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The Lightning Move Into First Place in the Midwest Divison with 5-1 Win Over Fort Wayne

June 4, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Minnesota Thunder News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (Thursday, June 4, 2009) - The Lightning have risen to the top of the W-League Midwest Division with a 5-1 win over the Fort Wayne Fever. Caroline Smith had another impressive performance and the rest of the Lightning played just as well. Next up for Minnesota are two road games taking on the Chicago Red Eleven and FC Indiana. They are back at the NSC in Blaine on Saturday, June 27 at 5:05 p.m. facing the Cleveland Internationals in a double header with the Thunder.

The Lightning took an early lead in the fourth minute of play. They found themselves with a corner kick opportunity but their initial try came to no prevail. The first attempt came from a header off but Fever keeper, Libby Hake, blocked the try. She could not hold onto her rebound and Kelsey Hans passed the ball over to Kylie Kallman. Kallman took advantage of an open net and scored the first goal of the game.

Fever answered back in the 13th minute with a goal off of a free kick eight yards outside the box. Clair Ward stepped behind the ball and crushed a shot past the Lightning aiming for the top corner on the far side of the goal. Gleason tried but could not reach the ball and the Fever evened up the score at 1-1.

Minnesota reclaimed the lead in 17th minute. Caroline Smith advanced deep into Fever territory looking for her first goal of the game. Instead of ripping a shot from the top of the penalty box, Smith decided to take it in for a closer try. Hake came out to address the play but Smith worked the ball around her and gave the Lightning the second lead of the game.

Hans took a shot in the 26th minute that made Hake think twice about coming out of the goal. Hans came in from the right side looking for her first goal of the season. She gave a powerful shot but Hake was there to stop it. Hake stopped the ball with her face instead of her hands and kept the game at 2-1.

Caroline Smith struck again late in the half at the 43 minute mark. Kylie Kallman took a free kick and sent it to the middle of the box into a sea of players. It looked like the Fever were going to clear the ball when Smith got her foot on it and put it in to the back of the net.

Before one minute went by, the Lightning scored again. This goal was the result of a series of give-and-gos. Rosie Malone-Polvony accepted a pass on on the right side of the field and she dumped it off to Emily Redberg who was on the other side of the net. Redberg had a wide open shot and gave the Lightning a commanding 4-1 lead.

At the end of the first half, Minnesota was up 4-1 and holding onto all of the momentum of the game.

Lightning scored again in the 52nd minute and continued to build the wall that the Fever has to climb to get back into the game. Hake was getting peppered when she make a diving save but before she could get up Josie Solie chipped it over her for the fifth and final goal for Minnesota.

The final whistle blew and the Lightning won the game with a powerful lead of 5-1. They improve their record to 2-0-1 thus driving Minnesota into first place in the W-League Midwest Division.

"It was good to get a win," said Lightning forward Kelsey Hans. "But we didn't possess the ball as well as we would have liked against this team. We are definitely going to have to pick it up if we are going to contend for the playoff spot."

The Lightning is on the road for a two game road trip before they are back at the National Sports Center. Minnesota will travel to Chicago to take on the Red Eleven and then they are off to face FC Indiana. On June 27, the Lightning will return home host the Cleveland Internationals in double header with the Thunder when they take on the Rochester Rhinos.

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