Beat Head to Boston
August 2, 2010 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Atlanta Beat News Release
KENNESAW, GA (Aug. 2, 2010) - After Sunday's scoreless draw against No. 1 ranked FC Gold Pride, the Atlanta Beat earned a point for the tie, making it four straight games without a loss. The team now heads to Harvard Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 4 for a second match-up against the Boston Breakers.
"It's important for us to build on this now. There was a lot of energy expelled today to get this result. I'm really proud of the girls and proud of the effort," said Beat head coach Gareth O'Sullivan after Sunday's match, "We just got to focus on Boston on Wednesday and hopefully make it a 6 point game."
The Atlanta Beat (4-7-5) last faced the Breakers (6-6-4) on July 11, falling 3-1 on the road in Boston. The Beat's Johanna Rasmussen recorded the team's earliest goal of the season when she scored in the first six minutes of play. The Beat continued to dominate the first half with several other close scoring opportunities. The Breakers took over the second half when Jordan Angeli scored four minutes in, tying the game and shifting the momentum. A few minutes later the Breaker's Fabiana and Liz Bogus finished two goals within two minutes of each other.
"It was a crazy 6 or 7 minutes when we gave up the 3," said Coach O'Sullivan after the July 11 game, "It's difficult to swallow, difficult to fathom, but we'll go back and watch the tape and then won't comment too much on it, it's definitely something that shouldn't happen."
The Beat turned over a new leaf after the loss in Beantown and has since posted a four game un-beaten streak. The streak began when the Atlanta club earned a 1-0 road win on July 18 over Sky Blue FC. The streak continued with a 1-0 result against the Chicago Red Stars, a 3-2 win over the Washington Freedom, and Sunday's 0-0 tie against the Pride.
The Breakers are also undefeated in their last two matches, winning against the Chicago Red Stars and Washington Freedom, both with 3-1 results.
With Atlanta's current streak, the Beat approach Wednesday's match with more confidence. "We're starting to click," said goalkeeper Hope Solo after Sunday's game, "It took a long time to get to this point, but we got some confidence and we keep chipping away at the standings one game at a time."
Kickoff for the Wednesday match is at 7:00 P.M. ET at Harvard Stadium. The Beat returns home to host Sky Blue FC, the 2009 WPS Champions, at KSU Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, August 7. Call 678.298.4780 for tickets or visit www.TheAtlantaBeat.com.
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Women's Professional Soccer Stories from August 2, 2010
- Beat Head to Boston - Atlanta Beat
- Breakers Take on Hope Solo and Atlanta Beat on Wednesday - Boston Breakers
- Washington Freedom to Host Get Active 3-On-3 Soccer Tournament - magicJack
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