New England Soccer Today

Breakers Suffer Another Setback

Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com

The Breakers ongoing struggles have clearly left head coach Matt Beard completely flummoxed.

After his squad suffered its latest setback – a 2-1 home loss to the Orlando Pride – the gaffer was at a loss for an explanation about what unfolded at Jordan Field on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon.

“What more could we have done on the pitch today?” Beard told the media after the match. “I thought the game plan worked. We frustrated them, and they didn’t really break us down. We crashed some good chances in the first half on the counter attack, which was our plan.”

The loss extended Boston’s winless streak to seven (0-3-4), their last win coming on Jul. 1. They’ve fallen short of maximum points in 15 of their last 16, and find themselves firmly entrenched in the bottom rungs of the NWSL table.

Boston’s lone goal came from Amanda Da Costa, who scored from the spot in her final NWSL match during the 90+8 minute. Da Costa announced on Friday that she would retire after Saturday’s contest.

Beard may have asserted that his club frustrated the Pride, but that aggravation wasn’t seen on the scoreboard. Alex Morgan opened the scoring in the eighth minute then added another in the 73rd minute.

Orlando outshot the hosts 16-8, and forced seven saves from Abby Smith. Pride keeper Ashley Harris was not called upon to make a single stop.

“Three games in seven days, it’s tough,” Beard said. “We took the stance today to be a little bit more compact, and I thought it worked.”

Beard’s Breakers will have to hope the gameplan bears fruit in their next contest, a road tilt at Sky Blue FC on Saturday, Aug. 26 at Yurcak Field in Piscataway Township, N.J.

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