Summer Slump Continues for Breakers
- Updated: July 22, 2015
Photo credit: Chris Aduama/aduamaphotography.com
A late goal from Christen Press kept the Boston Breakers out of the win column for the sixth-straight occasion after they dropped a 2-1 defeat to the first-place Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday in front of a season-high 3,403 at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium.
Press, who made her first NWSL appearance since starring with the U.S. at the Women’s World Cup, grabbed the game-winner in the 89th minute. Another World Cup star – Australia’s Kyah Simon – bagged her first goal since re-signing with the Breakers last month when she scored in the 69th minute. Melissa Tancredi opened the scoring in the 41st minute.
With the loss, the Breakers dropped to 3-7-3 (12 points), and sit in eighth place on the NWSL table. The win allowed the Red Stars, who drew to the Breakers on Saturday at Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex, to improve to 7-1-4 (25 points).
“It’s tough when it happens so late in the game, in the 89th minute” Breakers keeper Alyssa Naeher said in a team release. “Everyone is leaving it all out there and there’s a lot of people working hard so it’s tough to give one up at the very end like that.”
The guests wasted no time announcing their intentions when Vanessa DiBernardo tested keeper Alyssa Naeher with a hard shot that had to be punched away inside of four minutes. It was the first of five saves Naeher made before the 20th minute to keep the Red Stars from breaking through.
But eventually, the Breakers’ defensive lapses caught up with them. Alyssa Mautz sent a pass to Tancredi, who proceeded to back-heel it through to give the guests the opening goal in the 41st minute.
To their credit, the Breakers entered the second half undaunted. After Naeher denied a blast from Press just after the hour mark, Stephanie McCaffrey fed a pass to Simon, who slotted it through to level it in the 69th minute.
“As a striker you always wanted to get a goal, and it was unfortunate to not get the result, which is my main priority,” Simon said in a team release. “As happy as I am to score a goal, we didn’t get the result that we wanted, which was disappointing.”
The Breakers nearly pocketed the go-ahead goal on long-distance rip from Kristie Mewis, who could only watch as her shot smacked off the post in the 85th minute.
Four minutes later, Press punched the back of the net on a shot that found its way through a hosts of players before it settled into the back of the net to extend the Red Stars’ unbeaten mark to four straight (3-0-1).
The Breakers return to action on Saturday when they face Sky Blue FC at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.
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