New England Soccer Today

Leroux Leads Breakers to Victory

Sydney Leroux continued her torrid pace by scoring twice to guide the Boston Breakers to a 2-0 win over the Portland Thorns at JELD-WEN Field on Saturday.

Leroux scored her league-leading ninth and 10th goals of the season in the 11th and 38th minutes, while Alyssa Naeher kept the Thorns at bay to record her first shutout of the season

The Breakers’ win extends their unbeaten streak to three (2-0-1), and puts them within striking distance of a postseason spot as the NWSL season enters the homestretch.

Leroux wasted no time putting the guests ahead when she collected a  short pass from Heather O’Reilly fired it past Portland goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc only 11 minutes into the match.

Lianne Sanderson had a bid to double the Breakers’ lead in the 37th minute when she forced LeBlanc to knock away a deceptive cross from a freekick that nearly snuck into the net.

But there was nothing LeBlanc could do after Leroux beat Kat Williamson near the top of the area, and pounded it into the net to make it a two-goal advantage before the interval.

After Leroux’s heroics, Naeher stepped up to keep the Thorns off the board. In the 60th minute, she stopped an effort by Christine Sinclair and denied former Breaker Tiffany Weimer in the 70th and 80th minutes. Naeher was called upon one final time in the 86th minute to stop a point-blank shot from Alex Morgan.

The Breakers will play Sky Blue FC in New Jersey on July 13 before hosting Portland at Dilboy Stadium on July 21.

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