Flash Gaining Speed in Race for First Place, Defeat Breakers 2-1
Published on August 3, 2011 under Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
Western New York Flash News Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (August 3, 2011)-The Western New York Flash (10-2-3, 33 points) of Women's Professional Soccer won their final meeting with the Boston Breakers (4-8-4, 16 points) by a one goal edge with a final score of 2-1. The Flash jumped on a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Christine Sinclair and Becky Edwards. The Flash are once again tied for first place in the WPS standings with the Philadelphia Independence.
Much of the possession in the early minutes of the game was in favor of the Flash. The first worthy chance finally came in the tenth minute. Brazilian forward Marta played a vertical pass to Canadian national forward Christine Sinclair in the left corner of the field, and Sinclair slid the ball low across of the front of the net to US national forthcoming star forward Alex Morgan, who hit a low shot wide and left of the goal.
Scoreless into the 21st minute, Brazilian forward Marta pulled off another through ball pass to WPS leading goal scorer Sinclair who was anticipating her run down the center of the field. Sinclair beat the Boston defenders to the ball and slipped the ball past Breakers goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher in the 21st minute for the first goal of the game. That goal counted for Sinclair's 10th of the season, as she remains WPS's current leading goal scorer. Marta used her magic in the 25th minute in front of a crowd of players with a pull behind move to free herself in front of the net. She was able to get off a shot but Naeher was positioned properly for the save.
Chances were plentiful for the Flash and they finally capitalized on their opportunities in the 28th minute. The play started on the left side as WNY defender Ali Riley dribbled deep into the Boston end, crossing the ball which found Becky Edwards head and into the back of the net. It was Edwards' third goal of the season.
The Flash led in shots 7-2 and the scoreboad 2-0 at halftime.
It did not take long for the Breakers to get going in the second half. In the 47th minute Kelley O'Hara sent a lateral pass across the middle of the goal to Keelin Winters. Winters was able to set herself up and send a strike into the upper right hand which condensed the Flash's lead to just one goal, 2-1.
In the 54th minute Breakers' forward and England national team player Kelly Smith hit the crossbar off a left footed shot from 30 yards out. Flash keeper Ashlyn Harris barely got her hand on the ball as it hit the bar.
Chances continued for the Breakers in the second half. Harris came way out of the goal box to cut down the angle of Kelley O'Hara's run. O'Hara tried to slip the ball through to the net past Harris but Flash defender Gina Lewandowski cleared the ball out of the back to stop the dangerous play.
Both teams had their fair share of opportunities in the second half, but none were good enough to get another tally on the board as the game ended 2-1 in favor of the Flash.
WNY Flash Coach Aaran Lines:
"Their back is up against the wall and we knew that coming into this game that they had to give everything. I thought we played our best football of the season in this first half. We played very well in the first half and scored two wonderful goals, but in the second half we conceded early and they had the momentum. We panicked and need to learn to play better under pressure circumstances like that. I'm happy with the first half, not happy with the second half."
ABOUT THE WESTERN NEW YORK FLASH
The WNY Flash joined Women's Professional Soccer as an expansion club in September of 2010, directly following the club's decisive W-League Championship as the Buffalo Flash in July of 2010. The Flash will play all WPS home games at the Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester NY, home to the Rochester Rhinos. The Flash will train out of owner Joe Sahlen's indoor soccer facility, Sahlen Sports Park, in Elma, NY. The Flash colors are Red, Yellow, and Black, to match the Sahlen entities: Sahlen Packing Co., Sahlen Sports Park, and Team Sahlen racing team. The Flash is currently tied for first in the WPS standings. They will play their next game on Saturday, August 6th against the Atlanta Beat in Atlanta at 7:00 p.m. The Flash return home on August 14th. The match can be followed at www.womensprosoccer.com on MatchTracker or via the @wnyflash twitter account.
Women's Professional Soccer Stories from August 3, 2011
- Flash Gaining Speed in Race for First Place, Defeat Breakers 2-1 - Western New York Flash
- Aluko Scores Pair in Wild Loss - Sky Blue FC
- WPS Issues Statement Regarding magicJack Dispute - WPS
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
