Beat Fall in Disappointing Rematch with Sky Blue FC
May 22, 2011 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Atlanta Beat News Release
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Atlanta Beat (1-5-1) of Women's Professional Soccer battled Sky Blue FC (NY/NJ 1-3-1) to a disappointing 3-0 loss at Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University Saturday night when Laura Kalmari scored in the 23rd minute, Allie Long finished on a penalty in the 57th, and Heather O'Reilly scored in the 70th.
In the early going "it started well," said head coach James Galanis. "We were possessing the ball and we had the right ideas, but we were losing the ball in the final third. Our final ball was struggling; but, for the most part, we were actually playing really well."
The Beat found several early corners in the match. However, it was Sky Blue FC that put away the scoring opportunities. In the 23rd minute, Sky Blue midfielder Casey Noguiera sent in the corner kick that resulted in Kalmari's goal. Following the goal, the Beat kicked off quickly and began working to regain confidence. "We conceded a goal from a mistake on a corner and it ended up hurting us," said Galanis. "The only positive was that we didn't get down after we conceded a goal. We kept playing, but we kept making the same repetitive mistakes. We weren't able to generate any good chances because we kept giving the ball away. Mentally, we were not fully tuned into the game."
At the end of the first half, New Jersey maintained the one goal advantage before Sky Blue found the net twice in the second half. Sky Blue's Adrianna hit the post in the 57th minute as Beat defender Analisa Marquez pulled Noguiera down in the box. Sky Blue midfielder Allie Long finished the ensuing penalty kick, putting the Beat at a two goal deficit. "We picked it up but continued to make technical errors after the second goal," said Galanis.
On the final goal of the match, "We made the decision to step up, but the entire backline did not step-up which allowed one of their players to get in behind us," said the coach. Beat goalkeeper Alli Lipsher came off her line to challenge the midfielder, but O'Reilly went around her and slotted it to score. According to Galanis, "One player did not step up in time which allowed her to be onside."
The Beat's best chance came in the 84th minute when midfielder Carli Lloyd picked off a pass to rip an outside shot that went just wide of the goal. "Carli's chance was the best, but it just went wide. We had a couple of other chances, but that might have been the closest. She basically went on a run and took players on."
The Atlanta Beat and Sky Blue FC are tied in league standings with four points each. The Beat rank middle of the pack in goals scored with five.
"We conceded the first goal today from a mistake on a corner, and it ended up hurting us. We backed off a little bit. But as the half went on, we came back into our own. From the early second half, it looked like were going to claw our way back in.," said the coach. "Our effort was good from some players but not good enough from other players. Some are reacting rather than anticipating. Enough is enough. They are not reaching their potential and that's the issue that I have."
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Women's Professional Soccer Stories from May 22, 2011
- Beat Fall in Disappointing Rematch with Sky Blue FC - Atlanta Beat
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