Breakers Concede Late in 3rd Straight Loss
- Updated: July 10, 2015
Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com
A late Shea Groom goal sent the Breakers to their third straight home defeat in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to FC Kansas City at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium.
Groom unlocked a level match in the 79th minute when she ran onto a through ball from Jen Buczkowski and tucked it inside the right post to give the guests the go-ahead.
Erika Tymrak opened the account inside of one minute, but the Breakers fought back when Morgan Marlborough promptly leveled it in the third minute. Tymak struck again in the 45th minute while Kristie Mewis equalized in the 60th minute.
“We found ourselves in a situation at 2-2 and where we got caught off guard on a counter,” Breakers head coach Tom Durkin said in a team release.
With the loss, the Breakers’ record dropped to 3-6-2 (11 points), while the Blues improved to 5-5-2 (17 points).
Kansas City wasted no time getting onto the scoreboard when Groom crossed it into the box, where it took a few deflections before the ball landed in front of Tymrak, who buried it.
The hosts quickly countered two minutes later. Julie King attempted to steer her header past keeper Katelyn Rowland, who was able to deny the shot. But Marlborough pounced on the rebound and scored to put the match back on level terms.
But the Blues reclaimed the lead right before halftime. Groom threatened once again the 45th minute when she slipped into the final third and found Tymrak, who pushed it through for her second goal of the game.
A response to Tymrak’s second strike didn’t arrive as quickly as it did in the wake of her first goal, but nevertheless, the Breakers were able to capitalize at the hour mark. Maddy Evans ran to the end line before cutting it back into the box for Mewis, who collected it and fired it out of the reach of Rowland to send the 2,525 fans on hand into a frenzy.
The Breakers continued to press, and nearly went ahead in the 74th minute when Riley Houle broke into the box and only had Rowland to beat. But a heavy touch doomed her, and the Kansas City keeper scooped it up to dismantle the threat.
Despite outshooting their foes 18-11, the Breakers were undermined by a lax sequence of team defense when Rowland sent the ball up the field before it found Buczkowski. The Blues’ midfielder eyed Groom on a well-timed run and sent it through to set up the game-winner in the 79th minute.
“It would have been nice to catch that goal (Houle’s breakaway) and win 3-2,” Durkin said. “It’s frustrating because the kids played really well during the game tonight and did some good things. We’ve got to find a way to close these games out.”
The Breakers hit the road for a Jul. 18 match against the Chicago Red Stars.
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