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Christine Latham (right) celebrates her first half goal Wednesday night with Kelly Smith (left) and Angela Hucles (16). (Photo by Robin Chan) |
The win was the Breakers� second in a row after going five games without a victory, and it put Boston (5-4-3, 18 points) in second place in the WPS standings with eight games remaining.
Kelly Smith - who hit a 25-yard free kick off the crossbar in the 35th minute - drew a foul just outside the Freedom�s box on the left flank. Boston left back Heather Mitts sent in the ensuing free kick toward the far post, and an unmarked Latham headed it past Washington keeper Erin McLeod for the goal.
Latham said players had not been sticking with their runs in the last few games and that the matter was discussed during a pregame meeting.
�Make sure you�re aware of where your runs are on set pieces and stick with them,� she said. �I happened to have that back post run, so I just stuck with it, went all the way through and the ball was right there. It was easy; it was a really good service from Heather.�
Freedom head coach Jim Gabarra certainly would have expected better marking from his team in the box, particularly against the aerial threat of Latham.
�You have to have a body on a player and at least challenge for the ball,� Gabarra said. �You can�t let a player have a free header inside the box like that. As good as the goalkeepers are in this league, they�re not going to save every one of those. Latham�s very good in the air and she was probably their most dangerous threat. You can�t let her run free on the box.�
Latham�s presence near goal was otherwise limited, as she got the start in the holding midfield role, quite a change from her usual position as center forward.
�It�s new to me. I�ve never played there before,� Latham said. �But I like being able to see the field in front of you. It�s easier to read the game. Most of the time, I�m back to goal, so I like that aspect of being able to see the play build up.
�I thought our team did a good job possessing the ball today. They made it easy for me.�
Latham won several balls in midfield in the first half, as Boston dominated possession and created good scoring opportunities. Earlier in the half, Smith unleashed a corker from 30 yards that went just inches over the bar, and striker Amy Rodriguez had a good shot on net in the 16th minute that McLeod saved.
Boston keeper Alli Lipsher was asked to make only one save in the first 45 minutes, as a Boston defense led by center backs Amy LePeilbet and Sue Weber (making her first start since May 31) and fullbacks Alex Scott and Mitts kept the Freedom from having any meaningful possession in their attacking third.
�I thought the first half was probably our best soccer, from both a defensive standpoint and in an offensive standpoint,� said Boston head coach Tony DiCicco. �This Washington team is a good team, and we just didn�t let them play in the first half.�
The Breakers appeared to have gone 2-0 up in the 56th minute when Smith scored from just inside the penalty area, but the goal was disallowed because of an offside call.
After that, Washington (4-4-4) gradually began to assert itself, winning some of the midfield battles it had been losing in the first half. Rebecca Moros put Lipsher to the test in the 60th minute with a shot from over 30 yards out. Seven minutes later, Abby Wambach - who had come on in the 54th minute as a substitute - sent in a cross from the left wing that missed an open Jill Gilbeau in the box.
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Breakers midfielder Sophia Mundy tries to shield Washington defender Ali Krieger from the ball. (Photo by Robin Chan) |
The Breakers became a bit more defensive in the 71st minute when midfielder Mary-Frances Monroe entered the game for Rodriguez. Boston went from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 with Smith as the lone forward. The Freedom were still able to press forward and forced Scott into a harried clearance in the 82nd minute after Lipsher and Washington midfielder Homare Sawa went after a 50-50 ball in the box.
Lipsher gave Breakers fans a nervy moment in the 90th minute when she got her fingertips to a 20-yard effort from Sawa and saw the ball go over her head and bounce back toward the goal. Lipsher was able to collect before the ball crossed the line.
Nonetheless, it�s two clean sheets in a row for the 23-year old keeper, who is now firmly entrenched as the starter after backing up Kristin Luckenbill for the first nine games of the season.
�She had a couple moments today where it wasn�t decisive goalkeeping, but the job of a goalkeeper is to keep it out of the back of the net,� DiCicco said. �She seized her opportunity and now she�s had two shutouts in a row. I think the team has confidence with her.�
Wednesday�s game also saw the debut of Sophia Mundy, who started at right midfield and played all 90 minutes. After appearing a step off the pace in the first half, Mundy was far more effective in the second half and had a couple good attacking runs.
Mundy signed a developmental contract with the Breakers June 8 after training with the team and playing with affiliate Boston Aztec.
�I think I�ve come a long way,� Mundy said. �Tony�s been patient and he�s been talking to me. I�ve been working hard in practices�It�s a relief. I feel like I�ve earned something and I�ve really accomplished something.
�Your first WPS game, there�s always a little nervousness. But I just tried to relax and talk to a lot of the girls about what I need to do offensively and defensively. I knew that I needed to keep possession for our team - I think we�ve been struggling with that the past few games.�
After having played four games in 11 days - and going 2-1-1 in that stretch - Boston doesn�t play again until Saturday, July 4, in New Jersey against Sky Blue FC at 4 p.m. Sky Blue defeated the Breakers, 2-1, in the teams� only previous meeting May 31.
Mark Goodman can be reached at newsdesk@soccernewengland.com.
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