Star Struck Once Again
- Updated: May 19, 2014
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
For the second time in four days, the Chicago Red Stars offense proved to be too much to handle for the Boston Breakers, who dropped a 4-1 loss to the Windy City selection on Sunday at Harvard Stadium.
Heather O’Reilly scored from the spot in the 36th minute to give the hosts their lone goal of the game. On the other end of the pitch, Michelle Wenino (23rd minute), Jen Hoy (50th minute), Lori Chalupny (57th minute), and Zakiya Bywaters (85th minute) all tallied for the guests, who were fresh off the heels of a 3-1 win over the Breakers on Thursday.
“The girls are tired of losing. I’m tired of losing,” Breakers coach Tom Durkin said in team release. “I have to find a plan that gives us a better chance to execute on both sides of the ball.”
The loss puts the Breakers’ record at 1-5-0, while the Red Stars’ mark climbed to 4-2-1.
Chicago opened the scoring midway through the first half following a Vanessa DiBernardo corner kick that eventually found its way to Wenino, who struck her shot true for her second goal in as many games.
Not long after, a chance for the hosts to respond came when Lianne Sanderson turned and fired a shot that was detoured by Samantha Johnson’s arm inside the area. A penalty was awarded to the Breakers, and O’Reilly stepped up and sent it past keeper Karina LeBlanc to level it in the 35th minute.
Taking a 1-1 scoreline into the break was an encouraging development for the Breakers, who were hoping to avoid a fate similar to the one that awaited them in Thursday’s loss.
But those hopes were dashed in the early stages of the second stanza. Five minutes after the break, Adriana Leon lobbed it over the top for Hoy, who tracked it down, dribbled past keeper Alyssa Naeher and slid it through for the go-ahead. Following Hoy’s tally, DiBernardo sent up another goal when she found Chalupny on the left, where the Red Stars’ skipper eluded an onrushing Naeher and scored in the 57th minute.
The Red Stars padded their lead late after Alyssa Mautz cleared a Breakers’ corner kick down field, where Bywaters raced over to grab it, then sent it through in the 85th minute.
“We knew that their strength was in the midfield, and the goal was to play past their midfield and through their midfield as quickly as possible,” Durkin said. “(But) it boils down to making plays. We had miscues. It’s not a good situation we’re in, but the season is not slipping away. We (just) have holes to fill.”
Boston will aim to turn things around on Sunday, May 25 when they host FC Kansas City at Harvard Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.
Related Posts
About Brian O'Connell
