Mewis Extends Breakers’ Run
- Updated: May 30, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Kristie Mewis scored the only goal the Breakers needed to beat FC Kansas City in a 1-0 victory on Saturday at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium in Cambridge, Mass.
Mewis found the back of the net in the 51st minute to make three straight unbeaten (2-0-1) for the Breakers, who fired a season-high 11 shots on goal. Jami Kranich collected three saves to record her second consecutive clean sheet.
With the win, the Breakers (3-3-1, 10 points) moved into a two-way tie for third place in the NWSL standings with the Blues, who fell to 3-4-1 (10 points).
“It would have been nice to score a few more goals, and that was our aim,” Breakers coach Tom Durkin said in a team release. “We wanted to win this game, 4-0, and I think we could have done it.”
The Breakers came out firing on all cylinders with a season-high 3,176 on hand. And those fans certainly got their money’s worth.
In a first half filled with plenty of opportunities, the best one came in the 22nd minute. Stephanie McCaffrey sent a pass through to Maddy Evans, who went alone on keeper Nicole Barnhart only to watch her shot veer wide of frame.
All told, the Breakers tested Barnhart seven times during the first half. But without anything to show for it, they were determined to figure out a way to finally beat the Kansas City keeper.
They didn’t have to wait much longer. In the 51st minute, Katie Schoepfer grabbed a giveaway and pushed it ahead for Mewis, who dribbled toward the box and fired a shot past the reach of Barnhart.
The goal served to awaken a lethargic Kansas City side that failed to register a single shot on frame in the first half. Erika Tymrak, Liz Bogus and Shea Groom all threatened within a four-minute span leading up to the hour mark, but on each occasion, Kranich stood strong to deny them.
McCaffrey made a bid to extend the Breakers lead when she fired a shot in the 65th minute, but her effort was denied by Barnhart, who pushed it over the bar.
Nkem Ezurike attempted to do the same in the latter stages by firing a pair of shots that both flew over the bar.
“The attacking movements were really good, the pressing was good, the passing sequences were good,” Durkin said. “We penetrated way more than we did in the last game.”
The Breakers return to action on Jun. 6 to face the Washington Spirit at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md.
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