbe had to punch away as Sky Blue threatens for an equalizer in the seventy-third minute. In the seventy-fourth minute, O'Hara received a yellow card for a foul on Dunn, or it could be persistent infringement for her previous fouls. Cheyna Williams of Washington thought she had a sure shot opportunity, but Simon slid in and stole it away. Dunn had a shot go wide in the seventy-eighth minute, which would have likely sealed it for the Spirit. On the counter, Raquel Rodriguez fired a shot high a minute later. Sky Blue sub Danielle Schulmann had a couple of attempts blocked, the second going out for a corner kick. Labbe knocked the service away. O'Hara did get another corner, and Kai's header went wide, where Rodriguez got fouled after collecting it, earning a free kick. Rodriguez received the free kick and shot low toward Labbe, who had to dive for it to keep it out in the eighty-third minute. On the other side, Williams had two crosses blocked, allowing Nairn to take a corner kick, which went straight at Casey. In the eighty-seventh minute, Dunn had a curling shot just go over the top right corner kick, as the Spirit continue to press. Sky Blue owned the last minute of the game, earning a corner when Kai's header went off Labbe, but O'Hara's cross came back around to her, and she resent it in for Kai, but Labbe caught it to end the threat. The Spirit won 2-1, and the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Krieger. Also impressing are CB Zadorsky, DCM Huster, RF Dunn, and LF Matheson for the Spirit and LB O'Hara, CB Rampone, RB Simon, and ACM Lytle for Sky Blue.
Finally, the Boston Breakers host the Seattle Reign FC. Hope Solo and Libby Stout are in the six-yard boxes. Here's the game. Seattle had dominated possession early, but the game has lacked dangerous chances in the first four minutes. Seattle had a dangerous opportunity in the box, but nobody got a shot off of Manon Melis' cross. The Reign nearly saw Beverly Yanez get a shot, but Whitney Engen knocked it clear for Boston, with help from Julie King defensively. In the ninth minute, Melis scored on a short pass from Kim Little after Jess Fishlock did good work to establish the offense. A minute later, Merritt Mathias had a wide shot as Seattle continues to pin the Breakers in. A mistake by Mathias, with the steal from Angela Salem set Stephanie McCaffrey off, but the Reign cleared it. Kristie Mewis' corner kick allowed Brittany Ratcliffe a shot, but Solo picked it up. Seattle charged back on a counter, but Stout relieved the pressure. Mewis nearly got her head on a play, but Lauren Barnes blocked it in defense for the Reign. McCall Zerboni had a foul in the seventeenth minute for an attacking third free kick for Seattle. Little's kick was easy for Stout to handle. Solo had to make a punch on Engen's free kick in the twentieth minute. The Breakers have had trouble getting crosses in during the run of play. Mathias earned a corner on Engen in the twenty-sixth minute, and Barnes' service went straight to Stout. The Reign saw an attack with Fishlock getting a shot blocked by Engen, and then Yanez set up a curling shot from Carson Pickett that didn't quite find the net. In the thirty-first minute, Zerboni and Fishlock got tangled, and it appears Fishlock has a left leg injury. She walked off under her own power. Elli Reed will eventually be the replacement. The Breakers had a cross in by Ratcliffe, but cleared by Rachel Corsie and company on the Reign back line. A free kick for Boston in the thirty-seventh minute saw Salem send a ball into King, but the Reign got clear with Barnes and Yanez. Melis took the ball all the way up the left flank and then cut inside, with Mollie Pathman sending it back for a corner kick for Seattle. That kick from Little was knocked in by Corsie for a goal to make it 2-0. McCaffrey had a shot on goal in the forty-third minute, but the low shot is taken up by Solo. Mewis' cross in the next minute was cleared by Barnes and Kendall Fletcher. Zerboni set up Ratcliffe for a shot in stoppage time, but it went curling wide and the Breakers are still looking for their first goal. Impressing for the Reign are Corsie, Barnes, Pickett, Little, Melis, and Yanez, while the Breakers have seen Engen, King, Zerboni, Salem, and Ratcliffe do the best work for the team. Solo took a yellow card for time wasting in the fiftieth minute. In the fifty-first minute, Melis had a cross knocked out for a corner by Engen, and Barnes took the kick, which Stout grabbed in traffic against Yanez. Mewis had Boston's best chance of the game on a break toward Solo, but she pulled it wide right in the fifty-third minute. Pathman had a decent cross for the Breakers in the fifty-sixth minute, but the Reign are remaining strong in defense. Boston continued to take looks with Ratcliffe shooting off the bar in the fifty-seventh minute, and Salem had a low shot after that as well, but Solo covered it. Kyah Simon fed Ratcliffe in, and the latter collided with Solo, earning a yellow card for the foul in the sixtieth minute. Melis and Yanez had some combination play in the sixty-first minute, but Stout covered the ball as the play has opened up quite a bit. Mewis set Simon up with a back heel in the sixty-second minute after earning space in the box, but the shot lacked pace. A minute later, they connected again, with Simon skying the ball. Salem's free kick in the sixty-sixth minute connected with King, but went off the bar after getting Solo beat. The pace of the shooting has slowed a bit as the game reaches its final stretch. The Reign made it 3-0 on a Little strike from a tough angle, set up by Yanez and Reed as the play built up. In the eighty-first minute, Zerboni earned a yellow card for a foul on Lindsay Elston. Seattle kept things in the corner for awhile, before breaking out for an Elston shot that Stout saved. The Breakers got a stoppage time chance with a Morgan Marlborough shot that Solo made a reaction save on. The Reign took the win 3-0, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being the left-wing midfielder Little for her goal and two assists. Also impressing this game: GK Solo, CB Barnes and Corsie, CF Yanez, and RF Melis. The Breakers had good efforts from CB Engen, RW Ratcliffe, ACM Mewis, and DCM Zerboni.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 2
GK Hope Solo
RB Ali Krieger
CB Shelina Zadorsky
CB Rachel Corsie
LB Casey Short
DCM Desiree Scott
RW Alyssa Mautz
LW Kim Little
RF Manon Melis
CF Alex Morgan
LF Shea Groom
A note on the team of the week list: I construct this team in a more rigorous set up than most do, specifically to keep players who excelled in a particular position to be in that position if this team were to actually take the field. On the defense, this tends to be a good choice, although it can get messy with various midfield/forward combinations. I assume a 4-3-3 formation with two wingers. However, if it is not obvious which side a player usually played their game on, the positional listing may be a bit more flexible, so the positions should not be taken as gospel here. The primary goal is to recognize players for excellence in their performance as much as possible.
Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.
Chicago, as the Red Stars host the Western New York Flash. Sabrina D'Angelo and Alyssa Naeher are given the starting nods in goal. Watch the game. Western New York has had a number of chances early in the game, mainly going through Adriana Leon, including three corners in the first five minutes. Chicago made a foray in the tenth minute, with a lot of passing that led to a corner kick that was barely saved by D'Angelo from Alyssa Mautz. The extra pressure allowed Cara Walls to send a cross in. The Red Stars have had a lot of attacks go through Casey Short on the left side. Around the twenty-first minute, the Flash had a bit of possession, with Samantha Mewis setting up a shot for Alanna Kennedy that deflected out for a corner, and Abby Erceg just missed on the header from the set piece. Western New York had the best chance so far in the twenty-fifth minute, as Lynn Williams crossed in, and Jessica McDonald nearly beat Naeher with a half-powered shot that Naeher covered. Chicago began the scoring with a goal on deflected shot from Short, bouncing off of Erceg and past D'Angelo, giving the hosts the 1-0 lead. The pressure remained high on an Arin Gilliland cross in, and a later Mautz through ball that didn't got too close to D'Angelo. Williams had a shot for the Flash that went wide in the thirty-fifth minute, but they haven't had much offense since the first ten minutes or so. Sofia Huerta had a cross in that D'Angelo just plucked out of the air in front of Walls on the counterattack. Christen Press nearly found a goal from way out, and D'Angelo had to palm it out for a corner kick. Press tried running at the defense of Western New York before the half, embarrassing Michaela Hahn but getting shut down by Elizabeth Eddy and Abby Dahlkemper in the box. The half closes with a 1-0 Red Stars lead. The Flash have seen strong efforts out of Mewis and Williams particularly, while the Red Stars have seen Short and Mautz be their best players so far. Chicago picked up right where they left off, attacking relentlessly toward the Flash net. Press had a shot, and both Mautz and Short were taken down with no calls made. Huerta got around Erceg after a Short through ball, but the chip went wide of the net as D'Angelo could only watch. Leon managed a shot in the fifty-fifth minute, but straight at Naeher on the fast break. Chicago has since seen crosses by Vanessa DiBernardo and Gilliland get taken care of by D'Angelo. Mautz and Press exchanged passes around the Flash box, and a DiBernardo shot went high and wide in the sixty-fifth minute. The Red Stars have done well to suppress any chance of a Western New York attack. Huerta had two good chances, but one hit the post and another was high and wide as Chicago can't quite get a second goal. Taylor Comeau quickly followed that up with a shot of her own, directly to D'Angelo. The Flash have taken over a bit since the seventieth minute, earning a couple of corner kicks, but Julie Johnston and the defense have worked well to clear for Chicago. Williams couldn't quite connect with Flash sub Taylor Smith on a cross straight on front of Naeher, which Gilliland cleared up. Huerta had another shot on the counter in the eightieth minute. Smith had a free kick, which McDonald missed and Johnston cleared, only to hear the offside whistle blow. The Red Stars are just trying to hold on at this point in the game. Press nearly added to the lead, but her eighty-fourth minute break was stopped at close range by D'Angelo. The Flash had a corner kick in the eighty-ninth minute and had the ball in the box for awhile, and then a second effort after a halfhearted clear saw Williams shoot high. The game ended 1-0 for the Red Stars. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Short, the left back, while CB Johnston, RB Gilliland, F Huerta, and RW Mautz impressed for the Red Stars, while DM Mewis, RB Eddy, and F Williams played well for the Flash.
Down in Florida, the Orlando Pride welcome the Houston Dash. Lydia Williams and Ashlyn Harris protect the nets. You can find this game here. Orlando had the first chance early on with Steph Catley crossing in to Becky Edwards, who just shot over the bar. Houston picked up some pressure after the fifth minute or so, but nothing came of it. The Pride had a decent chance in the seventh minute with a Kristen Edmonds cross that saw Kaylyn Kyle crash into Williams, but the play was offside. Officially, Carli Lloyd was subbed off due to injury in the thirteenth minute, with Kealia Ohai coming on. There is no official information, but Lloyd's knee was being examined on the sideline. On a fifteenth minute sequence, Poliana cleared a ball dangerously for a corner, and Orlando's Monica had a header chance that was saved by Williams. The Dash's Janine Beckie capitalized on a defensive mistake from Edwards, but Harris gloved it away and created a corner kick for the Dash. Houston's Ellie Brush received a yellow card for her twenty-first minute foul on Alex Morgan. The free kick produced nothing, and the game is scoreless about midway through the first half. Andressa had a free kick for the Dash in the twenty-fourth minute, and a rebound out to Ohai resulted in a wide right shot. Ohai had some pressure in the twenty-sixth minute, but a heavy touch sent the ball out. Laura Alleway had a breakup of one of Ohai's ventures forward in the thirty-second minute. The game has played tight, and not many big plays have occurred. The Pride thought they had a play going, but Jasmyne Spencer was offside, nullifying the attack. Orlando had another decent chance as Spencer went wide to Catley, who crossed to Edmonds, but Williams knocked it away from the post for a corner kick. Orlando couldn't attack the goal from the play. Orlando's Josee Belanger made a foray forward on the right side, earning another corner kick. In first half stoppage time, Spencer received a yellow card for her foul on Rachel Daly. Impressing so far for the Pride are Catley, Kyle, Edwards, and Spencer for their fruitless thus far attacks, while the Dash have seen great work from Williams and Poliana in particular. In the forty-sixth minute, a Morgan shot from Spencer's pass bounced off Houston's Andressa and into her own net, giving the Pride the 1-0 lead. Houston tried a quick answer through a Morgan Brian low shot. The combination of Daly and Ohai produced early second half pressure, including earning a corner kick. Orlando sustained some pressure after the fiftieth minute, including Lianne Sanderson having the ball just taken off her feet in the penalty area. Morgan had a shot on the fifty-fourth minute, which Williams snatched out of the air. In the fifty-seventh minute, Sanderson struck on a free kick to double the Pride lead. Houston nearly got on the board with an Andressa shot in the sixtieth minute, which Harris bobbled but covered. On the counterattack in the next minute, Morgan scored on a Catley pass to make it 3-0 in a wonderful second half effort by the Pride. In the sixty-sixth minute, an Edwards foul earned her a yellow card. In the seventy-third minute, Morgan had a wide shot for Orlando as they maintain decent pressure even with the big lead. Morgan had another cross come in during the seventy-fourth minute, but Becca Moros cleared it, and Kyle's second chance didn't hit quite right. Houston got on the board with a seventy-fifth minute Andressa goal from far out. Spencer did more work in the seventy-eighth minute, earning a free kick after a throw-in, which Sanderson put over the mob and out. Daly nearly had one again in the eighty-third minute, but Harris challenged her and sent it away to preserve the 3-1 scoreline. The Dash kept their pressure up in the eighty-fifth minute with another Daly shot stopped by Harris, followed by Poliana's shot in the next minute, with Harris coming up big again. Ohai shot one for the Dash in the eighty-ninth minute, but Harris was up to the task yet again as the Pride keeper stars late in the game. In stoppage time, Houston's Allysha Chapman took a yellow card for her foul on Spencer. The game ends 3-1 for the Pride, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being Alex Morgan. Also impressing on the Pride side: GK Harris, LB Catley, DCM Kyle, ACM Sanderson, RF Spencer. For the Dash, the best players were CF Daly and CB Poliana.
Saturday's final game has FC Kansas City hosting the Portland Thorns. Michelle Betos and Nicole Barnhart tend the nets. The game can be found at this link. Kansas City's Shea Groom didn't hesitate to make an impact early, firing off a quick shot in the first minute that went over the bar. Portland hasn't had a lot beyond an early Meghan Klingenberg free kick grabbed by Barnhart. Groom had another shot on goal in the fifth minute, keeping the Blues dangerous. Kansas City had a bit of time in the Thorns end, but Heather O'Reilly and Groom were caught offsides once each. Groom had another chance disrupted by a clean tackle in the box by Kat Williamson in the tenth minute. Brittany Taylor had a good cross in the fourteenth minute, and the punch from Betos dropped to Amanda Frisbie. On the restart, chances by Desiree Scott and Frisbie were blocked. In the nineteenth minute, Taylor crossed to Groom, who was shoved from behind by Williamson, resulting in penalty kick opportunity. Groom took her own kick, but Betos knocked it away and the defense managed to clear for Portland. The chances the Thorns have developed have been mostly harmless, taken care of by Barnhart. A bad pass from Portland's Emily Menges ultimately was harmless, as Groom, Taylor, and Yael Averbuch couldn't connect with teammates. The next attack for the Blues saw O'Reilly take a pass from Mandy Laddish, but the cross went across goal with no connection. In spectacular fashion, O'Reilly had another cross in the thirtieth minute, and Groom scored a diving header to the bottom right behind Betos for the 1-0 Kansas City lead. The play started with Laddish in the midfield. Barnhart didn't quite get all of an over-the-top ball, and Nadia Nadim couldn't quite score as Averbuch cleared it. Williamson hurt something in the thirty-seventh minute, looking like the right leg for the defender. In the forty-first minute, Groom took a yellow card for her foul on Emily Sonnett. The game was 1-0 at halftime. The Blues have seen good efforts from Taylor, Averbuch, Scott, Laddish, O'Reilly, and Groom, while the Thorns have had their best work from Williamson, and Klingenberg. Early in the second half, Groom crashed into Sonnett and Betos in the box, and received a yellow card in the forty-seventh minute. This put Kansas City down to ten women, as that's Groom's second yellow of the game. Laddish worked on a counter in the fiftieth minute, but Betos swallowed the shot up. Portland has predictably upped the pressure with the player advantage. The Thorns had another break in the fifty-sixth minute with Hayley Raso taken down outside the box. Tobin Heath shanked the free kick, but the Thorns are still pressing well. Becky Sauerbrunn did her part to disrupt Heath, not for the first time tonight, in the sixty-first minute. In the sixty-fourth minute, Sauerbrunn fouled Allie Long in a decent shooting position for Portland. Heath took the free kick off the wall. Kansas City had some sixty-eighth minute pressure, but Menges did well to clear. The Blues earned a free kick when Laddish got fouled, but Averbuch had a low hit on the kick. Katherine Reynolds had a cross in that Barnhart grabbed as Portland continues to dominate the half. Tiffany McCarty had a break for the Blues, but Menges shut it down before McCarty could get a shot off. The Thorns have lacked much danger on their attacks so far in the half. That changed on a Heath corner kick in the seventy-eighth minute, where she found Lindsey Horan to tie the game with a sharply placed header, scoring over Taylor and Barnhart. Long had a deep shot in the eighty-first minute, drawing a corner as Barnhart knocked it out. They had a number of shots blocked on the corner kick, the best being one dribbling off Heath's foot but just out of reach of Raso. The Blues sustained some pressure as McCarty laid a pass off to Taylor, who just shot high with the booming kick. The Thorns nearly had a shot, but Averbuch disrupted Long just enough to allow Barnhart to clean things up. After bumps to Klingenberg and Betos, play restarted with a lot of extra time. The Thorns had a late free kick from a good range, which Long put directly on goal for Barnhart to cover. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was Groom, despite her ejection. Also solid for the Blues are LB Taylor, DM Scott, and AM Laddish, while the Thorns saw strong efforts out of AMs Horan and Heath, as well as RF sub Raso for the pressure in the second half and LB Klingenberg.
On Sunday, Sky Blue FC brings in the Washington Spirit. Stephanie Labbe and Caroline Casey protect the nets. Watch here. Things started even, although Sky Blue had the best chance with pressure from Shawna Gordon early in the game. Washington had a decent chance with Christine Nairn's pressure in the sixth minute. The Spirit saw a shot from Crystal Dunn bounce off Joanna Lohman and out of danger as the visitors gets more comfortable. Christie Rampone did well to clear a dangerous service in the eleventh minute, keeping the Sky Blue back line safe. Kelley O'Hara nearly had a cross in for Sky Blue, but got caught offside. There's been a lack of dangerous scoring chances in the first twenty minutes for either side. Shelina Zadorsky dispossessed Maya Hayes in the nineteenth minute on the latter's forays forward. Washington saw Alyssa Kleiner give Dunn space on the flank, but the cross went to Casey. In the twenty-fourth minute, Tori Huster's clearance out gives Sky Blue a corner kick, but O'Hara's corner was too strong. On the other end, Washington saw a Katie Stengel header go wide right. Hayes made another move forward, but Zadorsky again nullified the efforts. In the twenty-eighth minute, O'Hara fouled Dunn hard, but avoided a card. Dunn had a decent shot in the thirty-seventh minute, but it found the wrong side of the netting. Washington began with an Ali Krieger goal in the fortieth minute, passed from Huster, with Krieger using a shot-cross to fool Casey. Labbe snagged a Rampone service in from a group of five players or so. In the forty-fourth minute, Natasha Kai set up O'Hara, but the latter's cross was cleared out by Megan Oyster. On a Spirit corner kick, Taylor Lytle of Sky Blue had to bail out Casey after Nairn's service was left on the line. On the break by Hayes, Zadorsky tossed her down and earned a yellow card for the Spirit for the foul. At half time, Washington leads 1-0, with the best efforts coming from Zadorsky, Huster, Krieger, and Dunn, while Sky Blue has seen their best play from Rampone, O'Hara, and Lytle in the tightly contested game. The Spirit defense is holding strong to start the second half. In the forty-seventh minute, a sliding block from Rampone stuffed Stengel's shot to keep the deficit steady. Washington had another decent chance as Kleiner set up Matheson in the box, but Casey knocked it aside, earning the corner by Nairn, cleared by Sky Blue. Washington added on with a Matheson goal, set up by Dunn, going right through the legs of Casey. Sky Blue had a decent counter attack with Erin Simon feeding Hayes, but Zadorsky shut Hayes down once again. An O'Hara cross to Kai resulted in a header going straight at Casey in goal for the moderately difficult save. In the sixty-sixth minute, Hayes scored with a quick chip past Labbe off a pass by Lytle, with Hayes outrunning Zadorsky this time. Simon had a pretty deep shot-cross that Labbe had to punch away as Sky Blue threatens for an equalizer in the seventy-third minute. In the seventy-fourth minute, O'Hara received a yellow card for a foul on Dunn, or it could be persistent infringement for her previous fouls. Cheyna Williams of Washington thought she had a sure shot opportunity, but Simon slid in and stole it away. Dunn had a shot go wide in the seventy-eighth minute, which would have likely sealed it for the Spirit. On the counter, Raquel Rodriguez fired a shot high a minute later. Sky Blue sub Danielle Schulmann had a couple of attempts blocked, the second going out for a corner kick. Labbe knocked the service away. O'Hara did get another corner, and Kai's header went wide, where Rodriguez got fouled after collecting it, earning a free kick. Rodriguez received the free kick and shot low toward Labbe, who had to dive for it to keep it out in the eighty-third minute. On the other side, Williams had two crosses blocked, allowing Nairn to take a corner kick, which went straight at Casey. In the eighty-seventh minute, Dunn had a curling shot just go over the top right corner kick, as the Spirit continue to press. Sky Blue owned the last minute of the game, earning a corner when Kai's header went off Labbe, but O'Hara's cross came back around to her, and she resent it in for Kai, but Labbe caught it to end the threat. The Spirit won 2-1, and the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match is Krieger. Also impressing are CB Zadorsky, DCM Huster, RF Dunn, and LF Matheson for the Spirit and LB O'Hara, CB Rampone, RB Simon, and ACM Lytle for Sky Blue.
Finally, the Boston Breakers host the Seattle Reign FC. Hope Solo and Libby Stout are in the six-yard boxes. Here's the game. Seattle had dominated possession early, but the game has lacked dangerous chances in the first four minutes. Seattle had a dangerous opportunity in the box, but nobody got a shot off of Manon Melis' cross. The Reign nearly saw Beverly Yanez get a shot, but Whitney Engen knocked it clear for Boston, with help from Julie King defensively. In the ninth minute, Melis scored on a short pass from Kim Little after Jess Fishlock did good work to establish the offense. A minute later, Merritt Mathias had a wide shot as Seattle continues to pin the Breakers in. A mistake by Mathias, with the steal from Angela Salem set Stephanie McCaffrey off, but the Reign cleared it. Kristie Mewis' corner kick allowed Brittany Ratcliffe a shot, but Solo picked it up. Seattle charged back on a counter, but Stout relieved the pressure. Mewis nearly got her head on a play, but Lauren Barnes blocked it in defense for the Reign. McCall Zerboni had a foul in the seventeenth minute for an attacking third free kick for Seattle. Little's kick was easy for Stout to handle. Solo had to make a punch on Engen's free kick in the twentieth minute. The Breakers have had trouble getting crosses in during the run of play. Mathias earned a corner on Engen in the twenty-sixth minute, and Barnes' service went straight to Stout. The Reign saw an attack with Fishlock getting a shot blocked by Engen, and then Yanez set up a curling shot from Carson Pickett that didn't quite find the net. In the thirty-first minute, Zerboni and Fishlock got tangled, and it appears Fishlock has a left leg injury. She walked off under her own power. Elli Reed will eventually be the replacement. The Breakers had a cross in by Ratcliffe, but cleared by Rachel Corsie and company on the Reign back line. A free kick for Boston in the thirty-seventh minute saw Salem send a ball into King, but the Reign got clear with Barnes and Yanez. Melis took the ball all the way up the left flank and then cut inside, with Mollie Pathman sending it back for a corner kick for Seattle. That kick from Little was knocked in by Corsie for a goal to make it 2-0. McCaffrey had a shot on goal in the forty-third minute, but the low shot is taken up by Solo. Mewis' cross in the next minute was cleared by Barnes and Kendall Fletcher. Zerboni set up Ratcliffe for a shot in stoppage time, but it went curling wide and the Breakers are still looking for their first goal. Impressing for the Reign are Corsie, Barnes, Pickett, Little, Melis, and Yanez, while the Breakers have seen Engen, King, Zerboni, Salem, and Ratcliffe do the best work for the team. Solo took a yellow card for time wasting in the fiftieth minute. In the fifty-first minute, Melis had a cross knocked out for a corner by Engen, and Barnes took the kick, which Stout grabbed in traffic against Yanez. Mewis had Boston's best chance of the game on a break toward Solo, but she pulled it wide right in the fifty-third minute. Pathman had a decent cross for the Breakers in the fifty-sixth minute, but the Reign are remaining strong in defense. Boston continued to take looks with Ratcliffe shooting off the bar in the fifty-seventh minute, and Salem had a low shot after that as well, but Solo covered it. Kyah Simon fed Ratcliffe in, and the latter collided with Solo, earning a yellow card for the foul in the sixtieth minute. Melis and Yanez had some combination play in the sixty-first minute, but Stout covered the ball as the play has opened up quite a bit. Mewis set Simon up with a back heel in the sixty-second minute after earning space in the box, but the shot lacked pace. A minute later, they connected again, with Simon skying the ball. Salem's free kick in the sixty-sixth minute connected with King, but went off the bar after getting Solo beat. The pace of the shooting has slowed a bit as the game reaches its final stretch. The Reign made it 3-0 on a Little strike from a tough angle, set up by Yanez and Reed as the play built up. In the eighty-first minute, Zerboni earned a yellow card for a foul on Lindsay Elston. Seattle kept things in the corner for awhile, before breaking out for an Elston shot that Stout saved. The Breakers got a stoppage time chance with a Morgan Marlborough shot that Solo made a reaction save on. The Reign took the win 3-0, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being the left-wing midfielder Little for her goal and two assists. Also impressing this game: GK Solo, CB Barnes and Corsie, CF Yanez, and RF Melis. The Breakers had good efforts from CB Engen, RW Ratcliffe, ACM Mewis, and DCM Zerboni.
Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 2
GK Hope Solo
RB Ali Krieger
CB Shelina Zadorsky
CB Rachel Corsie
LB Casey Short
DCM Desiree Scott
RW Alyssa Mautz
LW Kim Little
RF Manon Melis
CF Alex Morgan
LF Shea Groom
A note on the team of the week list: I construct this team in a more rigorous set up than most do, specifically to keep players who excelled in a particular position to be in that position if this team were to actually take the field. On the defense, this tends to be a good choice, although it can get messy with various midfield/forward combinations. I assume a 4-3-3 formation with two wingers. However, if it is not obvious which side a player usually played their game on, the positional listing may be a bit more flexible, so the positions should not be taken as gospel here. The primary goal is to recognize players for excellence in their performance as much as possible.
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Atlantic Division Playoffs: 1) Florida Panthers VS. 4) New York Islanders
As usual, this post covers the entire series in the first round of this year's NHL playoffs.
Game 1: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida. In goal: Thomas Greiss for New York and Roberto Luongo for Florida. Florida began in the first period with a Teddy Purcell goal, fueled by Jiri Hudler and Dmitry Kulikov. New York tied it on a Brock Nelson goal, with a lone helper by Ryan Strome. The Panthers took the lead back with a power play goal by Jussi Jokinen, powered by Brian Campbell and Reilly Smith. The Islanders tied it again with a Frans Nielsen power play goal, courtesy of John Tavares and Nick Leddy. Florida regained the lead again in the second period with a Smith goal, passed from Alex Petrovic and Jokinen. New York tied it with a Tavares goal, helped along by Kyle Okposo and Nielsen. The Islanders pulled ahead with an Okposo goal, with a lone assist by Tavares. New York added on with a Strome goal, guided in by Alan Quine and Travis Hamonic. The Panthers pulled back on a Smith goal, his second of the game, assisted by Jokinen and Nick Bjugstad. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars being Tavares, Smith, and Jokinen, while Okposo, Nielsen, and Strome get the honorable mentions. The Islanders have a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida. In goal: Thomas Greiss for New York and Roberto Luongo for Florida. Florida struck first in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Nick Bjugstad and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers added on with a Bjugstad goal, helped along by Smith and Dmitry Kulikov. New York got on the board in the third period with a John Tavares goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Nick Leddy and Kyle Okposo. Florida iced it at 3-1 with a Kulikov empty net goal, set up by Aleksander Barkov. The three stars belonged to Luongo (41 for 42 in saves), Bjugstad, and Smith, while Kulikov gets an honorable mention. The series heads north tied at 1.
Game 3: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. In goal: Roberto Luongo for Florida and Thomas Greiss for New York. Florida led off in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Alex Petrovic and Michael Matheson. The Panthers added on in the second period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, fueled by Smith and Jonathan Huberdeau. New York got on the board with a power play goal by Ryan Pulock, powered by Kyle Okposo and John Tavares. Florida shot back with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Smith and Dmitry Kulikov. The Islanders answered with a Shane Prince goal, guided in by Pulock and Calvin de Haan. New York tied it with a power play goal by Frans Nielsen, with helpers from Tavares and Okposo. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime with a Thomas Hickey goal, assisted by Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey. The three stars went to Pulock, Smith, and Tavares, while Okposo gets an honorable mention. The Islanders lead the series 2-1.
Game 4: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. In goal: Roberto Luongo for Florida and Thomas Greiss for New York. Florida got going in the second period with a Teddy Purcell power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Jaromir Jagr and Aaron Ekblad. New York tied it with a John Tavares power play goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson. The Panthers took the lead in the third period with an Alex Petrovic goal, guided in by Derek MacKenzie and Garrett Wilson. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Petrovic, Luongo (26 for 27 in saves), and Purcell. The series heads south again tied at 2.
Game 5: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida. In goal: Thomas Greiss for New York and Roberto Luongo for Florida. New York was first to score in the first period with a Frans Nielsen goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Thomas Hickey. Florida tied it on an Aleksander Barkov goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Alex Petrovic and Jaromir Jagr. The Islanders won 2-1 in double overtime with an Alan Quine power play goal, powered by Marek Zidlicky and Thomas Hickey. The three stars were Quine, Greiss (47 for 48 in saves), and Nielsen. The Islanders head home with a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. In goal: Roberto Luongo for Florida and Thomas Greiss for New York. Florida opened in the first period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, assisted by Vincent Trocheck and Jussi Jokinen. New York tied it on a John Tavares goal in the third period, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Nikolay Kulemin and Nick Leddy. The Islanders won 2-1 in double overtime with a Tavares goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, set up by Kyle Okposo and Alan Quine. The three stars were awarded to Tavares, Greiss (41 for 42 in saves), and Luongo (49 for 51 in saves). The Islanders take the series 4-2, and will face the other Florida team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the fight for the Atlantic Division.
Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.
Game 1: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida. In goal: Thomas Greiss for New York and Roberto Luongo for Florida. Florida began in the first period with a Teddy Purcell goal, fueled by Jiri Hudler and Dmitry Kulikov. New York tied it on a Brock Nelson goal, with a lone helper by Ryan Strome. The Panthers took the lead back with a power play goal by Jussi Jokinen, powered by Brian Campbell and Reilly Smith. The Islanders tied it again with a Frans Nielsen power play goal, courtesy of John Tavares and Nick Leddy. Florida regained the lead again in the second period with a Smith goal, passed from Alex Petrovic and Jokinen. New York tied it with a Tavares goal, helped along by Kyle Okposo and Nielsen. The Islanders pulled ahead with an Okposo goal, with a lone assist by Tavares. New York added on with a Strome goal, guided in by Alan Quine and Travis Hamonic. The Panthers pulled back on a Smith goal, his second of the game, assisted by Jokinen and Nick Bjugstad. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars being Tavares, Smith, and Jokinen, while Okposo, Nielsen, and Strome get the honorable mentions. The Islanders have a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida. In goal: Thomas Greiss for New York and Roberto Luongo for Florida. Florida struck first in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Nick Bjugstad and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers added on with a Bjugstad goal, helped along by Smith and Dmitry Kulikov. New York got on the board in the third period with a John Tavares goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Nick Leddy and Kyle Okposo. Florida iced it at 3-1 with a Kulikov empty net goal, set up by Aleksander Barkov. The three stars belonged to Luongo (41 for 42 in saves), Bjugstad, and Smith, while Kulikov gets an honorable mention. The series heads north tied at 1.
Game 3: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. In goal: Roberto Luongo for Florida and Thomas Greiss for New York. Florida led off in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Alex Petrovic and Michael Matheson. The Panthers added on in the second period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, fueled by Smith and Jonathan Huberdeau. New York got on the board with a power play goal by Ryan Pulock, powered by Kyle Okposo and John Tavares. Florida shot back with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Smith and Dmitry Kulikov. The Islanders answered with a Shane Prince goal, guided in by Pulock and Calvin de Haan. New York tied it with a power play goal by Frans Nielsen, with helpers from Tavares and Okposo. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime with a Thomas Hickey goal, assisted by Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey. The three stars went to Pulock, Smith, and Tavares, while Okposo gets an honorable mention. The Islanders lead the series 2-1.
Game 4: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. In goal: Roberto Luongo for Florida and Thomas Greiss for New York. Florida got going in the second period with a Teddy Purcell power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Jaromir Jagr and Aaron Ekblad. New York tied it with a John Tavares power play goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson. The Panthers took the lead in the third period with an Alex Petrovic goal, guided in by Derek MacKenzie and Garrett Wilson. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Petrovic, Luongo (26 for 27 in saves), and Purcell. The series heads south again tied at 2.
Game 5: BB&T Center, Sunrise, Florida. In goal: Thomas Greiss for New York and Roberto Luongo for Florida. New York was first to score in the first period with a Frans Nielsen goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Thomas Hickey. Florida tied it on an Aleksander Barkov goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Alex Petrovic and Jaromir Jagr. The Islanders won 2-1 in double overtime with an Alan Quine power play goal, powered by Marek Zidlicky and Thomas Hickey. The three stars were Quine, Greiss (47 for 48 in saves), and Nielsen. The Islanders head home with a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. In goal: Roberto Luongo for Florida and Thomas Greiss for New York. Florida opened in the first period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, assisted by Vincent Trocheck and Jussi Jokinen. New York tied it on a John Tavares goal in the third period, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Nikolay Kulemin and Nick Leddy. The Islanders won 2-1 in double overtime with a Tavares goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, set up by Kyle Okposo and Alan Quine. The three stars were awarded to Tavares, Greiss (41 for 42 in saves), and Luongo (49 for 51 in saves). The Islanders take the series 4-2, and will face the other Florida team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the fight for the Atlantic Division.
Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.
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