England 1, Mexico 1

England and Mexico battled for 90 minutes to a hard-fought draw in Wolfsburg. The match was well contested throughout, with both sides having several good chances to score, but the match ended in a 1-1 tie.

This is a much improved side we are seeing from Mexico these days and they stayed with the tough English team blow for blow in this match. They nearly went on top in the opening minutes as Maribel Dominguez was given a nice through-ball that put her temporarily behind the English defense, but veteran defender Faye White made a nice recovery and Dominguez was unable to get a shot off.

For England, early on, it was shots from distance that seemed to be the order of the day. Kelly Smith's near miss just past the right post was the first of many that England would try in the first half. Apparently, the English were trying to test 16-year old Mexican keeper Cecilia Santiago early and often.

With no score in the 21st minute, England gained a corner kick on the right side. Karen Carney took the kick with the ball going high to the right side of the box, about 15 yards away. English midfielder Fara Williams was able to get height over the Mexican defender and headed the ball into the upper right corner of the net, while Santiago watched helplessly. England led 1-0.

Santiago appeared unfazed just a few minutes later as she was able to make a diving stop on Williams' attempt from 22 yards and smother it without rebound.

Then, what appeared to be a very innocuous play from Mexico resulted in a goal. The Mexicans gained possession in the midfield and after a couple of passes the ball came to Monica Ocampo, a good 35 yards away from the goal.

Ocampo touched the ball to the center of the field and then ripped a shot that curled under the bar and beyond a very stunned Karen Bardsley to tie the match at one. Bardsley appeared to be deceived by both the pace and spin on the shot and attempted to catch it two-handed instead of punching the ball away. As it turned out, it was just out of her reach and the match went into intermission tied at one.

Although they didn't score, the two great strikers in this match, Kelly Smith and Maribel Dominguez did not disappoint anyone with their play. Dominguez seemed to be perpetually on the run and menacing the English back line. Smith, as usual, controlled the center of the field, distributing well to teammates and taking a shot or two herself when the opportunity presented itself. Dominguez eventual developed a cramp late in the contest and was substituted out, but not before she threw a few scares into the English team.

While England had the better of chances and possession in the first half, Mexico gained confidence after Ocampo's goal. They nearly took the lead in the 49th minute as Dominguez struck her free kick from 22 yards just wide of the left post.

England took their turn just five minutes later as Rachel Yankey's cross to the back post was headed to the middle by Karen Carney, but Eni Aluko's swing at the ball from directly in front of the net produced nothing.

The English might have been a tad lucky in the 60th minute as Rachel Unitt's late challenge on Alina Garciamendez in the penalty area did not result in a call and the English defense were able to clear.

In the closing minutes of the game, both teams were presented with golden chances on free kicks. Smith's attempt from 25 yards went over the bar, while Ocampo's try from similar distance was even closer, just inches over the crossbar.

It appeared that Mexico had plenty of energy in the last few minutes, while England appeared to be worn out. Two minutes into stoppage, Mexico pressured inside England's penalty area, but Stephany Mayor's blast was blocked by Ellen White just yards in front of the goal to avert disaster.

While the result was a tie, the young Mexican squad had to be very happy with their performance and should gain confidence for the road ahead. They were able to strike back within minutes of falling behind in the match and showed more energy and greater possession as the match wore on.

Perhaps, a disappointing result for England, but their task against a very tough Mexican team was not that easy. England next faces New Zealand, a team that tied them in the Peace Cup last fall. Mexico will now face Group B leaders Japan. A victory against the Japanese would put Mexico in very good shape to advance to the quarterfinals.

Expansion Night! Beat Make It Three in a Row; Philly Wins Easily

I guess now that we are two thirds of the way through their opening season, we shouldn't be calling them expansion teams anymore. Both Atlanta and Philadelphia posted wins over established teams in midweek WPS action.

Philadelphia Independence 3, Chicago Red Stars 0

Amy Rodriguez almost single-handedly destroyed the Red Stars, scoring two goals and adding an assist, as Philadelphia defeated Chicago 3-0 in West Chester tonight. Make that 11 goals now for the speedy forward out of USC, who appears to be on a mission this season after a rather disappointing rookie campaign in 2009.

Rodriguez scored both of her goals before the intermission and then assisted on Caroline Seger's goal early in the 2nd half to put the match away. It was Seger's first WPS goal. Val Henderson posted the shutout for Philadelphia, as Chicago managed just a single shot on frame.

The only downside to the evening for Philadelphia was a red card ejection to Holmfridur Magnusdottir very late in the match. Magnusdottir will miss at least one contest.

The victory puts Philadelphia eight points clear of third place Boston. The Red Stars are still just a single point out of fourth place, but have played more games than every other team in the league.

Atlanta Beat 3, Washington Freedom 2

In a match that went back and forth throughout, Atlanta made it three wins in a row with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Freedom. Monica Ocampo starred, scoring the tying goal in the 67th minute, followed by the game winning goal in the 88th minute.

Atlanta opened the scoring in the first half, with Johanna Rasmussen scoring on an unassisted goal in the 20th minute. It was Rasmussen's third goal of the season.

The score stayed that way until late in the 1st half. Nikki Marshall scored the tying goal assisted by Homare Sawa in the 41st minute. The Freedom could have grabbed the lead before halftime, but Sonia Bompastor sent a penalty kick over the bar and the score remained tied at one going into the break.

Washington struck first in the second half, with Abby Wambach setting up Sarah Huffman, a second half substitution. Huffman finished to put the Freedom up 2-1. But the lead was only to last a couple of minutes, as Ocampo tied the score shortly thereafter, leading to her game-winner late in the match.

Freedom coach Jim Gabarra started Ashlyn Harris in net for the injured Erin McLeod. Gabarra made several changes to his lineup, moving Bompastor to the back line, starting Kristi Eveland, while leaving veteran Cat Whitehill on the bench. Nikki Marshall, who played defender most of the early part of the season, has shown the ability to score since being moved forward.

Meanwhile, neither Eni Aluko nor Ramona Bachmann played for the Beat. Ocampo and Mami Yamaguchi started up front for coach Gareth O'Sullivan and Atlanta.

While still in 7th place, Atlanta has moved to within a point of Chicago and Washington with games in hand against both teams. The Freedom suffered their fourth straight loss and are now winless in their last nine matches.

Standings:
1) FC Gold Pride (12-3-1, 37 pts); 2) Philadelphia (8-5-3, 27 pts); 3) Boston (5-6-4, 19 pts); 4) Sky Blue FC (5-7-3, 18 pts); 5) Washington (4-7-5, 17 pts); 6) Chicago (4-8-5, 17 pts); 7) Atlanta (4-7-4, 16 pts).

WPS Exhibition: Atlanta Defeats Breakers in First Matchup Against WPS Opponent

From Atlanta Beat press release:

The Atlanta Beat has defeated the Boston Breakers 2-1 in a WPS exhibition match played in St. Augustine, Florida this evening. Monica Ocampo and Mami Yamaguchi scored the goals for Atlanta, while Claire Zimmeck scored the Breakers' only goal.

“We scored two very nice goals,” said Beat Head Coach Gareth O’Sullivan. “We looked like we had a third goal in us, and the team showed great character to pull-out the win after Boston scored late in the second half.”

O'Sullivan was also very happy with his team's defensive effort. “With every preseason game, we are looking to make adjustments and to improve defensively as a unit,” said the Coach, “Tonight was a good step to prove ourselves against a quality opponent.”

Atlanta still has scrimmages against NCAA powers Florida State and North Carolina, before facing Saint Louis Athletica in their final preseason contest in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 3.

Atlanta signs Mexican Star Monica Ocampo

The Atlanta Beat has been very busy in the international market and have announced the signing of their fourth international star, Monica Ocampo of Mexico.

Ocampo is just 22 years old and has already accumulated several years of experience both with the Mexico National Team and the W-League FC Indiana Lionesses. She recently scored a goal against Brazil in Mexico's 3-2 loss in the four-nations tournament played in December.

Ocampo joins internationals signees Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland), Mami Yamaguchi (Japan), and Johanna Rasmussen (Denmark) on the expansion Atlanta side. The Beat has now signed their top three choices in the expansion international draft held in September, plus Ocampo, leaving one international spot open on their roster.