Late Goal Gives Sky Blue Tie Against WNY

Casey Nogueira scored in the 88th minute of the match, as Sky Blue forced Western New York to a 2-2 draw at Sahlen Stadium on Sunday evening. It was only the second time all season that the Flash had not come away with a victory.

The first quarter of the match saw no goals and few opportunities. Both sides were missing players to national team duty, Whitney Engen and Alex Morgan for WNY and Heather O'Reilly and Tobin Heath for Sky Blue. In addition, Flash defender Candace Chapman was out with an injury.

Western New York struck first in the 39th minute. A Gemma Davison cross found the head of Christine Sinclair and the Canadian striker made no mistake in finishing her fifth goal of the season.

Just five minutes later, it was Sinclair setting up Caroline Seger, who had broken free from her mark and Seger made it 2-0 just before halftime.

Sky Blue nearly drew even in the 60th minute, but Flash goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris was able to make consecutive saves on Nogueira and Therese Sjögran to keep Sky Blue off the scoreboard.

The Flash maintained their lead until the 65th minute, when they were whistled for a hand ball in the box and Sky Blue was awarded a shot from the penalty spot. Sky Blue's Allie Long converted the penalty to put Sky Blue within one.

As in the previous week, it was late game heroics for Sky Blue. Laura Kalmari sent a cross to the middle and Casey Nogueira was able to collect, flick the ball over the head of McCall Zerboni and finish with a volley to tie the match at two. And that is how the match ended.

Sky Blue's record goes to 2-3-2 and they have collected seven points in their last three outings. Western New York, still unbeaten, suffered only the second blemish to their schedule for the season and stand at 6-0-2, still nine points clear of second place magicJack who plays in Boston on Sunday.

Excerpts for this story were taken from WPS press releases.

Sky Blue Shuts Out Beat 3-0

Sky Blue finally got their first win of the season and they did it in convincing fashion by shutting out the Atlanta Beat 3-0. SBFC lifts their record to 1-3-1, while Atlanta falls to 1-5-1. Most of the national team players for both teams were rested in the first half, due to a very heavy schedule during the past week.

Laura Kalmari scored a first half goal off of a Casey Nogueira corner kick. Allie Long converted a penalty after being pulled down in the box to give Sky Blue a 2-0 lead. Heather O'Reilly completed the scoring on a goal assisted by Eni Aluko.

Jen Branam earned the shutout for Sky Blue, who will host the Boston Breakers next Saturday evening. For Atlanta, the road doesn't get any easier as they travel to Boca Raton to face magicJack next Saturday.

Philly and Sky Blue Play to a 2-2 Draw

Tina DiMartino's goal in stoppage helped the Philadelphia Independence overcome an early deficit and tie Sky Blue 2-2 in a match played at Yurcak Field in Piscataway.

Early on, it was all Sky Blue as the home side put together a solid first half and dominated possession. Philadelphia did have the first scoring chance of the match 13 minutes in. Lianne Sanderson crossed the ball from the right side with Kai closing fast on the back post. Kai, was able to get her foot on it, but the pass was a bit to hot to get solid control and Kai's touch went over the net from the six.

For the remainder of the 1st half, Sky Blue did a nice job of controlling the tempo of the game, stringing together several passes at a time. In the 18th minute, Allie Long found Brittany Taylor alone on the right side. Taylor took one touch to control and then hit a low cross with pace as Laura Kalmari got inside the defender and finished lower right from inside the six. It was an excellent sequence from the 2009 champions.

Sky Blue made it 2-0 in the 37th minute. Casey Nogueira curled a free kick from 25 yards just over the head over Nicole Barnhart and into the upper left corner of the net. The half ended with Sky Blue apparently in full control and a 2-0 lead.

Coach Paul Riley inserted Amy Rodriguez into the lineup to start the second half and Philly seemed to pick up the pace as the match wore on.

It was Rodriguez who cut the Sky Blue lead in half at the 56 minute mark. Lianne Sanderson did a nice job of keeping possession at the half line and sent a beautiful ball up the right sideline to Tasha Kai. Kai quickly released a pass to the middle to Rodriguez who had beaten the defense and calmly dribbled into the box and touched the ball into the lower left side of the net as an onrushing Jen Branam was unable to do anything to stop it.

More substitutions followed with Lori Lindsey entering the game for the Independence and Danielle Johnson and Tobin Heath entering the match for Sky Blue.

Casey Nogueira nearly increased the lead back to two, as she ripped a shot from the top of the box, but Barnhart made the save of the match, diving to push the ball wide of the goal.

Both teams made one final substitution with a hobbled Kendall Fletcher coming off in favor of Angie Kerr and Laura del Rio entered the match for Estelle Johnson. As it turned out, del Rio would play a part in the tying goal.

The sequence started with a free kick from the left sideline for Philadelphia, as Amy Rodriguez was able to draw a foul. The free kick taken by Lindsey was nearly headed in by Kai, as Allie Long was able to stop the ball just a yard short of the goal. Sky Blue was able to clear the ball out of bounds.

However, on the ensuing throw in, Sinead Farrelly gained possession in the box and tried to dribble toward the middle. Farrelly was taken down, with no call being made, but the ball deflected right to del Rio who touched it back to DiMartino. DiMartino hit it solidly from 12 yards and the ball deflected off Anita Asante's foot, over a diving Jen Branam, and into the net.

Sky Blue had a late chance on a corner kick, but in spite of Philadelphia struggling briefly to clear, SBFC was unable to score.

Philadelphia hosts magicJack next Saturday, while Sky Blue travels to Atlanta.

2011 Sky Blue FC Preview

Sky Blue FC
Coach: Jim Gabarra (1st year at Sky Blue, 3rd year in WPS)
2010 Record: 7-10-7 (5th place)
Home Stadium: Yurcak Field (Piscataway, NJ)

Roster:
Goalkeepers (4): Kristin Arnold(R), Karen Bardsley, Jenni Branam, Erin Guthrie.
Defenders (8): Anita Asante, Kiersten Dallstream, Carrie Dew, Kendall Fletcher, Danielle Johnson, Lindsey Johnson(R), Brittany Taylor, Michelle Wenino.
Midfielders (7): Carolyn Blank, Tobin Heath, Angie Kerr, Allie Long, Alyssa Mautz(R), Heather O’Reilly, Therese Sjögran.
Forwards (4): Eniola Aluko, Laura Kalmari, Andrea Martin Santamaria, Casey Nogueira.
(R) denotes true rookie; returning players in bold.
Probable World Cup players: Bardsley, Asante, Heath, O’Reilly, Sjögran, Aluko.

High expectations often lead to disappointment and that’s what happened last season with Sky Blue. The defending champions failed to make the playoffs, falling to 5th place. To be sure, injuries had a lot to do with their lackluster season. Perhaps because of last year’s finish, Sky Blue had a substantial turnover on their roster in the offseason. Only eight players return from 2010 and only two players from the midfield forward.

One problem Sky Blue has had for both seasons was scoring goals. They hope to have rectified this offensive shortage with a blockbuster trade and several free agent signings. The trade that brought Eni Aluko, Tobin Heath, and Angie Kerr from Atlanta should pay dividends for a team that scored just 20 goals in 24 matches during the 2010 season, tied for the lowest total in WPS.

Jim Gabarra comes over from Washington for his third year as a WPS coach. He has a lot of talent on this Sky Blue team. The trick will be getting them to play as a cohesive unit, especially early in the season. The preseason tournament in Turkey should help in that regard.

Goalkeepers: Sky Blue had a rash of injuries last season and no position was harder hit than goalkeeper. SBFC lost not one, but two starters to injury. Both Karen Bardsley and Jen Branam are back for a third season with Sky Blue.

Bardsley’s stock continues to rise, both because of her brilliant start in 2010 and her more frequent starts with the English National Team. She was the keeper of choice when Hope Powell’s Lions faced the US in a recent friendly. Bardsley recorded five shutouts before she was injured while training for the WPS All-Star match last June. She has a huge advantage over Branam in height and now, in international experience.

Branam, on the other hand, led Sky Blue to the 2009 championship. While she is one of the shortest keepers in the league, she is also one of the most aggressive, often fearless while traveling well out of the penalty area to thwart potential threats. She will certainly see a lot of action when Bardsley travels to Germany with her English teammates. Rookie Kristin Arnold and Erin Guthrie, who spent 2010 as Gold Pride’s third goalkeeper, will battle for the third spot on Sky Blue.

Defenders: Gone are starters Meghan Schnur, Christie Rampone, Daphne Koster, and Keeley Dowling, losses that would cripple most teams. Still, Sky Blue returns four defenders from 2010, plus Anita Asante who returns to New Jersey after making three stops in between. Her experience should pay off on what is otherwise a fairly youthful back line.

Probably the most prominent among the returning players is Brittany Taylor, who had a strong rookie season in 2010. Taylor showed an ability to defend one-on-one against some of the best strikers the league had to offer. Kendall Fletcher, Danielle Johnson, and Kiersten Dallstream also return. Fletcher can also play defensive mid, a position she looked very good at while in Saint Louis. Dallstream has great speed and can also play striker.

Rounding out the defensive group are Carrie Dew, picked up from Gold Pride, Lindsey Johnson, and Michelle Wenino. The question is can this squad can stand up to the pressure they are likely to face against the best attacking teams in this league.

Midfielders: Only Heather O’Reilly returns in the midfield for Sky Blue. Still only 26 years old, it seems as though O’Reilly has been on the national scene forever, earning 141 caps for the USWNT. She has scored three goals and eight assists over two WPS campaigns.

While the rest of the midfield has changed, it is certainly not lacking in talent. Sky Blue was able to secure a loan agreement for Therese Sjögran, a veteran of the Damallsvenskan and the Swedish National Team. Her all around play, leadership, and experience may well be what this team needs. She will be joined in the middle by the number one overall pick in the 2010 draft, Tobin Heath. Heath missed most of 2010 with injuries, but 2011 seems to be starting out on the right foot with her making several national team appearances.

Another key addition to Sky Blue is former Freedom attacking mid Allie Long. Long has four career WPS goals and has matured as a player a great deal from the 21-year old that took the field for the Freedom in 2009. Two refugees from the Beat, Carolyn Blank and Angie Kerr, also join SBFC. Blank showed potential at defensive mid last season. Kerr, once a national team player, generally plays outside and passes the ball with great accuracy. Rookie Alyssa Mautz out of Texas A & M also joins the team and has a great deal of offensive potential.

Forwards: It’s not surprising, given Sky Blue’s difficulty in putting the ball in the net, that the team decided to go in another direction for 2011. The only returning forward is Laura Kalmari, who tied for the team lead in goals with five. One of the things I like best about Kalmari is that she always seems to put herself in good position to receive passes and score goals, which is sometimes one of the hardest things for a forward to learn. She already appears to be in midseason form, scoring a hat track against Rutgers in a recent exhibition game.

The biggest addition at forward is English striker Eniola Aluko. Aluko was virtually gifted to Sky Blue by Atlanta, the team with whom she finished 2010. Aluko has an impressive track record, 15 goals in two WPS seasons and 11 goals for England. She is very fast, sometimes too fast for AR’s in my opinion. She will lead the WPS in offside calls, but she is one of the league’s most exciting players.

The other two additions to Sky Blue have international experience as well. Spanish striker Adriana joins SBFC, coming off of an excellent run in UEFA World Cup qualifying. She scored 16 goals in just eight qualifying matches, including one against England last June. The other forward is Casey Nogueira, who spent her rookie season with Chicago. There has never been much doubt about Nogueira’s talent, only her consistency. She had a knack for scoring big goals on the college level and added a spark for the Red Stars a few times last season.

Outlook: One of the things that has to improve this season is scoring. Twenty goals in 24 matches, with two being penalties and another being an own goal, is just not enough. Sky Blue brought in the players to correct that problem. With Sjögran and Heath controlling the middle and more attacking options available, this team should score some goals. Aluko has great speed and her presence alone, should occupy opposing defenses.

The other problem for Sky Blue is protecting their own goal. While Bardsley and Branam are both capable keepers, they will not survive the onslaught of shots that Sky Blue faced last season for very long. Game in, game out for a good part of the 2010 season, Sky Blue was outshot two to one, often worse. With the defensive turnover that this team is facing, one wonders if they can protect Bardsley and Branam enough to give the offense a chance to win games.

Sky Blue is a team that must control possession and the midfield in order to be successful, which of course is true of most teams. The tendency with a speed burner like Aluko is to play kick and run long ball tactics, but I think Gabarra will keep his team from falling into that trap. The key will be how quickly Sky Blue can become familiar with one another before we see a sharp, crisp passing game that they need, especially since the team will lose much of its midfield to the World Cup.

Weekend Wrap - Athletica & Sky Blue Battle To a Draw

Saint Louis and Sky Blue battled to a 2-2 draw at Soccer Park in Fenton. Athletica struck first when Elaine was taken down in the penalty area by Yael Averbuch. Shannon Boxx converted the penalty to give Athletica a 1-0 lead 8 minutes into the match.

In the 2nd half, Athletica controlled play early, but it was Sky Blue that struck twice. In the 57th, a Kiersten Dallstream cross was headed home by Laura Kalmari. Kalmari got her 2nd goal of the match just minutes later. Heather O'Reilly was able to get by Tina Ellertson who had slid down on the wet turf. O'Reilly sent a perfect cross to an unmarked Kalmari who volleyed it into the left corner of the net to put Sky Blue up 2-1.

Athletica kept creating chances and finally was able to knock one home. In the 85th minute, Shannon Boxx was able to win the ball and sent a perfect ball through to Eniola Aluko who calmly finished lower left to beat Karen Bardsley and tie the score.

Jessica Landström had a late chance on a header, but it was saved by Hope Solo and the match ended in a draw.

For my full recap of the game check it out at Goal.com.

In other games...

Philadelphia 1, Chicago 0

The Independence took over sole possession of 2nd place with a victory on the road in Chicago. Joanna Lohman scored 7 minutes into the 1st half and Philly's defense made the goal hold up. Karina LeBlanc earned the shutout for Philadelphia.

Washington 2, Atlanta 0

The Freedom got goals from Lene Mykjåland and Abby Wambach to defeat Atlanta 2-0. Erin McLeod got the shutout for Washington. The Beat continue to have trouble scoring, in spite of having several chances. They outshot the Freedom 21-10, but only got 7 on frame with none going in. The game also featured a hard collision between Sonia Bompastor of the Freedom and McCall Zerboni of the Beat. Zerboni was taken to the hospital as a precaution, while Bompastor later returned, bandaged with stitches.