Flash and magicJack Post Victories

magicJack 3, Sky Blue FC 2

MagicJack took over sole possession of third place by defeating Sky Blue 3-2 tonight in Boca Raton. Abby Wambach scored twice and Megan Rapinoe got the game winner for magicJack.

Wambach opened the scoring in the 5th minute, assisted by Marian Dalmy. The hosts went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

The floodgates opened in the second half, as both teams scored twice. Eni Aluko scored her second goal of the season, assisted by Heather O'Reilly in the 56th minute to tie the match for Sky Blue.

Wambach again gave magicJack the lead in the 77th minute, with the assist this time coming from Canadian National Team midfielder Sophie Schmidt. It was Wambach's 7th goal of the season.

Once again, Aluko was able to draw Sky Blue even as she scored in the 84th minute to tie the match at two, with Adriana assisting.

But midseason acquisition Megan Rapinoe scored the game winner in the 86th minute on an assist from Matilda's star Lisa De Vanna.

Jill Loyden got the victory in goal for magicJack, while Karen Bardsley took the loss for Sky Blue.

MagicJack improves to 7-6-2, good for 22 points after their point deduction suffered earlier in the campaign. They need just one more point to secure a playoff position. They will face the Breakers in Boston on Saturday evening.

Sky Blue falls to 5-7-4 and 19 points to their credit. They are still clinging to the fourth and final playoff berth, just three points ahead of Boston. Sky Blue travels to Philadelphia to play the Independence on Sunday, before facing the Breakers in their final regular season match in what could be a do or die game.

Western New York Flash 2, Boston Breakers 1

The Flash were able to pull even with league leading Philadelphia on Wednesday night, by defeating the Boston Breakers 2-1 at Sahlen Stadium. Christine Sinclair and Becky Edwards were able to net first half goals and then the Flash were able to withstand a Boston comeback to hold on for the victory.

Sinclair scored the game's first goal on an assist from Marta in the 21st minute. The tally pushes Sinclair's league-leading total to 10 goals.

The Flash made it 2-0 just seven minutes later. Becky Edwards headed in an Ali Riley cross and Western New York appeared to be on their way to victory.

Boston had other ideas, however, as they cut the lead in half in the opening minutes of the second half. Rookie Keelin Winters scored her third goal of the season, assisted by Kelley O'Hara to put the Breakers right back in the match.

Kelly Smith nearly tied the match in the 54th minute, but her shot from 30 yards hit the crossbar with Flash keeper Ashlyn Harris barely getting her hand on it. From then on, Western New York was able to hold on to capture three points.

The match saw two key Breakers players return to action. The aforementioned Smith came on at halftime, seeing her first action since the World Cup quarterfinals in Germany. Lauren Cheney made her first start since her ankle injury in the World Cup final for the United States.

Western New York is now in prime position to win the WPS regular season crown. They are tied with Philadelphia at 33 points and have a game in hand. They will face cellar dwelling Atlanta on Saturday at KSU Stadium.

Boston's situation is desperate at 4-8-4, but they do still control their own destiny. They will face magicJack in Cambridge on Saturday, before finishing the season at home against Sky Blue FC.

WPS STANDINGS
(1) Western New York 10-2-3, 33 pts; (1) Philadelphia 10-3-3, 33 pts; (3) magicJack 7-6-2, 22 pts; (4) Sky Blue FC 5-7-4, 19 pts; (5) Boston 4-8-4, 16 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-11-4, 7 pts.

Breakers and Flash Battle to 2-2 Tie

In one of the most exciting matches thus far in the WPS season, the Boston Breakers and Western New York Flash played to a 2-2 draw in Cambridge. Both teams scored in the last 10 minutes and it was a match that national team players contributed heavily, as did players off the bench.

Kelley O'Hara scored a brace and it looked to be enough when she gave Boston a 2-1 lead with just over six minutes remaining, but Alex Morgan tied it just three minutes later with a brilliant goal.

Western New York held the edge in possession and territory early on, but it was Boston who created the better chances. In the 10th minute, Katie Schoepfer played the ball ahead on the right side for Alex Scott. She crossed the ball into the penalty area, but it led Liz Bogus just a little too much and she was unable to redirect it toward the net.

Boston did get the first goal just 10 minutes later. It was again Schoepfer starting the play as she sent a diagonal ball to Kelley O'Hara. The ball just barely got by a diving Whitney Engen and O'Hara had inside position on Ali Riley. O'Hara steered a rolling shot back across to the right. Flash goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris appeared to be wrong-footed on the play and the ball got by her, into the right corner of the net to make it 1-0.

Western New York continued to pressure and nearly broke through in the 36th minute. Riley sent a beautiful cross to McCall Zerboni at the six, but the Flash midfielder put her header wide of the goal.

The Flash tied the match in the 38th minute with Becky Edwards sending the ball ahead to Marta who was heading to the left side of the penalty area. Marta was able to settle the ball, and gain some space from defender Scott in the process. She set up her left-footed shot and drilled it low past Alyssa Naeher and into the right side netting to tie the match.

USWNT forward Alex Morgan subbed in to start the second half for Western New York and she made her presence known. In the 59th minute, she drove a 25-yard shot right at Naeher. Somehow, the ball got through the Breakers' keeper and rolled toward the goal line, but Naeher was able to dive back just in time before the ball crossed. Later, Yael Averbuch put her shot from inside the 18 just wide of the right post.

Boston took the lead in the 84th minute in a beautiful display of passing. Alex Scott crossed the ball from 35 yards out to Nikki Marshall who was cutting diagonally across the penalty area from left to right. With a defender on her, Marshall was unable to control the ball immediately, but ran it down on the right side of the penalty area.

With the ball rolling toward the endline, she was able to turn her body and direct her cross back to O'Hara. O'Hara passed it to 2nd half substitute Claire Zimmeck who touched it right back to O'Hara on a give-and-go. O'Hara's finish was perfectly inside the left post to give Boston a late 2-1 lead.

But just when it looked like the Breakers might secure three points, it was Alex Morgan who drew the Flash even. Marta sent a 40-yard free kick into the box. Christine Sinclair tried to head it across the box, but the Breakers temporarily cleared it, but not far enough. Another 2nd half substitute, Beverly Goebel, headed the ball back into the box toward Alex Morgan who was waiting near the penalty spot. Morgan hit a beautiful half volley with the outside of her left foot that hit the bottom of crossbar and went into the net. The score was now tied at two.

Western New York threatened again in the last few minutes. Morgan appeared to be behind the defense on a breakaway, but it was called back on a very close offsides. In the 90th minute, Boston defender Elli Reed saved the Breakers by blocking not one, but two Flash shots. First, she blocked Goebel's shot from right in front of Naeher and then the rebound went to Sinclair, who had an open net in front of her, but Reed slid over to block her shot as well.

Both teams gained very valuable point in the standings. Western New York is now 8-2-3 and tied with Philadelphia for first place with 27 points. The Flash have a game in hand on the Independence as well. Boston's record goes to 4-5-4 and they are now in a three-way tie for third place with Sky Blue and magicJack.

Boston hosts Philadelphia in a very important match for both teams on Wednesday night. Western New York's next match is at Sky Blue next Saturday, also crucial to both teams.

WPS Standings
(1) Western New York 8-2-3, 27 pts; (1) Philadelphia 8-3-3, 27 pts; (3) magicJack 5-5-2, 16 pts; (3) Boston 4-5-4, 16 pts; (3) Sky Blue FC 4-5-4, 16 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-10-4, 7 pts.

Flash Sink magicJack in World Cup Homecoming

On a night when World Cup players from six different countries were honored before 15,404 fans, the Western New York Flash defeated magicJack 3-1 at Sahlen Stadium in Rochester, New York. Canadian National Team star Christine Sinclair scored two goals and assisted on the third to lead the Flash to victory. It was the largest single-game crowd in WPS history.

While all of the players that participated in the World Cup were honored, magicJack striker Abby Wambach clearly took center stage. The Rochester native received the key to the city and it was proclaimed Abby Wambach Day. Wambach was dressed in her magicJack uniform, but did not play in the game, still nursing an Achilles heel injury which has plagued her for much of the year.

The visitors from Florida nearly broke on top in the sixth minute. Christen Press had an open shot from 10 yards, but she put her shot too close to Ashlyn Harris and the save was made by the Flash keeper.

Western New York got the first goal of the match. Candace Chapman sent a long free kick forward from just outside her penalty area. Becky Edwards flicked the ball forward with a header and Sinclair timed her run perfectly getting behind the defense. Sinclair dribbled around magicJack goalkeeper Jill Loyden and rolled the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.

MagicJack was able to draw even just before the intermission. In the 40th minute, Nikki Washington sent a long cross toward the box. With Flash defender Candace Chapman in front of her, Ella Masar elected to one-time it. She hit a left-footed shot over her shoulder, over Chapman, and finally over Harris to tie the match.

The Flash tried to regain the lead to start the second half. Marta's shot was blocked by defender Tina Ellertson, but Beverly Goebel was on the rebound and only a point-blank save by Loyden kept the score tied at one.

But magicJack wasn't so fortunate five minutes later. Marta sent the ball into space for Christine Sinclair, but Tina Ellertson was able to get there first. As the two battled for the ball, Ellertson fell down and Sinclair dribbled in alone on Loyden, shooting just inside the left post as a diving Loyden was only able to get a glove on it, but not stop it. It was Sinclair's eighth goal of the season, tying her with Tasha Kai for the league lead, and the Flash led 2-1.

The Flash closed the door on magicJack in the 69th minute. Goebel sent the ball ahead to Sinclair, who chased the ball down just to the left of the penalty area. She cut back to the inside, beating magicJack defender Nikki Marshall, and then sent a cross to the right edge of the six. McCall Zerboni was waiting there unmarked and she placed her header behind Loyden, who was rushing across to cut off the angle.

MagicJack again struggled with a three-back formation as the Flash found open lanes to play the ball in behind their defense. Ali Riley got in behind the defense later in the match and only another good save by Loyden kept the game reasonably close. Later, Loyden made a diving save on Alex Morgan's drive from just outside the eighteen. The final score was 3-1 for Western New York.

The Flash move to within one point of first place Philadelphia. They now sport a 8-2-2 record and they will now travel to Boston to meet the Breakers on Sunday. MagicJack falls to 5-5-1 and are in a fierce battle for the final two playoff berths. They will now head to Atlanta to play the Beat on Saturday evening.

Flash Edges Independence

The Western New York Flash remained unbeaten by defeating the Philadelphia Independence 2-1 in Chester, Pennsylvania.

The Flash maintained their eight point lead over magicJack and now have a 11 point advantage over Philadelphia in the standings.

For the first time this season, however, the Flash fell behind in a match. Philadelphia took the lead in the 9th minute on what appeared to be a harmless looking shot. The Independence moved the ball across the field to Megan Rapinoe on the right side of the field. She struck a shot on a tough angle from the right wing, which went over Ashlyn Harris' head and under the crossbar inside the back post. It was a perfectly placed shot and a stunned Harris was unable to move on the play.

So for the first time this season, the Flash trailed, but it was only for all of five minutes as they quickly responded. Ali Riley hit a well-placed cross from the left wing and McCall Zerboni challenged for the ball as Nicole Barnhart went up to punch the ball out. The ball rebounded to a wide open Becky Edwards who headed into the now empty net.

The Flash took the lead just a few minutes later, as Marta took a corner kick from the left side. The corner went short to Zerboni and as she attempted to dribble toward the net, she was tripped up by Independence defender Nikki Krzysik and a penalty was awarded. Marta put the penalty lower right as Barnhart guessed wrong and the Flash led 2-1 at the 21 minute mark.

That was the only scoring of the first half and as it turned out, the game. Nicole Barnhart made several good saves later in the match. But Philadelphia came close to tying the match in the 65th minute as Tina DiMartino sent a cross in from the right side and it found the head of Tasha Kai. Kai headed the ball down with the ball bouncing high and toward the goal, but Harris was able to time her leap and tip the ball over the bar.

Play got a little physical later in the match and a little chippy at times, but nothing of much consequence. Flash defender Ali Riley came up limping a couple of times during the match, but finished the match. Gina Lewandowski got a rare start as Candace Chapman was out with an injury.

The Flash improved to 6-0-1, good for 19 points and first place. Philadelphia fell to 2-2-2, still in 3rd place with 8 points. The Flash will head home to face Sky Blue on Friday in Rochester. Philadelphia plays at home on Saturday against Atlanta.

WPS Standings (as of May 29, 2011)
(1) Western New York 6-0-1, 19 pts; (2) magicJack 4-1-0, 11 pts; (3) Philadelphia 2-2-2, 8 pts; (4) Sky Blue FC 2-3-1, 7 pts; (5) Boston 2-5-1, 7 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-6-1, 4 pts.

Western New York Shuts Out magicJack

The Western New York Flash have solidified their hold on first place, defeating magicJack by a 3-0 score. The Flash got goals from Becky Edwards and Caroline Seger, plus Seger later converted a penalty to account for the final score.

The first half was played at a frenetic pace, with scoring chances seemingly coming by the minute. MagicJack's decision to go with a three-back defense appeared to be a mistake, as Western New York owned the first 20 minutes of the match. The Flash put an onslaught on the magicJack goal with only great goalkeeping by Hope Solo keeping her team in the match.

The Flash got on the board just over one minute into the match. Kandace Wilson sent a beautiful pass through to Marta who dribbled in on goal. Solo came out to make a stop on Marta 10 yards from the goal. The rebound went to Christine Sinclair who drilled one off the crossbar, followed by another rebound by Becky Edwards that deflected off a magicJack defender and into the net.

In the 17th minute, Solo stopped Alex Morgan from point blank range. Just a minute later, Solo dove to save a Christine Sinclair shot, only to have the ball deflected off the crossbar by her own defender. She then scrambled to grab the ball before anymore damage could be done. And then it was Solo again stopping Morgan twice from inside 10 yards in the 19th minute. The Flash could have easily held a three or four goal advantage at that point, but it was still 1-0.

It was about that time that the momentum changed and magicJack started to put pressure on. In the 21st minute, Shannon Boxx blistered a shot off the crossbar, followed by a Meghan Schnur shot that sailed just over the bar.

In the 28th minute, Ashlyn Harris made a great diving punch save on Ella Masar. A few minutes later, it was Harris robbing Masar yet again on a lunging save on Masar's shot from 12 yards. Although she did not score, Masar would be a thorn in the Flashes' side all night long.

With magicJack knocking on the door and coming on strong, Caroline Seger scored against the run of play to make it 2-0 very late in the first half. Dribbling inside the box toward the right side and with everyone expecting her to pass, she suddenly turned and hit a low shot through Megan Schnur's legs that Hope Solo probably never saw and into the left side of the net. Western New York weathered a late push to keep the score at 2-0 in their favor at the half.

After such an action-packed first half, it was almost predictable that the second half couldn't keep up that pace and both teams seemed to settle into the game after the intermission.

The first really good chance of the second half came in the 59th minute as Sinclair hit a volley from just outside the penalty area, with Solo again coming up with the big save on a dive to her right.

Yael Averbuch entered the game in the 2nd half, seeing her first action since the opener for Western New York.

MagicJack nearly cut the lead in half in the 83rd minute as Ella Masar's shot from six yards went just over the bar and the unlucky Masar was again denied a goal.

Western New York finished the scoring in the 84th minute. Marta and Tina Ellertson, who had been battling all night, fought for a ball going into the box, both running at full speed. Ellertson reached out her arm in an attempt to slow Marta and shield her from the ball with the Flash striker going down and a penalty was awarded. Caroline Seger converted the penalty, as the ball went just beyond the fingertips of Solo, as the magicJack keeper had guessed correctly.

There were a few anxious moments among the Flash faithful and soccer fans in general, as Marta appeared to turn an ankle and was walking quite gingerly after she was able to get up. However, she stayed on and appeared to be running without discomfort later in the match.

Ashlyn Harris got the shutout in goal for the Flash. They raise their record to 5-0-1, with 16 points. They are now eight points clear of second place magicJack, who fell to 3-1-0, with 8 points. Western New York travels to Philadelphia next weekend, while magicJack returns home to host Atlanta.

It was announced by WPS that magicJack owner Dan Borislow has been fined $10,000 and has been suspended from serving in any technical capacity for magicJack for two games, effective immediately, for "public statements that are derogatory and not in the best interests of the league."

Flash Add Edwards

It had been rumored for a few weeks, but Western New York made it official today, announcing that they had signed defensive midfielder Becky Edwards. Edwards started as a rookie for the 2010 WPS Champions FC Gold Pride.

Edwards played in all 24 regular season matches, starting 20 of them. She had one goal and one assist. She started and played the full 90 minutes in Gold Pride's 4-0 win in the championship match over Philadelphia.

Edwards played college soccer at Florida State University and was a member of the U-20 World Cup championship team in 2008.

Edwards becomes the fifth member of Gold Pride's starting squad to be signed by Western New York.

Breakers, Independence Clinch Playoff Berths

Boston Breakers 3, Atlanta Beat 1

The Breakers continued their hot streak by easily defeating Atlanta 3-1. Goals by Lindsay Tarpley, Jordan Angeli, and Kristine Lilly enabled Boston to build a 3-0 lead by early in the second half. Eniola Aluko got one back in the 64th minute, but it wasn't enough. Alyssa Naeher got the victory in goal for the Breakers.

The Breakers broke a record by scoring in their 13th consecutive game, which was previously held by Philadelphia. Boston is 9-2-1 over their last 12 games, after finishing June with just seven points total.

The victory clinched a playoff berth and at least one home game for the Breakers who now have 35 points. It also moved them into 2nd place, one point ahead of Philadelphia. They will travel to the west coast to face Gold Pride on Sunday. Atlanta will host Sky Blue in their final home game on Sunday.

Chicago Red Stars 2, Philadelphia Independence 0

Veronica Boquete made an instant impact in her first start for the Red Stars, scoring in the 4th minute to help lead Chicago to a 2-0 shutout over the Independence. Boquete had signed with the Red Stars after helping the Buffalo Flash to a W-League championship, but visa issues had kept her from playing for the Red Stars until tonight.

Marian Dalmy added a second half goal on a laser from over 25 yards out to cement the victory. Jill Loyden earned the shutout for Chicago.

Philadelphia still managed to clinch a playoff berth by virtue of Sky Blue's tie against Gold Pride, but they fell out of 2nd place. Philly still needs one point to clinch a home playoff match. This marks the first time that the expansion Independence have lost three in a row. They take the weekend off before finishing their season on the road against Gold Pride on September 11.

Sky Blue FC 1, FC Gold Pride 1

Sky Blue was just minutes away from taking this game, but a late goal by Becky Edwards scored for Gold Pride in the 90th minute forced a 1-1 draw. The goal was set up by a Camille Abily free kick.

Edwards' goal countered an absolutely beautiful effort and goal by Tasha Kai in the 72nd minute. Kai received a long ball from Heather O'Reilly into the penalty area and deftly touched the ball past a defender to give her space for a shot, which she buried from 10 yards out.

With Jen Branam out with an injury, Meghann Burke got her first start in goal for Sky Blue. Burke played a strong game and looked to be headed for the shutout before it was spoiled in the closing moments.

It was devastating blow to Sky Blue's playoff chances. They now stand two points behind the Freedom for the fourth and final playoff spot. Both teams have two games left, but Washington holds the tiebreaker. Sky Blue travels to Atlanta on Sunday, while Washington plays at Chicago.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (14-3-5, 47 pts); 2) Boston (10-7-5, 35 pts); 3) Philadelphia (10-9-4, 34 pts); 4) Washington (7-8-7, 28 pts); 5) Sky Blue FC (7-10-5, 26 pts); 6) Chicago (6-11-6, 24 pts); 7) Atlanta (5-12-5, 20 pts).

FC Gold Pride has clinched the top seed.
Boston and Philadelphia have clinched playoff berths.
Atlanta and Chicago have been eliminated from playoff contention.

WPS Weekend Wrap Up

A number of universities are well represented in WPS, including UNC, Notre Dame, Portland, UCLA, Stanford, and Santa Clara. One university that has been developing a number of WPS players as of late is Florida State. Sunday's game between Saint Louis and FC Gold Pride included 3 ex-FSU stars and a former FSU assistant coach. Shown here (from left) India Trotter of Athletica, Assistant Coach Paul Rogers (Athletica's goalkeeper coach), Becky Edwards of FC Gold Pride, and Sarah Wagenfuhr of Athletica. All three players played in the match.

Athletica defender/midfielder Elaine wasn't able to play in Sunday's game because there was a delay in getting her international clearance. But that didn't stop the Brazilian National Team player from participating in another way. She joined Laclede's Army, a supporters group for Saint Louis Athletica, in their cheering section. She got into the spirit of the match by spray painting her hair green, sitting in with the group's drummers and doing her part in supporting her team from the stands. She is hoping to join her teammates on the field soon.

Boston 2, Washington 1-The Breakers got goals from Lauren Cheney and Kelly Smith to defeat the Freedom. Ashley Phillips got the victory in goal in her first WPS action. Allie Long scored the Freedom's loan goal.

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Saint Louis 2, FC Gold Pride 0-Eniola Aluko scored both goals as the Athletica won their home opener. Shannon Boxx had an excellent match, assisting on both goals. The Marta-led Gold Pride were unable to get their offense untracked. Hope Solo earned the shutout in goal.

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Sky Blue FC 1, Chicago 0-The defending champions won their home opener. Natasha Kai scored early on an assist from Heather O'Reilly and SBFC was able to hold on for the win. Karen Bardsley earned the shutout in goal. Jill Loyden gave up just the one goal in her first start for the Red Stars.

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Philadelphia 0, Atlanta 0-The Independence drew over 6000 fans for their home opener which ended in a scoreless tie. Karina LeBlanc (Philadelphia) and Allison Whitworth (Atlanta) earned shutouts. Several key players were missing from the match including Allison Falk (red card in '09 championship game) and Heather Mitts (injury) for Philly and Ramona Bachmann (illness) and Monica Ocampo (illness) for Atlanta.

WPS Draft - 2nd Round Recap

The 2nd round of the WPS draft has now concluded. A recap....

12. Gold Pride-Becky Edwards, defensive mid, Florida State....Wow, they waited and still got her. No big surprise with Gold Pride taking her.
13. Philadelphia-Malorie Rutledge, MF, LSU....A solid midfielder, but I didn't think she would go quite this high. I also thought Philly would go for a scorer.
14. Los Angeles-Michelle Enyeart, F, Portland...A great player who would have been in the top 5 or 6 pick if she had been healthy. With all their selections, LA could take a chance that the wait for her to recover from the ACL injury would be worth it.
15. Chicago-Jessica McDonald, F, North Carolina.....The first non-senior taken in the draft. Surprised me because I frankly didn't know she had declared for the draft.
16. Boston-Jordan Angeli, D, Santa Clara....No surprise here at all. Angeli should pair well with Amy LePeilbet on the Breakers' back line.
17. Saint Louis-Kristina Larsen, MF, UCLA....A bit of a surprise here after the acquisition of Tarpley. I thought they might look for a defender here. Still, Larsen was UCLA's leading scorer in 2008 and scored 9 goals in 2009. She's got a good, hard shot.
18. Washington-Carly Dobratz, MF, Washington State.
19. Saint Louis-Ashlyn Harris, GK, UNC....Harris takes Loyden's place as Solo's backup.
20. FC Gold Pride-Kaley Fountain, F/D, Wake Forest....A versatile player is a good value at the 20th pick.