The Western New York Flash scored their first goal from the run of play in a 2-1 win over Sky Blue. This match marked the second straight home defeat for Sky Blue and only the second time the Flash have secure points this season.
The Flash had some notable changes from their previous match; Jess McDonald returned and Jeon Ga-Eul finally made her NWSL debut. Lynn Williams was missing from the roster entirely, though head coach Paul Riley noted the miss was for personal reasons and expected her back with the team early in the week. Sky Blue’s lineup saw Nikki Stanton replace Ashley Nick and Kelley O’Hara move to the right side of the back line.
Sky Blue went on the offensive quickly, challenging the Flash defense a mere four minutes in. Tasha Kai received the ball on the left flank and was easily able to charge past Abby Dahlkemper, forcing her to foul Kai to break up the dangerous play. Sky Blue pressured the Flash several times within the opening 20 minutes of the match, a great change from their week three game against Houston. Between O’Hara, Kai and Maya Hayes, Sky Blue seemed to easily beat the Flash defense both in the ground and in the air as they quickly slipped through the back line, having several breakaways chances playing the long ball game. Sabrina D’Angelo did well to handle the attack as she made several saves and smart plays to keep the game scoreless.
The Flash had early chances of their own, but still lack the finishing capabilities to put the ball in the net. Elizabeth Eddy and Jaelene Hinkle started much of the action down the flanks, but their service attempts failed to find targets like McDonald and Jeon. The closest opportunity for the Flash came in the 32nd minute when Adriana Leon fended off a defender, who then slipped, allowing Leon to take a crack at goal. Leon’s shot was decent, but the woodwork came back to haunt them as the ball hit the post and was cleared by Sky Blue.
The Sky Blue attack looked organized and cohesive in the first half of the match and it was only a matter of time until they found the back of the net. Raquel Rodriguez connected with Hayes, who had once again slipped through the Flash defense. D’Angelo tried to come to and cut the angle, but Hayes was able to slide the ball toward the far post and in to give Sky Blue a 1-0 lead.
While Sky Blue had the clear advantage in the first half, the second was slightly more level. The game as a whole calmed down a bit as both teams seemed to focus more on possession than long balls an quick attacks. Both teams had good solid opportunities and placed the ball on from, but none of the shots proved difficult for either goalkeeper.
Sky Blue had another excellent opportunity in the 69th minute as a through ball was sent to a charging Kai. The Flash defense failed at clearing the ball, forcing D’Angelo to rush out to make a stop. D’Angelo got a piece of the ball but it landed under Kai who got up and attempted to take a shot with the keeper out. Luckily for the Flash, the defense recovered and was able to clear.
The next chance for the Flash came in the 72nd minute from the spot when Sky Blue was called for handling in the box. Hinkle stepped up to take the PK and put it last Stanley to even the score. The Flash pulled ahead in the 85th after Hinkle tried to find McDonald with a long ball in the box. McDonald and Caroline Stanley both went up for it, but neither were able to make a clean play for it. Stanley went down after some incidental contact with McDonald and Sam Mewis blasted it in to give the Flash the lead and the win.
Though Sky Blue looked much improved from their game against Houston, it was not enough to get the job done. While they were surely the dominant team in the first half, they did not seem as strong in the second. Head coach Christy Holly commented on that after the game,
“In the first half we had good control of the game, we controlled the tempo and we controlled the style we wanted to play at. In the second, we didn’t get a foothold on the game, the decisions on the ball weren’t good enough and unfortunately we lost control of the game. They took over and they punished us when they got the chances”.
Holly also noted that there were still lineup tweaks to be made as injuries to players such as Coco Goodson and Sam Kerr had forced changes. He did mention that Kerr should be back to full contact drills in about two weeks or so, which is great news for Sky Blue.
Despite the win, the game was not necessarily full out standout performances from the Flash, something that Riley noted post game. “It wasn’t a pretty performance. I wouldn’t put it down as one of our all time pretty performances…I thought we deserved to get at least something out of the game, but three points might be generous, but I’ll take it.
Riley also acknowledged that, though they finally did score from the run of play, there is work to be done on the front line.
“Still got to get our forwards hitting on all cylinders. We haven’t really scored a goal from the forward line so that’s the next part I think, just trying to create chances, get wide open chances and create better runs. Obviously we are young up front, we got a lot of young players. I thought Jess did well tonight holding the line together. We started again nine 21/22 year olds its not easy for them. You can see the last 5-10 minutes they’re like desperate holding onto the win. I think as they mature through the season hopefully that will change.”
Finishing has been an area the Flash have struggled with this season (and last) and hopefully is something that will improve in time as the team has more matches together and the younger players gain more confidence.
The Flash play Orlando next on the road, May 14, 2016 7:30pm ET kickoff. Sky Blue host the Boston Breakers on Friday May 13, 2016 at 7pm ET.
Check out some photos from the match here: http://www.finalthirdsoccer.com/gallery-sky-blue-fc-vs-western-new-york-flash/
