NWSL Week 18

It's a midweek session of games, with all five on Wednesday. We begin with...

The Boston Breakers hosting the Western New York Flash. Sabrina D'Angelo and Libby Stout play goal. You can find the game here. Western New York had the first attack, with a through ball for Jessica McDonald, but Stout was there first. The Flash saw a McCall Zerboni shot after another possession in the third minute, saved by Stout. On the other side, Boston's Eunice Beckmann had a chance on goal, but Western New York's goalie D'Angelo handled it. The Breakers made it 1-0 in the fourth minute on a Kyah Simon goal, passed from Julie King, with other passes early from Angela Salem and Kristie Mewis. Samantha Mewis had a shot in the sixth minute after Lynn Williams had a shot blocked. In the ninth minute, Natasha received a yellow card for her dissent on Simon's foul on Zerboni. Kassey Kallman of the Breakers disrupted a Williams attack for the Flash in the twelfth minute. McDonald saw a chance wasted in the fifteenth minute, as she corralled a cross with her arm and the Western New York attack was stalled. Elizabeth Eddy had a long cross in the seventeenth minute, falling to King, who cleared it. Whitney Engen blocked a Lianne Sanderson shot in the twentieth minute after McDonald's long throw for the Flash. Williams had a shot over the bar seconds later. King headed a McDonald throw in the twenty-third minute, and Stout grabbed the second offering into the box. Boston's Louise Schillgard blocked a Jaelene Hinkle cross in the twenty-fourth minute. Williams won the Flash a corner kick against Kallman. Abby Dahlkemper went for Abby Erceg, but she sent it wide left in the twenty-fifth minute. Dowie pressed D'Angelo after a mistake from Dahlkemper in the twenty-sixth minute. Dowie tried to find Kristie Mewis in the twenty-seventh minute, but it was intercepted by the Flash. Salem cleared an Eddy cross in the twenty-ninth minute. Engen had to make a second clearance for Boston. King went for Simon, but Alanna Kennedy cleared it for Western New York. Williams tried to find McDonald in the thirtieth minute, but it went too high. Samantha Mewis passed to Williams, but her touch was heavy and Stout grabbed it before she could recover, springing a Boston attack. King sent a free kick straight at D'Angelo in the thirty-third minute. Zerboni tried to pick out Sanderson in the thirty-seventh minute as Western New York has sustained some pressure, but Stout was up to the task on the deflected cross. King's thirty-eighth minute cross for Boston was caught by D'Angelo. On the counterattack, McDonald finally capitalized for the Flash, burying a rebound off of Stout into the net to make it 1-1 after Samantha Mewis' long ball. Eddy tried a through ball in the fortieth minute, making its way fully to Stout. Erceg made a steal from Dowie to stall a Breakers attack in the forty-second minute. Dahlkemper blocked a Dowie shot on a Brooke Elby throw-in in the forty-third minute. Erceg headed a McDonald throw wide right in the forty-fourth minute. Williams intercepted a Simon pass to Engen and nearly got a shot attempt in the forty-fifth minute, but the heavy touch allowed Stout to get there first. Erceg cleared Elby's cross to Beckmann in stoppage time. A second effort saw Beckmann head it wide, and the game went into halftime at 1-1. Impressing for the Flash so far are RB Eddy, CB Dahlkemper, DCM Erceg, RW Mewis, RF Williams, and LF McDonald. For the Breakers, the top performance have come from GK Stout, CB Kallman, RB King, DM Salem, LW Simon, and LF Dowie. In the forty-eighth minute, the Flash finally established an attack through Williams and Samantha Mewis, but Engen cleared it away from McDonald. On the throw-in, King took a knock after a header to defend. The Flash had a corner kick, which went a bit long for Kennedy. Mewis volleyed a McDonald cross in the forty-ninth minute, stopped by Stout to give Boston some control. In the fifty-first minute, Dowie struck with a goal after a Schillgard flip behind the defense, working around Dahlkemper to strike across goal and beat D'Angelo. This gave Boston a 2-1 lead. Beckmann found Simon centrally in the fifty-third minute, and her shot glanced wide left with a deflection to give Boston a corner kick. Kristie Mewis' service was caught by D'Angelo. King and Kallman shut down Williams in the fifty-fourth minute after McDonald's pass. McDonald then headed a ball wide. Engen headed a fifty-sixth minute cross from Eddy away, and Kristie Mewis completed the clearance. Dowie had a long shot in a Boston counterattack, going wide right, all after Kallman blocked a Hinkle cross. Dowie shot another one from a closer range but wider angle, and this also went wide right. King had a long free kick that D'Angelo bobbled under pressure from Kristie Mewis, but D'Angelo handled it. King took a yellow card for a foul on Western New York's Makenzy Doniak in the sixtieth minute. Stout punched away Kennedy's free kick. Schillgard and King helped to clear a Doniak cross in the sixty-second minute. Boston relieved the pressure after Hinkle's errant cross for Western New York. Hinkle did a free kick in the sixty-fifth minute, going for Doniak, but her header was over the bar. Doniak won a corner kick off of King, which the Flash's Dahlkemper took. It bounced to Kennedy, who flicked it back into the hands of Stout. Dahlkemper had a free kick in the sixty-sixth minute for Erceg, who sent it wide right. In the sixty-eighth minute, Beckmann fouled Samantha Mewis, earning the Breakers forward a yellow card. Salem cleared the free kick, and Hinkle's second effort found Zerboni, but the Breakers cleared it out for a corner kick. Dahlkemper went long and over all the players in the box. Salem cleared Eddy's return service in the sixty-ninth minute. Doniak managed a seventieth minute shot off of a McDonald throw, going wide left. Doniak started another attack that ended with Samantha Mewis' deflected shot for another Flash corner kick. Stout caught the set piece from Dahlkemper. Engen kept McDonald's flicked header away from Doniak in the seventy-second minute. Simon rifled a shot into the box in the seventy-sixth minute, grabbed by D'Angelo. Later in the minute, Doniak corralled a ball, and found Williams, who fired a shot just under the bar and in to tie the game at 2 for Western New York. In the seventy-seventh minute, Kristie Mewis served a Boston corner kick in, and King knocked it back to Salem, who shanked her shot. Kristie Mewis served it back in, and D'Angelo grabbed it. Dahlkemper's seventy-ninth minute free kick was caught by Stout. Simon tried to set up Dowie or Brittany Ratcliffe on the counterattack, but the Flash recovered and cleared it. King cleared a McDonald throw, and Zerboni had an off-target shot in the eighty-fourth minute. King surrendered a corner kick after Hinkle's cross in the eighty-seventh minute. Dahlkemper served it in, but King cleared it, and Schillgard completed the clearance. Doniak got into space on an Eddy long ball, and crossed it into Williams, whose header was just in range of Stout, and she held it just in front of the line in the ninetieth minute. Doniak then took a long shot that Stout palmed over the bar. The Flash took the corner kick from Dahlkemper to Samantha Mewis, who sent it wide right. Kallman cleared a Hinkle cross in stoppage time. Doniak put another ball in that was cleared. Hinkle's third service was caught by Stout as the Breakers are just trying to hold on. Eddy tried a shot on a McDonald throw that was blocked. Simon headed a late free kick away, and Hinkle put it back in, but Stout grabbed it while colliding with McDonald. The game ended at 2-2, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being Dowie. Impressing in the second half for the Flash was the sub winger Doniak, and for the Breakers, RW Kristie Mewis.

At the same time, the Washington Spirit welcome the Seattle Reign FC. Haley Kopmeyer and Kelsey Wys are in the six-yard boxes. The game can be found here. Seattle's Beverly Yanez tried to pick out Nahomi Kawasumi with a first minute cross, but it didn't work out. Shelina Zadorsky of Washington blocked a Kawasumi shot in the second minute, followed by a wide Merritt Mathias half-shot for the Reign. Cali Farquharson went down hurt earlier in the play, and was replaced by Crystal Dunn after what appeared to be a leg injury. Caprice Dydasco tried to find Francisca Ordega in the seventh minute caught her offside to nullify a fledgling Spirit attack. Kendall Fletcher of Seattle headed a Dunn cross out to give Washington a corner kick. Christine Nairn served it in for Estelle Johnson, but the Reign's Jess Fichlock did enough defensively. The Spirit saw some trouble with staying onside, as Nairn's pass was too late for Cheyna Williams, catching her offside. Dunn fouled Seattle's Kim Little for a good eleventh minute free kick. Kawasumi took it, and Dydasco cleared for the Spirit. A twelfth minute Keelin Winters ball didn't find Kawasumi, ending a Seattle attack. Yanez had a low cross that Manon Melis flipped up over the bar for the Reign in the fourteenth minute. Zadorsky blocked a cross from Rumi Utsugi to Fishlock in the fifteenth minute. Winters cleared a Dunn shot in the twenty-first minute. Nairn had a long shot that Kopmeyer saved as the Spirit build some offense. Fishlock made a steal from Nairn in the twenty-fourth and shot wide right after a bit of a run. Diana Matheson sent a ball to Dunn in the box in the twenty-sixth minute after a long series of Washington passes, winning a corner kick off of Dunn's deflected shot. Nairn took it for Johnson, who collided with Yanez, who remained down after the play. Fishlock knocked a ball away from Williams in the twenty-ninth minute for another Spirit corner kick. Nairn's service this time went for Zadorsky, but Yanez headed it back out. Nairn tried again, going for Dunn short, and she got it back for a cross that Kopmeyer caught. Lauren Barnes blocked a Dunn shot in the thirtieth minute, with Washington holding Seattle under siege. Fletcher blocked a Dunn shot in the thirty-first minute. Alyssa Kleiner stole a pass from Winters to Yanez in the thirty-third minute. Johnson of the Spirit blocked a Little through ball. Kleiner surrendered a corner kick to keep the ball away from Melis in the thirty-sixth minute. Seattle's set piece came from Kawasumi, who went give and go with Barnes but Williams blocked and cleared for the Spirit. Dydasco cleared a Yanez through ball in the thirty-ninth minute. Ordega saw a shot blocked by her teammate Nairn, killing Washington's attack after Dunn managed to get it to Ordega past Utsugi. Mathias fouled Williams in the box in the forty-first minute, creating a penalty kick for Washington. Nairn took it but shot wide right of goal, wasting the chance. Utsugi got a cross in the forty-fourth minute, but it went through everyone and Dydasco cleared it for the Spirit. Zadorsky headed away another Utsugi cross in the forty-fifth minute. Kawasumi's stoppage time cross was blocked by Zadorsky. Williams went around many Reign defenders to produce a shot, but Kopmeyer made a diving grab after the Spirit strung many passes together. Winters found Little on the other side, who got around Dydasco, but Wys picked it up safely for Washington. Fishlock sent a shot wide left on the next Reign attack. Nairn found Dunn on a free kick, and she rocketed a long shot into the top left corner to make it 1-0 Spirit right before the half. This was the last kick of the half. The best Reign performances have come from GK Kopmeyer, LB Utsugi, CB Fletcher, DM Winters, RW Fishlock, LW Little, and LF Yanez. For the Spirit, RB Dydasco, CBs Johnson and Zadorsky, LW Nairn, RF Dunn, and CF Williams have done the best work. Utsugi's cross was blocked out by Zadorsky, and Kawasumi's effort was blocked in the forty-seventh minute after trying for Melis. Yanez and Fishlock combined in the forty-eighth minute, with Fishlock's odd-angle shot saved by Wys. Zadorsky twice blocked Kawasumi's efforts for Fishlock in the forty-ninth minute. Yanez deflected a Kleiner cross in the fifty-first minute, giving Washington a corner kick. Nairn took this one for Williams, whose header was well off the mark. Melis allowed Fishlock to send one forward, falling to Yanez before a foul by Seattle ended the play in the fifty-third minute. Barnes headed away a Nairn free kick in the fifty-fourth minute, and Fishlock's long ball was too much for Melis. A fifty-sixth minute shot from Dydasco was handled by Kopmeyer. Utsugi found Zadorsky on a free kick, but Zadorsky shut it down for Washington. Megan Rapinoe saw a cross deflected in the fifty-ninth minute. Little found Kawasumi on a cross in the sixtieth minute, but the header went straight to Wys after a nice buildup with Fishlock and Rapinoe. Dunn got around Utsugi in a sixty-first minute battle, shooting on goal. Kopmeyer couldn't keep hold on the ball, and Williams put it away to make it 2-0 for the Spirit. Rapinoe had a sixty-fourth minute shot for Seattle, going high over the bar. At the sixty-six minute mark, lightning struck in the area, delaying the rest of the game. The delay lasted approximately the minimum thirty minutes. Nairn had a deep sixty-seventh minute shot go wide left. Fishlock caught Rapinoe offside with a through ball in the sixty-ninth minute. Utsugi had a cross catch Nairn in the hand in the box, giving the Reign a penalty kick in the seventieth minute. Little stepped up for the spot kick, roofing it to the top left to cut the deficit to 2-1, still favoring Washington. Yanez had a looping seventy-second minute shot caught by Wys. Rapinoe tracked down a Fishlock ball in the seventy-third minute but her ensuing cross was too long for sub Kiersten Dallstream. Fletcher of the Reign received a yellow card for a foul on Ordega in the seventy-fourth minute. Nairn's free kick proved a bit weak and the Reign cleared. Utsugi was fouled by Joanna Lohman in the seventy-fifth minute, giving Seattle a good free kick chance. Rapinoe went for goal, but Wys saved it. Little had a cross for Kawasumi, but Dydasco headed it away in the seventy-eighth minute. Johnson and Lohman stopped Rapinoe and Utsugi on the next Seattle attack. An eightieth minute Dydasco cross was cleared by Fletcher. Barnes blocked a Williams shot in the eighty-first minute, giving the Spirit a corner kick as it went out. Nairn took this corner Sigvardsen, but Fishlock cleared it out. Utsugi's cross was cleared by Dydasco as far as Fishlock, whose shot deflected out for a corner kick. Barnes took this one for Rapinoe, but Sigvardsen and Johnson combined to clear it. Dunn's eighty-sixth minute shot was punched away by Kopmeyer. In the eighty-eighth minute, Little won a corner kick off of Johnson after some official interference. Rapinoe went for Fishlock low, but it got through to Wys. Utsugi won a corner kick off of Dydasco. In the ninetieth minute, Barnes served in the set piece for Elli Reed of Seattle, but Ali Krieger cleared it for the Spirit. Rapinoe took a free kick from way out in stoppage time, saved by Wys. The game ended at 2-1, with Dunn the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for her goal and assist.

The third game in the early kickoffs features Sky Blue FC hosting the Orlando Pride. Ashlyn Harris and Caroline Casey draw the starts in goal. This is the game link. Alex Morgan of Orlando took a long ball from Monica in the third minute, but Christie Rampone of Sky Blue cut out the play. Natasha Kai headed a ball for Sam Kerr on a Sky Blue attack, but Kaylyn Kyle and Josee Belanger of the Pride covered it in the fourth minute. Maddy Evans of Orlando produced a cross off a pass from Jamia Fields in the seventh minute, and Casey caught it over Morgan's head to start the Sky Blue attack. Fields, Evans, and Morgan combined again for Orlando, with Morgan's shot blocked by Kristin Grubka, and Casey pounced on the ball in the eighth minute. Sarah Killion of Sky Blue had a ninth minute free kick for Maya Hayes, who nearly got it to Leah Galton, but Cami Levin of the Pride cleared it. Erica Skroski made a steal from Witteman to disrupt an Orlando attack in the eleventh minute. Skroski blocked a Morgan cross in the twelfth minute. Sky Blue's Kerr made a steal from Evans, but her pass to Kai was poor, and Harris picked it up for Orlando. Kai continued to press Kyle on the next play, with the ball coming to Kerr, whose shot was wide left. Grubka and Rampone made blocks on forward balls from Monica and Kristen Edmonds of Orlando. The Pride continued to control the pace of play in the nineteenth minute, ending with Skroski fouling Witteman out wide for a free kick. Edmonds served this one in for Morgan, but Hayes got there first. The ball bounced around in front of Casey on a second service, with Evans poking at it before Casey finally covered it. Edmonds set up Morgan for a shot, but Rampone blocked it. Edmonds then had a shot, which Casey knocked down and Simon cleared in the twenty-first minute. In the twenty-third minute, Evans went long for Morgan, who blazed past Sky Blue's Grubka and fired it into the lower right corner for a 1-0 Pride lead. Galton led a Sky Blue attack in the twenty-fourth minute, cutting back to pass to Kerr, whose shot went high. Galton sent a ball forward for Kerr in the twenty-fifth minute, but it ran long and into the hands of Harris. Killion blocked an Edmonds free kick in the twenty-eighth minute. Hayes sent a cross into the box that nearly proved dangerous as Kyle and Harris had a minor run-in, but Harris lunged and covered it before Kerr got there. Morgan kept a ball in bounds with a lot of hustle against Simon after Dani Weatherholt's long ball for Orlando. Kai and Grubka combined to clear a Fields cross in the thirty-fourth minute. Kerr tried a long shot in the thirty-sixth minute, which didn't challenge Harris. Levin fouled Hayes on the next Sky Blue attack, producing a thirty-seventh minute free kick. Killion went for Kai, which Harris punched away just in time, and Kerr's second effort was also blocked by Evans of the Pride. Hayes had a cross off of Monica in the thirty-eighth minute, earning a corner kick for Sky Blue. Galton went to Grubka, who popped it up and it eventually game to Rampone, who sent it wide left among many Orlando players. Kyle cleaned up Taylor Lytle's cross for Sky Blue, sending it away from the Pride net. Hayes poked a ball off of Monica on a shot in the fortieth minute, earning another corner kick. Galton went for Kai, who headed it over the bar. Edmonds tried to pick out Morgan, but Grubka made one tackle cleanly and a second illegal one on Evans to give Orlando a dangerous free kick in the forty-third minute. Edmonds took the kick for Monica, but Hayes stole it away and started the counterattack. Hayes flicked a ball for Galton, but Harris got there first in stoppage time. Hayes had one more cross that Harris grabbed to end the half with a 1-0 Pride lead. Impressing for Orlando are the CB Monica, DM Evans, ACM Edmonds, LF Witteman, and CF Morgan. For Sky Blue, the top players have been LB Simon, CB Rampone, DM Killion, RW Hayes, and RF Kerr. Belanger took out a Grubka through ball for Galton in the forty-seventh minute. Killion put a free kick in for Kai in the forty-eighth minute, but a foul was called in the scrum. Kyle blocked a Kai cross in the forty-ninth minute. Kai had a second try for Galton, who missed on the header attempt. Galton got a ball and ran into the box, forcing Harris into a save, and Kai's shot on the rebound went wide left in the fiftieth minute. Edmonds set up Fields in the fifty-fourth minute for a long shot that went wide right. Kerr tried to work a give-and-go with Hayes, but Kyle interrupted the return pass in the fifty-sixth minute. Sky Blue had a spurt of possession, with Kerr, Galton, and Hayes combining on a series of crossing tries disrupted by Belanger and Monica. Edmonds had a fifty-ninth minute free kick, going for Kyle, but it didn't work. Fields brought it back in for the Pride, drawing another free kick closer to goal. Morgan went for goal on this one, firing it over the goal. Skroski made a big tackle on Jasmyne Spencer of Orlando as she worked into the box. Fields sent the header wide as the cross came to her. Skroski's sixty-fourth minute pass to Kai caught her offside. Kai set up Hayes for a great chance, as Hayes went through many Pride defenders, shooting just over the bar between two other players. Hayes passed to Kerr in the seventieth minute, and Kerr's shot was caught by Harris. Spencer's seventy-first minute shot was caught by Casey after a give-and-go with Morgan to build the Orlando offense. Kyle blocked a Skroski cross in the seventy-second minute, and Sky Blue couldn't recover for a cross afterward on that attack. Weatherholt surrendered a corner kick to Sky Blue in the seventy-third minute. Galton's service went to Kai, but she sent it wide left. Galton's deflected cross was cleared by Evans in the seventy-fourth minute, followed by Killion's through ball that Harris covered to protect Orlando's net. Kai then fired a long shot that Harris saved. Belanger sent a ball in for Orlando's Sarah Hagen, who headed it on top of the net in the seventy-sixth minute. Fields fed Morgan for a seventy-seventh minute shot, but Morgan went wide left despite it getting beyond Casey. Galton found Kai for a shot, which Monica blocked in the seventy-eighth minute as the pace picks up again. Skroski's cross for Sky Blue was caught by Harris without a teammate around. Edmonds took a free kick to Spencer, who crossed it in a position where Casey had to palm it away. Sky Blue tied it in the eighty-first minute after Kerr flipped a ball to Hayes, who went one-on-one with Harris, who saved the first shot that produced a rebound for Kerr to put away for the equalizer. Simon gave up an eighty-second minute corner kick to the Pride. Edmonds took this near to the goal, which Casey palmed on top of the goal. Edmonds took it from the other side in the eighty-third minute, serving it in where Casey punched it out and Nikki Stanton of Sky Blue cleared it. Grubka got just enough in the way of a Morgan shot in the eighty-fourth minute, giving Orlando another corner kick. Edmonds went short and it was out for another try, which was sent toward Kyle but punched out by Casey. Weatherholt tried a shot from range, but that went over the goal. Kerr nearly had a steal in the midfield, and then nearly capitalized on a slow back pass from Monica to Harris. Monica blocked one Kai pass in the eighty-seventh minute, and Galton's cross was sent away by Monica as well. Rampone made a big run in the eighty-ninth minute, broken up by Kyle. Spencer had a ninetieth minute shot bounce off of teammate Lisa de Vanna to nullify a Pride attack. Skroski blocked Edmonds' free kick in stoppage time. Kerr sent a shot wide left in the ninety-second minute. Spencer got free for a shot that Casey saved off her face and Grubka went full bicycle-kick to clear it out. Raquel Rodriguez nearly got a shot off, but Levin broke it up well enough for the Pride. Edmonds tried to find Hagen, with a rebound falling to de Vanna, who sent it wide right. Kerr had a shot deflected and a cross out of bounds in the final play of the game, with the game ending at 1-1. Kerr was the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. Impressing in the second half was the LF Kai of Sky Blue.

An hour later, the Chicago Red Stars bring in FC Kansas City. Nicole Barnhart and Alyssa Naeher protect the nets. The game was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. I'll attach a link here if/when it's published on YouTube.

Finally, the Portland Thorns FC host the Houston Dash. Lydia Williams and Michelle Betos protect the nets. Here's the game. Portland had an early chance in the first minute with a Katherine Reynolds cross into Christine Sinclair, who headed it over the bar. Emily Menges of the Thorns did well to hold off Janine Beckie of Houston in the second minute. Emily Sonnett of Portland blocked on cross from Kealia Ohai of the Dash, and the second one was too strong for Beckie to track down, ending the Dash attack. Becca Moros of Houston had a dangerous pass to Cari Roccaro, as Tobin Heath crashed for it but couldn't quite get there to produce a chance for the Thorns. Nadia Nadim's seventh minute cross was defended by Morgan Brian of Houston. Roccaro and Moros made some defensive mistakes in the tenth minute, with Portland's Nadim bearing down. Nadim managed a shot that Williams saved at the near post. Brian blocked a cross from the Thorns' Meghan Klingenberg in the twelfth minute. Reynolds, Sonnet, and Allie Long combined in defense for Portland to prevent Ohai from taking a shot. Andressa of the Dash took a thirteenth minute shot from range, going over the bar. Heath's fourteenth minute shot went straight to Dash keeper Williams. Cami Privett blocked Heath off the ball, springing Carli Lloyd for Houston's attack. Denise O'Sullivan eventually got a shot, saved by Betos in front of the Thorns goal. Andressa's through ball for Beckie was intercepted by Klingenberg. Sinclair received a long ball, going against Privett, who blocked it enough for Williams to clear. Beckie won a corner kick off of Klingenberg. The seventeenth minute service from Andressa went for Brian and then Poliana, but Nadim took it away for the Thorns to end the threat. Lloyd teed up an eighteenth minute shot that went high. The quality of chances has dropped a bit in recent minutes. Roccaro cleared a Reynolds cross in the twentieth minute. Beckie ripped a long shot that grazed the top of the net in the twenty-fourth minute. In the twenty-sixth minute, Long scored on a Heath free kick that Heath herself drew, making it 1-0 for Portland. Long scored on a floating header going over Williams and into the net. Klingenberg's twenty-seventh minute cross was caught by Williams. Andressa tried a through ball to Lloyd on the counter attack, which went too long as Sonnett covered Lloyd. Heath challenged Williams with a twenty-eighth minute cross, but Williams caught it. Brian's deflected cross in the thirtieth minute went to Betos, the Thorns keeper. Heath's thirty-first minute free kick went to Amandine Henry, but the Dash stayed strong to clear it. Horan set up Sinclair for a pair of shots, the first saved by Williams and the second dinging out off the post. Andressa passed out wide for Ohai, whose weak cross was cleared by Sonnett. Klingenberg won a corner kick off of Houston's Poliana. Heath's corner kick in the thirty-fourth minute went to low for Nadim, cleared by Poliana. Moros cleared a Heath cross in the thirty-fifth minute. Both teams began to slow the pace of play in their attacks later in the half. Ohai won a corner kick in the thirty-ninth minute, deflecting her cross out off of Menges. Andressa served it in for Privett, who headed it out wide. Lloyd tried a forty-first minute through ball for O'Sullivan, but it was too fast and Betos grabbed it. Privett cleared a Reynolds cross in the forty-third minute. O'Sullivan fouled Long, producing a Thorns free kick in the forty-fourth minute. Sinclair took this for goal, blocked by Lloyd in the wall and Poliana on the second shot, before hitting Horan's hand to end the Portland offense. Heath sent a forty-fifth minute cross just over Nadim's head. Beckie made a bad pass, which went to Sinclair, and Long got free for a shot that Williams saved. This produced a corner kick, taken by Heath in stoppage time. The Dash cleared, and the score favored the Thorns 1-0 at halftime. Houston's best players were the GK Williams, CB Roccaro, DCM Brian, RW Andressa, and LF Ohai. Portland saw good efforts from RB Reynolds, CB Sonnett, DM Long, RW Nadim, LW Heath, and striker Sinclair. Andressa found Ohai in the forty-sixth minute, and she waltzed into the box, but the Thorns shut her down as a team. Ohai sent another cross in that Klingenberg had to clear. Nadim had a forty-eighth minute shot roll out wide right after the Thorns made a series of quick passes on a sharp counterattack. Ohai's forty-ninth minute cross went too long for any Dash teammates to track it down. Sinclair put a fifty-first minute cross in for Horan that Williams just got to in time. Nadim's fifty-second minute pass to Heath was intercepted by a diving Williams just in time. Lloyd took the free kick, going for goal and sending it way over the net. Lloyd saw a pass blocked by Menges and cleared by Klingenberg, all coming after a long run by Lloyd. Horan had two chances blocked, the first from Roccaro and the second from Moros in the fifty-fourth minute. In the fifty-sixth minute, Heath took a Thorns free kick for Sonnett, which popped up and was caught by Williams. Nadim and Sinclair started a fifty-seventh minute counterattack, ending on Horan's high shot. Horan ripped a fifty-eighth minute shot that Williams needed to dive to save. Moros found Rachel Daly in the sixtieth minute, but the Houston sub tripped and lost possession to the Thorns. A sixty-second minute Klingenberg cross went straight to Williams. Daly's sixty-third minute cross deflected straight to Betos. Roccaro and Brian combined to block a Nadim run in the sixty-fourth minute. Henry had a sixty-fifth minute shot wide right with a mishit. In the sixty-sixth minute, Heath crossed a ball in front of goal, and Sinclair's first shot was blocked by Williams, while the second was blocked out. Lloyd cleared Heath's corner kick. Long cleared a Beckie cross away from Lloyd in the sixty-ninth minute. Portland's Hayley Raso had a cross cleared by Privett on the counterattack. In the seventy-first minute, the Thorns went from back to front with Menges, Horan, Klingenberg, Heath, and then Long getting touches during the sequence. Long used a couple of touches to get set and bury the shot in the corner to make it 2-0 for Portland. The Thorns went right back at the Dash, but couldn't produce a shot in the seventy-third minute. Horan corralled a long ball from Long, finding Sinclair, whose shot was off target. Daly and Beckie combined for a shot attempt, with Beckie's hit going just wide left with a slight lack of curve. Heath won a corner kick off of Poliana in the seventy-fifth minute. Heath served it for Henry, but Beckie emerged with it. Privett just poked away a Raso header after Klingenberg's cross coming from Heath's mind games in the corner in the eightieth minute. Daly put a ball on goal, with Lloyd getting the ball and Betos tangled in her feet before Sonnett cleared it out for a corner kick. Meleana Shim cleared the Andressa corner kick. Shim just slid in to break up Daly's pass for Lloyd in the eighty-seventh minute. In the ninetieth minute, Klingenberg set up Sinclair with a free kick service that Williams misplayed and Sinclair poked home to make it 3-0 Thorns. Chioma Ubogagu of the Dash had a free kick in stoppage time, defended well by the Thorns. The game ended at this score after Lloyd's weak service into the box was grabbed by Betos. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was Long. The LB Klingenberg of Portland and LW Lloyd of Houston earned honorable mentions for second half work.

I am awaiting an upload of Chicago v. Kansas City to finish this post.

KHL2016/17 - Day 17

After the one-day break in memory of the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster, the KHL is back with seven games today. We begin with...

Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosting Dinamo Riga. Jakub Sedlacek and Vasily Koshechkin are in goal. Magnitogorsk opened in the first period with a Chris Lee power play goal, powered by Sergei Mozyakin. Riga tied it with a Mikelis Redlihs goal in the second period, assisted by Georgijs Pujacs and Guntis Galvins. Metallurg took the lead back on a Wojtek Wolski power play goal in the third period, guided in by Mozyakin and Jan Kovar. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Wolski, Koshechkin (23 for 24 in saves), and Mozyakin.

Next up, Salavat Yulaev Ufa welcomes Jokerit Helsinki. Riku Helenius and Niklas Svedberg are the masked men. Ufa got going in the second period with a Teemu Hartikainen power play goal, powered by Linus Omark and Andreas Engqvist. Helsinki tied it on a Mika Niemi goal, passed from Arturs Kulda. Jokerit took the lead with a Tommi Huhtala goal in the third period, coming off of Brian O'Neill and Oliver Lauridsen. Salavat Yulaev tied it again with another Hartikainen goal, fueled by Engqvist and Omark. Helsinki took the lead back with an unassisted Huhtala goal. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Huhtala, Hartikainen, and Engqvist, while Omark gets an honorable mention.

To the west, Lada Togliatti brings in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Alexei Murygin and Edgars Masalskis are between the pipes. Yaroslavl started in the first period with an Alexander Kadeikin power play goal, powered by Daniil Apalkov and Denis Mosalyov. Togliatti tied it on an Alexander Bumagin power play goal, made possible by Nikita Filatov and Kristaps Sotnieks. Lokomotiv took the lead back in the second period on an Apalkov goal, via Pavel Kraskovsky. Lada tied it with an Anton Shenfeld power play goal in the third period, assisted by Georgy Belousov. Lokomotiv won 3-2 with an Andrei Loktionov shootout tally. The three stars were Apalkov, Kadeikin, and Loktionov.

Continuing along, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hosts Vityaz Podolsk. Igor Saprykin and Ville Kolppanen are the goalies. Podolsk dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Mario Kempe goal, assisted by Alexei Kopeikin and Miro Aaltonen. Nizhnekamsk tied it on a Richard Gynge goal, passed from Dan Sexton and Evgeny Ryasensky. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Sexton's lone tally gave Neftekhimik a 2-1 win. The three stars belonged to Sexton, Kolppanen (32 for 33 in saves), and Saprykin (39 for 40 in saves).

In Moscow, Spartak welcomes Admiral Vladivostok. Nikita Serebryakov and Markus Svensson are set to start in goal. Vladivostok struck first in the second period with a Robert Sabolic goal, assisted by Jonathon Blum and Dmitry Sayustov. Admiral added on with an unassisted Alexander Gorshkov goal. Moscow got on the board with a Yaroslav Dyblenko goal, passed from Maxim Potapov. This was as close as it got, with the final standing at 2-1. The three stars were handed to Serebryakov (26 for 27 in saves), Gorshkov, and Sabolic.

Backtracking to Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo brings in Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Ilya Proskuryakov guard the cages. Khabarovsk took the game 1-0 in overtime on a Teemu Ramstedt goal, helped along by Dmitry Kosmachyov and Nikita Kamalov. The three stars were awarded to Metsola (31 save shutout), Ramstedt, and Proskuryakov (20 for 21 in saves).

Finally, Ak Bars Kazan hosts Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Lazushin and Emil Garipov protect the nets. Kazan led off in the first period with a Jiri Sekac goal, assisted by Mikhail Sidorov and Justin Azevedo. Moscow tied it in the second period on an Ansel Galimov goal, coming off of Konstantin Gorovikov and Alexander Osipov. Ak Bars took the lead back in the third period with a Vladimir Tkachyov goal, courtesy of Andrei Chibisov and Artyom Lukoyanov. Kazan added on with an Anton Glinkin power play goal, powered by Stepan Zakharchuk. Ak Bars extended the lead as Azevedo scored, thanks to Sekac. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Sekac, Azevedo, and Garipov (25 for 26 in saves).

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MLS Midweek, September 7, 2016

Two games tonight on a Wednesday. We begin with...

The Montreal Impact hosting Orlando City SC. Joe Bendik and Evan Bush man the nets. Montreal started in the second minute with a Didier Drogba goal. Orlando City tied it in the fourth minute with a Brek Shea goal, passed from Carlos Rivas and Matias Perez Garcia. Orlando City took the lead with a Kaka goal in the thirty-sixth minute, via Rivas and Garcia. Shea of Orlando City took a forty-fifth minute yellow card for a foul. In the fifty-first minute, the Impact lost their goalie Bush to a red card for his denial of a goal scoring opportunity. Orlando City's Kaka capitalized on his fifty-fourth minute penalty kick, adding onto the lead against Eric Kronberg. Patrice Bernier of Montreal had a yellow card for dissent in the fifty-first minute as well. In the fifty-fifth minute, Servando Carrasco of Orlando City took a yellow card for a foul. In the seventy-seventh minute, Orlando City's Rivas scored to extend the lead, set up by Julio Baptista. Hernan Bernardello took a yellow card for an eighty-fourth minute foul for the Impact. Seb Hines of Orlando City took an eighty-ninth minute yellow card for a foul. The game ended 4-1, with the man of the match being Rivas for his goal and two assists.

The other game features Real Salt Lake hosting the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and Nick Rimando are in goal. Chris Wingert of Salt Lake took a yellow card for his foul in the second minute. Los Angeles opened with an Emmanuel Boateng goal in the sixth minute, courtesy of Giovani dos Santos. Kyle Beckerman of Real took a yellow card for a seventeenth minute foul. The Galaxy's Jeff Larentowicz received a yellow card for his twenty-fifth minute foul. Jamison Olave of Salt Lake took a yellow card for a foul in the twenty-seventh minute. Real tied it in the fifty-third minute with a Joao Plata penalty kick goal. Los Angeles took the lead back on a fifty-seventh minute dos Santos goal, assisted by Baggio Husidic. Luke Mulholland of Salt Lake was assessed a yellow card for persistent infringement in the sixty-second minute. The Galaxy extended the lead as dos Santos scored in the sixty-fourth minute. Real cut back with a Plata goal in the sixty-seventh minute, set up by Yura Movsisyan and Tony Beltran. In stoppage time, Juan Manuel Martinez scored with the help of Plata to tie it for Salt Lake. Los Angeles' dos Santos took a yellow card for dissent. The game ended in a 3-3 draw, with dos Santos the man of the match for his brace and assist for a road point.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 16

Today's schedule has eight games, making it a busy day. We begin with...

Traktor Chelyabinsk hosting Jokerit Helsinki. Ryan Zapolski and Vasily Demchenko are the goalies. Helsinki began in the first period with a Joey Hishon goal, via Tommi Huhtala and Juho Rautanen. Chelyabinsk tied it on a Kirill Koltsov goal, assisted by Maxim Yakutsenya and Igor Mirnov in the second period. Jokerit retook the lead on a third period Masi Marjamaki goal, courtesy of Mika Niemi and Sakari Salminen. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars given to Zapolski (40 for 41 in saves), Marjamaki, and Hishon.

Along to Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev welcomes Dinamo Riga. Jakub Sedlacek and Niklas Svedberg protect the nets. Riga got going in the second period with a Guntis Galvins power play goal, powered by Patrick Mullen. Dinamo added on with a power play goal by Colton Gillies, coming off of Mullen and Justin Shugg. Ufa got on the board with a Denis Kulyash power play goal in the third period, going in unassisted. Salavat Yulaev tied it as Enver Lisin scored a power play goal, with the help of Alexander Loginov and Igor Makarov. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Lauris Darzins and Pyotr Schastlivy lifted Riga to a 3-2 win over a lone tally from Teemu Hartikainen of Ufa. The three stars were Mullen, Gillies, and Galvins.

Westward to Togliatti, with Lada bringing in Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko and Ilya Ezhov are in the blue paint. Togliatti led off in the first period with a power play goal by Viktor Komarov, powered by Anton Shenfeld. Moscow tied it in the second period with a Martins Karsums power play goal, guided in by Juuso Hietanen and the goalie Yeryomenko. Lada won 2-1 with a Georgy Belousov shootout tally. The three stars went to Ezhov (27 for 28 in saves), Belousov, and Komarov.

Into Nizhnekamsk, with Neftekhimik hosting Medvescak Zagreb. Danny Taylor and Ivan Lisutin are the solid goalies. Zagreb opened in the first period with a Yann Sauve goal, made possible by Gilbert Brule and Mark Katic. Medvescak added on in the second period with an Alexandre Giroux goal, passed from Goran Bezina and Francis Pare. Nizhnekamsk got on the board with a Sergei Konkov power play goal, powered by the goalie Lisutin. Neftekhimik tied it on a Tomi Sallinen goal, assisted by Dan Sexton and Evgeny Ryasensky in the third period. In the shootout, Sexton had the lone goal to lift Neftekhimik to a 3-2 win. The three stars were Sexton, Sallinen, and Konkov.

Southwest to Sochi, with the Leopards welcoming Amur Khabarovsk. Alexander Pechursky and Konstantin Barulin receive the starting nods in goal. Sochi started in the first period with a power play goal by Igor Ignatushkin, powered by Ilya Krikunov and Oscar Fantenberg. The Leopards added on in the second period with a power play goal by Evgeny Skachkov, via Fantenberg and Andre Petersson. Sochi extended the lead as Andrei Kostitsyn scored a power play goal, thanks to Renat Mamashev. Evgeny Alikin took over for Pechursky in the Amur net. The Leopards padded the lead with an Ivan Zakharchuk goal, made possible by Mamashev and Mikhail Mamkin. Khabarovsk got on the board with a Vyacheslav Ushenin goal, courtesy of Vladislav Ushenin and Artyom Zub. Sochi replied with a Denis Tolpeko goal, fueled by Semyon Babintsev. The Leopards continued in the third period on a Skachkov goal, with a lone assist by Fantenberg, who got a sock trick. Sochi kept going with an Ilya Gorokhov goal, with a lone helper from Petersson. Amur got one back with a Kirill Kapustin power play goal, going in unassisted. The game ended at 7-2, with the three stars being Skachkov, Fantenberg, and Mamashev, while Petersson gets an honorable mention.

Into Moscow, where Spartak brings in Dinamo Minsk. Ben Scrivens and Markus Svensson are between the pipes. Moscow struck first in the first period with a Ryan Stoa goal, with a lone assist by Lukas Radil. Minsk tied it on an Evgeny Kovyrshin goal, assisted by Lukas Krajicek. Spartak took the lead with an unassisted Radil goal in the third period. Dinamo retied it with a power play goal from Andrei Stepanov, powered by Sergei Kostitsyn. Moscow regained the lead on a Stoa goal, via Yaroslav Dyblenko. Spartak iced it at 4-2 with a Maxim Potapov empty net goal, set up by Marcus Hogstrom. The three stars belonged to Stoa, Radil, and Svensson (19 for 21 in saves).

Down to Podolsk, where Vityaz hosts Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Kovar and Harri Sateri guard the cages. Cherepovets was first to score in the first period with an Igor Skorokhodov power play goal, powered by Alexander Yevseyenkov and Vitaly Sitnikov. Podolsk tied it on a Miro Aaltonen goal, passed from Mario Kempe. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Sitnikov was washed out by Vityaz's Alexei Kopeikin's pair of tallies, giving Vityaz the 2-1 win. Sitnikov, Kovar (40 for 41 in saves), and Sateri (30 for 31 in saves) received the three stars.

Finally, Ak Bars Kazan hosts CSKA Moscow. Ilya Sorokin and Emil Garipov tend the twines. Moscow dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Maxim Mamin goal, courtesy of Dmitry Kugryshev and Igor Ozhiganov on the power play. Kazan tied it with an Andrei Popov goal, via Mikhail Varnakov. CSKA took the lead back with an Alexander Popov goal, assisted by Bud Holloway. Moscow added on with a Kirill Petrov goal, with a lone assist by Alexander Popov. This produced the 3-1 final, with the three stars going to Alexander Popov, Sorokin (19 for 20 in saves), and Petrov.

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NWSL Week 17

All teams are in action for this weekend, beginning with two games on Saturday. The first is...

The Washington Spirit hosting the Western New York Flash. Sabrina D'Angelo and Kelsey Wys play goal. The game can be found here. Western New York had the first good chance in the second minute, as Abby Erceg went for Jessica McDonald, who dropped back to Lianne Sanderson. She whiffed on the shot, and it was poked away, but Samantha Mewis shot on goal and Wys made the save. Caprice Dydasco and Cheyna Williams combined to shut down Elizabeth Eddy in the third minute. Jaelene Hinkle put a ball into the box for the Flash, but Wys got there before McDonald. Christine Nairn set up Crystal Dunn of the Spirit for a nice shooting chance in the fifth minute, but it was off target despite beating D'Angelo with a deft touch. Western New York's Lynn Williams had a cross cleared by Washington's Megan Oyster in the sixth minute. The Flash had a frenzy after McDonald's throw-in but the defense stayed strong for the Spirit, ending the threat with a long one-bounce shot from Hinkle caught by Wys. Eddy won a corner kick off of Dydasco in the ninth minute. The Flash's set piece was served by Abby Dahlkemper, and Ali Krieger did well to clear it for the Spirit. Hinkle had a cross blocked by Estelle Johnson, and then Krieger was called for a handball in the tenth minute. Sanderson took the free kick, going for goal, but it went very long and out of bounds. Lynn Williams had an eleventh minute shot go wide left for Western New York. Hinkle took a pass from Dunn toward Katie Stengel to break up a Washington attack. Eddy stole a ball from Cheyna Williams in the thirteenth minute, and Alanna Kennedy sent the ball away to complete the Flash clearance. Dunn had a shot in the fifteenth minute deflected off of Erceg. On the counterattack, Western New York's Williams took a long ball from Mewis but lost control to Wys. The precision on offense dropped after the first quarter-hour. Johnson blocked a Dahlkemper direct ball in the twentieth minute to stall a Flash attack. A Dydasco turnover in the twenty-first minute was erased when Eddy lost control against Dydasco and Cheyna Williams. McDonald's twenty-second minute cross was picked up by Wys. Johnson blocked a Lynn Williams effort, and Dydasco blocked Sanderson's shot in the twenty-third minute, as Washington's defense holds strong once more. Tori Huster and Dydasco combined to shut down Erceg's effort on a McDonald throw in. Dunn built two attacks for Washington, the first ending with Dahlkemper clearing the ball away from Katie Stengel and the second producing a corner kick off of Hinkle. Nairn served it short for a give and go with Stengel. The second service found Joanna Lohman, who headed it wide left. Krieger had a cross cleared by Kennedy in the twenty-ninth minute. Dydasco cleared a Sanderson ball for McDonald as the Flash continue to control possession. Wys and Stengel combined to clear McDonald's throw-in attempt. Sanderson poked a ball forward, finding Lynn Williams, whose weak shot didn't challenge Wys. Dunn, Lohman, and Stengel combined for a shot in the thirty-fourth minute, with Lohman's knuckling shot falling enough for a save by D'Angelo. Nairn set up Dunn for a chance in the thirty-sixth minute, forcing D'Angelo into a diving save, with Hinkle finishing the clearance as Washington gets more comfortable late in the half. Mewis, McDonald, and Williams strung their play together, with Williams shot tipped aside on the ground by Wys. The Flash continued with a thirty-eighth minute sequence as McCall Zerboni made the steal against Stengel, and then she laid off a pass for Sanderson's shot that Wys tipped just off the bar for the save. Dahlkemper went to Kennedy, but Wys came up with the save on the Flash defender's header. Dunn and Cheyna Williams made a steal from Eddy, and she fouled Cheyna Williams while tracking back, giving Eddy a yellow card in the fortieth minute. Nairn took this free kick for Washington, going for goal and grazing the top of the net on her try. Hinkle had a forty-second minute cross for Western New York go way long. McDonald's throw in landed to Kennedy, who shot it high and over Wys' goal. Lynn Williams won a corner kick off of Dydasco in the forty-fourth minute. Dahlkemper took this one, which Krieger cleared. Eddy's second effort went high and wide. Mewis' cross in stoppage time was blocked out by Huster, and that ended the half, with the scoreline standing at 0-0. Impressing for the Flash are RB Eddy, LB Hinkle, DM Erceg, RW Mewis, ACM Sanderson, and RF McDonald. For the Spirit, the best play has come from GK Wys, CB Johnson, LB Dydasco, RW Lohman, LW Nairn, RF Dunn, and LF Cheyna Williams. Erceg fouled Cheyna Williams in the forty-sixth minute, setting up Nairn for a free kick. This went on goal, and D'Angelo caught it. Krieger cleared a mistake in the forty-eighth minute as Zerboni couldn't get on Lynn Williams' pass. Dydasco blocked an Eddy cross in the forty-ninth minute. Huster and Lohman cleared out a McDonald long throw-in. Dydasco deflected an Eddy cross in the fifty-first minute, making it easier for Wys to handle the ensuing weak shot. Krieger cleared a Dahlkemper free kick in the fifty-second minute after Mewis missed on it. Krieger had an iffy back pass, which Lynn Williams nearly got to. Wys cleared it off Oyster and out for a corner kick. Dahlkemper served this one for Kennedy, who headed it off the right post. Oyster cleared an Eddy cross, and then Sanderson and Lynn Williams also had efforts before Washington could settle from the danger. Mewis fired a shot wide right in the fifty-sixth minute for Western New York. Dunn's counterattack effort was thwarted by Hinkle. Zerboni had a header for the Flash that Wys saved in the fifty-eighth minute. McDonald had a fifty-ninth minute effort go wide left. Stengel got the ball in the sixty-first minute, steering her shot just wide left and low for the Spirit. Washington nearly had another good chance, as Nairn set up Stengel for another big play, forcing D'Angelo to poke a save that Eddy ultimately cleared away. Dunn's sixty-third minute cross was blocked and cleared by Hinkle. Dunn poked a ball around Hinkle in the sixty-fourth minute, setting Stengel up for a shot after she got around D'Angelo, and it found the side netting to make it 1-0 Washington. Mewis and Zerboni combined for a near chance that Oyster broke up in the sixty-seventh minute. Mewis tried to go through the defense, but the Spirit managed to clear it again. Lohman had to make a clearance after an amazing Eddy run into the box. Krieger surrendered a corner kick in the seventy-first minute. The Flash's Dahlkemper served in low and Nairn cleared it. Sanderson served it back in, but Dydasco and Oyster combined to protect the Washington goal against the likes of Mewis and Lynn Williams. Lynn Williams had a seventy-third minute shot saved by Wys. Johnson cleared against Williams as Western New York takes an attacking tilt. Mewis had shots blocked by Dydasco after Oyster cleared Hinkle's cross into a dangerous spot. Wys came way off her line in the seventy-fifth minute, deflecting the ball to the foot of Lynn Williams, who shot high over the empty net. Krieger headed down McDonald's throw in the seventy-sixth minute. The Spirit are starting to take a defensive shell. Johnson blocked two Williams shots in the seventy-seventh minute. Hinkle's cross in the eightieth minute was caught by Wys. Dahlkemper, McDonald, and Williams combined to set up Sanderson for a long and low shot going wide left in the eighty-first minute as the Flash continue to search for goals. Lohman cleared a McDonald cross in the eighty-second minute. Krieger surrendered a corner kick in the eighty-fourth minute. In the eighty-fifth minute, Diana Matheson took a yellow card. Dahlkemper took this one for Kennedy, and Nairn saved it off the line with her head. The Flash's Mewis scored in the eighty-sixth minute after Hinkle's service fell to her off of Johnson's head. Wys got her hands on the shot, but it trickled in anyway, tying the game at 1. Washington fought back with a Dunn shot saved by D'Angelo with her foot. Nairn served it in low and it never got to a teammate, rolling right back out of bounds. Dunn fouled Taylor Smith of Western New York, creating an eighty-ninth minute free kick in a dangerous spot. Hinkle centered it, and Kennedy tried for goal, but Lohman blocked it. Washington countered through Matheson and Dunn, but the attack was ended by Smith. Sanderson took a long range shot in the ninetieth minute that Wys saved. Dunn got the ball but lost it to Smith as the game reaches a fever pitch. Sanderson ripped a shot in stoppage time, grazing the top of the net off of Wys' hands. The corner kick from Dahlkemper went for Erceg, who put it wide. Johnson just blocked the ball away from McDonald after a Mewis through ball. Mewis just broke up a shooting chance for Dunn. Shelina Zadorsky and Krieger cleared the final Flash attack. The game ended 1-1, with Mewis the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match. The Spirit have clinched a playoff spot with the result. Also impressing in the second half were the CF Stengel of Washington and LF Williams for the Flash.

The other Saturday game features the Houston Dash welcoming the Orlando Pride. Ashlyn Harris and Lydia Williams are goalies. You can find the game at this link. In the third minute, Janine Beckie crossed in for Carli Lloyd, but Toni Pressley headed it out for a corner kick to deny the Houston opportunity. Andressa's service was harmless, falling near the top of the box. Monica of Orlando headed out a cross attempt from the Dash's Morgan Brian. Kealia Ohai and Brian danced around on top of the box against Cami Levin of the Pride, with Ohai's shot deflected out for a corner kick in the sixth minute. Andressa's service ended up out of bounds this time. Orlando built some offense in the eighth minute, going forward on a Kaylyn Kyle through ball to Sarah Hagen and then Alex Morgan. Eventually, Jasmyne Spencer fired the ball wide left. Houston's Beckie had a cross that Levin cleared across the front of her own net in the ninth minute, and Kyle completed the Pride clearance. Kyle sent another ball forward in the eleventh minute, but too long for Morgan or Spencer, and Williams claimed it for the Dash. Beckie won a corner kick off of Monica on a crossing attempt. Andressa took this one for Cari Roccaro, but Pressley headed it out. Ohai tried a twelfth minute shot that Harris saved. Andressa picked out a run for Denise O'Sullivan, but her cross was too close to Harris, who grabbed it for Orlando. Beckie had a long-range fourteenth minute shot, a bit weak as Harris saved it easily. Becca Moros took a ball off of Morgan's foot to disrupt Orlando's fifteenth minute attack. Ellie Brush then cleared it off of Roccaro, giving the Pride a corner kick. Pressley went for Kristen Edmonds as the short option, and the return pass caught her offside. Josee Belanger of Orlando had a cross bit too long, ending a spell of possession for the Pride. Monica knocked down an Ohai cross in the twentieth minute. Belanger won a corner kick in the twenty-first minute off of Moros. Kristen Edmonds took this one for Pressley, but the service was too high. Andressa ripped a twenty-second minute shot over the right corner of the goal, as Houston continues to have the bulk of the chances. In the twenty-third minute, Houston made something out of nothing, as Ohai corralled a ball and passed to Lloyd, who nearly got tripped and then sent it across goal where Beckie buried the goal for a 1-0 Dash lead. Ohai took a twenty-fifth minute shot, deflecting off of Kyle and out for a corner kick. Monica cleared the Andressa service. Andressa had a cross later, and Poliana headed it just wide for Houston. Morgan tried to find Hagen in the twenty-eighth minute, which Brian picked off and cleared for the Dash. Brian, Lloyd, and Beckie had a sequence of passes ending with Beckie bouncing the ball off of Pressley for a corner kick. Andressa's thirtieth minute service went to Brian, and then Beckie, and the Dash earned another corner kick. This one went for Brian, but Pressley cleared it away for Orlando. Morgan tried to pick out Spencer in the thirty-second minute, but Poliana intercepted it instead. Ohai had a cross that O'Sullivan flicked toward Beckie. It fell to Brian, whose shot was stopped by Harris of the Pride. Hagen and Morgan headed the ball along to Edmonds in the thirty-seventh minute and shot it off-target, one of the best Pride chances so far. Houston built a chance as O'Sullivan found Ohai, whose cross went long but was tracked down by Beckie. Her return cross was cleared by Pressley to stave off the danger. Beckie fired a forty-second minute shot just wide left. Ohai sent a cross toward Beckie, but Levin cleared it away in the forty-third minute as the Dash had another solid opportunity. Beckie's through ball for Lloyd was blocked by Kyle after O'Sullivan kept it in. Moros and Brush shut down Spencer and Morgan in the forty-fourth minute to nullify Orlando's attack. Roccaro had an odd clearance popped up in her own box, but Spencer was unable to beat Williams to the ball, as the Dash keeper ended the danger. Kyle cleared a Moros through ball in stoppage time. The game went into halftime at 1-0 for the Dash. Impressing for the Pride are the GK Harris, RB Levin, CB Kyle, ACM Edmonds, and LF Morgan. For Houston, the top efforts have been from RB Poliana, DCM Brian, ACM Andressa, RW Lloyd, LF Ohai, and RF Beckie. In the forty-seventh minute, Spencer won a corner kick. Edmonds took this for Monica, who nearly found Pressley on the flick-on, but Roccaro cleared it for Houston. Pressley surrendered a corner kick in the forty-eighth minute. Andressa served this for Roccaro, and it fell to Poliana. Her first shot was blocked but her second one found the back of the net, making it 2-0 for Houston. Ohai stole a ball from Dani Weatherholt of the Pride, and then ran into the box and shot wide and high right in the fiftieth minute. Orlando's Maddy Evans had a long shot caught by Williams. Lloyd made a nifty play in the fifty-third minute, finding Ohai, and her shot was just stopped by Harris, and then swept out of danger from Kyle. In the fifty-fourth minute, Moros crossed in for Lloyd, who headed wide left. Levin had a fifty-seventh minute cross picked by Brian. Beckie went long for Ohai, but Belanger and Harris cut it out first for the Pride to make the stop before Ohai could shoot. Brush conceded a corner kick in the fifty-eighth minute, giving Edmonds a set piece to serve in for Monica, but Brush headed it away. Belanger served it back in, and Brush was there again. Poliana lost the ball to Morgan in the sixtieth minute, but Brian tracked back and took it back for the Dash. Ohai set up O'Sullivan for a sixty-first minute shot, blocked by Monica. Ohai made it 3-0 Houston in the sixty-second minute, taking a sequence of passes from Lloyd and O'Sullivan and lacing a curling shot into the side netting beyond Harris. Edmonds took a sixty-fifth minute free kick, finding Monica, whose header went straight at Williams. Lloyd had a cross blocked by Kyle in the sixty-seventh minute. In the sixty-eighth minute, Lloyd fed Beckie for a shot, but Harris toe-poked it out for a corner kick. Andressa's set piece was cleared by the Pride's Becky Edwards. O'Sullivan won a seventieth minute corner kick. Ohai had a bit of a long cross in the seventy-second minute, going for Beckie. Edwards cleaned up a Beckie pass for Lloyd in the seventy-fifth minute. Roccaro fouled Morgan in the seventy-sixth minute, earning a yellow card for the Houston defender. Edmonds took the corner kick resulting from the play, cleared by Houston's Amber Brooks. Morgan fouled Brush in the seventy-eighth minute, and Morgan got booked on the yellow card this time. In the seventy-ninth minute, Brooks fouled Spencer as the crafty Orlando attacker worked toward the box. Brooks earned a yellow card for this foul. In the eightieth minute, Edmonds took the free kick, passing it to Morgan, and she buried it to cut it to 3-1, saving a bit of face for Orlando. The Pride seemed to gain some life after this. Cami Privett of the Dash had to surrender a corner kick to keep Spencer from the ball. Edmonds took the eighty-sixth minute set piece, but Privett cleared it partially. In the eighty-seventh minute, a broken play for the Pride led to an Edmonds goal to cut the deficit to 3-2. Kyle and Morgan helped to get the ball to Edmonds after Sam Witteman's shot was blocked. Ohai's cross was behind Beckie and poked away by Monica in the eighty-eighth minute. Privett broke up a run by Edmonds to stall an Orlando attack in the ninetieth minute. Brush cleared a Levin cross as the Pride search for a tying goal. In the fifth minute of added time after Edwards went off injured, Beckie set up Ohai for another goal, her second of the game as she got behind Monica, firing it in to make it 4-2 Dash. Lloyd tried to poke around the defense of Orlando, passing out wide to Ohai, whose shot this time went wide left. There was a corner kick, taken short as the Dash own possession to kill the game. Beckie took a shot seven minutes deep, bouncing it off of Levin and into Harris' hands. The game ended 4-2, with Ohai as the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for her brace. Also impressing in the second half was the CB Monica of the Pride.

Leading off with the first of three Sunday games, FC Kansas City hosts Sky Blue FC. Caroline Stanley and Nicole Barnhart are in the six-yard boxes. Here's the game link. Kansas City's Katie Bowen blocked a cross in the first minute against Sky Blue's Erica Skroski. Yael Averbuch of the Blues blocked a second minute Sam Kerr cross intended for Leah Galton in the second minute. Sarah Killion took the Sky Blue corner kick, grabbed by Barnhart. Bowen tried to find Tiffany McCarty in the fifth minute, but Skroski got there first for Sky Blue. Averbuch did a sixth minute free kick for Kansas City, going for goal but saved by Stanley, the Sky Blue keeper. McCarty tried to set up Caroline Kastor with a back heel in the seventh minute, but Christie Rampone had the disruption for Sky Blue. Kastor mishit a cross in the eighth minute that went too long and out of bounds for the Blues. Desiree Scott of Kansas City stole the ball from Taylor Lytle after a spell of Sky Blue possession.  McCarty almost found Shea Groom in the tenth minute, but Kristin Grubka sent it out for a corner kick. The Blues' set piece came from Heather O'Reilly, intended for Becky Sauerbrunn, but without a second contact. Averbuch had a second cross catch McCarty offside, ending the Blues attack. Kerr had a long cross go out of bounds in the fourteenth minute. Brittany Taylor of Kansas City had a cross that Stanley grabbed in the sixteenth minute. Groom took a shot a bit wide left in the nineteenth minute for the Blues. Averbuch found Taylor, who crossed for McCarty in the twenty-second minute, but this was stopped quickly by the Sky Blue defense. Sky Blue's Galton set up Kerr for a big shot in the twenty-third minute, but Barnhart was up to the task for the diving save. McCarty had a cross in the twenty-seventh minute, deflected out by Sky Blue for a corner kick. O'Reilly took this one, going straight to Stanley, who caught it easily. Nastaha Kai of Sky Blue was caught offside in the twenty-ninth minute. Kastor had a low cross in the thirty-first minute, which Stanley grabbed. Galton had a free kick for Sky Blue, going too long to be reached by either team. The Blues earned a free kick in the thirty-third minute from a Skroski foul on McCarty. O'Reilly went out of bounds, and the ball landed on the top of the net.Raquel Rodriguez of Sky Blue blocked an O'Reilly shot in the thirty-sixth minute. Simon blocked Taylor's shot in the thirty-seventh minute, keeping the Blues in control of the offense. In the fortieth minute, Simon set up Kerr for a shot outside the box, and she rocketed it in for a 1-0 Sky Blue lead. In the forty-third minute, O'Reilly fouled Galton, earning a yellow card for the Kansas City midfielder. Killion's free kick went to Kai, who shot it off the post, and then Kerr shot the rebound wide left in the forty-fifth minute. Taylor set up McCarty in stoppage time, and she headed it back in for Groom, who poked it just wide right of the target. Kansas City tied it on a McCarty goal in stoppage time on a pass from O'Reilly with a low shot, making it 1-1. This was the halftime score. Impressing for Sky Blue are LB Simon, CB Rampone, RB Skroski, and RF Kerr. For the Blues, the best play has come from LB Bowen, CB Averbuch, RB Taylor, DM Scott, LW McCarty, ACM O'Reilly, RW Kastor, and striker Groom. Lytle and Galton tried to make something in the forty-sixth minute, but Galton was caught offside. Grubka did well to disrupt a Kansas City attack on a Groom shot after O'Reilly tracked down a forward ball from Bowen in the forty-eighth minute. Lytle's shot was blocked by Averbuch on the other end after a cross from Kerr. Kerr saw another cross deflect but stay in bound and caught by Barnhart to give the Blues possession again. Lytle sent a fifty-second minute shot over the bar for Sky Blue. Kai sent a ball forward for Galton in the fifty-third minute, which Averbuch just disrupted enough to allow Barnhart to get to it. O'Reilly had a shot for the Blues, blocked by Sky Blue's Grubka. Taylor then had a second effort cross go too high for Kansas City to reach. Rampone broke up a shooting chance from Groom in the fifty-fifth minute, and both players went down hard but the referee let the game continue. Simon and Grubka blocked a pair of McCarty crosses in the fifty-seventh minute, leading to a Kansas City corner kick. O'Reilly served it in, and Kerr sent it away. Averbuch blocked and cleared Galton's fifty-eighth minute cross. Taylor and Averbuch managed to hold up Galton enough to keep her from crossing one in. Grubka and Skroski had a miscommunication, nearly leading to a shot for the Blues' Erika Tymrak. She ended up down on the ground, and needed some medical attention. Frances Silva replaced Tymrak, who was a substitute herself for Kastor previously. O'Reilly won a sixty-fourth minute corner kick off of Grubka, and they also had a hard collision. The service from O'Reilly was far out of bounds. Taylor's half-cross in the sixty-seventh minute was cleared by Killion. Grubka had to head out an O'Reilly cross for another Blues corner kick. Averbuch served this one for McCarty, but it was cleared by Sky Blue. Kansas City won another corner kick after Grubka was under pressure and had to send it out. Averbuch sent it to Groom in the seventieth minute, but her header was wide left. Kerr and Kai never combined, but Averbuch took it away from the Sky Blue forward in the seventy-second minute. Skroski just headed away a cross from McCarty, and then O'Reilly returned it, but Stanley made the grab to save the day for Sky Blue after Grubka blocked Groom. Laddish had a try over the bar in the seventy-fourth minute after a dropback pass from Groom. Scott blocked and stole the ball from Kerr in the seventy-fifth minute. On the other side, Simon stole the ball from McCarty after Scott passed it out wide. Kerr made a huge series of dribbles and won a corner kick off of Bowen in the seventy-seventh minute. Sky Blue's set piece was from Galton to Nikki Stanton, but the header was wide. Kerr ripped a seventy-eighth minute shot, saved by Barnhart. The corner kick from Killion was caught by Barnhart to end the Sky Blue attack. Stanton fouled O'Reilly in the eightieth minute, leading to a centrally-located free kick for Kansas City. Averbuch took it for goal and shot over the bar. In the eighty-third minute, Silva was fouled by Kai, who received a yellow card. This free kick was from a similar shot as before, and Averbuch took this one as well, finding the back of the net to make it 2-1 for the Blues in the eighty-fifth minute. Averbuch put it in the top right corner, fully out of reach of Stanley. Rampone had a low cross, looking for Kerr, but Averbuch sent it away in the eighty-seventh minute. Grubka had a broken clearance, and Groom's centering ball found Laddish, who had a heavy touch and lost it to Grubka in the eighty-ninth minute. Groom took a ball in the ninetieth minute but failed to fire a shot, as Stanley cut the angle down. The Blues saw the 2-1 win out, with Averbuch named Outsider Sports Woman of the Match for her stunning free kick to clinch in. Sky Blue saw improvements from CB Grubka and LW Galton in the second half.

In Chicago, the Red Stars bring in the Seattle Reign FC. Haley Kopmeyer and Alyssa Naeher are the goalies. You can find the game at this link. Seattle had the first chance, with Rumi Utsugi springing Beverly Yanez on the wing. Yanez went give-and-go with Manon Melis, but Yanez's shot was high and wide right. Merritt Mathias, Jess Fishlock, and Nahomi Kawasumi combined for a chance that ended with an off-target cross for the Reign. Yanez set up Melis in the fifth minute, and this time the Reign got a goal, going up 1-0. Melis' run between Danielle Colaprico and Sam Johnson was very tight and paid off for Seattle. Chicago's Stephanie McCaffrey was taken down by Fishlock, but it was clean and the Reign took over with a goal kick in the sixth minute. The Reign had a ninth minute free kick outside the box, taken by Lauren Barnes direct for goal, and she scored on the unexpected play to make it 2-0 Seattle. Mathias tried a cross in the twelfth minute on a give-and-go with Kim Little, but it went a bit too long. The Red Stars' Julie Johnston broke up an Utsugi through ball in the thirteenth minute, helping to disrupt Seattle's play. Kawasumi tried to find Yanez on a cross in the fourteenth minute, but Naeher was there with the grab for Chicago. Little set up Melis for a shot on the next Reign attack, but Naeher saved this one and Johnston cleared before Melis could track down the rebound. Arin Gilliland and Johnson combined to clear a ball away from Little after Melis' through ball in the seventeenth minute. Fishlock went long for Melis in the eighteenth minute, but Naeher came out to clear it away for the Red Stars. Sofia Huerta had a missed shot attempt in the twentieth minute, and then Chicago's Christen Press set up Vanessa DiBernardo for a shot on goal that Kopmeyer saved for Seattle. Cara Walls had a shot from in close against Kopmeyer, who saved it, and then McCaffrey's second try went wide right, marking the best Red Stars chance so far. Casey Short of Chicago crossed over Press and found Gilliland, whose shot was wide right in the twenty-fourth minute. Barnes cleared a ball from Johnston to Press in the twenty-sixth minute. Short won a Red Stars corner kick off of Kawasumi in the twenty-seventh minute. DiBernardo put the ball to the far post, finding Huerta, who headed it in and cut the deficit to 2-1, still favoring the Reign. DiBernardo had a long ball run a bit too long in the thirtieth minute. Kawasumi tried a thirty-first minute cross cleared by Johnston. Fishlock's shot bounced off of DiBernardo, earning Seattle a corner kick. Barnes took the set piece for Keelin Winters, but Johnston cleared, and Utsugi's second effort allowed the Red Stars to fully clear. Utsugi nearly found Melis in the thirty-third minute, but Naeher was there first. Mathias blocked a Walls pass to DiBernardo in the thirty-fourth minute as a frenzy of back-and-forth play continues. Kawasumi and Little combined to get a cross to Yanez, but she couldn't quite head it on goal. Fishlock had a thirty-sixth minute shot from distance saved by Naeher. Utsugi tried to cross into the box in the thirty-seventh minute, but Gilliland shut it down for Chicago. Johnston cleared a Mathias long ball in the thirty-ninth minute. Yanez had a forty-second minute shot, saved by Naeher, and then Naeher also blocked the spinning deflection rebound shot to deny the Reign forward. In the forty-third minute, Utsugi blocked away a Short cross. Gilliland blocked a Yanez shot from a Kawasumi cross after Johnston's header fell to Yanez in the forty-fourth minute. The game went into halftime at 2-1 for Seattle. Impressing for the Reign are the RB Mathias, CB Barnes, LB Utsugi, RW Fishlock, RF Kawasumi, CF Melis, and LF Yanez. For the Red Stars, their best efforts have come from CBs Johnston and Johnson, DM DiBernardo, RW Huerta, RF McCaffrey, and LF Press. Short had a forty-seventh minute cross caught by Kopmeyer. Short had a weak forty-ninth minute shot due to a Mathias foul, and this led to a Red Stars free kick. Press took the fiftieth minute set piece for goal, but went wide left. The second half has lacked the same frenetic pace as the first half, with much more midfield play. Utsugi had a cross in the fifty-fifth minute, finding Yanez for a header that Naeher dove and saved. Short's cross on the other side found Press, but the shot was slow and Kopmeyer saved it. Short danced around the left wing and into the box, with her low shot saved by Kopmeyer in the fifty-eighth minute. Barnes blocked a sixtieth minute shot by McCaffrey off of a Johnston free kick. Kawasumi found a spinning Little in the sixty-first minute, and she shot over the bar. Press got behind the defense and nearly around Kopmeyer in the sixty-second minute, but she hit the outside of the net. Johnston made a sliding break-up on Fishlock's pass for Melis in the sixty-third minute. McCaffrey and Press tried to give and go on the Chicago counterattack, but Kopmeyer broke it up. Press had a shot blocked by Seattle's Kendall Fletcher in the sixty-fourth minute, and then had another chance, with Kopmeyer getting just the fingertips on it. Chicago earned a corner kick, which DiBernardo served straight at Kopmeyer. Short cleared a sixty-eighth minute Utsugi long cross after a long Seattle spell of possession. Fletcher cleaned up a seventy-first minute ball forward for Press. Kawasumi found Utsugi for a cross in the seventy-second minute, but Utsugi shot over the goal. Kawasumi picked out Megan Rapinoe in the seventy-third minute, but Rapinoe's shot likewise went off-target as the Reign perform slow builds on their chances. Fletcher blocked a Press shot in the seventy-fourth minute. Short had a hard cross to McCaffrey, who poked it to Kopmeyer. Mathias fouled Short in the box in the seventy-eighth minute, giving the Reign defender a yellow card and a Red Stars penalty kick. Press took the penalty kick and scored, tying the game at 2. Mathias' eighty-first minute cross went straight to Naeher. Kawasumi and Fletcher combined to send a cross in, which Johnston cleared for Chicago in the eighty-third minute. McCaffrey curled a ball on goal that Kopmeyer saved in the eighty-fourth minute. Rapinoe flicked a ball on to Little in the eighty-fifth minute, but Johnston poked it away. Johnson cleared a Mathias cross as the Reign aren't making much of their chances. Mathias had a cross off of Johnson, which then hit the cross bar, and Rapinoe couldn't get anything on the shooting chance in the eighty-sixth minute as Gilliland blocked it. Short conceded a corner kick against Mathias, giving the Reign a set piece in the eighty-ninth minute. Barnes took it for Winters, and then Utsugi had some time on the ball, but Gilliland managed to help lead the clearance for the Red Stars. Colaprico cleared a ninetieth minute free kick from Kawasumi. The game ended at 2-2, with the Outsider Sports Woman of the Match being GK Naeher, whose many impressive saves helped the Red Stars stay in the game and earn the draw. The LB Short of Chicago impressed in the second half.

Finally, the Portland Thorns FC host the Boston Breakers. Libby Stout and Michelle Betos are the goalies. Here's the game. Portland's Meghan Klingenberg surrendered a corner kick in the second minute. Louise Schillgard took it for Boston, going for Kassey Kallman, but Betos punched it out. Katie Schoepfer of the Breakers put in a second ball, ending on a handball call. Nadia Nadim and Amandine Henry of the Thorns strung passes together, but the final pass caught Hayley Raso offside in the fourth minute. Schillgard saw a cross blocked by Klingenberg after a frenzy of Breakers passes. Kallman cleared a Katherine Reynolds forward ball for Portland in the seventh minute. Emily Sonnett of the Thorns blocked a shot from Kyah Simon of Boston. Stephanie Verdoia of the Breakers and Lindsey Horan of Portland had a battle in the eighth minute. Verdoia had a cross in the eleventh minute which Klingenberg headed out for a Breakers corner kick. Schillgard served it in, and Henry cleared it for the Thorns. Verdoia headed a cross to Natasha Dowie, and she fired wide left on Boston's best chance so far in the twelfth minute. Whitney Engen cleared a long ball by Sonnett to help the Breakers defense. Long went forward for Christine Sinclair in the fourteenth minute, and she won a corner kick off of Engen. This led to a goal, as Sinclair scored on Nadim's service after Sonnett pulled much of the Boston defense out of position. Raso had a seventeenth minute cross for Sinclair that Stout just grabbed in time. The Breakers' Kristie Mewis tried to go over the top, but Emily Menges cleared it for the Thorns. Julie King had a cross in the twentieth minute, catching Dowie just offside as Boston misses a chance. Nadim found Raso out wide, and she passed it along to Horan back on the left wing, but the play was ruled offside in the twenty-first minute as Horan put the ball away, leaving the score at 1-0. Schillgard went over the top for Dowie, but Sonnett shielded her off of the ball and Betos grabbed it. Schoepfer partially cleared a throw-in from Reynolds. It fell to Klingenberg, who found Horan, and she was blocked by Stout, with the rebound shot from Raso shot wide left in the twenty-fourth minute. Horan and Raso both had high crosses into the box in the twenty-fifth minute, and ultimately it ended in the hands of Stout. Dowie took a shot on the other side, with Betos punching it aside. Raso put Kylie Strom on the turf with a quick cut, and crossed to Horan, but her lazy pass was lost to Boston. Sinclair nearly caught Stout off her line in the twenty-eighth minute, but she put it out, and Raso's second try was caught by Stout as well. Mewis won a corner kick for the Breakers off of Long in the thirtieth minute. Mewis tried for Dowie but went a bit long, and Betos grabbed it at the back post. Strom intercepted a Sinclair pass to Raso after a long ball from Reynolds. Portland held some possession in the thirty-third minute, with Long finding Klingenberg, and she shot wide right to end the attack. Henry, Sinclair, and Horan combined for a thirty-sixth minute chance, but Sinclair's flick caught Horan offside. Raso put in a cross that Engen cleared in the thirty-seventh minute. Boston had a thirty-ninth minute free kick after Long fouled Strom. Mewis went for goal, shooting wide left with the mishit. Raso found Horan in the box, whose shot was knocked off Kallman's hand, earning a penalty kick for the Thorns. Nadim took this one in the forty-first minute, scoring to make it 2-0 by sending Stout the wrong way. King had a header on a free kick from Kallman, forcing Betos into the save. Nadim had a shot blocked by Engen, and then Horan had a second try when Kallman flubbed the clearance in the forty-fifth minute, but Stout palmed it aside. The game went into halftime at 2-0. Impressing for the Breakers so far are LB Strom, CB Engen, DCM Schoepfer, ACM Mewis, RW Schillgard, and RF Dowie. For the Thorns, the top players are GK Betos, CB Sonnett, DM Long, RW Raso, ACM Horan, LW Nadim, and striker Sinclair. Klingenberg did a forty-sixth minute free kick for Sinclair, whose flicked header ended up with Stout. In the forty-eighth minute, Portland made it 3-0 as Sinclair tracked down a ball from Reynolds and crossed it into the box. Nadim dummied the run, and this left Long open for a sharp goal. Simon had a shot blocked by Reynolds in the fifty-second minute after a flurry of Breakers touched the ball in the box on a Kallman free kick. Raso led the Thorns counterattack, but it didn't result in anything beyond alleviating the pressure. Raso won a free kick in the fifty-fifth minute against Strom. The Thorns' set piece came from Nadim, and she went for Henry, who headed it over the bar. Menges blocked a King cross out for a Breakers corner kick. Mewis took this one, going shot for Schillgard, and Reynolds blocked it. Verdoia was fouled shortly after, giving the Breakers a free kick. Mewis took it for goal in the fifty-eighth minute, going over the top left corner. Simon challenged Betos hard in the fifty-ninth minute, but the Thorns keeper cleared it. Klingenberg found Horan on the counterattack, and she nearly beat Stout, but a high ball over the defender gave Stout time to catch it. Simon put a shot on target in the sixtieth minute, saved by Betos. Klingenberg went long for Sinclair, who centered it in the sixty-first minute. Nadim dummied it, and Henry launched a rocket straight at Stout. King headed a Reynolds cross out in the sixty-third minute for a corner kick for Portland. Tobin Heath took this corner kick centrally, but it was cleared by Boston. Long, Horan, Heath, and Sonnett charged the goal on Reynolds' service, but Stout was there to cover it. Sinclair had a long cross in the sixty-fifth minute, too much for Nadim to get on. In the sixty-sixth minute, Long fed Nadim for a shooting chance, and Nadim ripped it off the bar. Heath tried to send another in, but Strom denied her. Long set up Heath in the sixty-seventh minute, but Heath put it over the bar on the half-volley. Long tried a shot that hit Meleana Shim in the sixty-eighth minute as the Thorns create a flurry of chances. Nadim crossed one in that Stout caught on the next Portland attack. A seventy-first minute Portland attack started by Klingenberg ended with Reynolds' cross that Stout caught. Heath lost the ball out in the seventy-third minute after Nadim, Sinclair, and Horan strung passes together on a crisp counterattack. Shim passed to Long, who tangled up with King but no call was made in the seventy-fifth minute, ending the Portland attack. Heath got around King on the next try, and she tried a shot but found the outside netting. Long got fouled by Boston's Eunice Beckmann, giving the Thorns a good free kick chance. Heath took this one for goal, but King blocked and cleared on consecutive touches. Dowie laid off a pass for Ghoutia Karchouni in the seventy-eighth minute, and she sent it over the bar. Long split between King and Karchouni in the seventy-ninth minute before finding Nadim, whose first shot was blocked by Stout but returned to her, allowing her to work around the keeper and score on the open net, making it 4-0 Portland. This is Nadim's second of the game as well. Karchouni slipped a ball through everyone and Betos sent it away in the eightieth minute. Shim headed a ball away from Beckmann in the eighty-first minute. Horan headed a King long throw out for a corner kick. Schillgard set this one up Beckmann, but Menges cleared it in the end. Boston had a free kick in the eighty-third minute, taken by Beckmann for King, who headed it in to cut the score to 4-1. Kallman had a free kick for King in the eighty-eighth minute, and she managed a shot on goal that Betos saved. Nadim fouled Engen in the ninetieth minute, and Nadim took a yellow card for the act. In stoppage time, Heath danced around Schillgard and had a big shot, saved by Stout. The rebound came to Nadim, who scored for her hat trick to make it 5-1, the eventual final. Dowie did have a shot after that, saved by Betos. The Outsider Sports Woman of the Match was Nadim, while second half stars were the Breakers' RB King and LF sub Beckmann, while the Thorns subs Heath and Shim looked good in their limited appearances.

Outsider Sports NWSL Best XI - Week 17

GK Michelle Betos
RB Poliana
CB Yael Averbuch
CB Lauren Barnes
LB Casey Short
DCM Allie Long
RW Samantha Mewis
LW Nadia Nadim
RF Janine Beckie
CF Christine Sinclair
LF Kealia Ohai

KHL 2016/17 - Day 15

Only three games today, beginning in...

China, as Kunlun Red Star Beijing hosts Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Tomi Karhunen are in goal. Beijing opened in the first period with an Anssi Salmela goal, via Miika Lahti. Vladivostok tied it on a Vladimir Tkachyov power play goal, powered by Andrei Sigaryov and Dmitry Sayustov. Kunlun Red Star took the lead back with a Vadim Pereskokov goal, passed from Oleg Yashin and Tobias Viklund. Beijing added on with a Max Warn power play goal, coming off of Salmela and Lahti. Kunlun Red Star extended the lead on an unassisted power play goal from Tuukka Mantyla in the second period. Nikita Serebryakov replaced Bobkov in goal. Beijing padded the lead as Warn scored again on the power play, with the help of Chad Rau. Admiral pulled back with a Sayustov power play goal, helped along by Ivan Glazkov and Sigaryov. Vladivostok got closer on a Sayustov goal, with assists provided by Tkachyov and Sergei Ilyin. Kunlun Red Star replied in the third period on a Salmela power play goal, courtesy of Warn and Lahti. This made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars given to Salmela, Warn, and Lahti, who had a sock trick. The honorable mentions included Tkachyov, Sigaryov, and Sayustov.

In Russia, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg welcomes Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Alexander Sharychenkov and Igor Ustinsky are the masked men. Khanty-Mansiysk began in the first period with an Evgeny Lapenkov goal, via Pavel Varfolomeyev and Denis Gorbunov. Yekaterinburg tied it on an Evgeny Chesalin goal, passed from Alexander Shchemerov. Avtomobilist took the lead on an Alexei Vasilevsky goal, coming off of Niclas Andersen and Chesalin. Ugra retied it in the third period with an unassisted Gorbunov goal. Khanty-Mansiysk stole the win with a late power play goal by Lapenkov, powered by Alexander Ugolnikov and the goalie Sharychenkov. The three stars of the 3-2 game were Lapenkov, Gorbunov, and Chesalin.

Finally Lokomotiv Yaroslavl brings in Sibir Novosibirsk. Alexei Krasikov and Alexander Sudnitsin protect the nets. Yaroslavl led off in the first period with a Stanislav Chistov goal, assisted by Pavel Koledov and Brandon Kozun. Lokomotiv added on with a Petri Kontiola goal, coming off of Koledov and Andrei Loktionov. Novosibirsk got on the board with a Maxim Shalunov power play goal, powered by Sergei Shumakov and Adam Polasek. Yaroslavl iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Maxime Talbot, set up by Kozun and Staffan Kronwall. The three stars went to Sudnitsin (26 for 27 in saves), Koledov, and Kozun.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 14

Seven games on a busier day in the league, beginning with...

Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosting Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Vasily Koshechkin draw the starts in goal. Magnitogorsk started in the first period with an Alexander Semin power play goal, powered by Chris Lee and Sergei Mozyakin. Metallurg added on in the second period with a Vladislav Kaletnik goal, guided in by Viktor Antipin and Evgeny Biryukov. Khabarovsk got on the board with a Teemu Ramstedt power play goal, coming off of Kristian Kuusela and Kirill Kapustin. Magnitogorsk answered with a Semin goal, passed from Tomas Filippi. Metallurg extended the lead as Denis Kazionov scored in the third period, with the help of Lee. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars going to Semin, Koshechkin (28 for 29 in saves), and Lee.

Out in Slovakia, Slovan Bratislava welcomes Spartak Moscow. Nikita Bespalov and Barry Brust are in the creases. Moscow got going in the second period with a Ryan Stoa goal, fueled by Matthew Gilroy. Bratislava tied it on a Jonathan Cheechoo power play goal, powered by Jeff Taffe and Marek Viedensky. Spartak retook the lead with a Viktor Bobrov goal, courtesy of Vladislav Provolnev and Maxim Potapov. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars handed to Bobrov, Bespalov (31 for 32 in saves), and Stoa.

In Moscow, Dynamo brings in Avangard Omsk. Dominik Furch and Alexander Yeryomenko tend the twines. Omsk opened in the first period with a Denis Parshin goal, assisted by Evgeny Kulik. Moscow tied it with a second period power play goal from Alexei Tereshchenko, powered by Ilya Nikulin and Dmitry Vishnevsky. Dynamo took the lead with a Juuso Hietanen power play goal, with helpers from Mat Robinson and Alexei Sopin. Avangard tied it on a third period goal by Alexander Perezhogin, helped along by Maxim Pestushko. The tie went to a shootout, where Nikolai Lemtyugov, Pestushko, and Ilya Zubov tallied to lift Avangard 3-2 over Daniil Tarasov and Artyom Podshendyalov. The three stars went to Pestushko, Perezhogin, and Furch (26 for 28 in saves).

Staying in the city, CSKA Moscow hosts Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Viktor Fasth receive the starting nods in goal. Moscow led off in the first period with an unassisted goal by Semyon Koshelev. CSKA added on with a Denis Denisov power play goal, powered by Igor Ozhiganov. Moscow extended the lead as Kirill Petrov scored, thanks to Bud Holloway. CSKA padded the lead in the second period with a Nikita Pivtsakin goal, fueled by Koshelev and Maxim Mamin. Togliatti got on the board with a Nikita Filatov goal, helped along by Alexander Bumagin. Moscow shot back in the third period with a Greg Scott goal, made possible by Denisov and Jonas Enlund. CSKA finished it at 6-1 with an Enlund power play goal, with assists provided by Holloway and Bogdan Kiselevich. The three stars were awarded to Koshelev, Denisov, and Enlund, while Holloway gets an honorable mention.

South to Vityaz Podolsk welcoming Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Mikhail Biryukov and Harri Sateri are between the pipes. Podolsk was first to score in the first period with a Vyacheslav Solodukhin goal, passed from Sergei Gimayev and Dmitry Shitikov. Vityaz added on with an unassisted goal by Mario Kempe. Novokuznetsk got on the board with a second period Alexander Komaristy goal, made possible by Kirill Lebedev and Kirill Dyakov. This was as close as it got, with the final standing at 2-1. The three stars went to Kempe, Solodukhin, and Sateri (20 for 21 in saves).

Along to St. Petersburg, where SKA brings in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ville Kolppanen and Mikko Koskinen are the Finnish goalies. St. Petersburg dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Nikita Gusev goal, helped along by Vadim Shipachyov. SKA added on with a Yegor Yakovlev goal, courtesy of Sergei Plotnikov. St. Petersburg extended the lead as Shipachyov scored, thanks to Evgeny Dadonov and Maxim Chudinov. SKA padded the lead in the third period on a Sergei Shirokov power play goal, powered by Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyacheslav Voynov. Nizhnekamsk got on the board with a Bogdan Yakimov goal, made possible by Tomi Sallinen. St. Petersburg replied with a Pavel Datsyuk power play goal, assisted by Voynov and Shirokov. This produced the 5-1 final, with the three stars going to Shipachyov, Shirokov, and Voynov.

Finally, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod hosts the Sochi Leopards. Konstantin Barulin and Ilya Proskuryakov man the nets. Nizhny Novgorod began in the first period with a Maxim Osipov goal, courtesy of Kirill Rasskazov. Sochi tied it in the second period with an Andre Petersson power play goal, with a lone assist by Ilya Gorokhov. Torpedo took the lead back with an Alexander Frolov goal, assisted by Fredrik Pettersson and Alexei Potapov. Nizhny Novgorod added on in the third period with an Evgeny Mozer power play goal, coming off of Rasskazov. This made it a 3-1 final, with the three stars given to Frolov, Rasskazov, and Proskuryakov (22 for 23 in saves).

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