Boston Breakers

At the 2010 draft, there were seven Tar Heels drafted, four of whom were selected during the first round.  This season, there was just one North Carolina product selected—midfielder Meghan Klingenberg.

Klingenberg was selected third overall by magicJack after completing a trade with the Atlanta Beat on draft morning.  Meanwhile, Klingenberg was already traveling half a world away with the full national team heading to the Four Nations tournament in China.

She came off a stellar career at the University of North Carolina where she was a part of one National Championship squad (2009) and three ACC Championship teams (2007, 2008, 2009).  The Pennsylvania native missed her team’s run to the 2008 NCAA championship while with the U-20 Women’s National team at the U-20 World Championship in Chile.  Just hours after her teammates defeated an undefeated Notre Dame squad, she helped her US teammates defeat Korea DPR 2-1 to win the United States’ first U-20 World Championship.

[Editor’s note: The United States won a U-19 World Championship in 2002]

If Meghan Klingenberg had just one word to describe her life between North Carolina’s 4-1 loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament and the draft in January, it was simple.  Hectic.  Taking finals, finding time to train and finishing up Christmas shopping was squeezed around a U-23 National team camp that took place following the NCAA tournament. 

Just before going into the U-23 camp, Klingenberg also learned that she had earned a call-up from Pia Sundhage in January as the full national team prepared for the Four Nations tournament.  So after the holidays, Klingenberg headed to California for national team camp, with the hopes of impressing head coach Pia Sundhage enough to make the roster to head to China.

When the 23-player roster was named for the trip, Klingenberg’s name was on it as one of two uncapped players on the roster.  Team USA departed for China around 4AM EST on draft day.  They were just six hours into their flight when the draft began.  She wouldn’t discover that she had been drafted or by whom until they landed safely in China hours later.

“Yeah it was really different because we were actually on the plane to China when the draft was going on,” Klingenberg said. “ So nobody even knew what was happening until we landed.  Everyone had already been picked by the time we landed because we were on the flight for like, 15 hours.” 

“So when we landed one of my friends on the team was like ‘Oh Klingy you went third’ and I knew that Atlanta had the third pick and I was like ‘ok so I’m going to Atlanta.’  Thought I was going there, but I didn’t even know that [magicJack] had traded up to get the third pick.  So it was pretty special.  I was really excited.”

Despite the unconventional way of discovering where she had been drafted, one thing that she shared with 23 other players was that she was drafted in this group—one that only saw 24 players selected after seeing 65 players chosen in 2010.  Klingenberg reminds us that being drafted into this league at all is special in itself.

“I think any year it’s super special being drafted into this league because there’s already so many incredible players in it,” she explained.  “So to be able to call yourself a part of the WPS is a really big accomplishment.  But I think it’s incredible that I even got drafted this year.  I was so excited to hear of it.  I think that there was close to a thousand applicants, so those numbers are pretty small when you think about the draft and there’s only 24 players picked so it’s pretty special being a part of that group.”

With being drafted also comes expectations—her own, her coaches and the media, to name a few.  Klingenberg sees it differently. 

“I don’t necessarily look at it that way,” she began.  “The people outside of my family and friends may look at it that way but I don’t worry about other people’s expectations.  I try to focus on the things that I can do well and what I want to do myself.  So I try and focus purely on what I think I can do.”

As for her own expectations going into the season?  Well, it involves yet another championship for the 22-year-old midfielder.

“I think that our team always has high expectations going into every season,” Klingeberg said.  We always want to win so I think that our team wants to be in the finals, playing for the WPS title at the end of the season and that’s what we’re going for this year.  I’m sure every other team’s doing that too but that’s what we really want to set our sights on.”

Going into the season, she was also looking forward to just being a professional athlete and being able to do what she loved, while honing her skills against some of the top female soccer players in the world.

“Well I think there’s a couple of different things,” she started.  “Firstly, I was just so excited to be able to play the sport that I love and we don’t make a lot of money but we do make money.  It’s cool to say that you’re a professional athlete.  I think that was probably the biggest thing.” 

“And then also just the level of play in WPS is so high.  We have the best players from across the world really.  Being able to play with the caliber of players in the league can only help me to get better, to improve, and to learn as much from them as I possibly could.”

Despite her status as the third overall pick at this year’s draft, Klingenberg saw little game action for magicJack.  She was traded to the Boston Breakers on June 1 in a deal that saw her former North Carolina teammate Nikki Washington head to South Florida while Klingenberg, a second-round pick in the 2012 WPS draft as well as a player who has yet to be named.

Klingenberg’s first match in a Breakers uniform was a match against her former team on June 5.  Not only did she play the full 90 minutes, but she set up Katie Schoepfer’s opening goal in the seventh minute of the match.  She added a goal of her own—which would be the game winner—in the 19th minute, slipping between two defenders to volley a cross from Liz Bogus into the back of the net.

Klingenberg was named WPS Player of the Week following her performance against magicJack, becoming just the second Breakers player to win Player of the Week honors (Kelly Smith earned them in 2009 and 2010). 

Not a bad debut for her new team at all.

Lauren Green is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report covering Women’s Professional Soccer and the US Women’s National team.  She can be reached for comment or hire at lgreensoccer20@yahoo.com.

All quotes were obtained firsthand.

Jordan Angeli’s road to Women’s Professional Soccer was anything but easy. Angeli spent six years at Santa Clara University on a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Her freshman season ended in the semifinals of the College Cup and was a season that saw her play in 17 games wherever she was needed on the field.

Her sophomore season saw her take on a new role and a new challenge: playing forward. It was a position that she wasn’t familiar playing but did so anyway. She finished the season with a team-high 12 goals on the year.

Angeli’s junior season was delayed by a month as she headed across the Pacific Ocean to Russia where the U-20 World Championship was taking place. Santa Clara was knocked out of the NCAA tournament on November 10, 2006 in the first round following a conference championship win.

The rollercoaster ride would continue into her senior seasons. Her first two attempts at a senior season were cut short before they could even begin, both times ending in the same fate—a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee left the midfielder/defender sitting on the sidelines for the season as she worked her way back into top form.

Angeli would not play another collegiate regular or postseason match until August 21, 2009, the start of her third senior season. She would go on to start every game of the Broncos 2009 season as a central defender and led her team in goals scored (seven) and points (17). She was named the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

She was drafted in the second round by the Boston Breakers (16th overall), becoming one of two Broncos drafted by the Breakers in the 2010 WPS Draft.

The transition from playing in college to playing in WPS has been difficult, but has given the 25-year-old a wealth of knowledge about the game.

“It’s a tough transition,” she said.  “I think that every day it’s very challenging—you’re playing with the best players in the world.  I think that  the recovery rate—in college you play two games in a weekend—and I think that playing at this higher level it just takes your body a little bit longer  to recover from playing against a Marta or a Christine Sinclair. 

"It’s been great. I think that the biggest thing has been I’m learning, constantly learning from the players I play against and the players on my team because they have so much knowledge.  I think that’s been the coolest part of this whole thing.”

Playing with Boston has given Angeli an opportunity to play with US and international talent alike in US Women’s National team great Kristine Lilly (retired prior to the 2011 season), 2011 World Cup team members Lauren Cheney, Rachel Buehler, Amy LePeilbet, Stephanie Cox and Kelley O’Hara and English National team members Kelly Smith and Alex Scott.

There was one other thing that Angeli was emphatic about when it came to the experience of playing in Boston.

“It’s been amazing, I don’t think I could have had a better place to come into,” Angeli began.  “I think the fans here are absolutely amazing and support us so well by coming to our games and they’re so loud. I think we have the best fans in the league. Then just the coaching staff and the teammates I have—every day I go into the locker room and realize how lucky I am to be playing with all these players that I play with. It’s incredible so it’s been awesome.”

Boston’s second season in WPS was a full of ups and downs. After a season opening victory against the Washington Freedom (now known as magicJack), the Breakers went 1-5-4 in the first three months of the season.

Fourth of July weekend would prove to be the turning point in the season as the Breakers got their first victory since April 10. 

“Honestly, we just found the back of the net,” Angeli said of the difference between the first and second halves of the season. “I would say, Leslie was out a few games and when she came back into the lineup we had a little bit more bite to us. 

"I think that we were just a little bit more gritty, we came together more as a team and committed to working hard on defense and creating opportunities through our good defensive work.  So I’d have to give Leslie a lot of credit for coming back so strong from her injury that she had in June and helping lead us.

"I think everyone on the team stepped up—if they were on the field or if they weren’t on the field—I think that we had a great sense of team and we committed to our game plan each and every game. So I think that’s really been working for us.”

Angeli went on her own tear, scoring seven goals on the season, six of which came in the second half of the season. She held the best goal scoring percentage in the league scoring seven goals on just 14 shots on goal.

“I think it’s just figuring out a way to get the ball in the back of the net throughout my career,” she said. “I wouldn’t say that I’m a consistent goal scorer but I definitely have had years where I score a lot of goals. My sophomore year in college I think I had 12 goals or something so it just depends on the year. I just try to work hard to get myself in good spots and hope to get a foot on something.”

She would also be the first true rookie to be named Player of the Month (July). It was a deserved honor for the holding midfielder who scored four goals, two of which proved to be game winners and helped the Breakers to a 5-1-0 record in July. 

“Honestly, I was really proud of myself,” the Colorado native explained. “I’ve been through a lot in the past few years to overcome a couple of tough injuries and I think that just to be given the opportunity to be on the field and show what I can do I was very thankful for Tony and the coaches staff for that. I cried, I was so excited, and called my parents right away when I found out. It was a cool experience. So I was pretty taken aback.”

Coming into the 2011 season, Angeli was looking to pick up right where she left off. She earned two call-ups to the US Women’s National team for camps in January and February as a result of her play in WPS in 2010. 

Angeli’s 2011 season ended less than a half hour into the season opener versus the Atlanta Beat when she suffered a torn ACL in her left knee (yes, for a third time).

In the week following her injury she tweeted, “been a tough week for me. thx 2 everyone for their support and kind words. all ur thoughts + prayers are very appreciated n have helped me”

It is likely that she would have continued to get a look by United States head coach Pia Sundhage ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup. The roster for training camp was named just days after the Breakers announced her injury.

 

Best wishes to Jordan with her recovery—we all look forward to seeing you back on the field soon! Tweet @jordangeli to send Jordan a get well/speedy recovery message.

All photos courtesy of Louis Walker/DSPics.com.

 

Lauren Green is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report covering WPS and the US Women's National team.  All quotes were obtained first-hand

Keelin Winters was drafted by the Boston Breakers as the sixth overall pick in the January draft. She was one of just 24 players to be selected in the draft this season.

Winters is one of six children. Her father played nine years of professional basketball and went on to coach in both the NBA and WNBA. All of her siblings played basketball growing up and she was no exception. 

When it came time to focus on one sport, she chose soccer.

Keep reading to find out what her reaction was to being drafted by the Breakers, her choice of soccer over basketball and whether her dad has imparted any wisdom about becoming a professional athlete.

What was your reaction to being drafted by the Breakers?

Obviously I was really excited being drafted and playing professional soccer for a living has always been a dream of mine. My initial reaction was to call my family, I walked outside and called my parents and they were both really stoked about it. I was just really excited.

With such a small group being drafted and WPS being a little smaller too, did it make it more special to be drafted in such a small group?

Yeah I think it did, because like you said it was a small draft–there were only 24 players that were drafted. I think there were a lot of really, really great prospects coming out of college that had entered the draft. I think it made it just a little bit more intense, just because I knew there were so many great players coming out of college who wanted to be drafted and then knowing that there was only a very few select that were actually going to be drafted did make it a little more special.

You played basketball as well as soccer growing up, but you were the only one in your family to choose soccer. Was it easier or harder growing up as the only one [who chose soccer instead]?

I don’t think it really made it easier or harder to be honest.  It was never an issue choosing between soccer and basketball in my family.  My whole played basketball but growing up my dad had always told me that if I wanted to quit playing sports in general then he’d be totally okay with it.  So it was never really an issue.  I think that being the only one that plays soccer in my family made me want to be better, want to be good at soccer because I knew that the rest of my family were such great athletes.

Your dad played professionally in the NBA – has he passed on any words of wisdom about life in the professional ranks?

He actually doesn’t really talk about when he played professionally all that often. But one thing he does say over and over again was just that you really just have to love playing a professional sport because it is your job. And you’re expected to put in the time and the effort to win games for your team.  Besides that he hasn’t really given me any advice as far as the professional aspects go.

Is it going to be easier or harder switching coasts completely to go play with Boston?

Growing up I bounced around quite a bit because of my dad’s job. I lived in five different places so I’m kind of used to moving around. Growing up in my teenage years and now I’ve spent the majority of my time on the West Coast, so I think that it is going to be different. But everybody that I’ve talked to about Boston has told me how great of a city it is and how much I’m going to love it. So I’m pretty excited to explore a new city and see what the East Coast is like.

It’s been a couple of weeks now – has it sunk in yet that you’re now a professional athlete?

A little bit. I’m actually back up at Portland right now – I’m visiting for two weeks – so all my friends here are still going to classes and I just get to hang out and train.  (laughs)  I don’t know, so it’s nice because all my friends and all my old teammates who are still playing still have to worry about classes and practice and training and all that and I just get to focus on training. So it’s definitely nice, I think becoming a professional athlete has begun to sink in a little bit, but not until I got back up here to Portland.

It’s been three months since that draft in January. Winters has since made the Breakers opening day roster and earned her first start in Boston’s season opening 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Beat. She added what would be the game winning tally in the match.

Watch Winters and her Breakers teammates this Sunday as they take on the Western New York Flash at Harvard Stadium at 6pm. The match will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel. 

Fans can also follow all the action live on womensprosoccer.com’s Game Tracker or on Twitter by following @BostonBreakers.

Photo Courtsey of Perry McIntyre | ISI Photos

One of the most difficult skills to master in soccer is heading.  So many young players are afraid to go up for a ball in the air or are scared that heading the ball will hurt.

The Boston Breakers’ Kasey Moore is incredible in the air. The 5'8'' defender shared her advice for any player on practicing alone, the most crucial aspects of heading, and just how a shorter player can win a battle in the air in this edition of Tips from the Pros.

What are some good ways to practice heading, especially by yourself?

I think it’s a lot about timing for me personally and I know some people that aren’t super tall but are great about air and it’s a lot about timing.  So even if it’s just tossing a ball up to yourself, maybe kicking it off of a wall, just practicing as much as you can any way possible.

I was always the person who was the weird little kid who enjoyed heading and would ask to do more of it.  So just do as much as you can and just work on the timing by repetition—just over and over and over and over again.

Aside from timing, what other aspect of heading would you find to be the most important?

I just think it’s kind of being a little bit brave.  If you’re going to head the ball well, you kind of have to stick your head in places where it shouldn’t be, and in situations where most people wouldn’t try to do it.

You’ve just got to be strong and be brave because if you got up like you’re going to win the ball—you go up strong, and you go up confident, you might not win it but you’ll make [it harder] the person next to you that you’re going up against.

It’s a lot about confidence and going up with strength.

For players who are shorter, how can they get better and be able to win those battles in the air?

I think that for a lot of people who aren’t as tall, it’s a lot about body position.

It’s not so much about you winning the ball, but I think it’s that you’ll win the battle if you make the other sure the other person doesn’t.  Just make it difficult for them. Make it so it’s not an easy win for them.

I’m only like 5’8'', 5’9'' and in this league I’m average [height-wise], so there’s other people that are a lot taller and a lot of it is don’t worry about you winning the ball, make sure the people next to you don’t.

Make it super difficult for the other people and if they don’t win the ball you’ve essentially done your job, even if you haven’t [won the ball].

A lot of kids these days are scared to go up for a ball in the air or to head the ball the wrong way. What would you say to them?

I think just practice. And the more you do it, you’re going to know the correct way to head a ball.  I mean I still head the ball and it hits a bad spot on my head and I can feel it. It doesn’t feel good, but the more you do it, the more that you know the correct way to do it.

You’re more confident in your ability to head the ball and the more confident you get in yourself, the more you’re going to want to head the ball.

Photo Courtsey of Andrew Katsampes | ISI Photos

 

 

Sky Blue FC came into Harvard Stadium on Sunday night as the defending WPS champion and left with a 4-0 loss to a Boston Breakers team that looks like a genuine contender to win a title of its own in 2010.

With the win Boston beat the New Jersey side for the first time ever and consolidated its third-place position in the WPS table. The victory prolonged a five-game unbeaten streak for the Breakers and extended their recent run of success to seven wins, one draw, and one loss in their last nine games.

Prior to a 2-1 win on July 4 in Philadelphia, the Breakers had won just one match in all of April, May, and June. But whatever dogged the Boston side in the early part of the season is well behind the team now. For the Breakers, though, not much has changed other than results.

"I think that was one of the best games we've played," Boston forward Lauren Cheney said of the comprehensive victory over Sky Blue. "We are playing well together, and hopefully that will continue. I think we were playing well all season. We just couldn't get that edge; we couldn't get that last touch, that last goal. We played good soccer all year, and now things are bouncing our way."

The first goal of Sunday's game bounced Boston's way in just the ninth minute, when Cheney headed past New Jersey goalkeeper Jenni Branam to score her fifth goal of the season.

Boston defender Amy LePeilbet sent a free kick from the goalie's right-hand side into the penalty area, where completely unmarked Boston midfielder Jordan Angeli got a foot on it.

Angeli's shot ricocheted at a bad angle, but Cheney, who was also unmarked while camping out at the far post, headed Angeli's errant kick home to give Boston a 1-0 lead. It was a rare headed goal for Cheney, who has been working on that aspect of her game.

"That's such a relief that I scored with my head," the Boston rookie said. "I work on it all the time, and to know that it's paying off is a huge weight off my shoulders."

Boston continued to create chances throughout the first half while limiting Sky Blue to one half-chance, a Laura Kalmari shot over the bar in the 37th minute. Boston's sophisticated attack and suffocating midfield produced another goal just a few minutes later.

This time, Angeli, who was at the heart of the Breakers' attack all night, notched her sixth goal of the season in a moment of brilliance. In the 41st minute, she volleyed a bouncing ball home with her left foot, effectively chipping Branam, who had come out to play the ball.

"Cheney had a girl on her, so I was telling her to let it go through, and [Cheney] just bodied her," Angeli said. "It was kind of a half-chance. It was bouncing kind of awkwardly, and I just got my foot on it and it went in the goal."

"[At the] last second, Jordie called me off of it, so I just opened my body and I was able to shield [the ball]," Cheney added. "What a goal by Jordan. She's volley queen, and that was a little bit of a half-volley."

But was it an intentional chip, one of the the most difficult and stunning shots in soccer? Angeli answered the question coyly.

"I was working on my golfing, chipping the ball at the driving range the other day," she joked.

With Boston leading 2-0 at the break, Sky Blue coach Rick Stainton took off midfielder Yael Averbuch and defensive midfielder Kendall Fletcher in favor of attacking midfielder Rosana and forward Tasha Kai. By then, though, Boston coach Tony DiCicco's side had already bedeviled Stainton's team.

"What Boston did well that really caught us off guard," Stainton said, "was interchanging their players in the attacking end, with the runners coming through with Cheney and [forward Kelly] Smith changing roles and positions and giving us a sense of confusion to some extent."

The Breakers capitalized again on Sky Blue's defensive confusion with a goal just four minutes into the second half.

In the 49th minute, Breakers forward Lindsay Tarpley volleyed in a ball that had pinballed in the penalty area after a Boston corner. Once again, Angeli was in the mix, this time forcing goalie Branam to parry a headed shot and setting Tarpley up for her second tally of the season.

"Jordan got a great head on the ball," Tarpley said, "and then headed at the goalie, and I was there to finish the rebound."

Boston's last strike, though, would be all about Laura Del Rio. The Spanish forward replaced Smith in the 75th minute and five minutes later blasted her first WPS goal home in fine style.

"Laura's goal was sick," Angeli said.

Indeed. Del Rio found the ball easily 20 yards from goal and just to the left-hand side of Branam. She launched a pitch-perfect, left-footed shot into the opposite top corner of Branam's net to seal Boston's dominant performance.

"I am so excited for my first goal in this league," Del Rio, a native of Madrid, said. "I am right[-footed], but I don't care really. Yesterday, I was practicing this shot. I am training very hard for my first goal, for minutes, for everything."

That training has paid off, DiCicco said.

"Del Rio had a great week in training, and she hasn't been playing," he said. "I said, 'If you put in the work during the week, you'll get your chance.' I was happy that she got her first goal. That was a world-class goal right there."

DiCicco noted that for the Breakers, the win over Sky Blue was an important milestone.

"This is the first time we've beaten them," DiCicco said. "Our players from last season wanted to really have a good game."

For DiCicco, Boston's turnaround in recent months has been all about his players. He called Sunday's performance the best 90 minutes Boston has played all season and offered some reasons why the Breakers have vaulted from underachievers to title contenders since early July.

"We stabilized our goalkeeping position with rookie Alyssa Naeher in goal," he said. "We were gifting some goals. We found Jordan Angeli. She's hot. Cheney now has become hot. There hasn't been a lot of adjustments.

"I think [defender Ifeoma] Dieke in the back gives us the pace to deal with some of the speed in the league, and Tarpley is such a 90-minute player. She's factored into goals by keeping balls alive in the penalty area. We have a formula now, and everybody's on the same page."

Unfortunately for DiCicco, that page is about to turn. For Boston's next game, to be played against Atlanta in Connecticut on Saturday, Smith, Dieke, and defender Alex Scott will all be participating in European Championship qualifiers and will therefore be unavailable to the Breakers.

To compound the bad news, midfielder Leslie Osborne separated her shoulder on Sunday and is not likely to be available for the Atlanta match, DiCicco said. Further details on Osborne's injury are not known at this time.

"She's been very good for us, a great stabilizing holding midfielder for us," DiCicco said of Osborne. "When we didn't have her for three games earlier this season, we lost all three. I think we're a better team than that, and I think the players will fill in for her. But when she came back, we started our run here. It would be a real bonus if she's available next weekend, but I think we've got to plan that she wont be."

Nevertheless, DiCicco is trying to keep his side sharp by giving minutes to a variety of players. Against Sky Blue, with Boston leading 3-0, he substituted attacking midfielder and captain Kristine Lilly for forward Fabiana. Later, still with a 3-0 lead, he made another offense-for-offense substitution by bringing Del Rio in for Smith.

"I just need to keep players engaged," DiCicco said of his substitution strategy. "Fabiana gives us something. She's a starter in my mind. If we don't play her, she's going to start to lose confidence."

Fabiana and Del Rio are "weapons to come into the game," DiCicco added. "They're weapons when we start them, but they're weapons when they come into the game. Both of them are fast; both of them are take-on artists. That's something to deal with."

What Sky Blue dealt with on Sunday was a rampant Breakers side that finished out its regular-season Harvard Stadium slate with a win that thrilled the season-high crowd of 6,108. After Saturday's game against Atlanta, Boston will finish the regular season with four road games, against Philadelphia, Atlanta, Gold Pride, and Sky Blue.

The Breakers remain five points behind Philadelphia in the standings but have a game in hand. They have now distanced themselves from playoff rivals Washington, Chicago, and Sky Blue, which are all at least seven points behind Boston. If they can hold onto third in the WPS table, the Breakers will likely host a playoff game.

The playoff implications of Sunday's win were not lost on DiCicco.

"We were playing against a team that is after the playoffs, and we're separating ourselves from them," he said. "It wasn't that Sky Blue didn't show up to play. We invested a lot in this game."

T-60 minutes to kickoff: The race to the 2010 Women's Professional Soccer playoffs rolls on, and while FC Gold Pride is putting on the afterburners with their third consecutive draw (do I hear some reeling-in sounds?), the race for the other slots trundles on at a break-neck pace.

This week's play-by-play features Tony DiCicco's Boston Breakers and Rick Stainton's Sky Blue FC in a match that will have, as always, implications on the postseason picture.

T-50: Currently, Boston sits third in the standings at 7-6-5 (26 points) while Sky Blue FC is fifth with a record of 6-8-4 (22 points). Now the defending champions are out of the postseason make-up by any stretch of the imagination but one would be a fool to think they don't need a win from this match at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

T-40: Boston's next three games involve their official home finale with the Atlanta Beat on Saturday, August 21 in Connecticut, an August 29 road trip to John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester, Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Independence and a September 1 road trip to Atlanta Beat/KSU Stadium in Kennessaw Georgia to face the Beat.

As for Sky Blue FC, their next three games involve an August 22 home match at Joe Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University in East Piscataway, New Jersey to face the Indies; an August 28 road trip to the Maryland SoccerPlex to take the Washington Freedom; and a September 1 clash at Joe Yurcak Field against FC Gold Pride.

T-30: It's now time for the line-ups... brought to you by yours truly.

BOSTON BREAKERS

Manager: Tony DiCicco

Formation: 4-3-3

Colors: Blue tops, blue shorts, blue socks

1 Alyssa Naeher

22 Alex Scott ---- 6 Amy LePeilbet ---- 20 Ifeoma Dieke --- 14 Stephanie Cox

12 Leslie Osborne --- 4 Jordan Angeli

10 Kelly Smith

13 Kristine Lilly (C) --- 5 Lindsay Tarpley

8 Lauren Cheney

Substitutes:

15 Fabiana

7 Liz Bogus

2 Chioma Igwe

16 Laura Del Rio

17 Kasey Moore

24 Ashley Phillips

SKY BLUE FC

Manager: Rick Stainton

Formation: 4-1-4-1

Colors: Orange tops, orange shorts, orange socks

23 Jenni Branam

4 Daphne Koster ---- 17 Keeley Dowling ---- 3 Christie Rampone (C) ---- 7 Meghan Schnur

9 Heather O'Reilly ---- 5 Kendall Fletcher ---- 13 Yael Averbuch ---- 14 Brittany Taylor

8 Kacey White ---- 21 Laura Kalmari

Substitutes:

6 Natasha Kai

12 Kelly Parker

11 Rosana

18 Meghan Burke

96 Patrizia Panico

T-15: In other action, FC Gold Pride were locked in a scoreless draw with the Washington Freedom, the Freedom finished 1-1 with Sky Blue FC and Philadelphia dominated the Chicago Red Stars 2-1.

FIRST HALF START: 3:06 P.M. PT

1' - And we're underway.

3' - Good save from Jenni Branam. Here comes a corner. High shot over the bar. It will be a goal kick.

4' - Felisha Mariscal is our match official today.

5' - Five minutes in, and it's still scoreless.

6' - Oh gosh, that was almost an own goal by Heather O'Reilly. Heads up, Sky Blue.

9' - GOAL! Boston Breakers 8 Lauren Cheney. Cheney was unmarked inside the box, and it was just a matter of fundamentals with the header.

10' - This is Cheney's fourth of the season. She's on a hot streak.

11' - Boston will look to consolidate on their 1-0 lead here, as Stephanix Cox leads the charge.

12' - Goal kick, Jenni Branam.

13' - And now it's Yael Averbuch, pressing for the equalizer.

14' - Alyssa Naeher looks to reset the sequence with a goal kick.

15' - A shot from Cheney is saved by Branam for a corner.

16' - Too high a volley. Goal kick, Branam.

17' - Daphne Koster with the challenge. Mariscal plays advantage to Sky Blue FC.

18' - Sky Blue's struggles have concentrated on the lack of a go-to player. When you don't have someone whose shoulders, touch and feet you can ride on, you will struggle as they have so far this year.

19' - Throw-in for Sky Blue FC. Here's Laura Kalmari, with Ifeoma Dieke marking. No room for Kacey White. It will be a goal kick. Love the hair from Tasha Kai. Fabulous. 

20' - Tasha Kai looks like a female Freddie Hajduk with a tan. Seriously. She does.

21' - Here's Kacey White, with Jordan Angelie providing the challenge. Free kick goes nowhere. Stephanie Cox now with the sequence, and here's Kristine Lilly.

22' - Brittany Taylor dispossesses, and Sky Blue FC go on the offensive. Naeher is there for the save. End to end action with Jenni Branam resetting the sequence for the visitors, the Ladies of the Raritan.

23' - A shot from Kelly Smith is deflected for Boston's fifth corner of the match. Five corners in 23 minutes... not bad. That's cleared, and here is number six.

24' - Taken short by Cox, and Koster clears. Smith is double-marked but for some reason is unfazed. Branam takes that one. 

25' - This is actually the last match at Harvard Stadium for the Breakers.

26' - Branam with the anticipation. And here is corner number seven. Lilly is starting to feel a little bit woozy.

27' - Kendall Fletcher's breakaway opportunity is stymied by Alyssa Naeher. Textbook.

28' - Here's Christie Rampone, looking to reset the sequence. The drums bang into Sunday's evening at Soldiers Field.

29' - 29 minutes into the contest, and it's 1-0 Boston.

30' - Here's Dieke with the touch. Boston hasn't had to do too much defensively, whereas for Sky Blue FC, they have been on the defensive since we first started.

31' - Naeher will be wise to settle the troops, as the ladies in Breaker Blue look to consolidate their advantage.

32' - Alex Scott with the run, and she should have done better. Branam almost forced a corner, but kept that in bounds.

33' - Amy LePeilbet now with the touch, and this is some nice passing, but Boston needs to get people forward. Otherwise, as seen here, it will be another goal kick for Jenni Branam.

34' - Kacey White looked dangerous in Sky Blue attacking third, but it will be a goal kick for Naeher. Short-lived attack from Sky Blue FC.

35' - I'm not sure why they haven't tried to up the aggression on Boston, but then again, I'm not Slick Rick Stainton.

36' - Alyssa Naeher hasn't had to do much yet. We'll see if that changes in the second half. Nearly connected on the pass for Boston, but Branam is there.

37' - Now Sky Blue FC draws players forward. Laura Kalmari nearly got that to go in but missed wide. That's what I'm talking about.

38' - Boston on the counter, but the Breakers are called back for offsides.

39' - More chants from the local supporters in The Dock.

40' - Free kick does not work. But here comes a corner. And that doesn't materialize. I think some of the Dock supporters also ply their trade when the Revs play at nearby Gilette.

41' - GOAL! Boston Breakers 4 Jordan Angeli. This has all the makings of a rout. Not bad form, and a looper past Branam. It's the sixth goal of the season for Angeli.

42' - Now both Cheney and Angeli have a goal and an assist between them. This is Cheney's third assist of the year.

43' - Too high for Heather O'Reilly. Goal kick Alyssa Naeher.

44' - With six goals and three assists, could Angeli be pressing for Rookie of the Year? Stay tuned.

45' - All right. A million dollar question. Drum roll please... how many minutes of stoppage time? One minute.

Kacey White's chance is snapped up by Alyssa Naeher. She has been stellar in net, Boston's No. 1 has.

Halftime, and the Breakers are building steam heading into the break.

HALFTIME

Boston Breakers 2

Lauren Cheney 9'

Jordan Angeli 42'

Sky Blue FC 0

SECOND HALF START: 4:09 P.M. PT

46' - The second half begins.

Substitution Sky Blue FC
IN
6 Natasha Kai
11 Rosana

OUT
5 Kendall Fletcher
13 Yael Averbuch

47' - In other action, the Atlanta Beat are leading the Philadelphia Independence 2-1.

48' - Here's Kristine Lilly, and now Keeley Dowling breaks up Boston's next sequence. Sky Blue FC is now spreading the ball around, and this will work well for them.

49' - Here is a corner for Lilly. Taken short, and Tasha Kai clears.

50' - Taken long, and the rebounds make it 3-0!

GOAL! Boston Breakers 5 Lindsay Tarpley.

It is a rout here at Soldiers Field. Tarpley's second goal of the year comes off a poorly saved ball by Branam. And thus, Sky Blue FC's defense just got a bit more ambivalently.

51' - Some sweet shin music from HAO (O'Reilly, that is). Wonder what that was all about.

52' - Boston might let the dogs out this match and make it 4-0 or 5-0.

53' - Cheney was off on that one. Boston Breakers are 11-0-1 when scoring at least two goals. A daunting statistic.

54' - This is LePeilbet, marked by Kai. And now it's Cox.

55' - Handball on Rosana, and the bad luck continues for Sky Blue FC. Dieke with the distribution.

56' - 56 minutes into the contest and it's already 3-0 Boston. It's getting a bit ugly here at Harvard Stadium.

57' - Offsides on that would-be goal, Kelly Smith, and the fans are not liking this. DiCicco maintains his stone-faced expression but doesn't seem to mind a bit.

So much for the hopes of a payoff with the substitutions, Richard Stainton...

58' - Shot for Kristine Lilly goes high and over the crossbar. Boy, the 3-0 sideline seems to be flattering for Sky Blue FC. Surely it should have been more after those two breaks.

59' - Now here's Tasha Kai. Sky Blue FC is hoping for some sort of comeback. Daphne Koster was there, but Kacey White will have to kick herself for being called offsides.

60' - An hour in... it's 3-0. Breakers are winning the possession battle, too.

61' - Good left-footed effort from Rosana. Nice pace, but it misses the corner, and it will be a goal kick to Alyssa Naeher.

62' - Christie Rampone with the dispossession. Heather O'Reilly was off on the receiving end, and it will be another goal kick for Naeher. Tasha Kai is offsides.

63' - Substitution Boston Breakers
IN 15 Fabiana
OUT 13 Kristine Lilly

64' - Here's Fabiana, and her cross is broken up by Rampone. The pace of this Breakers side is killing Sky Blue FC. Another chance for Smith goes array. Goal kick Branam.

65' - Bad communication from Boston's midfielders, but they get the ball back in play. Alex Scott couldn't get to that ball, and here is a throw-in by Heather O'Reilly.

66' - Sky Blue go on the attack. This is White, but Lindsay Tarpley says, "I don't think so."

67' - Ifeoma Dieke had to break that up. Here is a corner for Sky Blue FC. The Dock with the streamers.

68' - Some interesting Keystone Kops action...

Yellow card 7 Meghan Schnur
Sky Blue FC

And things go from bad...to worse. The Dock lets 'em hear it.

69' - Cross from Scott goes wide left. Goal kick Naeher and Rosana is shaken up.

70' - 70 minutes in, and it's still 3-0.

71' - Keeley Dowling with the clearance.

72' - Shot for Fabiana hits side netting and misses the near post. Boy, this Boston team is never satisfied. It's only a 3-0 lead after all. Sky Blue can still come back, can't they?

73' - Branam goes off her line for that one.

74' - Amy LePeilbet clears the next big opportunity. Short corner for SKy Blue FC, but it will be another one for Heather O'Reilly as Kai get a shot to the teeth.

75' - Koster whiffs that one. It will be a corner corner for Alyssa Naeher.

76' - Substitution Boston Breakers
IN 16 Laura Del Rio
OUT 10 Kelly Smith

Corner for Sky Blue FC. Boy, they are racking it up. Naeher with the punch. And it will go back to her hands. Now the Breakers are doing some work in their own defending third. Had to happen.

77' - Laura Del Rio should have done better. Philadelphia just tied the match, and now it's 2-2.

78' - Fabiana is jammed, and that will be a goal kick for Jenni Branam. 78 minutes in, and it's 3-0 Boston Breakers over Sky Blue FC.

79' - O'Reilly's shot is deflected. Oooh, and Kalmari should have made that one. Naeher was beat. It will be a goal kick.

80' - Substitution Sky BLue FC
IN 96 Patrizia Panico 
OUT 3 Christie Rampone

81' - GOAL! Boston Breakers 16 Laura Del Rio

The rout is on. I repeat: the rout is on. Del Rio opens her scoring account, and if any fans are leaving Harvard Stadium with a sour expression, I think it's because they are barracking for the defending WPS Champions. I hope...

A solid golazo from Laura Del Rio.

82' - Good footwork here from the Breakers as Naeher scoops that up.

83' - Leslie Osborne get elbowed to the nose

Substitution Boston Breakers
IN 17 Kasey Moore
OUT 20 Ifeoma Dieke

84' - Yellow card 12 Leslie Osborne
Boston Breakers

Dubious call, but questionable conduct from Boston's No. 12.

85' - I have to say that if Boston and FC Gold Pride were to face each other, the gals in Breaker Blue may have the advantage. But there is plenty of football left to be played, so we'll have to wait and see. 

86' - Joanna Lohman in the 81st minute makes it 3-2 Philadelphia over Atlanta. What a rally. Panico shows her frustration with the shot to Osborne.

Yellow Card 96 Patrizia Panico
Sky Blue FC

87' - That was a cheap elbow. Lucky that wasn't anything worse.

88' - The men and women at the Dock show their appreciation. But it might be a shoulder injury. The View and Bleacher Report hopes for the best. Play on.

89' - Boston will be playing with 10. Another save from Naeher. Her best of the night, snuffing out the Panico chance.

90' - All right, how many minutes? Three, says the fourth official.

90' + 1' - Here's Fabiana, and the Boston attack is marked. The Breakers will have to end their season with four straight on the road. There's an early autumn gauntlet for you. 

90' + 2' - Fabiana was jammed, and the follow-through from Tarpley is deflected for a corner, which is cleared. Easy pickings for Naeher.

90' + 3' - Sky Blue FC has time to get back one goal, but they have to do it quickly. So much for that, though, as Naeher hauls that it for a goal kick.

That's a wrap.

FINAL

BOSTON BREAKERS 3

Lauren Cheney 9'

Jordan Angeli 42'

Linday Tarpley 50'

Laura Del Rio 81'

SKY BLUE FC 0

Stay tuned for this week's power rankings on the WPS Fan Corner, the View from Victoria Street and Bleacher Report.

The Boston Breakers, aside from Kelly Smith, are slightly less torrid than they were going into last Sunday's game in Philadelphia against the Independence. But they're still on course for the playoffs.

The Breakers went into Philly with a chance to steal second place in the WPS table and came out with a hard-fought 2-2 draw—and a solid lock in the third spot in the standings. (The top four teams earn playoff berths.) Lauren Cheney found her way back onto the score sheet with an opening goal for Boston, only for Philadelphia's excellent midfielder, Holmfridur Magnusdottir, to cancel out Cheney's strike and then put the Independence ahead 2-1 in a busy first half.

But Smith, who scored for the fourth consecutive game and now has 10 goals on the season, equalized early in the second half, and the Breakers came away with a valuable point. They now sit five points ahead of fourth-place Chicago and have a game in hand. Perhaps the greatest threat to Boston in the standings at this point is Sky Blue FC, which trails Boston by five points but has a game in hand on the Breakers.

As luck (and the WPS schedule) would have it, the Breakers will take on Sky Blue on Sunday at 6 p.m. in their last regular-season home game at Harvard Stadium for 2010. As always, playoff implications will be strong.

This week, the Boston Breakers surge all the way to the top of the Power Rankings and have established themselves as a legit challenger to FC Gold Pride for all the marbles.

Meanwhile, Atlanta's poor form sees them relegated to the cellar as Washington snaps out of their slump.

Let's take a look.

Tony DiCicco's Boston Breakers could have done better without Philadelphia's Holmfridur Magnusdottir giving their momentum an about-face. Otherwise Kelly Smith and Company are doing the business with ease.

On Wednesday, August 4th, the Breakers faced the Atlanta Beat at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Massachusetts and pitched a 2-0 shutout.

“We contained their attack, and I thought the second half we kept the ball and created a lot of chances,” DiCicco said after the match. “We probably could have gotten another goal. I’m very proud of the team; it was a good win.”

Kelly Smith single-handedly paced Boston to their seventh win of the season. It took just 40 seconds for Lindsay Tarpley to find Smith for her eights of the season.

61 minutes later, Smith again found space to sail one past the reach of Hope Solo to make it 2-0 Breakers.

"We're on a roll at the moment, it feels to good to be on a streak," Smith said after the game. "We're playing well, especially the second half, it’s probably the best performance of the season. We had some good possession and chances, we probably could have done more at the end."

Boston outshot Atlanta 11-10 and had five shots on goal.

Over the past week, Jordan Angeli was named WPS Player of the month for July.

"I couldn’t believe it, I was so excited I called my parents, and I got a little emotional," Angeli said after the match. "It’s been a great ride and I’ve had a great team that’s made it pretty easy for me to score goals, and great fans to keep me going. I can’t take all the credit. I’ve had a lot of help along the way."

Boston would need all the help they could get as the traveled to John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester, Pennsylvania on Sunday to take on the Philadelphia Independence.

Once again, the Breakers counted on the reliable foot of Smith in the 52nd minute to give Boston a well-deserved 2-2 draw with the Indies.

In the 25th minute, Lauren Cheney took a stab from distance to earn her fourth of the season, giving the Breakers an early 1-0 lead.

Boston outshot Philly 16-15, with eight shots on goal. Alyssa Naeher made six saves in the tie on Sunday night.

Next up for the Boston Breakers is a trip back to Soldiers Field to take on Sky Blue FC.

Kickoff at Harvard Stadium is scheduled for Sunday, August 15 at 6:00 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

Albertin Montoya's FC Gold Pride seem to be running on complacency the past couple of matches. At Pioneer Stadium on the campus of Cal State East Bay in Hayward, California, the Lionesses of the East Bay (in their PUMA Project Pinks) settled for a scoreless draw with the Chicago Red Stars.

Kelley O'Hara and Christine Sinclair will rue their missed opportunities to bring three points to the Pride instead of just one.

In the 41st minute, Milbrett's delivery found O'Hara but her header was in the direction of Chicago keeper Jillian Loyden. In the 87th minute, a chance for Christine Sinclair was called back due to a foul on Shannon Boxx.

Sinclair pointed out the real reason why the Pride brought home the split.

"You can win 4-0 and the offense will get all the accolades," Sinclair said after the match, "but our defense has been rock solid all season and by getting the shut out, they're getting us a point."

At the helm of the defense was FC Gold Pride netminder Nicole Barnhart, who made five saves on Saturday. The Pride also tallied six corners.

"Every season has some ups and downs. Obviously you want to peak at the very end when you're going into playoffs and working toward a championship," said Pride Captain Rachel Buehler after the match. "Now we have things to work on and sort out before playoffs. 

"It also puts pressure on the defense to make sure that we don't let up a goal and I think that's really important for us to deal with that pressure before heading into playoffs."

A home playoff game could have been guaranteed for the Pride had they won, but it will have to wait till next Saturday's match with the resurging Washington Freedom at Pioneer Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, August 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Paul Riley's Philadelphia Independence can't believe their bad luck over the course of the past week. Not only did they get ambushed by the Washington Freedom, but they settled for a draw with the Boston Breakers.

While the Indies still sit in second place, the past couple of matches should be a stern reminder that nothing should be left to chance.

On Wednesday, Philly got their comeuppance against the Freedom, losing 2-0 at the hands and feet of Abby Wambach.

It was nothing but frustration and futility for Philadelphia, who were forced to go on the defensive for a great deal of the contest.

"Today all four of our midfielders were bad on the same day unfortunately and we could just never get moving," Riley said after the match. "Amy Rodriguez didn't get good service and we didn't get good service to the front line.

"We made two catastrophic mistakes on the two set pieces and we paid the price."

Val Henderson made four saves in the defeat.

"I let the team down on my part," Henderson said following the match. "The Freedom have nothing to lose. They had to get themselves back in it. The season is by no means over."

At least not until late-September, Val.

Slinking back to John A. Farrell Stadium on the campus of West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the Indies were hoping to rebound against the Boston Breakers.

While Icelandic international Holmfridur Magnusdottir score a brace, it wasn't enough as Philadelphia settled for a 2-2 draw with Boston instead.

In the 28th minute, a free kick from Magnusdottir tied the game up at 1-1. Two minutes later, a shot from the top left corner of the 18-yard box bounced off the far post and in, giving the Independence a 2-1 lead.

The goals were the second and third of the year from Magnusdottir.

Philadelphia had 15 shots on goal but also chalked up 13 fouls. A yellow card on Magnusdottir means that she is suspended for the next match against the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.

Kickoff for that contest is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.

The Independence will then host their fellow expansion side Atlanta Beat for the last time this season on Sunday, August 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET at John A. Farrell Stadium.

Rick Stainton's Sky Blue FC were looking to get back to their winning ways, and they did it in tremendous fashion against the Atlanta Beat, winning 2-1 at Atlanta Beat/KSU Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. The win was Stainton's first as manager of the club.

“I know it sounds so cliché, but I truly mean it when I say that it’s not about me or our staff,” Stainton remarked following Wednesday's contest. “This is all about the players who are out there fighting for this team to win.

"As a coaching staff, we are just doing what we can to put them in a position to succeed. When that success comes, attribute it to the players who are putting in the work.”

Among the players who left their mark (literally and figuratively) were Laura Kalmari and Jenni Branam.

In the 44th minute, a delivery from Heather O'Reilly gave Kalmari her fifth goal of the season to make it 1-0 Sky Blue FC. The visitors benefited from an Atlanta own goal to make it 2-1.

Kalmari was a beast from the East in the net, to say the least, as she feasted on six saves against Atlanta. Sky Blue FC also tallied seven corners on Wednesday.

“We tell the players every day that all we can do is concentrate on ourselves as a team, and we shouldn’t be concerned with what other teams are doing,” Stainton added after the match. “We cannot control what other teams do, but we have complete control of the effort and performance that we put forth."

"As long as we go out there and play to the best of our ability every time we hit the field, we will be in a position for good things to happen for us.”

Up next for the defending WPS Champions is a battle with the resurging Washington Freedom on Wednesday, August 11 at Joe Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

They will then travel to Harvard Stadium to face off against the Boston Breakers on Sunday, August 15. Kickoff at Soldiers Field is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET and will be televised by Fox Soccer Channel.

Jim Gabarra got the reprieve he wanted, and it was badly needed.

After weeks without a win, the Washington Freedom broke through its shackles like Samson and tore down the columns of the Philadelphia Independence 2-0 at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Wednesday night.

In the seventeenth minute, Lene Mykjaland drew a penalty. Abby Wambach slotted home the ensuing conversion to make it 1-0 Freedom. The goal was Wambach's eighth of the season.

Wambach earned her ninth in the 41st minute of a set piece delivery by Cat Whitehill to make it 2-0 Washington.

Overall the Freedom outshot the Independence 14 to six with nine shots on goal. Washington also earned six corners.

"We have to play our best when it comes down to it," said a relieved Wambach after the match. "Our team made each other proud tonight. We have to come out and play hard all 90 minutes." 

"It has become a recurring theme for us to sort of die in the second half and that was not the case tonight. We had a five game losing streak and we wanted to play with pride.  We all had each other's backs and you could feel it."

Gabarra was similarly impressed himself by the resilience of his players.

"The bounces really went our way tonight," Gabarra said after the game. "We were ready to go out and really show that we are serious about winning and serious about playing the game."

Ashlyn Harris, who only had to make two saves the entire match, was also relieved.

"I'm very proud of everyone. All of the players made my life a lot easier tonight and I really appreciate it," Harris said after the match. "Tonight we showed a lot of grit and a lot of heart. That is why we came out with a win. I am thrilled and ready for the next game; ready to play."

That next game is against a Sky Blue FC side that looks to add another win to their column. Could this victory over Philly be the wake-up call Washington needs?

Kickoff at Joe Yurcak Field in Piscataway is scheduled for Wednesday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Freedom will then travel to Pioneer Stadium in Hayward for their last regular-season meeting with FC Gold Pride. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for Saturday, August 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Omid Namazi's Chicago Red Stars will rue their wasted chance to steal three points against FC Gold Pride on Saturday at Pioneer Stadium. They left the Bay Area with nothing more than a scoreless draw and remain in fourth place by a hanging thread.

Chicago outshot FC Gold Pride eight to seven and have five of those on goal, but many of those shots missed the mark. Adding insult to futility, the Red Stars had seven offsides called against them.

It won't get any easier for Chicago, as they host a Philadelphia Independence club in need of a victory Kickoff at Toyota Park in Bridgeview is scheduled for Wednesday, August 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Well, it was fun for the Atlanta Beat to be out of the cellar while it lasted, but here they are at the bottom of the WPS Power Rankings this week with their playoff aspirations having taken a serious hit.

Old habits die hard.

It was not a week to remember if you are Gareth O'Sullivan, the Beat had no rhythm whatsoever as they sunk in the seas of futility once more.

The week of misery began when they took on the Boston Breakers at Harvard Stadium. A 2-0 defeat told the story, with the first goal scored just 40 seconds into the match.

Atlanta had 10 shots on goal but seemed to be stunned by the early salvo as they struggled to find the net at Soldiers Field.

"It’s unfortunate to give up a goal so early," Beat midfielder Lori Chalupny said after the match. "I feel like we were chasing the game from that point on. I thought we had some good moments in the first half but it wears on you after pushing to be getting a goal the whole game."

"It’s a shame because we definitely didn’t bring our best game tonight and it just doesn’t help matters when you let up a goal so early."

And it only got worse. The week from hell continued for Atlanta as they took on defending champs Sky Blue FC at Kennesaw's Beat/KSU Stadium.

Eniola Aluko score an equalizer 62 minutes into the contest, but Tina Ellertson threw away any chances for a comeback with an own goal in the 71st minute to give the Beat a 2-1 defeat.

Aluko's goal was her seventh of the season.

The Beat were not without their chances, having outshot Sky Blue FC 22 to six. But Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Jenni Branam's heroics added to what has been a frustrating season for Atlanta.

It couldn't get any more worse that this, now could it? Perhaps so.

Up next for the Atlanta Beat is another meeting with the Philadelphia Independence at John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester. Kickoff is scheduled for August 14 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

T-120 minutes to kickoff: Tony DiCicco's Boston Breakers have been running on high voltage for so long that they are in the running to not only finish second, but accomplish the unthinkable and reel FC Gold Pride in.

With the Pride earning their second straight draw, the Breakers have a chance to gain ground on the league leaders of Women's Professional Soccer today against the Philadelphia Independence.

T-90: The Indies, under the tutelage of Mr. Paul Riley, have had to eat some humble pie dished out by the likes of the Washington Freedom. Philadelphia will look to bounce back from that disastrous performance as they host the Breakers here at the friendly confines of the John A. Farrell Stadium in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

T-60: We have an hour to kickoff, and right now, Boston is two points behind Philadelphia for second with a 7-6-4 record (25 points). The Indies, meanwhile, sit at 8-6-3 (27 points) and are 12 points behind FC Gold Pride.

T-30: These lineups are brought to you by Women's Professional Soccer, Bleacher Report and The View.

FIRST HALF START: 5:10 P.M. PT

1' - Kickoff time, then...

2' - Karina LeBlanc pushes that away for a Boston corner.

5' - Here comes Philly, and the Breakers force a throw-in. Special pink ball for PUMA Project Pink, so it looks like the protagonists are playing with a shiny dodgeball more fit for bombardier than for soccer.

7' - This is Jen Buczkowski, who dishes it to Holmfridur Magnusdottir, the Icelandic international. Magnusdottir was suspended due to a red card, and that may have something to do with the Freedom rising from the dea.

8' - Eight minutes in, and it's scoreless so far.

9' - As you know, pink is the color for breast cancer awareness. I personally keep those suffering from it in my thoughts and prayers.

Lindsey's pass misses the mark. Goal kick, Alyssa Naeher.

10' - John A. Farrell is the football home of the West Chester Rams who compete in NCAA Division II. Not a surprise to see American Football pitches used for the world game; another case is Harvard Stadium, which is used by the Breakers.

11' - Naeher with the grab.

12' - Boston goes on the offensive. And Kelly Smith should have done better.

13' - Karina LeBlanc directs, and that chance for the Breakers breaks into pieces.

14' - This is Lindsay Tarpley for Boston. She is in her 11th match with the gals in blue, and she's doing a mighty fine job in her role, I might say. Still scoreless.

15' - Ifeoma Dieke with the clearance for the Breakers. And Caroline Seger must be kicking herself for blowing the shot on goal. Naeher with the goal kick.

16' - Chairs on the track... an interesting nuance as the Breakers reset the distribution.

17' - Possession battle here in the 17th minute. It's still scoreless.

18' - Amy Rodriguez was not going to get to that Caroline Seger pass. Offsides, Joanna Lohman. Lohman has three goals this season. She will look to up her production for the rest of the campaign.

19' - Here's Holmfridur Magnusdottir. Good defending from Boston's Stephanie Cox...

20' - ...and the free kick never materialized to much.

21' - Still scoreless.

22' - Throw-in on both sides, and the pace seems to be slowing down.

23' - Shot goes wide.

24' - Here comes Boston on the loose

GOAL! Boston Breakers, 8 Lauren Cheney, Assist 10 Kelly Smith.
Excellent power and touch from the No. 8 of Boston. This is why the Breakers are running on high voltage in the Power Rankings that will be issued soon. Excellent delivery from Kelly Smith, and Karina LeBlanc had no chance at saving that. Terrible defending from Allison Falk, too.

25' - 1-0 Boston.

26' - Goal kick for Karina LeBlanc.

27' - The Independence will need to rally back; else this week will be one to forget.

28' - Free kick for the Indies.

GOAL! Philadelphia Independence, 26 Holmfridur Magnusdottir.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a game. Scintillating free kick from the Icelandic international. It's 1-1.

29' - That is a comeback right there, and now the match opens up.

30' - GOAL! Philadelphia Independence, 26 Holmfridur Magnusdottir.
The goals are coming out now. That was a solid shot from Magnusdottir. It's her third of the year, her first brace in WPS... this is a breakout performance.

31' - Now it's the Breakers who are on their heels, who have given up two goals in as many minutes. Time to shake things up, Tony...

32' - That was a cracker, off the far post and in. Sensational. And now it's Joanna Lohman, who is marked by Ifeoma Dieke. Fabulous defending.

33' - We are 33 minutes into this contest, and it's turning out to be a goal festival of the highest highs. It's 2-1 Independence.

34' - Here's Heather Mitts, and now it's Cox, whose pass is cleared out by Dieke.

35' - Breakers move the ball back for their next stanza. Kristine Lilly with the throw-in. Now it's the Independence, pushing to increase the margin. Alex Scott with the stop for Boston.

36' - Lilly almost made that 2-2. She was onside.

37' - Buczkowski with the pressure. Now it's Seger and DiMartino, setting it up for Lori Lindsey, who should have done better on that chance.

38' - Magnusdottir with the clearance. And here is a corner for Boston, with Lilly to take. Too high, and Dieke was off. Goal kick, Karina LeBlanc.

39' - Tina DiMartino's chance is stopped by Ifeoma Dieke.

40' - A ball for Amy Rodriguez is too long and is swept up by Alyssa Naeher.

41' - Long shot from distance from Rodriguez.

42' - Leave it to Frida. That is a riot. Back come the Indies. It's Seger as the chants from the Daughters of Betsy (a.k.a. Sons of Ben) come.

43' - LeBlanc with the grab.

44' - Lauren Cheney with the throw as we roll towards halftime. Philly on the transition, and Boston counters.

45' - Rodriguez is double-marked. Speculative shot from the team's leading scorer.

One minute of stoppage time. Here is Amy LePeilbet, and that will be a corner. One final shot. Cleared.

45' + 1' - It's halftime, and the Indies come back to make it a 2-1 game.

SECOND HALF START: 6:12 P.M. PT

46' - Time for the second half. Here's LePeilbet. And here's Lindsey with the free kick. Didn't amount to much.

48' - And here is Amy Rodriguez. They will look to put the pressure on Boston, Philly will.

49' - Jordan Angeli, and now the Independence sweep.

50' - 50 minutes into the contest, with the Independence leading 2-1.

51' - Now it's Lindsay Tarpley, but she gets no dice as Philly eases the tempo a little.

52' - GOAL! Boston Breakers, 10 Kelly Smith.
The festival continues. Who wants to be a keeper? No one on a night like this. Excellent volley from Smith to make it 2-2.

53' - Now it's anyone's game.

54' - Ifeoma Dieke bails Alyssa Naeher out of danger. And a corner for the Independence ensues.

55' - Allison Falk should have done betters. And those vuvuzelas are back. How's it been, dear horns!

56' - Back come the Breakers. Here's Smith, and Alex Scott is jammed. Tarpley is fouled, and this will be a free kick to Boston.

57' - Great saves from Karina LeBlanc. Faith, she doing something right for once. The corner is cleared. Tony DiCicco is beside himself as his club get called for the foul.

58' - We are now 58 minutes in, and it is 2-2. Lori Lindsey's looking for help. Leslie Osborne with the dispossession.

59' - Alex Scott with the throw. Now here is a chance from Jordan Angeli, but it misses wide right. Had 3-2 all over it; the tap-in couldn't have had the worst of timing.

60' - Back come the Indies, who are locking in a battle of possession vs. counterpossession with the Breakers.

61' - This is exciting football from Boston and Philadelphia tonight. Magnificent football.

62' - Cox wasn't going to get to that one.

Substitution Boston Breakers
IN 15 Fabiana
OUT 4 Jordan Angeli

63' - Alyssa Naeher goes off her line for the scoop. Now here's a shot from the Independence, but that is snatched up by the Boston keeper. DiCicco is giving a mouthful to the fourth official today

64' - Great clearance from Karina LeBlanc, and superb help from Boston's backline. Goal kick for the Indies keeper.

65' - Nice touches from Holmfridur Magnusdottir. 65 minutes in, and it's 2-2.

66' - Amy LePeilbet, the Breakers' GPS tracking device, on the feast. And here's Nikki Krzysik.

67' - Caroline Seger is shaken up. Naeher with the hip check. That's called making a statement, everyone.

68' - Seger gets back up to her feet, and it's back to action. Goal kick, Naeher.

69' - We are in the position minute and it is still 2-2.

70' - Paul Riley keeps his cards in his hands for now. Rodriguez's chance is neutralized by Alyssa Naeher.

71' - Chance for Tina DiMartino is kept in check.

72' - Too long for Smith. Goal kick, LeBlanc. I think we got a substitution on the way.

73' - Substitiution Philadelphia Independence
IN 10 Lianne Sanderson
OUT 17 Joanna Lohman

74' - Sanderson has three goals and two assists this season.

75' - LeBlanc with the save on Smith. They are going tit for tat right now.

76' - Less than 15 and stoppage away from this match becoming a done deal and it's 2-2.

77' - Connection between Lori Lindsey and Amy Rodriguez goes off.

78' - Now what is this all about? Magnusdottir with the blatant push. Not sure why Dallas Smolinski is not laying down the law and giving the card. Good grab from Karina LeBlanc.

79' - Philly on the counter. Indies free kick, and Leslie Osborne's questioning the calls as the free kick from Magnusdottir to Falk goes for naught.

80' - Lindsey with the throw-in. Naeher will grab that one for a goal kicki.

81' - The past couple of matches makes you wonder if FC Gold Pride is turning into the Hares of the East Bay rather than the Lionesses of the East Bay.

82' - Back comes Philly, and Lianne Sanderson had no chance getting to that pass. Overtapped.

83' - This may be a 2-2 game with the way things are going right now. Now here's Tina DiMartino, and the offsides flag is raised.

84' - Paul Riley is wondering if they can push for the winner at this juncture of the contest. Fabiana tries to get a ball inside, but to no avail.

85' - 85 minutes in, and it's still 2-2. DiCicco's patience seems to be running a little thin. Understandably. Kryzsik with the initial clearance on Smith. Now it's Fabiana.

86' - Philly's backline forces the counter. Boston with numbers back, and Alyssa Naeher neutralizes that sequence, to the howls of the locals here in West Chester.

87' - Smith is tackled, and a lazy free kick sails out for a LeBlanc free kick.

88' - The last four matches for Boston will be road contests. Here's a free kick for the Indies.

89' - Now it's Stephanie Cox. Karina LeBlanc is asking for an offsides. Ayayay, that has 3-2 Boston written all over it. There will be one minute of stoppage time.

Yellow card 26 Holmfridur Magnusdottir
Philadelphia Independence

90' - Alyssa Naeher with the anticipation on Amy Rodriguez.

90' + 1' - Magnusdottir seems to be trigger happy at this point and she's paid the price.

That does it. It's a draw.

Stay tuned for this week's WPS Power Rankings on Bleacher Report and the View from Victoria Street, as well as the Fan Corner.