 |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Amy Rodriguez scored her first WPS goal in Sunday's win over Chicago. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com) |
Such is the fine line in the league standings, with six of the seven teams all within five points of one another. Catching the Los Angeles Sol - whose 28 points are 12 more than Washington and 13 greater than Boston, albeit in two more matches than both teams - is highly unlikely at this point.
But finishing second, which would give that team a bye to the league semifinals and homefield advantage in that match, is plenty motivation.
The last time these two teams played - a 1-1 draw May 17 at Harvard Stadium - a pair of incidents led to suspensions for players on both sides. Boston forward Christine Latham received a two-game ban for throwing an elbow at Washington fullback Allie Long, while the Freedom’s Joanna Lohman was suspended for one contest for hitting Breakers right back Alex Scott across the face while contesting a ball in the air.
It will be interesting to see if any bad blood carries over, but considering what’s at stake, there is sure to be some physical play on the pitch tonight.
“I think every game we play is physical, especially being in such a competitive environment with such great players,” Breakers defender Candace Chapman said Tuesday. “I think it’s expected. But I just think it’s gotta be something that you control and it’s within the run of play and nothing harmful.”
Boston’s win in Chicago was its first since a 2-1 victory May 2 over the Sol, their only loss to date. Since then, the Breakers had tied three matches and lost two, and Rodriguez is hopeful Sunday’s victory is a harbinger of things to come.
“This sends a message to the rest of the league,” she said. “It gives us a new beginning for the second half of the season.”
Breaker fans will be hoping it’s a new beginning for Rodriguez, too, as the WPS Draft’s first overall selection hadn’t scored in the team’s first 10 matches prior to the Chicago win. “A-Rod” said she maintained confidence throughout that stretch, but admitted that dealing with the recent string of mediocre results for the team was tough at times.
She said the topic of winning and losing in WPS came up during a preseason camp with the U.S. national team, which was coming off an Olympic gold medal.
“It was like, ‘OK, we’re so used to winning, what’s it going to be like when we start losing?’ And it actually is really hard,” Rodriguez said. “You kinda have to bite the bullet and stick by your team even though it’s upsetting when you’re losing or not getting the type of play that you want to. But that just goes to show how competitive the league is.”
Tonight’s game will be the Breakers’ fourth in 11 days, which has put the team’s fitness to the test.
“It’s tough, but that’s what being a pro is all about, getting through the tough times,” Chapman said. “I think we’re ready for it. We definitely want to try and secure that second place spot.”
Mark Goodman can be reached at newsdesk@soccernewengland.com
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y! MyWeb
|
|
|
|
[?] Subscribe To This Site
|
Return to top