The Girls Guide: Bethany Hamilton

Surfer Bethany Hamilton blogs live from the beautiful islands of Hawaii! During the summer months, it seems that girls all over the country want to look beachy. Fans often ask Bethany the secret to her sun kissed, surfer style. The secret? There is none! The key to looking great in the summertime (or anytime!) is not worrying about putting a lot of effort into your appearance.

Check out Bethany’s episode of Girl’s Guide below:

New accessories and clothes may help fitness efforts

What if you could improve your athleticism or physique just by wearing an accessory or an article of clothing? Thanks to a new crop of performance wear products, you actually may be able to do so. For the most part, the items sound too good to be true and in fact, none of them has been proven to produce actual results, but the buzz around this category is growing loud.

Power Balance Bands: Rubber bands with dual holograms worn around the wrist to optimize your body’s natural energy flow…is this new wave science or just a bunch of new age talk? Probably best to do “the test” and decide for yourself – but trend-jumping celebs and athletes alike are swearing by them. Advocates suggest that they work to enhance the body’s typical positive frequencies while helping to block out negative ones, like cell phone radiation. The consensus among users is that the body’s natural balance is restored by the energy that flows through the holograms, and that wearing the band works to increase balance, strength and flexibility, promoting better posture and overall performance efficiency.

Uniqlo Easy Exe: Uniqlo shoppers now have a little help when it comes to fitting into the store’s famous skinny jeans. Launched this past spring, the Japanese fast fashion retailer has added “calorie-burning” underwear to its style stable.  Called the ‘Easy Exe’ series, after a phonetic shortening of the word “exercise” in Japanese, the design of plastic dots and lines that traces the gluteus maximus and lower back is said to encourage better posture, which will lead to a more efficient way of walking, according to Uniqlo’s Japanese online shop.  Though the line is currently sold only in Japan (and is apparently made for men), it’s rumored to be hitting North American shores soon.

Reebok EasyTone Workout Clothing: Come November, Reebok will expand its wildly successful EasyTone sneaker line to women’s fitness wear. Like with the shoes, no evidence exists that just wearing the line actually will increase peoples’ flexibility while shaping and strengthening their butts, thighs and cores. However, chances are that consumers will buy in. After all, EasyTone sneakers (and their competitors) are part of the fastest-growing segment (projected to expand 500% this year) in the otherwise stagnant athletic shoe business. While the idea that certain athletic wear can help consumers exercise more intensely, burn more calories and tone up just by wearing it sounds pretty appealing, we’re pretty sure that such products would be really effective only for someone who’s already active.

(h/t Trend Central)

Flag football: the coolest fall sport

Flag football is the latest rage for girls wanting fun and action without the intense pressure of many team sports.

The game, which is a summer camp staple and often played at family picnics and in gym class, follows basic rules similar to those of mainstream football (often called “tackle football” for contrast).  Instead of tackling players to the ground however, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier (“deflagging”) to end a down.

Flag football has quietly become one of the fastest-growing varsity sports for high school girls. A decade after it was introduced, nearly 5,000 girls play in the state of Florida — a welcome development in a state that, like others, has struggled to close the gender gap in high school athletics. Unfortunately flag football is only played  at the club and intramural level in colleges. Hopefully it will be added to the list of NCAA emerging sports soon.

The sport favors fast, nimble athletes who are skilled in the kind of blocks and screens used in basketball.  It’s also a great choice for girls  who are burned out from having played the same sports for years.

The game does not always get the respect it deserves. Many think it’s a powderpuff game that you sometimes see during homecoming week.  Powderpuff football games are an annual tradition at many high schools and universities where the girls compete each other and the guys dress in drag and cheer.

If you’re looking to try something new, flag football might just be the sport to consider. It seems likely that girls  playing the game are reaping the same developmental and health benefits as those playing volleyball, soccer, or any of the other more traditional sports. And you can have alot of fun doing it. Touchdown!

Get in the game

The International Women’s Flag Football Association (IWFFA) is an alliance of  girls and women’s flag football teams, leagues and individual players from around the world. An organization run by women.

The NFL has sponsored coed local leagues for boys and girls ages 5-17. It’s the premier youth football league providing young players a fun and exciting opportunity to engage in non-contact, continuous action while learning lessons in teamwork. To join a league, visit NFL Flag Football.

Flag Football 101
Offense:
All players with the ball are offensive players. The center will hike the ball to the quarterback, which will allow all offensive players to go out for a pass.
Defense:
Defensive players will prevent the other team from scoring a touchdown. A defensive player will guard opposing player and pull their flag if they catch a pass.
Center Line:
Offensive team will start the game with the ball on the center line. They must pass the ball to a teammate to begin the game.
Touchdown:
A touchdown is made when a receiver carries the ball across the goal line or a pass is completed in the end zone.
Line-up:
The offensive team must be behind the line of scrimmage, and the defensive team must be one yard away from the line of scrimmage.
Centering the ball:
The act of putting the ball into play, the ball must be centered to the quarterback sideways in one motion.
Downs:
Each team has four downs to advance into the next zone or to score. If the team advances to the next zone, a first down is earned. Failure to advance the ball to the next zone in four downs results in loss of possession.
Offsides:
Advancement of a player beyond the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped.
End Zone:
The 10 yards area between the goal line and end line.
Line of Scrimmage:
An imaginary line marking the position of the ball at the start of each play.
Start of Game:
The team starting with the ball will begin at a point half way between their goal line and the first down line.
Dead Ball:
The ball is dead when an opponent removes the ball carrier’s flag.

WPS Week 19

A huge Atlanta Beat win against the Breakers, a Sky Blue FC upset against Philadelphia Independence, and FC Gold Pride taking the regular season championship (and right to host the WPS Final) all belong to Week 19 of Women’s Professional Soccer.

On Thursday, the Washington Freedom defeated the Chicago Red Stars 2-0. After a scoreless first half, Abby Wambach scored first for the Freedom just three minutes into the second half. After receiving a pass from Sarah Huffman, Wambach created herself some space to get a shot off her left foot and get the Freedom on the scoreboard. Seven minutes later Cat Whitehill headed a free kick from Huffman into the back of the net to make it 2-0. The Freedom are currently in fourth place with 25 points with a -1 goal differential, better than Sky Blue’s, which is -10.

On Saturday, the Boston Breakers and Atlanta Beat faced off in Connecticut, home to Breakers goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, midfielder Kristine Lilly, and Beat defenders Manya Makoski, and Kia McNeil. The Beat came out with the win under their new coach, James Gallanis after going up 3-0 and giving up 3 goals late in the game. The first goal came in the 11th minute after Lori Chalupny blasted a shot to the lower far corner of the goal. The Beat doubled the lead in the 66th minute when Mami Yamaguchi took a shot that deflected off a defender, but tapped into the goal by Eniola Aluko. Then six minutes later, Aluko broke away and went one-on-one with Naeher and made it 3-0 for the Beat. In the 86th minute, Laura Del Rio blasted a shot that went off the cross bar, but Lindsay Tarpley was there to knock it into the goal. Lilly then scored for the Breakers off a rebound in stoppage time to leave the score at 3-2 for Atlanta.

Two games were played on Sunday, and the scheduling of the WPS Game of the Week on FSC could not have been more perfect this week. The Sky Blue vs. Philadelphia game was into the 16th minute of play when the referees suspended the game due to  thunder, lighting, and rain. The delay was so long (about 90 minutes) that Laura Kalmari, who had left the field with a big cut on her shin, came back from the hospital after getting the cut closed up and was able to sit on the bench after the game resumed. Yael Averbuch scored the game-winning goal in the 60th minute, and what a goal it was! Heather O’Reilly sent a perfect cross to Averbuch who volleyed it right into the upper corner of the goal. It has to be the goal of the week.

The last game of the week was between FC Gold Pride and the Chicago Red Stars. Rachel Buehler started the attack that led to the first goal of the match in the eighth minute. After a long ball into space, Aly Riley ran it down and placed a perfect square ball to Marta who finished off the play with a simple shot. Ten minutes later, Chicago equalized as Ella Masar’s effort paid off when Nicole Barnhart spilled a low cross. As Masar collided with Barnhart, she got a last minute touch on the ball to make it 1-1. In the 33rd minute, Tiffeny Milbrett sent a corner kick to Buehler who headed it for her first goal of the year, making her career total two. In the 61st minute, Chicago once again evened up the score. Marian Dalmy slid to get a dross off and a sliding Ella Masar once again came through for Chicago. In the 77th minute, Natalie Spilger jumped up to head a free kick away but it hit her arm and the referee thought it should have been a penalty kick.  Marta stepped up to take it and scored the game-wining goal. With the win, FC Gold Pride took the regular season championship and the right to host the Championship match in September 26.

Next week:

• FC Gold Pride @ Atlanta Beat: Saturday, 7 pm ET
• Sky Blue FC @ Washington Freedom: Saturday, 7 pm ET
• Boston Breakers @ Philadelphia Independence: Sunday, 6pm ET, LIVE on FSC

WPS Week 18

Week  of 18 Women’s Professional Soccer continued with two mid-week games as Sky Blue FC and the Washington Freedom drew a score of 1-1, and Chicago lost to the Philadelphia Independence with a score of 1-2. Over the weekend, the Washington Freedom held FC Gold Pride to a scoreless tie on Saturday, and on Sunday, the Boston Breakers defeated Sky Blue 4-0 while the Atlanta Beat gave away 3 points and a their 2-0 lead to the Independence, who won 3-2.

After going 65 minutes with no goals, the Washington Freedom finally made the scoreboard happy as Sarah Huffman played a through ball across the goal mouth that none of the Sky Blue defenders were able to get out of danger. Sonia Bompastor somehow deflected the ball into the goal with a defender on her to make it 1-0. The Freedom, however, lost the lead when Cat Whitehill attempted to clear out a cross from Heather O’Reilly, but instead headed the ball into her own goal. The game ended 1-1 for the teams that currently have 22 points each. (Sky Blue is below the Freedom on goal differential.)

Philly came out with a win against the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday on two goals from Lianne Sanderson, and , of course, Amy Rodriguez. It was Rodriguez who scored the first goal of the night in the 53rd minute of play after Lori Lindsey crossed a ball into space. Rodriguez, with her speed, beat the Chicago defense to the ball, touched the it into space around Jillian Loyden and shot the ball into the goal. Ella Masar provided the equalizer for Chicago in the 62nd minute after diving into a cross from Casey Nogueira. Lianne Sanderson sealed it with her free kick in the 78th minute that went into the goal.

On Saturday, the Washington Freedom faced the league-leader, FC Gold Pride. Both teams had their chances in the first half, but FC Gold Pride dominated the second half. Still, they couldn’t get on the board as every shot went wide or over the goal, or was saved or cleared out by the Freedom defense. Marta came the closest to scoring, but her shot ringed off the crossbar in the 75th minute. The game ended 0-0, and it was the third straight scoreless draw for FC Gold Pride.

It seemed like the Atlanta Beat would earn their first win against their fellow expansion team, but a comeback from Philly left the Beat with a 0-2-2 record against them. Johanna Rasmussen gave the Beat an early lead after curving a shot with the outside of her foot past Karina LeBlanc in the 4th minute. in the 16th minute, Lori Chalupny scored for the beat after poking a ball over LeBlanc to make it 2-0. Tina DiMartino took one back after Lianne Sanderson’s freekick went off the wall and fell right to her feet. Her shot sailed into the goal past Hope Solo in the 41st minute. DiMartino scored her second goal to even up the game in the 60th minute after blasting a shot to the top corner of the goal. Joanna Lohman sealed the victory for Philly after shooting a pass from Rodriguez past Hope Solo in the 81st minute.

Finally, the week ended with a 4-0 Breakers dominating win over Sky Blue FC.  The first goal came in the 9th minute and started with a long free kick taken by Amy LePeilbet. Jordan Angeli knocked the ball down and across the goal. The ball got just past Jenni Branam’s fingertips and Lauren Cheney was there to head it home for an early lead. Before the half ended, Stephanie Cox sent a long ball into the penalty area, and Jordan Angeli was there to half-volley a shot over Branam. Just 3 minutes into the second half, the Breakers made it 3-0. A Kristine Lilly corner kick was headed into a mix of Breakers in front of the goal by LePeilbet. Jordan Angeli took a shot on goal that was saved by Branam, but Lindsay Tarpley scored off the rebound. In the 80th minute, Laura Del Rio close out the scoring with a beautiful shot from 20 yards out to the upper corner.

Next week:

• Chicago Red Stars @ Washington Freedom, Thursday, 7:30 pm ET
• Boston Breakers vs. Atlanta Beat, Saturday, Veteran Memorial Stadium, CT, 5 pm ET
• Philadelphia Independence @ Sky Blue FC, Sunday, 4 pm ET, LIVE ON TCN

• FC Gold Pride @ Chicago, Sunday, 6 pm ET, LIVE ON FSC

Other news:

- Julianne Sitch of the Chicago Red Stars walked away late on Wednesday’s match with a knee injury. It was confirmed the next day that she had a torn ACL. She will miss the rest of the season.

- Leslie Osborne, midfielder for Boston, has joined Sitch on the season-ending injury list after suffering a broken collarbone after a reckless challenge from Patrizia Panico in the 87th minute of Sunday’s match.

- Garreth O’Sullivan, head coach of the Atlanta Beat has been released of his coaching duties. James Galanis, has been hired for the remaining 5 games the Atlanta Beat has on their regular season schedule.

WPS Week 17

One playoff spot has been determined after week 17 of Women’s Professional Soccer. That spot, of course, belongs to FC Gold Pride, who has been at the top of the table all season long.  They currently stand in first place ahead of Philadelphia with an 11 point lead. But it’s okay because head coach of the Independence, Paul Riley, has said his goal is to take 2nd place at the end of the season to have home field advantage in the playoffs. However, the Independence dropped a few points this last week, and the Boston Breakers gained a few, so the playoff race is only getting tighter and tighter as the season nears the end.

In mid week action, the Washington Freedom defeated the Philly “Cheesesteaks” by a score of 2-0. In the 17th minute, Nikki Krzysik of the Independence took down Lene Mykjaland inside the penalty area, and a penalty kick was awarded to the Freedom. Abby Wambach’s kick was saved by Val Henderson to keep the game at zero’s. After a long rain delay  in the 32nd minute, the match resumed and in the 39th minute, Abby Wambach headed a long Cat Whitehill cross past Val Henderson’s hands to take the lead.  Just two minutes later, the same play happened. Whitehill took a free kick and sent it long for Wambach to finish once again with a classic combination in women’s soccer.

On Wednesday night, the Boston Breakers also had a game of their own with the Atlanta Beat visiting. Kelly Smith had another multi-goal game to take the Beat down with her two goals. The first goal of the night came just 40 seconds into the match when Lauren Cheney played a long ball to Lindsay Tarpley, who crossed the ball to Smith for a finish past Hope Solo. It wasn’t until the 62nd minute the Smith sealed the victory after shooting a loose ball in the box to the lower right corner of the goal.

The weekend action kicked off with the Atlanta Beat taking on Sky Blue FC, who came away with 3 points. Laura Kalmari sent Sky Blue into the locker room with a 1-0 lead at halftime after scoring in the 44th minute off a corner kick deflection. Eniola Aluko scored the equalizer in the 62nd minute, but Tina Ellertson scored an own goal about 10 minutes later. The game ended 2-1 in favor of Sky Blue who got their first win under Rick Stainton.

FC Gold Pride hosted the Chicago Red Stars on Saturday, and the two played to a 0-0 score. The Pride could have secured home field advantage if they had won, but instead, they’re just in the playoffs for sure. Christine Sinclair scored the only goal of the match, but it was called back after a foul on the Red Stars was seen in the box. Both teams walked away with a single point.

The week ended with a draw between the Breakers and the Independence on Sunday. Lauren Cheney got the Breakers on the board first with one of her classics “turn and shoot” plays off a Kelly Smith pass in the 24th minute. Four minutes later, Frida Magnusdottir got the Cheesesteaks into the game after shooting a free kick into the back of the net. Just a couple minutes later, she scored again bending a shot from the left side of the field to the inside of the far post to make it 2-1. Kelly Smith ripped a shot from 25 yards out in the 52nd minute to tie the game. It was an action packed game with Philly having the better chances, and more of, but the score ended 2-2.

Next week:

• Washington Freedom @ Sky Blue FC: Wednesday, 7 pm ET
• Philadelphia @ Chicago Red Stars: Wednesday, 8:30 pm ET
• Washington Freedom @ FC Gold Pride: Saturday, 10 pm ET
• Atlanta Beat @ Philadelphia Independence: Sunday, 6 pm ET
• Sly Blue FC @ Boston Breakers: Sunday, LIVE on FSC, 6 pm ET

[Updated] Teen Choice Awards 2010

It’s time once again for the Teen Choice Awards.  Vote for your faves and find out the winners on August 9th at 8:00 pm (Fox).

Hosted by Katy Perry, TEEN CHOICE 2010 celebrates the hottest teen icons in film, television, music, sports and fashion. Sandra Bullock, Robert Pattinson, Leighton Meester and Ashley Greene will join previously announced participants David Archuleta, Kristen Bell, John Cena, Miranda Cosgrove, Zac Efron, Victoria Justice, Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Ryan Sheckler and Shailene Woodley on the star-studded special.

After the final wave of  nominees, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” and “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” lead the pack overall with a combined 17 nominations, while GLEE and Miley Cyrus each earned 13 nods and Taylor Lautner garnered 11.

New categories include Choice Movie Scene Stealer, Choice Celebrity Fashion Line, Choice Web Star, Choice Smile, Choice American Idol Alum, Choice Country Song and Choice Country Album.

Fans ages 13 – 19 can vote for their favorite nominees Online until Friday, August 6th.

Your Female Athlete choices include.

Choice Athlete: Female
Candace Parker (Basketball)
Danica Patrick (Auto Racing)
Misty May Treanor (Volleyball)
Lindsey Vonn (Skiing)
Serena Williams (Tennis)

Choice Action Sports Athlete: Female
Torah Bright (Snowboarding)
Sarah Burke (Skiing)
Ashley Fiolek (Motocross)
Maya Gabeira (Surfing)
Hannah Teter (Snowboarding)

And some of  other our fave categories include these nominees:

Choice Music: R&B Artist
Beyonce
Alicia Keys
Rihanna

Choice Music: Female Artist
Miley Cyrus
Ke$ha
Lady Gaga
Shakira
Taylor Swift

Be sure to vote by August 6th to have your voice heard.

WINNERS (Aug. 10, 2010)

Choice Athlete: Female
Serena Williams (Tennis)
Choice Action Sports Athlete: Female
Maya Gabeira (Surfing)

Win free Dez Clothing – stylish new line for sport & soccer fans

Do you love soccer? Are you a fashionista? If so, you don’t want to miss the chance to win a stylish top from new apparel company Dez Clothing.

Dez (“ten” in Portuguese) is a line of clothing inspired by and dedicated to players who not only wear the number 10 but who embody its profound meaning. These players do not just play the game but compose their movements and the movements of others into a manifest form of art – a poetic, momentous dance of skill and ingenuity – every time they set foot on the field.

If you relate to the mission, you’ll definitely want to enter to win a FREE signature top.

To win a Dez shirt, you must…

• Follow @prettytough on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook www.facebook.com/prettytough
• CLICK HERE to send the tweet that enters you in our contest.

Winners will be randomly drawn from the pool of entrants at midnight PST August 10, 2010 and contacted via Twitter direct message. Only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible to win. Please no P.O. boxes.

Good Luck to all!

WPS Week 16

The 16th week of WPS kicked off with two mid-week  games as the Philadelphia Independence hosted the Chicago Red Stars while the Beat hosted the Washington Freedom. Amy Rodriguez continued to be on fire as she led Philly to a 3-0 win, and the Beat defeated the Freedom 3-2. The weekend action started with the Freedom traveling to Boston as they fell to the Breakers 3-1. On Sunday, Chicago continued their road trip as they took Sky Blue FC down 2-1, and the Beat and FC Gold Pride played to a scoreless draw.

In the 12th minute of the Philly-Chicago match, Amy Rodriguez scored first for Philly. Lori Lindsey stole the ball in the midfield and played a through ball to Rodriguez who then shot far post to beat Jillian Loyden who was a bit out of position. In the 26th minute, Nikki Krzysik started the counter attack that led to Philly’s second goal. She slid to kick a long pass up the field to find Rodriguez, who with her speed beat two defenders and chipped the ball over Loyden and into the goal. In the 55th minute, Rodriguez also took part in the third goal, but this time she assisted it. She curled a pass inside the box which Caroline Seger calmly volleyed past Loyden to secure the shutout win.

The Beat goes on in Atlanta. The Freedom lost 3-2 on Wednesday night as Monica Ocampo score the game-winning goal for the Beat in the final minutes of the game. The Atlanta Beat scored first in the 20th minute. Aya Miyama played a long ball into space for Johanna Rasmussen who chipped a perfect shot over Ashlyn Harris to the far side netting to make it 1-0. Twenty minutes later, the Freedom equalized. After Kia McNeil failed to clear a pass into the penalty area, Abby Wambach pounced on it to keep the play alive. She played a low cross to Homare Sawa who played it across to Nikki Marshall. Hope Solo got a hand on it, but couldn’t deflect it away from goal and it was 1-1. In the 44th minute, Tina Ellertson cause a penalty kick and earned a yellow card. Hope Solo tipped Sonia Bomastor’s kick over the bar. In the 64th minute, the Freedom took the  lead when Wambach crossed the ball to an unmarked Sarah Huffman who finished off the play in the back post. In the 67th minute, McCall Zzerboni played a ball over the Freedom Backline to Ocampo who went 1v1 with Harris and buried her shot for the equalizer. In the 88th minute, Miyama passed a through ball to Ocampo, who received the pass, cut around a defender, and blasted a shot to the roof off the net to win the game.

The Boston Breakers, in pink, got on the board first as they defeated the Washington Freedom 3-1. In the 20th minute, Amy LePeilbet took a free kick which Jordan Angeli headed and was going wide. Kelly Smith came through at the last second to deflect to ball into goal. In the 56th minute, Cheney was fighting for a ball that she ended up kicking off a defender’s leg and fell to Jordan Angeli who capitalized to make it 2-1. Lene Mykjaland sent a cross to Abby Wambach who sen a header into goal in the 67th minute. 6 minutes before play ended, Amy LePeilbet blasted a low shot on target, and the rebound was knocked into the goal by Lauren Cheney.

The WPS game of the week was the one between first-placed FC Gold Pride and the last-placed Atlanta Beat and although fans watched a scoreless game on FSC, they had to be entertained throughout the full 90. Six minutes in, Aya Miyama played a ball to Eniola Aluko whose shot was saved by Nicole Barnhart. In the 25th minute Kelley O’Hara took a shot on Hope Solo who didn’t go the ball, but was saved by her best friend, the post. In the 42nd minute, Kelley O’Hara had another clear chance, but Hope Solo came up big saving her header at the last minute and then pouncing on the rebound before Tiffany Milbrett got to it. In the 61st minute, Ramona Bachmann laid off a pass to Lori Chalupny whose low shot was saved by Barnhart. Just  a few seconds later, Shannon Boxx headed down a pass and shot a half-volley to the goal, but Hope Solo made a huge diving save to deflect the ball away. The rebound was crossed inside the six-yard box and Milbrett got a foot on it, but her shot went off the crossbar. In the 75th minute, Riley could not run after hurting her hip on a previously play, and let Ocampo take a shot that went just over the bar. Riley was subbed out after that. In the 78th, Ocampo crossed the ball to Bachman whose shot went slowly rolling just wide of the far post. In the 89th, Sinclair blasted a cross from Milbrett straight off the crossbar.

Chicago took an early lead on Sky Blue FC on Sunday as Karen Carney passed the ball to Ella Masar who chipped the ball over Jenni Branam, who was playing in her first WPS this year coming back from a broken patella. The second goal came way later in the 60th minute as Marian Dalmy played a through ball to Caren Carney who scored her first goal this year. Sky Blue was able to get a late goal in stoppage time from Brittany Taylor. Chicago walked away win the 3 points after two disappointing games the previous week.

Next week:

• Philadelphia Independence @ Washington Freedom:Wednesday, 7:30 pm ET
• Atlanta Beat @ Boston Breakers: Wednesday, 7:00 pm ET
• Sky Blue FC @ Atlanta Beat: Saturday, 7:00 pm ET
• Chicago Red Stars @ FC Gold Pride: Saturday, 10:oo pm ET
• Boston Breakers @ Philadelphia Independence: Sunday, 8 pm ET, live on FSC

WPS Week 15

Even without counting the mid-week games, this week was the highest-scoring in WPS history. The Philadelhpia Independence took Sky Blue FC down with a 4-1 score, FC Gold Pride beat the Washington Freedom by the same score, and the Boston Breakers defeated the Chicago Red Stars in 5 minutes by a score of 3-1 over the weekend. The mid-week matchups consisted of a 1-0 win for the Atlanta Beat over Chicago, and a 2-1 win for the Pride against Boston.

Jordan Angeli gave the Breakers a lead in the 30th minute of a Kristine Lilly Cross. However, FC Gold Pride managed to do what rarely happens in WPS; they came back to win it 2-1. A minute later, Aly Riley crossed a ball into the box for Christine Sinclair to equalize. Marta netted home the game winner just before the halftime whistle blew, and the score remained for the rest of the match. FC Gold Pride are well of and it seems they have gotten away with 1st place in the standings. They will very likely host the Championship match on September 26.

Atlanta finally got a winning streak this year after defeating the Red Stars on Wednesday night. This time, Aluko scored the lone goal with a header in the 56th minute, and the rest was a defensive game for the Beat. The Beat are still in last place in the standings with 13 points, and still aren’t completely out of the playoff race. Chicago is in 6th with 17 points.

On Saturday, Philly scored 4 goals against Sky Blue FC, who were running under their new coach, Rick Stainton, and it took a rookie defender to get a consolation goal. Joana Lohman scored first, heading a cross from Caroline Seger into the goal in the 6th minute. A minute later, Seger once again posted an assist and played a perfect long pass to Amy Rodriguez who finished off with a great strike over Kristin Luckenbill. In teh 21st minute, Holmfridur Magnusdottir scored her first WPS goal byr unning down the left flank as always, and taking a shot from inside the box to make it 3-0. In the 2nd half, Seger and Rodriguez once again connected on a simlar play, but this time Rodriguez took a few touches on the ball, and curved a shot past Luckenbill. In the 81st minute, Brittany Taylor ran right through the midfield, and kicked a shot that beat Val Henderson to the goal. Philly are still in 2nd place, well behind FC Gold Pride with 24 points, but well ahead of the 3rd place Boston Breakers who have 19 points.

As if things for the Washington Freedom couldn’t get worse. SInce the beginning, they had been one of the best teams, but lately they haven’t been on the good end of things. On Saturday, after a devasting 3-1 deficit, Erin McLeod went down with what looked like a serious knee injury. With all substitutes used, Cat Whitehill had to thrown on the goalkeeper jersey and gloves, and Tiffeny Milbrett increased the Pride’s lead to 4-1. It wa Milbrett who opened the scoring in the 18th minute as she scored on her own rebound. The Freedom equalized in the 48th minute after Cat Whitehill kicked one of her classic free kicks into the penatly area. Beverly Goebel got her head on it, and a sliding Abby Wambach deflected it into goal. In the 60th minute, Christine Sinclair took advantage of numbers in the Freedom attack and started the counter. She played a through ball to Marta who beat McLeod to make it 2-1. 25 minutes later, Marta scored her second goal of the night, and 13th of the season, after cutting around McLeod and scoring into the open net. In that play, a defender who was chasing Marta kicked McLeod in the knee forcing it to bend in a way it shouldn’t, and that was the end of McLeod for the day, and possibly the season, but I can’t confirm anything until WPS says something. Milbrett scored her 2nd goal late in the game, taking advantage of a a defender in goal.

The last match of the week was between the Chicago Red Stars and the Boston Breakers. Within 5 minutes, the Breakers won the game scoring 3 goals. The Red Stars were able to pull one back in the 2nd half. Kelly Smith scored the first goal in the 9th minute blasting a shot past Jillian Lyoden. 3 minutes later, she scored again after Lindsay Tarpley set her up on a counter attack beating Loyden once again. Two minutes later Smith took part in the Breakers’ third goal this time getting an assist as she took afree kick which Ifeoma Dieke headed into the goal. In the 8th minute, Kosovare Asllani took a free kick that went through everyone in the box and into the goal. With the win, the Breakers jumped up to 3rd place in the standings past the Freedom and Sky Blue FC.

Next week:

• Washington Freedom @ Atlanta Beat: Wednesday, 7:30 pm ET
• Chicago Red Stars @ Philadelphia Independence: Wednesday, 7 pm ET
• Freedom @ Boston Breakers: Saturday, 6pm ET
• FC Gold Pride @ Atlanta: Sunday, 5pm ET, live on FSC
• Chicago @ Sky Blue FC: Sunday, 7 pm ET

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