Philadelphia Advances to Final with 2-0 Win

The Philadelphia Independence battled to a 2-0 victory over magicJack on goals by Tasha Kai and Amy Rodriguez to advance to the WPS Final. The Independence will face the Western New York Flash next Saturday for the championship.

The return to the final was accomplished in typical fashion by Philadelphia...solid defense, good goalkeeping, hard work, and some timely finishing, a team effort to be sure. Starting just two USWNT players, plus Spanish international Vero Boquete, they were able to outplay and defeat the heavily national team-laden magicJack side.

Paul Riley's starting lineup saw only a few changes from what we saw late in the season. Sinead Farrelly returned to a starter's role after sitting out the last three matches with nagging injuries. Philly started Barnhart in goal, Johnson, McNeill, Krzysik, and Robinson across the back, with Buczkowski, DiMartino, Farrelly, and Boquete in the midfield. Kai and Rodriguez were the two Independence strikers.

Abby Wambach was forced to make one change to her lineup from Wednesday. Tina Ellertson was unable to make the start due to a hamstring injury, so Lydia Vandenbergh started at left back. Their starters were Loyden in goal, Dalmy, Rampone, Sauerbrunn, and Vandenbergh in back. The midfield consisted of Boxx, Schmidt, Huffman, and Rapinoe, with Wambach and Press as the starting forwards.

Philadelphia had the first good scoring opportunity, as WPS MVP Veronica Boquete nearly caught Jill Loyden flatfooted with her shot from 20 yards, but the ball went just wide of the left post in the fifth minute. Christie Rampone earned the first booking of the match, as she was nabbed for tugging on Rodriguez' shoulder in the 12th minute.

The first half hour saw both teams working the ball up the field well, but both sides were unconvincing in the final third and there were very few good scoring opportunities. However, the final 15 minutes of the half saw end-to-end action with multiple chances.

magicJack's first good opportunity came in the 31st minute. Christen Press was able to get free to get off a shot from 28 yards, but her blast was tipped over the net by Nicole Barnhart.

Philadelphia then had a procession of chances over the next few minutes. Rodriguez' shot from the top of the box forced Loyden to slide over to make a save in the 32nd minute. Farrelly sent Kai into the right side of the box in the 34th, but the Hawaiian striker's chip over Loyden wound up on top of the netting. Next, it was Farrelly's turn but her shot from 20 yards went straight into Loyden's hands.

magicJack nearly jumped on top in the 36th minute. Marian Dalmy crossed the ball from the right side to Christen Press, who was waiting just outside the six. She turned on her defender, but her shot hit the outside of the left post. The rebound fell directly to Wambach, whose shot dribbled wide of the right post. Two minutes later, a Sarah Huffman cross gave Philly's defense problems with the ball coming to Press, whose shot from eight yards was blocked by Farrelly.

Philadelphia came right back in the 39th minute with Boquete setting up Tina DiMartino on the left side of the penalty area, but the shot from the diminutive midfielder found nothing but Loyden's hands. In the final minutes of the half, Kai sent a shot right at Loyden from 16 yards and Boquete set up Rodriguez on the right side, but her shot went just wide of the left post.

The half ended scoreless. But this was nothing new for the Independence who were shut out nine times in the first half during the regular season, but were still able to post a 5-2-2 record in those matches. Philadelphia had outscored their opponents 18-7 in the 2nd half during the season. Meanwhile, magicJack had not won a match all year when they didn't score in the opening stanza. One halftime substitution was made as Lisa De Vanna came on for Press.

It took just 24 seconds of the second half for Philadelphia to break on top. Farrelly's serve from the right side was headed by magicJack defender Marian Dalmy to the outside of the box. Kai beat Megan Rapinoe to the ball, burst into the penalty area, deked Rampone, and finished with a curling shot from 12 yards out just inside the left post to make it 1-0. It was brilliant effort by the Independence striker.

Wambach tried to even the match just three minutes later as she settled a Rampone cross in the penalty area, but her first shot was blocked by Leigh Ann Robinson and then Barnhart made perhaps the save of the match with a sprawling effort to send the ball over the crossbar on Wambach's rebound attempt.

Philadelphia made their first substitution in the 56th minute, sending Joanna Lohman in for DiMartino. In the 65th minute, Danesha Adams came on for Kai.

Wambach once again came knocking at the door at the midway point of the 2nd half. Vandenbergh sent in a cross from the left side, with Wambach's header from in close going off the crossbar after Barnhart was able to get her fingertips on the ball. Wambach made her second substitution in the 72nd minute, with Ella Masar entering the contest for Vandenbergh.

Philadelphia continued to pressure the magicJack net. In the 73rd minute, Rodriguez sent one just wide of the right post. In the 75th minute, a Lohman cross was settled by Adams in front of the goal, with her shot glancing off the crossbar.

The Independence iced the match in the 81st minute. Jen Buczkowski passed the ball to Adams, who outfought Sophie Schmidt to win possession. Adams hit Rodriguez in stride and the USWNT striker, glimpsing Loyden off her line, chipped the ball from 22 yards neatly into the upper right hand corner of the net to make it 2-0.

Both teams made their final substitutions in the closing minutes. Philadelphia sent Laura del Rio on for Rodriguez, while magicJack subbed in Nikki Washington for Sarah Huffman.

magicJack had two final chances as the final minutes ticked away. Schmidt was able to get around Barnhart to the end line just left of the goal, but with Ella Masar unmarked in front of the net, the magicJack midfielder got twisted and whiffed on the attempted cross, with the ball rolling harmlessly out of play. In stoppage, Shannon Boxx' attempt from 22 yards was parried wide by Barnhart.

It was a well-deserved victory for Philadelphia. While the two scoring plays were well done, it was very good goalkeeping from Nicole Barnhart and excellent defending, especially from Kia McNeill, Jen Buczkowski, and Sinead Farrelly, that won the day. McNeill was superb in marking Wambach throughout the contest. This was a great team effort to be sure.

For magicJack, after suffering through a controversial year off the field, the players managed to rise up and give a very good account for themselves. They earned their way into the playoffs with solid play over the final few weeks and posted the franchise's first playoff victory. One has to wonder just how much playing two matches a week over the final four weeks of the season took their toll.

Philadelphia will now meet Western New York in the WPS Championship match next Saturday at 4 pm eastern time. Philadelphia is making their second consecutive trip to the final, losing last season to Gold Pride. It is obviously the first trip to the finals for the expansion Flash. The two teams met three times during the regular season, with Philadelphia winning two of the three. All were one goal matches.

Philadelphia 2, magicJack 0

Phi-Tasha Kai (unassisted) 46'
Phi-Amy Rodriguez (Danesha Adams) 81'

Philadelphia - Nicole Barnhart, Estelle Johnson, Kia McNeill, Nikki Krzysik, Leigh Ann Robinson, Jen Buczkowski, Sinead Farrelly, Tina DiMartino (Joanna Lohman 56), Veronica Boquete, Tasha Kai (Danesha Adams 63), Amy Rodriguez (Laura del Rio 85).

magicJack - Jill Loyden, Marian Dalmy, Christie Rampone, Becky Sauerbrunn, Lydia Vandenbergh (Ella Masar 72), Shannon Boxx, Sophie Schmidt, Sarah Huffman (Nikki Washington 85), Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, Christen Press (Lisa De Vanna 46).

YC - Rampone (mJ) 12, Wambach (mJ) 86.
Shots - Philadelphia 20, magicJack 17
SOG - Philadelphia 13, magicJack 9.

Lopsided Win for Independence

The Philadelphia Independence moved into second place and wrote their name to the record books as well, taking a 6-0 decision over magicJack. Danesha Adams scored twice and Tasha Kai, Lianne Sanderson, Veronica Boquete, and Frida Magnusdottir each added a goal.

The six goals ties a record set by FC Gold Pride in 2010, who scored six times against the Atlanta Beat on August 28. The six goal margin breaks the old record of five, also set in the same match by Gold Pride.

The Independence struck for two goals in the opening half and held that lead into the 70th minute. Then they scored four times in the final 20 minutes. magicJack goalkeeper Brett Maron was redcarded late in the contest and they finished playing ten.

Val Henderson posted her third shutout of the season for Philadelphia and the Independence has now held their opponents scoreless for 337 consecutive minutes.

Philadelphia improves their record to 4-2-3, reaching the midway point in their schedule with 15 points. It moves them one point ahead of magicJack, who is now 5-3-0, good for 14 points after subtracting their penalty. The two teams will meet again next Saturday in a makeup for the match postponed because of weather back in April.

Adams Goal Lifts Independence over Flash

Danesha Adams' goal in the 90th minute gave the Philadelphia Independence a 1-0 victory over a shocked Western New York Flash.

It looked for all the world that this match was destined to end in a scoreless tie, but Lianne Sanderson hit a well-placed cross from the left wing to an inexplicably wide open Adams, who calmly headed the ball into the right side of the goal past Flash keeper Ashlyn Harris. The Flash seemingly fell asleep as they had several defenders back, but nobody marked Adams on the play.

Adams, who had seen only 40 minutes of action for Philadelphia this season, came on in the 64th minute of the contest for a hobbled Tasha Kai. It was Adams who got the winning goal in last year's WPS semifinal match against Boston, but she has seen less action this season after Philly acquired Kai and Laura del Rio.

With several players missing for both sides, not many scoring chances were created during the match. Neither side were able to make the final pass or hit a proper shot to score. Only seven shots were placed on frame for the entire match.

Philadelphia had an early scare when Val Henderson missed a back pass from Nikki Krzysik, but it only cost the Independence a corner kick. In the 20th minute, Marta placed a nice pass into the penalty area for Yael Averbuch, but her shot rolled just wide.

The Independence had very few opportunities in the opening half. Late in the half, an Estelle Johnson cross hit the top of the crossbar, but Harris appeared to have it covered in any case.

Kia McNeill drew the unenviable task of marking Marta for most of the match and was able to keep the Brazilian striker in check, as the two had a rather spirited battle for most of the evening. McNeill was able to limit Marta's chances and when she did gain opportunities, McNeill usually was able to force her to her less-lethal right foot.

Marta's best chance came in the 56th minute as she was able to cut to the right side of the box just past McNeill, but Henderson came out to grab the ball before she could get a shot off.

Tasha Kai came up lame after a collision for a head ball in the 57th minute and appeared to hurt her right ankle. She continued on for five minutes, before leaving the match.

A little later, Frida Magnusdottir took advantage of a Flash turnover and let go of a hard shot from the right side of the box. Her attempt went just wide, with Harris grabbing the shot as it was already past the end line.

With the game apparently heading for a tie, Philadelphia was able to force a turnover in the midfield and it was time for Adams' heroics.

Val Henderson earned her second shutout in three starts for Philadelphia.

Western New York suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 6-1-2, but still in possession of first place. They are now on a four week hiatus while the World Cup is being played.

Philadelphia improves to 3-2-3 and leapfrogs Boston into third place. They now trail second place magicJack by three points, a team they will now face twice in a row. They host magicJack in a regularly scheduled match next Saturday and then make up the April 16th match that was postponed on June 25.

WPS Standings
(1) Western New York 6-1-2, 20 pts; (2) magicJack 5-2-0, 14 pts; (3) Philadelphia 3-2-3, 12 pts; (4) Boston 3-5-2, 11 pts; (5) Sky Blue FC 2-3-3, 9 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-7-2, 5 pts.

Adams OT Goal Nets Win for Independence

It didn't quite take 120 minutes for the winning goal as in Sunday's match, but Danesha Adams overtime goal gave Philadelphia a 2-1 Super Semifinal victory over the Boston Breakers, sending the Independence to the west coast for a final's date with FC Gold Pride. The goal, which came in the 103rd minute, was somewhat controversial and left the Breakers complaining about the lack of a call on the play.

With the end of the 1st overtime approaching, Tina DiMartino dribbled from the right wing toward the box and crossed the ball to the far post. Danesha Adams gained some separation from Amy LePeilbet and rose for a header just at the left post and maybe two yards off the line. The ball went off Adams downward, inside the post, and just over the line. There was some question as to whether the ball had touched Adam's hand or not, but veteran referee Kari Seitz did not wave off the goal. Several replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball hit Adams hand or whether it went off her head. For their part, the Breakers signalled almost immediately for a hand ball, but to no avail.

The first half of the game was played at a fast pace, leaving one wondering whether either team would have the energy for an overtime. The Independence got the first good chance of the match as Frida Magnusdottir took a free kick from 30 yards out. Magnusdottir struck a bullet which was bending away from Breaker goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and toward the left corner of the net. Naeher completely layed out to catch the ball cleanly with a great save.

Boston then seemed to control possession for awhile, gaining two chances, with a Fabiana shot over the bar and a Kristine Lilly volley that Val Henderson was barely able to get her hand on to deflect wide.

The Breakers were the first to strike. Lianne Sanderson lost possession to Jordan Angeli at midfield in what appeared to be heavy contact. Kristine Lilly then sent a long ball up to Lauren Cheney. Cheney caught Henderson well off her line and chipped it perfectly from 22 yards, with the ball grazing the bottom of the crossbar and going into the net.

Boston's lead lasted all of seven minutes as the Independence quickly drew even. Amy Rodriguez hustled to gain possession inside Boston's half and passed the ball to Tina DiMartino. DiMartino sent it back to Rodriguez who found an open Caroline Seger charging in from the right side. Seger's low shot to the far post beat Naeher to tie the score. It appeared that Naeher had to hesitate, wary of DiMartino who was making a run at the near post.

After the break, Rodriguez had two chances at an open net, putting both wide. In the first, she caught Naeher out of the box, but her diving shot rolled just wide of the goal. On the second, she touched the ball past Naeher, but was unable to get her shot on frame from a bad angle.

Jen Buczkowski picked up her fourth yellow card of the year against Boston for taking down Kelly Smith in the 68th minute. Both teams seem to tire toward the end of the 2nd half.

The Breakers were to come close twice in the closing minutes of the 2nd half. First, Cheney was able to get off a shot from the side of the box, which Henderson parried safely away. In the 89th minute, LePeilbet sent a long ball forward to Kelly Smith. Smith made a brilliant first touch to bring the ball to her left foot, but her blast from 20 yards went just over the crossbar and the score remained 1-1 after regulation time.

The Independence seem to gain a second wind with the start of the overtime. They nearly scored in the 102nd minute, with DiMartino crossing the ball to Adams whose shot from eight yards went over the crossbar. But it was only a minute later that the two paired up for what would be the game winning goal. Adams had been a second half substitution by Paul Riley.

The Breakers did not go quietly. Midway through the 2nd overtime, a scramble in front of the net was temporarily cleared by Philadelphia, but Kasey Moore was able to win possession for Boston. She saw Henderson a bit off her line and launched a shot from 30 yards that hit the crossbar. The ball rebounded to Alex Scott, who was all alone in the box, about 12 yards out with only Henderson between her and the goal. A bouncing ball and tired legs did Scott in as she nearly fanned on her shot and the Independence were able to recover in time to clear the ball out of trouble. It would be the last good opportunity that the Breakers would have.

Philadelphia was able to kill the remaining time to put away the 2-1 victory. Several players on both teams had excellent games. Although she missed some opportunities to score, Amy Rodriguez worked tirelessly throughout the match and her hustle led to the first goal. Tina DiMartino seemed to be everywhere, among several great efforts from the Independence midfielders. Alyssa Naeher's great save early on was the best of the match. Veteran Kristine Lilly had a strong match as well.

The shots ended up nearly even with the Independence having the slight edge at 18-17. The Breakers had a heavy advantage in corners at 8-2 and a slight one in shots on goal at 8-6.

Philadelphia will now travel to Pioneer Stadium in Hayward, California to face FC Gold Pride. The 2010 WPS Championship presented by Citi will be played at 2:30 Eastern, 11:30 Pacific on Sunday, September 26. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net.

WPS Midweek Notes - June 23

Adams Named WPS Player of the Week

Danesha Adams of the Philadelphia Independence has earned WPS Player of the Week honors. Her performance was a key factor in Philly’s 4-1 victory over Sky Blue FC. She scored the first goal of the match and later assisted on a goal by Amy Rodriguez. Adams has also been credited with setting up another goal, but did not get an assist as a Sky Blue player had touched the ball before Joanna Lohman knocked home the rebound.

It was the first start of the season for Adams who was selected by Philadelphia in the expansion draft from the Chicago Red Stars last fall. The goal and assist were the first of her WPS career. She became the 3rd Philadelphia player to win the award in 2010. Adams played college soccer for UCLA where she was an All-American.

Around The League

Atlanta Beat – The Beat now have a three game unbeaten streak after starting with a 0-5-1 record…..The first midweek home match for Atlanta drew 2632 fans…..The own goal in Wednesday’s match was the second of the season for Atlanta. No other team has ever had more than one in a season.

Boston Breakers – With injuries and national team duty, the only three players that have played every minute this year for the Breakers are Lauren Cheney, Stephanie Cox, and Amy LePeilbet…..A bit of history, Kristine Lilly made her first appearance for the USWNT on the day Breaker teammate Kasey Moore was born (August 3, 1987). Four of Lilly’s other teammates at Boston had not been born yet…..Boston has not won a home game since defeating the Red Stars on July 15, 2009.

Chicago Red Stars – The Red Stars have never used a backup goalkeeper. Caroline Jönsson played every minute last season and Jill Loyden has played every minute this year…..Although Cristiane has scored 10 career goals, she has only scored against four different teams, four against Gold Pride, three against Washington, two against Los Angeles, and one earlier this year against Boston…..Chicago is currently 2nd in team defense, giving up less than a goal per game.

FC Gold Pride – Gold Pride has gotten over 2500 minutes of play from their 2010 draft choices, led by Ali Riley, Becky Edwards, and Kelley O’Hara…..Nicole Barnhart leads WPS with only 0.80 goals against per game…..FCGP passed last year’s point total of 18 on June 12. It took them only 9 games in 2010.

Philadelphia Independence – The Independence extended their consecutive games scoring streak to 10 against Atlanta on Wednesday, just one shy of the WPS record…..The change of scenery appears to have helped Amy Rodriguez, who now has four goals and three assists for the Independence after struggling last season…..Philadelphia has averaged scoring 2.25 goals per game over their last four matches.

Sky Blue FC – Sky Blue surrendered four goals for only the second time in their history on Saturday night. Last season, they gave up that many in a 4-4 tie against Washington…..Rosana became only the second WPS player to convert two penalties in one season. Camille Abily did it last season for Los Angeles…..A bit of an contradiction, Sky Blue’s defense leads WPS with four shutouts, but they have also suffered the most multi-goal games against with four.

Washington Freedom – Becky Sauerbrunn’s ironwomen streak now stands at 2610 minutes in the regular season, plus another 90 minutes if you count last season’s playoff match…..Beverly Goebel was elevated to full roster status last week to replace Lisa DeVanna, who is out with an injury…..The last three times Washington has faced the Red Stars, they have surrendered a lead. They still managed a 1-1-1 record in those three contests.

Trivia Question - Of last year's (2009) first round draft choices in the January draft, who has scored the most career goals?

WPS Midweek - Philadelphia Independence at Atlanta Beat

The two expansion teams take center stage in the first WPS midweek match of 2010. Both are coming off of successful weekends.

Philadelphia Independence (5-3-2, 17 pts) at Atlanta Beat (1-5-2, 5 pts)
KSU Stadium, Kennesaw, GA - June 23 (6:30 ET)

Rosters:
Philadelphia: GK-K. LeBlanc, V. Henderson; D-A. Falk, H. Mitts, N. Krzysik, S. Senty, E. Johnson; MF-J. Buczkowski, L. Lindsey, J. Lohman, T. DiMartino; F-A. Rodriguez, L. Sanderson, L. Patterson, D. Adams, K. Maruyama.
Not Active: H. Magnusdottir (national team), S. Larsson (national team), C. Seger (national team), G. DiMartino, K. Reynolds, R. Jones.

Atlanta: GK-H. Solo, B. Maron; D-T. Ellertson, K. McNeill, L. Robinson, S. Bishop, K. Larkin; MF-M. Yamaguchi, A. Miyama, A. Kerr, L. Chalupny, M. Zerboni, R. Nolin, C. Blank (unlikely-knee); F-E. Aluko, M. Ocampo, A. Cinalli.
Not Active: R. Bachmann (national team), J. Rasmussen (national team), M. Lofton-Malachi.

Previous Meetings (2010):
Atlanta 0 @ Philadelphia 0
Atlanta 0 @ Philadelphia 1

What to Look For: Philadelphia enters the match coming off a big win over Sky Blue, in 2nd place with a chance to close within two points of Gold Pride. There are plenty of things to like about the Independence attack these days. The have plenty of speed, led by Rodriguez, who is having a solid season with 3 goals and 3 assists. Adams had a great game last weekend with a goal and two assists. Sanderson and Patterson have played well, too. Lindsey directs the show in the midfield with 2 goals and 5 assists. DiMartino has scored in consecutive games since coming over from St. Louis. Although they have yielded more goals as of late, Philly still boasts a solid defense led by Falk in the middle and LeBlanc in goal. The Independence will still be missing three European starters for this match in Seger, Larsson, and Magnusdottir.

Atlanta has scored less goals this season than the Independence did last weekend and scoring is still a problem for this young club. But the situation isn't as dire as it appeared three weeks ago and a victory would lift the Beat out of last place for the first time this year. Aluko returns to give them a scoring punch and she will team with Ocampo up front. The midfield group is now one of the best in the league with Miyama, Yamaguchi, Chalupny, and Kerr. Solo is expected back for this match and she and Maron have shut out their last two opponents. The addition of Ellertson, who scored Atlanta's goal over the weekend, has helped solidify the defense. Bachmann and Rasmussen will miss this game on national team duty.

These two teams played two low scoring match earlier this year, but it could be very interesting this time around. Atlanta now has a midfield which can control possession and create chances. In her first match with the Beat, her teammates had trouble connecting with Aluko. If they can in this match, her speed should give the Indepedence problems. But Philadelphia has speed of their own to counter with. Ellertson has given Atlanta the speed and experience it was lacking on their back line. I expect another close match, but we may see a lot of scoring chances in this one.

Storylines: It is the third meeting between the two expansion teams with the only goal being scored so far by Philadelphia's Lindsey. For 2010, in the previous meeting between last year's two top keepers, Solo came out on top over LeBlanc in a 2-1 win. After not scoring in her first 24 WPS matches, T. DiMartino has scored in consecutive matches. Philadelphia has a 9 match scoring streak, only two short of a record set by St. Louis earlier in the season. Can Adams repeat her success of a few days ago? Can Atlanta climb out of last place?

Weekend Wrap Up - June 19-20

Independence Demolishes Sky Blue

For the second time in three weeks, Philadelphia defeated Sky Blue FC. But this was in a more convincing fashion, a 4-1 victory in New Jersey, no less.

The Independence struck early and often, with Danesha Adams leading the way. Adams, who was making just her first start of the year, made the most of it with a goal and two assists. She put Philadelphia in the lead just five minutes into the match, assisted by Amy Rodriguez. Later in the half, Adams assisted on a goal by Rodriguez to put Philly up 2-0.

Sky Blue got one back on a penalty with Rosana doing the honors for the second week in a row. Last week, she converted a penalty in stoppage for the game winner against Boston. The score stood at 2-1 in favor of the Independence at half.

Adams earned her second assist on a Joanna Lohman goal early in the 2nd half and the game was never in doubt after that. Free agent signee Tina DiMartino scored her second goal in as many weeks since coming over from Saint Louis to make the final score 4-1. Karina LeBlanc got the win in goal for the Independence.

The Independence, who leapfrogged Washington into 2nd place, have now scored in 9 consecutive matches, just two shy of the regular season record held by Athletica. Philadelphia doesn't have long to rest as they travel to Atlanta for a midweek clash with the Beat on Wednesday. Sky Blue travels to the bay area to meet first place FC Gold Pride next weekend.

The Beat Get First Victory

It took eight matches, but the Atlanta Beat finally get their first win, a 1-0 shutout victory at home against Chicago.

Tina Ellertson headed home a Monica Ocampo cross in the 42nd minute to give the Beat their first WPS home goal. The goal ended a 467 minute scoring drought for Atlanta, which surpassed a record previously held by the Red Stars. For Ellertson, it was her first WPS goal.

Brett Maron got the shutout for the Beat. Atlanta outshot Chicago 17-4 for the match and held the edge in corners as well, 10-5. The victory puts Atlanta at 5 points, now just two behind 6th place Boston. They host Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Chicago remains in 5th place with 9 points and will travel to Boston to meet the Breakers in a Friday night contest.

Gold Pride Edges Boston To Solidify Hold on 1st Place

Kelley O'Hara scored late in the 1st half to give FC Gold Pride a 1-0 win over the visiting Boston Breakers. For O'Hara, it was her second goal of the season, this one assisted by Christine Sinclair.

Nicole Barnhart earned her third shutout of the season for FCGP. Alyssa Naeher, making her first start for the Breakers, was injured in the 1st half and had to be replaced by Ashley Phillips.

The victory came before a crowd of 3588 at Gold Pride's new home, Pioneer Stadium in Haywood, California. They have stretched their home unbeaten streak to eight games.

Gold Pride, with 22 points, now has a five point cushion over 2nd place Philadelphia. They will host Sky Blue next Sunday. Meanwhile, Boston sits in 6th place, just two points out of the basement. Boston has not won a match since the season opener and has scored just two goals total in their last six matches. They will host Chicago on Friday night.

Standings: (1) FC Gold Pride (7-2-1, 22 pts); (2) Philadelphia (5-3-2, 17 pts); (3) Washington (4-2-3, 15 pts); (4) Sky Blue FC (4-4-2, 14 pts); (5) Chicago (2-5-3, 9 pts); (6) Boston (1-4-4, 7 pts); (7) Atlanta (1-5-2, 5 pts).