Breakers Down Atlanta

The Boston Breakers moved into a tie for third place with a 2-0 shutout over the Atlanta Beat on Sunday night.

It didn't take long for the Breakers to score, just under four minutes in. Katie Schoepfer placed her corner kick to the back post with Kasey Moore heading it back toward the middle. Rookie Keelin Winters was unmarked inside the six and placed her header into the net for an early Boston lead.

Atlanta actually might have had the better of play in the first half, as they were able to pressure Boston, but they just couldn't create any dangerous chances in the final third.

Boston turned up the pressure in the 2nd half. In the 54th minute, Elli Reed cut back against the defense and sent a beautiful cross into the box for Leah Blayney who headed the ball off the post from 12 yards out. A minute later, Liz Bogus sent a hard shot just wide of the right post.

Atlanta nearly drew even in the 71st minute. Kacey White sent Meghan Lenczyk in alone on goal, but Alyssa Naeher came out to cut of the angle, forcing Lenczyk to shoot wide of the left post.

In the 81st minute, Boston put the match away. Meghan Klingenberg sent the ball up the right side with Schoepfer running on to it. She released a shot from the elbow of the penalty area, just before defender Analisa Marquez was able to get there. With Allison Whitworth tending toward the near post, Schoepfer placed it beautifully just inside the left post to make it 2-0.

Atlanta had one final chance on a free kick by Cat Whitehill. Her drive from distance was heading lower left, but Naeher made the save.

Boston raised their record to 4-5-3, good for 15 points. They are now unbeaten in their last four matches and have posted three consecutive shutouts. The Breakers have next weekend off before facing Western New York on July 24 in a crucial home match.

For Atlanta, Lori Chalupny was a late scratch from the starting lineup and did not play. The Beat drop to 1-9-3 and have yet to score a road goal. Atlanta returns home to host the Philadelphia Independence next Saturday.

WPS Standings
(1) Philadelphia 7-2-3, 24 pts; (2) Western New York 6-2-2, 20 pts; (3) magicJack 5-4-1, 15 pts; (3) Boston 4-5-3, 15 pts; (5) Sky Blue FC 3-4-4, 13 pts; (6) Atlanta 1-9-3, 6 pts.

Boston Defeats Atlanta in Opener 4-1

The Boston Breakers used a strong first half to capture the opening match of the 2011 season by a 4-1 margin over the Atlanta Beat. Four different players scored for the Breakers, two in each half.

Jordan Angeli opened the scoring 18 minutes into the match, followed by a goal from rookie Keelin Winters just five minutes later. Angeli later suffered a knee injury and had to leave the game. The Breakers will have an MRI done on Angeli's knee on Monday to determine the severity of the injury.

Down 2-0 at the half, the Beat inserted USWNT midfielder Carli Lloyd into the lineup for the second half and for awhile, Atlanta looked as though they might get back into the contest. Atlanta pressured Breakers' keeper Alyssa Naeher throughout the second half, but she was able to make some key saves to keep the margin safe.

Former Gold Pride forward Kelley O'Hara scored in the 72nd minute to stretch the lead to three goals.

Atlanta finally got on the board in the 78th minute as they were awarded a penalty, which Lloyd converted to cut the lead to 3-1, but the Beat were never able to get any closer.

Kasey Moore concluded the scoring in stoppage, after Allison Whitworth was red-carded after colliding with O'Hara outside the box. Moore scored on the ensuing kick, after defender Cat Whitehill had taken over in goal.

Atlanta outshot Boston by a 14-8 margin for the match, but Naeher was able to keep all but the penalty out of the net.

The Breakers return to Boston where they will host the Western New York Flash next Sunday, in what will be Boston's home opener and the Flash's inaugural match. Atlanta hosts Sky Blue FC next Saturday.

Athletica and Breakers Slosh to 1-1 Draw

It what might charitably be called challenging field conditions, Saint Louis and Boston battled to a 1-1 tie at a soggy Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri. With all of the offensive talent on the field, the two goals came from unlikely sources in Kasey Moore for the Breakers and Carolyn Blank for Athletica.

The weather played a huge part in the game and led to some great early chances for the Breakers. In the 14th minute, Kendall Fletcher hit a fairly normal pass back to Hope Solo, but the ball stopped dead in a puddle half way between the two. Lauren Cheney, who appeared to be as shocked as everyone else, gained possession and attempted to chip the ball over Solo's head but the ball went harmlessly to the side.

Just a few minutes later, Solo attempted a drop kick but didn't get all of the ball which Kelly Smith picked up about 30 yards out. Smith attempted the quick shot, but a diving Solo was able to steer the ball wide. "I went to bounce it on the drop kick and it didn't bounce back up," said Solo. "After that, I tried to punt and I haven't punted since I was probably in high school."

Boston finally did get on the board in the 22nd minute. Kristine Lilly hit a low corner kick to the edge of the box which appeared to be headed for Kelly Smith. Smith dummied it and a charging Kasey Moore brilliantly struck a low shot with pace that beat Solo to the lower left side of the goal. It was Moore's first WPS goal.

Boston's lead didn't last long. In the 27th, Aya Miyama took a free kick from about 28 yards and sent it to the far side of the box, where Tina Ellertson headed back across the goal mouth. Carolyn Blank was waiting and chested the ball between Alex Scott and goalkeeper Ashley Phillips for tying goal. "Honestly, right place, right time," said Blank. "Tina just put a great ball back in." For the rookie from West Virginia, it was her first WPS goal and well-earned for the solid match she played.

The Breakers nearly regained the lead in the 39th minute. Lilly hit a blistering low shot that short-hopped Solo, bouncing off her for a rebound. Kelly Smith connected with the rebound from point blank range, but Solo used her body to block the shot and the defense was able to clear the ball out of trouble.

Play in the 2nd half was much crisper, with Athletica having the better of the play in the last 45 minutes. Their best opportunity came in the 63rd minute when Blank sent a ball through to Aluko, who one-timed it from 15 yards, but Phillips was able to make the diving save. Later in the half, Aluko and Lilly traded chances, but were unable to get the ball on frame.

Athletica had one last good chance to win it in the 83rd, when Aluko appeared to have a clear cut header from about 9 yards, but mishit it wide of the goal. Late substitutions Lindsay Tarpley and India Trotter for Athletica, and Laura Del Rio and Tiffany Weimer for Boston had their moments, but were unable to change the score.

Athletica captain Lori Chalupny saw improvement in the 2nd half over the 1st. "We really had some good looks in the 2nd half. I thought the 2nd half was very exciting, back and forth. It was just a good battle between two good teams."

The game marked the first time that Athletica had come from behind to tie a game over two seasons. "Coming from behind was huge for us", added defender Tina Ellertson.

The two teams remained tied, both at 1 win and 2 ties for 5 points. They sit one point behind FC Gold Pride and Sky Blue FC, who each have 6 points. Boston returns home where they will play the Chicago Red Stars next Saturday. Saint Louis travels to Washington where they will play the Freedom at RFK Stadium.

In other action on Sunday evening:

Sky Blue FC 1, Chicago Red Stars 0

Sky Blue blanked Chicago for the 6th consecutive time in a match played at Toyota Park in Chicago. Tasha Kai scored in the 53rd minute on an assist from Kacey White. Karen Bardsley added the shutout for Sky Blue, who sit atop the table with 2 wins, 1 loss and 6 points. Chicago has only a lone point to show for 3 matches.

Philadelphia Independence 3, Washington Freedom 1

The expansion Independence won their first game on their home field by scoring three 2nd half goals. After Lisa De Vanna had put the Freedom ahead in the 51st minute with her first goal of the year, Amy Rodriguez answered in the 54th minute with a goal of her own to tie the score at one. Minutes later, the Lori Lindsey to Allison Falk connection worked for the second week in a row, with Falk finishing again with a header to give Philly the lead. English international Lianne Sanderson added an insurance goal in the 67th minute, again assisted by Lindsey, who was facing off against her old team. For Sanderson, it was her first WPS goal. Philadelphia was able to close it out for the 3-1 victory.

Lindsey has now assisted on 3 of the Independence's 4 goals for the season. Abby Wambach assisted on De Vanna's goal, giving her an assist in each of her last 4 regular season contests dating back to last season. Philadelphia is tied with Saint Louis and Boston with 5 points, just a single point behind the league leaders. Washington fell to 1-2 with 3 points.

WPS Draft Revisited-Boston Breakers

In the sixth installment on the 2009 WPS draft, we'll look at the Boston Breakers.

Who They Drafted
1st round (#1)-Amy Rodriguez, USC; 3rd round (#15)-Kasey Moore, Texas; 5th round (#29)-Jenny Nobis, Missouri; 6th round (#41)-Kelly Schmedes, Texas; 6th round (#42)-Ariel Harris, North Carolina; 7th round (#43)-Lindsey Vera, North Carolina St.; 8th round (#56)-Ashley Nick, USC; 9th round (#57)-Allison Martino, Texas A & M; 10th round (#69)-Stacy Bishop, Florida; 10th round (#70)-Jaimel Johnson, Tennessee.

Strategy
With the first overall pick in the draft, the Breakers went with the obvious choice taking USC forward Amy Rodriguez. Boston chose a lot of offensive players early, going with Rodriguez, Nobis, and Schmedes. They definitely went young, with five college seniors and three 2007 college players. The oldest player they drafted was Schmedes who was 25 at the time of the draft. They really didn't pick anyone with ties to the northeast except Allison Martino who had played with the Boston Renegades in 2008. They also made a trade with Chicago.

Trade
Boston made a major trade with the Red Stars. They traded their 2nd and 4th round picks (#14 and #28) to Chicago for the rights to international player Alex Scott and Chicago's picks in the 6th and 10th round (#41 and #69). The trade ended up being Brittany Klein and Chioma Igwe for Alex Scott, Kelly Schmedes, and Stacy Bishop. It was a great move for the Breakers, because it gave them Scott, one of the best outside defenders in the WPS. Schmedes has started a majority of the Breakers' games. Bishop was recently waived, but contributed a couple of assists for Boston.

Current WPS Status
For the Boston Breakers, 4 of their 10 draft picks are still on the roster, 6 were released, including Bishop who played in 9 games before being waived, Harris who made the team but never played before being waived, and Johnson who made the Chicago Red Stars' roster as a developmental player.

Full time starters (2)-Rodriguez, Schmedes
Part time starters & other full roster players (2)-Moore, Nobis
Released (6)-Harris, Vera, Nick, Martino, Bishop, Johnson

What They've Done
Rodriguez-12 G, 9 GS, 740 Min, 1 goal, 2 points, 16 shots, 10 SOG
Moore-9 G, 6 GS, 478 Min, 3 shots, 2 SOG
Nobis-4 G, 1 GS, 187 Min, 1 goal, 2 points, 5 shots, 2 SOG
Schmedes-11 G, 8 GS, 739 Min, 2 assists, 2 points, 8 shots, 5 SOG
Biship-9 G, 6 GS, 529 Min, 2 assists, 2 points, 4 shots, 2 SOG

Total Offensive Output-45 G, 30 GS, 2673 Min, 2 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, 36 shots, 21 SOG

G=Games; GS=Games Started; Min=Minutes; SOG=Shots on Goal

The Players

Amy Rodriguez-She was a gold medalist at age 21 and everyone's consensus choice for Boston's number one pick. So expectations were unrealistically high, which is dangerous for a young player. When she didn't score in the first 10 games, the "what's wrong with A-Rod" questions were popping up everywhere. Additionally, she was being compared to her Breaker teammates Kristine Lilly and Kelly Smith, both of whom are soccer legends. Personally, I thought she played well in the opener against Gold Pride, making several nice runs and only just missed finishing when Nicole Barnhart came up big or the shots just weren't well placed. As the season progressed, her timing just seemed off and her playing time was reduced. And watching her, it almost seemed like she wasn't having any fun at all.

She certainly has great speed and is one of the fastest players in the league. She has very good skills, but it's much easier when you're one of several great players on a national team rather than being a go-to forward on a club team. As she didn't score, the pressure began to mount. She finally scored her first goal against Chicago and that could be the start of a lot of good things to come. Rodriguez is only 22 and only a handful of young players are having great years...Marta, Eniola Aluko, Brittany Bock, and Allison Falk come to mind. Maybe she isn't tearing up the league yet, but she very well could in time.

Kasey Moore-Moore is a sturdy defensive midfielder who starred at the University of Texas. She has considerable experience on the US Junior National teams. In all fairness to Moore, the games I've seen her play have not been her best. She had a number of bad touches in the opener against Gold Pride, although her defense was sound enough. She was able to get some playing time with Boston's WPSL affiliate and that seemed to help her as she has been playing better for the Breakers lately.

Jennifer Nobis-The University of Missouri product is a strong, physical forward. She gained a lot of international experience playing club soccer in Europe. Nobody is going to push her off the ball and she will go in hard to win the ball in the air. She scored her first goal against FC Gold Pride, tying the game late in the 2nd half. Perhaps one of her strongest suits and a role that Tony DiCicco uses her for often is on long throws, where she is one of the best in the WPS. Although she will probably never be a featured forward in any offense at this level, she does enough things well to enable her to contribute nicely for the Breakers.

Kelly Schmedes-The University of Texas grad has two assists to her credit through 12 games. She was the oldest player selected by Boston in the draft and has several years of W-League experience. She can play forward or attacking midfielder. She is not particularly strong, but she does possess good speed. Her best asset is her work ethic. Defensively, she does a nice job pressuring opposing defenders. She doesn't get off a lot of shots, but they are usually on goal. On the same team with Smith, Lilly, and Rodriguez, she is bound to be overshadowed, but she has performed well for the Breakers.

Stacy Bishop-One of my most vivid draft day memories was watching as the draft was winding down into the 10th round of selections. By that time, the once overflow crowd had thinned out to maybe 50 or 60 people. Boston was up at #69 and announced that they had selected Bishop. To my right, a group of 10-12 people let out quite a roar, probably the biggest I heard after the selection of Brandi Chastain back in the 7th round. Every time I've watched Bishop, she's played well. She distributes nicely and accurately. She earned two assists in the Breakers' first 5 games. She probably could stand to improve her defensive skills, but that could come in time. At one point, she started five consecutive games, but then she got waived. I was very surprised, as I thought she had done enough things well to earn a roster spot. I hope she gets a second chance somewhere.

Summary
If you look at just the draft selections, you can't really say this was a very good draft at this point. The Breakers' top four picks are still with the team and all contributing, but they got nothing from the bottom of the draft, except for Bishop's efforts. But you have to take into account that Boston traded down with two picks in order to acquire Scott, who is a top notch outside back. If expectations get more realistic and as she gets more experienced, I think Rodriguez will be just fine and a dangerous goal scorer. Moore, Nobis, and Schmedes are all nice role players, but none of them are game changing types of players. That being said, Nobis has a goal and Schmedes has two assists, so they are already contributing to the Breakers. I thought Bishop played pretty well and she added two assists. Although many of the draft picks didn't make the roster, to his credit, DiCicco has gotten a lot out of those that did make the team, with the obvious exception of Rodriguez.

There is no doubt that the trade for Scott was a great move for the Breakers. There is no way they would be where they are now without her. As for the draft itself, the success probably hinges on how Rodriguez performs over her career. I think she will eventually become an offensive force in this league, but it may take time and patience.