Breakers Make It Two In A Row

Boston Scores 3 in 5 Minutes to Top Atlanta

By Mark Goodman

July 12, 2010

BOSTON -- Goals have been hard to come by for the Boston Breakers this season.

But for five minutes Sunday night, they were pouring in.

Jordan Angeli

Jordan Angeli - pictured above in action against FC Gold Pride - had a goal and an assist off the bench in the Breakers' 3-1 win over Atlanta Sunday night. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

Jordan Angeli, Kelly Smith and Liz Bogus all scored within a five-minute span early in the second half against the Atlanta Beat, as the Breakers turned a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 3-1 win at Harvard Stadium.

The victory is Boston’s first at home, second in a row and third for the season. Most importantly, it keeps the club in WPS playoff contention at the halfway point of its season.

“I think we probably deserved it after a poor first half,” Smith said. “We won some first and second balls that we didn’t in the first half, and we had a great 20-minute stretch to put the game to bed.”

That stretch started with a wonderful strike from Angeli in the 49th minute.

Leslie Osborne played an aerial ball toward Lindsay Tarpley at the edge of the penalty area, where it was headed by a Beat defender back to Angeli at the top of the D. Angeli, who came on at halftime for Laura del Rio, volleyed an unstoppable shot into the top left corner of the net to tie the game.

“We didn’t have much energy in the first half, so I thought, ‘Go in there and be the spark, because something good is going to come from that,’” Angeli said.

Smith scored the game-winner just two minutes later. Fabiana beat her defender on the right wing and sent in a good cross to Tarpley, whose header was saved by Atlanta keeper (and Billerica, Mass. native) Brett Maron. As Maron tried to cover up the rebound, however, Smith kicked it from right under the keeper’s hand and into the net.

Before the Beat even knew what hit them, it was 3-1 in the 53rd minute. Angeli sent in Bogus on the left side of the box, and Bogus sent a left-footed shot past Maron, who had come off her line to challenge.

It was the first goal of the year for Bogus, who re-signed with the team June 25 after being cut two weeks earlier.

“It’s been a hard month for me, but I believed in myself the whole time,” Bogus said. “I spent every single day in practice believing I could get back on this team.”

Both teams were at less than full strength, as several U.S. women’s national team players are in camp to prepare for a pair of upcoming friendlies against Sweden. The Breakers were without Amy LePeilbet, Stephanie Cox, Kristine Lilly and Lauren Cheney, while Atlanta was missing Hope Solo in goal.

The Breakers’ absences gave players like Bogus, Taryn Hemmings and Ifeoma Dieke a chance to play a full 90 minutes. Boston head coach Tony DiCicco said Dieke, who started the season with the Chicago Red Stars, has shown enough to be a regular starter alongside LePeilbet in the center of the Breakers’ defense. Dieke and Kasey Moore were the two center backs against Atlanta.

Atlanta was the better team in the first half, making Boston look flat and uninspired. The Beat’s goal came in the fifth minute, when Breakers keeper Alyssa Naeher spilled a cross by Eniola Aluko and Johanna Rasmussen was on hand to tap the ball into the net.

The Breakers did little of note in the first 45 minutes, but made amends after halftime.

“If you don’t put a team under pressure, you can dig a hole for yourself. I’m pleased with how we responded in the second half; we played a great 20 minutes,” DiCicco said. “You just have to put players under pressure. When you do that, you can make good players average and you can make average players look below average.”

Four of the Breakers’ next five games are at home, starting with Sunday’s 5 p.m. tilt against the Washington Freedom.