Sports stats



WPS Weekly - Week 1

April 13, 2011 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) News Release


WPS kicked off the season with a bang as teams put on a show for fans, combining to score nine total goals between the two games played on Opening Weekend.

On Saturday, the Boston Breakers traveled south to Kennesaw, GA to take on the Atlanta Beat in the season opener. In his third season as head coach of the Breakers, Tony DiCicco guided his team to a 4-1 victory over the home team. Breakers midfielder Jordan Angeli struck first, putting her first goal of the season away in the 18th minute of play. Rookie Keelin Winters would score her first career goal just five minutes later to give Boston a two goal lead in the first half. Kelley O'Hara padded her team's lead, adding a third goal to the Breakers total in the 72nd minute. The Beat got on the board in the 78th minute on a penalty kick awarded to Carly Lloyd, who drove her shot decisively into the back of the net. A little drama was added to the night in stoppage time as the Breakers' Ellie Reed, with a breakaway opportunity, was cut down by Beat Goalkeeper Allison Whitworth just outside the penalty box. Whitworth was immediately ejected from the match, and with the Beat out of subs, she was replaced in goal by Defender Cat Whitehill. Kacey Moore took the ensuing free kick for the Breakers placing a hard shot on goal, just under the cross bar, to earn their Breakers fourth and final goal of the night.

On Sunday, Sky Blue FC played host to the Philadelphia Independence at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, NJ. The WPS Sunday game, which was seen by fans across the nation on FOX Soccer, proved to be a thriller as the teams played to a dramatic 2-2 tie. Sky Blue FC finished their chances in the first half going up 2-0 over the Independence on goals by Laura Kalmari in the 18th minute and Casey Nogueira in the 36th minute. Nogueira, with one of the best goals of the weekend, scored off of a free kick taken just outside the 18, bending the ball over the head of Philadelphia Goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart and into the far side netting. The Independence, described by their head coach Paul Riley as "gritty", would battle back in the second half. Amy Rodriguez, who entered the match at half time, would prove to be a game changer for the Independence as she cut Sky Blue FC's lead in half in the 57th minute with a composed finish off a pass from Tasha Kai. The Independence continued to press Sky Blue FC throughout the second half. It wasn't until stoppage time that Tina DiMartino, assisted by Laura del Rio, found a way to even the match as her shot, deflected off a Sky Blue FC defender, found its way past a diving Jenni Branam.

Western New York Flash and magicJack both had byes in week 1 and will kick off their 2011 campaigns in Week 2.

2011 WPS Regular Season Standings

W L T P GF GA +/-

Breakers 1 0 0 3 4 1 - -

Sky Blue FC 0 0 1 1 15 2 -2

Independence 0 0 1 1 2 2 -2

Atlanta Beat 0 1 0 0 1 4 -3

Flash - - - - - - - -

magicJack - - - - - - - -

Saturday

Boston Breakers 4, Atlanta Beat 1

Sunday

Philadelphia Independence 2, Sky Blue FC 2

LONG WINS FIRST PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR FOR 2011

Midfielder Allie Long is Women's Professional Soccer's first Player of the Week in 2011 after superbly setting the tone for Sky Blue FC's attack in a 2-2 draw Sunday against the Philadelphia Independence.

This is the first such honor for Long, who joined New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC after two seasons with the Washington Freedom. She is just the third Sky Blue player selected Player of the Week, joining Tasha Kai (2009, Week 17) and goalkeeper Karen Bardsley (2010, Week 5).

Long was the catalyst as Sky Blue leapt to a 2-0 advantage by the 36th minute, delivering the ball that Brittany Taylor fed for Laura Kalmari's opener and creating space for the attack throughout the first half. Casey Nogueira netted the second goal, and the Independence rallied to tie with second-half goals by Amy Rodriguez and, in the 90th minute, Tina DiMartino.

The WPS Player of Week is selected by a panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters.

BREAKERS MIDFIELDER JORDAN ANGELI SUFFERS SEASON-ENDING INJURY

Boston Breakers midfielder Jordan Angeli suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Atlanta Beat.

"The team and I feel very badly for Jordan and the fact she has to deal with an operation and extended rehab," Boston Head Coach Tony DiCicco said. "She has been an inspiration not only on the field but how she has handled herself in the locker room and in the community. Her play on the field has been outstanding all spring, and from the coaches' view, she will be very hard to replace. Jordan is a natural leader, and she will remain an important influence for the Breakers this season."

Angeli scored in the 18th minute for Boston in Saturday's win. It was her eighth career goal for Boston. The second-year Breaker scored seven goals in her 2010 rookie season, second best in the team. Angeli earned Player of the Month honors last July, and she also finished the season as the 2010 WPS Rookie of the Year runner-up. Her streak of eight goals on 15 shots on goal, dating back to last season, currently ranks as the best scoring percentage in WPS.

WPS WEEK 10 PREIVEW

Saturday, April 16 :: Philadelphia Independence vs. magicJack (7:00 pm ET)

Leslie Quick Stadium | Chester, PA

- This is the season opener and inaugural match for magicJack.

- Philadelphia Independence will celebrate their home opener and debut their new home stadium, Leslie Quick Stadium at Widener Univeristy.

- Saturday will mark the highly anticipated professional debut of 2010 MAC Hermann Trophy Winner Christen Press (magicJack).

- The Championship-winning duo of Christie Rampone and Mike Lyons will once again be a driving force behind a WPS team. Rampone and her former trainer, Lyons, led Sky Blue FC to a Championship in the WPS' inaugural season.

Saturday, April 16 :: Atlanta Beat vs. Sky Blue FC (7:00 pm ET)

KSU Soccer Stadium | Kennesaw, GA

- This will be the first meeting of the season between these two teams. The two teams met four times during the 2010 season, resulting in two wins for Sky Blue FC, one win for the Beat and a tie.

- Atlanta Beat Players Carly Lloyd, India Trotter, Keely Dowling will face off with ther formert team. All three of these players were featured on Sky Blue FC's roster during the 2010 season.

- Sky Blue FC players Eniola Aluko, Carolyn Blank, Tobin Heath, Angie Kerr will also face their 2010 team in Saturday's match.

- Atlanta Beat's starting goalkeeper Allison Whitworth received a red card in last week's game and has been suspended from participating in this game by the WPS Disciplinary Committee.

Sunday, April 17 :: Boston Breakers vs. Western New York Flash (6:00 pm ET | FOX Soccer)

Harvard University | Cambridge, MA

- Sunday is the home opener for the Boston Breakers and the inaugural match for the 2011 expansion team, Western New York Flash.

- This is the WPS Sunday game of the week, which will be televised live on FOX Soccer. This will mark the first time the Flash will be featured on national television.

- This will mark the WPS Head Coaching debut of New Zealand native Aaran Lines.

- Five-time FIFA World Player of the Year and reigning two-time WPS MVP Marta is expected to make her 2011 WPS debut after spending time away with the Brazilian National Team.

• Discuss this story on the Women's Professional Soccer message board...

Women's Professional Soccer Stories from April 13, 2011


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central