WPS Weekly - Week 7

Published on May 26, 2011 under Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) News Release

Sky Blue FC and the Atlanta Beat kicked off week seven action at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, NJ. The fifth and sixth-place teams entered the match hungry for a win. Sky Blue FC poured the pressure on early and capitalized on a great opportunity in the 23rd minute to take a 1-0 lead. Casey Nogueira served the ball in on a corner kick to Laura Kalmari who ran through the box and put away the first goal of the game. The New Jersey side kept up the pressure in the second half and was awarded a penalty kick in the 57th minute when Allie Long was taken down in the box. Long stepped up to take the shot and buried it in the left side netting for the goal. Heather O'Reilly would put the exclamation point on the win for Sky Blue FC, after sprinting nearly 40 yards down the side of the field and dribbling past Atlanta's goalkeeper Ali Lipsher, to score the third goal for Sky Blue FC, putting the game out of reach for the visiting Beat. The Beat had their chances but seemed to be outmatched in this game, getting off only six shots to Sky Blue FC's fifteen. For Sky Blue FC, the three-goal margin of victory is the largest in team' history.

The Boston Breakers ended their brief two-game losing streak on Kristine Lilly night at Harvard Stadium as heyhohosted the Philadelphia Independence. Despite an exciting and evenly matched battle between the third and fourth-placed tddams, Philly struck first as the "Flyin' Hawaiian" Tasha Kai scored an unassisted goal just before the half (44') to give the Independence a 1-0 advantage. The tenacious Breakers would regroup and answer back just after the half, climbing back to even on a goal by Lauren Cheney, assisted by Keelin Winters, in the 48th minute. Despite numerous shots from both teams throughout the match, the game would end in a 1-1 tie.

The highly anticipated clash of the undefeated teams did not disappoint as the Western New York Flash hosted magicJack in the WPS Sunday game of the week on FOX Soccer. A record 8,076 fans packed the stands at Sahlen's Stadium to see Five-Time World FIFA Player of the Year Marta go toe-to-toe with Rochester native Abby Wambach. The Flash got off to a quick start, scoring on one of the team's first opportunities which came in just the second minute of play. Christine Sinclair fired off a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar and back to birthday girl Becky Edwards who was there to finish the opportunity, scoring her first goal of the season. magicJack forward Ella Masar served as an offensive spark for her team, creating several dangerous opportunities but both she and Wambach www ere turned away by Flash goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, who earned her second clean sheet of the season. The match remained close until the 42nd minute of play when the Flash took a 2-0 lead on Caroline Seger's goal, assisted by Christine Sinclair. The physical match saw 20 fouls, including one in the 84th minute, when Marta was sandwiched in the box by two magicJack defenders. The ensuing penalty kick was taken and finished by Flash team captain Seger, who earned her first multi-goal game of her WPS career. Sunday's 3-0 result marked the first loss of the season for magicJack. The Flash, ho, wever, remain undefeated.

2011 WPS Regular Season Standings

W L T P GF GA +/-

Flash 5 0 1 16 16 6 10

magicJack 3 1 0 8* 5 4 1

Independence 2 1 2 8 8 6 2

Breakers 2 4 1 7 9 10 -1

Sky Blue FC 1 3 1 4 6 7 -1

Atlanta Beat 1 5 1 4 5 16 -11

*One point deducted for repeated non-compliance with league standards in Week 5

Saturday

Sky Blue FC 3, Atlanta Beat 0

Sunday

Boston Breakers 1, Philadelphia Independence 1

Western New York Flash 3, magicJack 0

SEGER GIVES FLASH FOUR STRAIGHT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Swedish midfielder Caroline Seger scored two big goals to lift Western New York to victory over magicJack in a showdown of unbeatens and claim Women's Professional Soccer's Player of the Week award for Week 7 -- the fourth straight week the Flash has won the honor.

Seger coolly slotted home a ball over the top from Christine Sinclair to double the Flash's advantage just before halftime, then converted a late penalty kick to secure a 3-0 victory that gave the club a 5-0-1 record and eight-point lead in the WPS standings.

Sinclair was Player of the Week in Week 4, and she was followed by Marta and McCall Zerboni. It's an unprecedented achievement; the L.A. Sol in 2009 and Philadelphia last year won three times in four weeks.

Seger, who came into the match with just two WPS career goals, also was Player of the Week in Week 15 last season with Philadelphia.

The Flash Captain joined WPS in 2010 as the first pick of the International Draft by the Philadelphia Independence. She appeared in 20 of the team's 21 matches in her first WPS season, helping the expansion team to the finals in their first season. Prior to joining WPS, Seger was a member of the Linkopings FC of Damallsvenskan in Sweden from 2005 to 2009.

Seger, has participated in the 2007 Women's World Cup and 2008 Olympic Games with the Swedish National Team. She will captain her country's team this summer at the World Cup in Germany.

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

Week 1: Allie Long (Sky Blue FC)

Week 2: Alli Lipsher (Atlanta Beat)

Week 3: Alli Lipsher (Atlanta Beat)

Week 4: Christine Sinclair (Western New York Flash)

Week 5: Marta (Western New York Flash)

Week 6: McCall Zerboni (Western New York Flash)

Week 7: Caroline Seger (Western New York Flash)

CITI AND WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL SOCCER TO BRING NEW SEASON OF "GET ACTIVE WITH CITI SOCCER KIDS" COMMUNITY PROGRAM TO MIAMI AND PHILADELPHIA

As part of its partnership with Women's Professional Soccer (WPS),Citi today announced its plans to host two Get Active with Citi Soccer Kids clinics this week, a program that connects current stars from the league with future stars from its communities and promotes a healthy lifestyle for kids. The first clinic was held in Philadelphia, PA Tuesday, May 24 and the second will took place, Wednesday, May 25 in Miami, FL. This initiative is taking place in WPS team markets and includes access to WPS players and coaches, tickets to games, gift bags and memorable in-game experiences.

Each of the clinics gave the children the opportunity to hone their skills with some of the best women's players in WPS. Not only will they fine-tune their soccer ability, but they will also learn about the importance of sportsmanship, work ethic and the responsibility that goes along with being a good teammate.

Clinic participants received a special opportunity to learn from the best in the world. Nicole Barnhart, Shannon Boxx, Amy Rodriguez and Becky Sauerbrunn are all featured on the roster for Team USA, world-ranked number one team, for this summer's upcoming Women's World Cup in Germany.

Citi and WPS plan to host additional Get Active with Citi Soccer Kids clinics in other team markets later this season. This initiative is part of the WPS' league-wide platform to promote and support First Lady Michelle Obama's nationwide campaign against childhood obesity.

WPS WEEK 8 PREVIEW

SATURDAY, MAY 28

magicJack vs. Atlanta Beat (7 PM ET)

FAU Soccer Stadium | Boca Raton, FL

Beat hope to snap the team's four-game losing streak with a win on Saturday over magicJack.

magicJack will look to get back to their winning ways after suffering the team's first loss of the season last Sunday.

The last time these two teams met was on May 8 in Boca Raton. magicJack earned a 2-0 result over the visiting Beat.

The coaching duo of Christie Rampone and Jose Gomez will once again be at the helm for magicJack.

Sky Blue FC vs. Boston Breakers (7 PM ET)

Yurcak Field | Piscataway, NJ

Sky Blue FC look to capitalize on the momentum built after their record-setting win last Saturday, a 3-0 victory over the Atlanta Beat. For Sky Blue FC, this marked the largest margin of victory (3 goals) in team history.

Saturday marks the second meeting between these teams in 2011. The first time they squared off, Boston got the best of Sky Blue FC, defeating the New Jersey-based team 1-0 at Harvard Stadium. Sunday, May 29 Philadelphia Independence vs. Western New York Flash (6 PM ET) Widener University | Chester, PA | FOX Soccer

Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between these two clubs.

Philadelphia is working on a three-game unbeaten streak and looks to be the spoiler as they face off for the first time this season with the undefeated 2011 expansion team.

Both Philadelphia and Western New York are unbeaten when playing on national TV.

The Western New York Flash look to further their stronghold in first place, currently an 8-point lead, with a win on Sunday.

Fans can watch Suunday's matchup between the Independence and Flash on FOX Soccer at 6 PM ET.

Women's Professional Soccer Stories from May 26, 2011

• Atlanta Beat Add Two Players to Roster - Atlanta Beat
• WPS Weekly - Week 7 - 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.