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May 21, 2012
W-LEAGUE ROUNDUP
Week in review: Blues Take Victory Against Blue Heat
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The Pali Blues took a second consecutive victory to open their W-League season with a 2-0 victory against Western Conference rivals the Santa Clarita Blue Heat on Sunday evening at Valencia College as Ann Marie Tangorra and Nikki Washington scored either side of halftime to give their side victory.
The Blues were the more aggressive side from the off, and their pressure told in the 36th minute as Tangorra was able to finish off a rebound after Blue Heat goalkeeper Cynthia Jacobo could only parry the initial shot.
Pali outshot the Blue Heat 13-6 before the break, but they didn’t find their second goal until the 51st minute as Washington scored her first goal of the season to give the Blues a commanding advantage. While the Blue Heat tried to make a comeback, U.S. U23 international Nadia Link having a pair of shots after coming on as a substitute, the Blues held on for a comfortable victory.
FRIDAY
ATLANTA 1, CENTRAL SC 0: The defending W-League champion Atlanta Silverbacks got their title defense off to a winning start as Stacy Balaam’s penalty kick in the 41st minute proved enough to see off the Central SC Cobras at Atlanta Silverbacks Park.
The Silverbacks opened strongly, with Elizabeth Guess testing Cobras goalkeeper Christina Reuter a handful of times in the early going. Atlanta came close to taking the lead in the 22nd minute as Jamie Pollock’s shot flashed wide of the post, but four minutes before halftime the breakthrough arrived after Tiffani Turpin was fouled in the penalty area. Balaam stepped up and converted from the spot to give her side the lead.
The Cobras tried to rally after the break, creating their best opportunity just before the hour-mark as substitute Olivia Moore forced a good save from Silverbacks goalkeeper Ashley Baker, but that was the only serious action Baker would see all night. Atlanta almost doubled its lead with three minutes to go, Nkese Udoh’s shot being saved by Reuter, but the Silverbacks had already done enough to claim victory.
COLORADO RUSH 1, VANCOUVER 0: The Colorado Rush opened their season with an impressive road victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC as Danica Evans’ first-half goal earned her side all three points at Macleod Athletic Park.
The Rush had the game’s first opportunity, Brittany Bock forcing a good save from Whitecaps goalkeeper Gurveen Clair, and Colorado went close again from a corner, Demi Stokes making a goal-line clearance for the ‘Caps. The early pressure paid off in the 13th minute as Evans fired a drive from outside the penalty area that left Clair with little chance.
Clear chances for the Whitecaps were few and far between, although Desiree Scott came close in the 34th minute with a chipped effort after good work by Kaylyn Kyle. The Rush created more opportunities, and could have added to their lead late in the game as both Briana Campos and Sidney Szabo came close. Evans’ goal, however, proved enough as the Rush claimed all three points.
SATURDAY
D.C. UNITED WOMEN 2, VIRGINIA BEACH 0: Mikaela Howell had both goals as the D.C. United Women got their season off to a winning start against the Virginia Beach Piranhas at the Maryland Soccerplex, scoring either side of the halftime break to lead her side to victory.
While D.C. had more of the game, it was unable to create many clear chances. That changed in the 36th minute, when Howell turned her defender well before firing a left-footed shot into the top-left corner of the net. The English native then doubled her side’s lead on the hour mark, finishing from close range after a pass into the left side of the penalty area from Hayley Siegel.
The Piranhas weren’t able to threaten D.C.’s goal much in either half, finishing with only three shots on goal and eight total, as United goalkeeper Didi Haracic made a pair of first-half saves before substitute Danielle DeLisle had one in the second to complete the shutout.
SUNDAY
FREDERICKSBURG 2, VIRGINIA BEACH 1: The Fredericksburg Impact took their second victory of the weekend as a late flurry of goals saw the Impact rally past the Virginia Beach Piranhas at the University of Mary Washington.
The game didn’t catch fire until the final 10 minutes as the Piranhas took the lead in the 81st minute through Jessica Kalonji. The Impact hit back with three minutes to go, Missy Wycinsky finding the equalizer, before Nikki Czaplicki found the winner in the 90th minute to move her side to the top of the Atlantic Division.
COLORADO RUSH 1, VICTORIA 0: The Colorado Rush completed a perfect road trip through British Columbia as Danica Evans scored her second goal of the weekend and Canadian U20 International Dayle Colpitts put in a strong goalkeeping performance to lead their side to victory.
Colpitts had a standout performance, making good saves from Victoria’s Liz Hansen, Mariel Solsberg and Katie Kraeutner to record the shutout. The Rush were able to take advantage of one of their chances in the 34th minute as Evans took advantage of a defensive mistake to finish and earn her side victory.
RESULTS
Friday, May 18
Atlanta 1, Central SC 0
Hamilton 0, London 0
Colorado Rush 1, Vancouver 0
Saturday, May 19
Fredericksburg 3, Northern Virginia 1
New York 1, NJ Wildcats 1
Toronto 2, Rochester 0
D.C. United 2, Virginia Beach 0
Charlotte 2, FC Jax 0
Sunday, May 20
Central SC 1, FC Jax 1
Long Island 7, NJ Rangers 0
Colorado Rush 1, Victoria 0
Fredericksburg 2, Virginia Beach 1
Pali 2, Santa Clarita 0
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 23
Rochester at Hamilton, 7 p.m. ET
North Jersey at NJ Wildcats, 8:15 p.m. ET
Thursday, May 24
Victoria at Colorado Rush, 7:30 p.m. MT
Friday, May 25
VSI Tampa at Atlanta, 7 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 26
Laval at London, 1 p.m. ET
New York at NJ Rangers, 3 p.m. ET
Ottawa at Rochester, 3 p.m. ET
Charlotte at Central SC, 6:30 p.m. ET
Victoria at Colorado Rapids, 4:30 p.m. MT
Dayton at Virginia Beach, 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 27
Laval at Toronto, 1 p.m. ET
Ottawa at Hamilton, 4 p.m. ET
Seattle at Vancouver, 4 p.m. PT
Northern Virginia at D.C. United, 7:45 p.m. ET
Santa Clarita at L.A. 6 p.m. PT
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