Breakers Score Early, But 3 Points Elusive
- Updated: June 10, 2016
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Louise Schillgard scored from the spot early, but the Breakers were unable to get maximum points at home in Friday’s 1-1 draw against the Washington Spirit at Jordan Field in Cambridge, Mass.
Schillgard’s 15th minute tally canceled out a 13th minute strike from Katie Stengel. The Breakers were outshot 14-8 on the evening, and Libby Stout was called upon to make a trio of saves to keep the guests from acquiring the go-ahead.
“I was disappointed with the goal (from Stengel), but we responded fantastically after that,” Boston Breakers head coach Matt Beard told the media after the match. “I thought it was an entertaining game end to end, but from my perspective, it’s a good point.”
The draw was the first of the season for the Breakers, whose record went to 1-6-1 (four points). The Spirit went to 4-1-2 (14 points), good enough for a share of first place with Chicago.
Friday’s match came only days after Beard issued a statement on the team’s early struggles, which has put them at the bottom of the NWSL table.
Despite the plea for patience from supporters, the Breakers wasted little time conceding the first goal of the game. Inside of 13 minutes, Stout denied a strong shot from former Breakers midfielder Joanna Lohman, but the rebound fell to Stengel, who tapped it through.
But Boston wasn’t down for long. Two minutes later, Brooke Elby was brought down inside the box by Cali Farquharson to set up Schillgard’s penalty kick strike.
Washington was the better side in the second half, as Lohman and Christine Nairn both made fierce bids for the go-ahead. The Breakers were able to keep the guests off the board, but were unable to get all three points in front of the home crowd.
Despite the shortfall, Beard said he was “pleased” with his squad’s performance.
“Washington are a good side,” Beard said. “They’ve got lots of players that can cause you problems.”
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