Flash Host Thorns on Saturday in Rematch of Exciting July Battle
Published on August 10, 2013 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Western New York Flash News Release
Elma, N.Y. (Saturday, August 10, 2013) - With a playoff game already secured, the Western New York Flash will turn their attention to making that a home game when they host the Portland Thorns FC at 7:35 p.m. on Saturday. The Flash are currently in a three-way tie for second place with the previously mentioned Thorns, as well as Sky Blue FC - all teams hold 34 points on the year and trail FC Kansas City by four points.
The Flash currently hold the advantage over both teams for second (head-to-head vs. Sky Blue; goal differential vs. Portland), but Saturday's game will be the deciding factor of the No. 2 seed.
If the game is any reflection of the two teams' first meeting, Flash fans are in for an exciting battle. WNY and Portland met once before, playing to an epic 1-1 draw at JELD-WEN field on July 14th. Abby Wambach opened the scoring in the 34th minute but the Thorn's Meleana Shim tied things just a minute later.
From that point on, the game shifted to a goalkeeping duel with Adrianna Franch and Karina LeBlanc making outstanding saves to secure a point for both teams. Franch finished with a season-high 13 saves, while LeBlanc denied a potential go-ahead PK attempt from Wambach late in the game.
The Flash are coming off a strong showing against the Seattle Reign on Wednesday night where the team added three points to their resume with a 1-0 win. Midfielder Carli Lloyd scored the game's lone goal in the 54th minute, her fourth score in as many games.
With two games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Flash will look to take away as many points as possible since home field could certainly be an advantage for the team. After falling in their first home game of the year, the Flash have gone undefeated when at Sahlen's Stadium with a 7-1-1 record over the next nine games. The Flash are also on a four-game winning streak in Rochester.
Portland is winless so far in August, drop the month's opening game against FC Kansas City 3-2 and falling 2-1 to the Boston Breakers in their most recent match. The Thorns' Tiffany Weimer scored the lone goal of the latter match, held on August 7th, but Boston buried two goals in the final 22 minutes for the come-from-behind victory.
Forward and former Flash player Alex Morgan was injured just eight minutes into that match, with Weimer coming in as her substitute in the 13th minute. Morgan is a member of a high-profile Thorns offense that also features Canada's all-time leading goal scorer Christine Sinclair and USWNT midfielder Tobin Heath. Sinclair was also a member of the Flash's 2011 WPS Championship team, as well as Portland midfielder Becky Edwards.
Wambach leads the Flash with 10 goals and seven assists, but has been held without a goal since the 1-1 draw at Portland. However, the forward has contributed in other ways, assisting three times in the four games after. Lloyd (8 goals) has scored in all four games since returning from JELD-WEN.
After holding her seventh opponent scoreless on Wednesday, Franch remains on top of the NWSL leaderboard for saves with 89 through 20 games. In addition, the Flash offense has racked-up a league-leading 34 goals while only conceding 19, also an NWSL benchmark.
Tickets
Tickets for all Flash home games can be purchased by calling the Sahlen's Stadium box office at (585) 454-KICK or online at wnyflash.com.
Game Promotions
Saturday is Military Appreciation night at Sahlen's Stadium. All former/current military members can receive $9 tickets, while the Flash will also be selling limited edition "Camo Night" scarves with $5 of every sale going to the Veterans Outreach Center of Rochester.
There will also be a chicken wing eating contest during halftime of Saturday's game, sponsored by the Distillery.
Pregame Music
Gates will open at 6:00 p.m. with music from Rochester country singer Paul Cummings.
National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 10, 2013
- Flash and Thorns Scoreless on Saturday; Playoff Hosts Still Undetermined - Western New York Flash
- Thorns FC Record Scoreless Draw against Western New York Flash - Portland Thorns FC
- Santacaterina the Spoiler as Red Stars Tie Sky Blue 3-3 - Chicago Stars FC
- Matheson Scores Late as Spirit Shut out Seattle, 1-0 - Washington Spirit
- Ocampo Delivers Pair in 3-3 Scrap - Sky Blue FC
- FC Kansas City Has Unbeaten Streak Snapped - FC Kansas City
- Reign FC Take on the Washington Spirit Today - Seattle Reign FC
- Game Notes: WNY vs Portland - Western New York Flash
- Flash Host Thorns on Saturday in Rematch of Exciting July Battle - Western New York Flash
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.
