Breakers Draw to Sky Blue
- Updated: May 22, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Stephanie McCaffrey canceled out a Katy Freels strike as the Breakers salvaged a 1-1 draw to Sky Blue FC on Friday at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium in Cambridge, Mass.
McCaffrey’s 60th minute score put the hosts on level terms after Freels’ eighth minute tally allowed the guests to jump out to an early lead.
“We had a really slow start, but I think a really good response in the second half,” Breakers coach Tom Durbin told the media after the match. “I think we did enough in the second half (where) we should’ve turned around the game and won the game 2-1, or 3-1.”
With the draw, the Breakers (2-3-1, 7 points) have collected four points from their last two home games while Sky Blue (1-3-3, 6 points) are now unbeaten in their last three.
The Breakers honored former captain and U.S. Women’s National Team member Leslie Osborne during a halftime ceremony in which she was inducted into the club’s “Pillars of Excellence.” Additionally, her no. 12 was retired by the Breakers.
While the Breakers would have preferred to head into halftime with the lead, Freels wasted no time spoiling that idea. Minutes after teammate Taylor Lyle put a long-distance shot over the bar, Freels uncorked a 20-yard blast that beat keeper Jami Kranich to put the hosts ahead inside of eight minutes.
But it wasn’t for lack of effort that the hosts found themselves behind at halftime. Kristie Mewis and Rafinha both made bids for the equalizer following Freels’ strike, but were unable to put their chances away.
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Mewis was back at it again in the 51st minute when she fired a point-blank effort that required Brittany Cameron to make a bold save to deny.
After knocking on the door all night, the Breakers finally barged through at the hour mark. Lauren Lazo put a ball into the box that Cameron tried to punch out of danger with Kassey Kallman breathing down her neck. The rebound fell right to McCaffrey, who volleyed home the equalizer.
“For Kassey to get up that high and not foul, I thought it was a great 50/50 challenge,” McCaffrey said. “She did the hard part – most people would’ve fallen into the goalie, so that was the second of two challenges, and it just fell right to me, and I kind of got lucky.”
Sky Blue nearly reclaimed the lead in the 76th minute when Nadia Nadim had a clear look that was walled up by defender Mollie Pathman. Not long after, Meg Morris ripped a shot that smacked the crossbar and drilled into the turf before it meandered over the end line.
“It was a game of two halves,” Durbin said of his squad. “It was a big difference in the second half.”
The Breakers return to action on May 30 when they host FC Kansas City at 7:00pm.
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