The Western New York Flash looked to build upon the three points earned at home against Boston last week as they took on defending NWSL Champions FC Kansas City in the first of two matches between the teams in a six day span. The team fell 1-0 on the evening with the lone goal scorer of the match being Liz Bogus.
Despite heavily outshooting FCKC 19 (8) to 7 (5), the Flash were unable to find the back of the net, something that Head Coach Aaran Lines attributes to youth and experience of the team. “We’ve improved in our possession and midfield movement, we’ve just got some young players who just need a bit of time. We just need a little bit of time to mature in front of goal, but the positive is we’re creating, and at some point if we’re positive and keep working hard, they’ll go in.”
Notable lineup changes for the Flash were the additions of Njoya and recently signed Jamia Fields to the starting lineup, with Njoya making her NWSL debut and Fields earning her first professional start. With this being the first game without the USWNT team members, there were some changes in personnel and positioning. Abby Dahlkemper was moved to the back line and the Flash deployed four forwards to challenge the Kansas City defense (though not all four necessarily played in a strictly forward position).
It was clear from the start of the match what the Flash’s intentions were: Put as much pressure as possible on the FCKC back line. Kristen Edmonds, who put in solid work on both sides of the ball nearly put the Flash ahead early on as she ripped a shot from well outside the box that just clipped the crossbar.
From that point on, the Flash attack was relentless. Lynn Williams, Jamia Fields, Jasmyne Spencer and Njoya were all heavily involved in the barrage of shots flying toward Nicole Barnhart and the Kansas City goal, whether it was helping to move the ball into the box, setting up teammates or taking shots on their own, they all played a major role in the team’s offensive efforts.
One thing that we have seen all season is that the Flash forwards are fast. If they can work on getting some of their shots on target and out of the reach of the opposing goalkeeper, they could be extremely dangerous because they are very, very hard to catch.
Another weapon in the Flash’s offensive arsenal is Sam Mewis. It was predicted early on that she would be the one who would ultimately end up taking the majority of the shots for the team with the trading of Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd and absence of Sydney Leroux, but she is proving; if there are people who were not already aware, just how versatile of a player she is.
Against FCKC, Mewis showed that she can make things happen from a variety of ranges and with a variety of different skills. The first half alone saw her weaving through defenders down to the touchline before attempting a low cross right in front of the net and then firing a shot from distance that was well struck, but proved little challenge for a goalkeeper of Barnhart’s quality.
The Flash were not only dominant offensively in the first half, but defensively as well, particularly in the midfield. The team did a great job breaking up FCKC’s attack and preventing them from getting into a rhythm and creating dangerous chances. Sarah Hagen did manage to break through at one point, but Jaelene Hinkle was able to track her down and prevent her from getting a shot off. The defense did well to move the ball and start off the offense from their own side of the field.
The Flash started the second half much where the first left off, pushing hard to find the back of the net and doing well to create solid chances. The difference in this half, from FCKC, is that they were able to better handle the Flash offensive efforts create more opportunities of their own, some of which were potentially dangerous with Hagen, Shea Groom and Frances Silva all playing a large role.
Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski spoke about the second half shift after the game. “Initially in the second half we didn’t change the strategy right away, it was more our work rate and work ethic; we started matching their physicality and speed of which they played. Then about 15 minutes into the second half we had to switch the formation a little and a little bit of strategy and neutralize some of the things they were doing.”
Those changes paid off in the 73rd minute when FCKC managed the first and only goal of the match. Brittany Taylor was dispossessed trying to push the ball deep into FCKC’s defensive zone. Hagen and Erika Tymrak combined for some nice possession play and managed to find Silva but her touch was a bit too hard. The ball was cleared away, but only as far as Becca Moros who found Mandy Laddish with space in the middle of the field. Laddish slid the ball over to Liz Bogus who was wide open on the left. Bogus charged at goal and flipped it near post over Sabrina D’Angelo to give FCKC the lead and ultimately, the win.
While acknowledging the need to finish not allowing those moments that can change the outcome of a game unfavorably, Lines seemed pleased overall with the team’s performance moving forward. “I said to the group it was a tremendous effort from the group and we outplayed a championship winning team from last year with six 21 year olds in the starting lineup so we’ll build on that.”
The two teams square off in a rematch of Saturday’s contest on Thursday May 14, 2015 at 8pm ET from Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, MO.
