Home Sweet Home
- Updated: April 26, 2015
Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com
Julie King and Nkem Ezurike built a lead the Breakers didn’t relinquish as they secured their first win of the season in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the Houston Dash at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium in Cambridge, Mass.
King opened the account in the eighth minute, while Ezurike scored in the 31st minute. Jessica McDonald tallied twice in the 35th and 68th minutes before Carli Lloyd inadvertently put one into her own net in the 72nd minute.
“It was a huge turnaround confidence-wise. They battled,” Boston Breakers head coach Tom Durkin said in a club release. “Getting control of our nerves was a big problem in Portland (a 4-1 loss Apr. 11). We didn’t settle in until we were down 2-nil. Kudos to the girls today because the spirit was really good.”
In front of the home crowd for the first time, the Breakers wasted little time giving them something to cheer about. Moments after Rafinha sent a corner into the box, King pounced on a loose ball and slotted it through inside of eight minutes.
Boston widened the gap just after the half-hour when Stephanie McCaffrey raced down the left, and crossed for Ezurike, who shoved it into the back of the net in the 31st minute.
But the guests didn’t go down without a fight. In the 35th minute, McDonald headed through a Kealia Ohai cross to cut the lead in half.
McDonald struck again not long after the hour when she caught Alyssa Naeher off her line and chipped it over and through to level it at two apiece in the 68th minute.
The match didn’t stay level for long, though. After King and Kassey Kallman both tried to steer a Kristie Mewis free kick on frame, Lloyd attempted to diffuse the threat by sending it over the end line. Instead, the ball ended up in the back of the Dash net, much to the delight of the Breakers’ supporters.
Naeher closed the door on any Houston comeback when she denied Melissa Henderson on a breakaway in the 75th minute.
“We’re a really young team, but I really like this team,” Durkin said. “I have a lot of confidence that this group of players is going to come together, they’re going to gel. We just need time with them.”
With the win, the Breakers go to 1-1-0 (3 points) while the Dash fall to 1-1-1 (4 points).
The Breakers return to action on May 2 in Rochester where they’ll play Western New York Flash. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.
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