Atlanta Beats Shorthanded Breakers

Down 4 Starters, Boston Falls In Connecticut

By Mark Goodman

August 22, 2010

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- All it takes is 90 minutes.

The Boston Breakers came into Saturday�s WPS match against the Atlanta Beat having gone 7-1-1 in their last nine games, and were coming off a dominant 4-0 win over Sky Blue FC last weekend.

The Beat, meanwhile, were mired in last place, losers of their last three and needing a win just to stay alive in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Alyssa Naeher

Alyssa Naeher and the Breakers' back line struggled with Atlanta's pacy attack Saturday. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

But Atlanta went ahead after 10 minutes, scored twice more in the second half, and held off a late Boston rally to come away with a 3-2 win at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Lori Chalupny scored a terrific individual goal 10 minutes in, and Eniola Aluko gave the visitors a 3-0 lead with goals in the 66th and 73rd minutes. Boston clawed back with late goals by Lindsay Tarpley and Kristine Lilly, but Beat keeper Hope Solo made a couple big saves in the closing minutes to prevent a miracle comeback.

�I thought they (Atlanta) were good today. I thought they gave us a lot of trouble in the midfield,� said Breakers head coach Tony DiCicco. �They came out with a lot of incentive. The first goal hurt us, and I think it gave them a lot of confidence. Atlanta played really hard and made it difficult for us.�

The Breakers were without four starters, and it showed at times. Midfielder Kelly Smith (England) and defenders Ifeoma Dieke (Scotland) and Alex Scott (England) were with their national teams for World Cup qualifiers, while holding midfielder Leslie Osborne is out for the season with a broken collarbone.

Dieke�s replacement in Boston�s back line, Kasey Moore, couldn�t stop Chalupny in a one-on-one situation leading up to Atlanta�s first goal. The Beat midfielder got the ball at the edge of the box and dribbled easily past Moore before slotting a shot past Boston keeper Alyssa Naeher.

Miscommunication in Boston�s defense played a role in Atlanta�s second goal. Ramona Bachmann carried the ball to the end line and sent it back toward the edge of the six-yard box. With three Breakers near the ball, Aluko got to it instead and, by her own admission after the game, kicked it off a Boston player and into the net. Aluko was given credit for the goal.

There was no question about the English international�s second goal. Angie Kerr played a terrific through ball from the left wing, and Aluko burst past Moore and beat Naeher from 12 yards to give Atlanta a 3-0 lead.

In addition to their defensive struggles, the Breakers had difficulty possessing the ball, as the presence of Smith and Osborne in the middle of the pitch was clearly missed.

�I think they�re disappointed they didn�t play smart enough today,� DiCicco said. �[Atlanta] forced us into a lot of mistakes and they capitalized on them. I�m still proud of our players; they played hard.�

The Breakers finally broke through in the 87th minute. Amy LePeilbet�s free kick form the left flank fell to Laura Del Rio in the box, and Del Rio�s volley smashed off the crossbar. The ball bounced right back to Tarpley, who headed it into the net with Solo out of position.

The Atlanta keeper made the stop of the game just over a minute later. Lilly�s shot from the right side of the box appeared ticketed for the top corner, but Solo dove to her right and got a hand to it to preserve her team�s two-goal lead.

Just seconds before the final whistle, the Breakers scored a fortuitous goal. Kia McNeill�s back pass left Solo in a precarious position with three Boston players bearing down on her. Her clearance ricocheted off Fabiana to Lilly, who lofted the ball over a scrambling Solo and into the net.

It wasn�t enough, however, and the Breakers are still left with some work to do to clinch a playoff berth.

�We made it exciting the last 10 minutes, but we didn�t have a good first half,� Lilly said. �We let them play too much and put ourselves in a hole. But we fought �til the end and I�m real proud of the team for doing that.�

A Connecticut homecoming

McNeill has some fond memorials of Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Avon, Conn. native won three straight state titles on that field, and had a large contingent of family, friends and former coaches in the stands for Saturday�s game.

�When I saw that on the schedule I thought it was a mistake,� McNeill said. �But I�m excited to be back here. This field brought us a lot of luck back in our high school days and I�m happy to see that it brought us some luck today.�

DiCicco, a Wethersfield, Conn. native and former coach of the SoccerPlus CT Reds, returned to his home state to coach before just over 3,000 fans.

�I thought it was lively, and I�m glad we made it a game so the people that stayed enjoyed it,� said the coach. �It was a good atmosphere. Connecticut has always been known for good soccer and good soccer support. This is something we should try to do annually, I think.�

Mark Goodman can be reached via email at newsdesk@soccernewengland.com