After what can only be described as a tumultuous week, in which head coach Christy Holly suddenly stepped down and long-time captain Christie Pearce announced she would not be finishing the season due to accumulative injuries, Sky Blue took the field to face the Seattle Reign.
The Reign got off to a quick start when Katie Johnson scored in the third minute. Only fifteen minutes later, Jess Fishlock doubled the Reign’s lead when she redirected a cross into the goal using her stomach. The Reign seemed to have the game locked up when Nahomi Kawasumi scored in the waning moments of first half stoppage time to give them the 3-0 lead.
Sky Blue, however, came out strong in the second half and the Sam Kerr show started in the 48th minute, when she poked a ball past Haley Kopmeyer. Twenty minutes later, Daphne Corboz collected the ball near the top of her own 18-yard box, dribbled for a few steps, then passed to Sam Kerr, who was one-on-one with Carson Pickett. Kerr’s shot found the far side of the net, past a diving Kopmeyer, to bring Sky Blue within one.
Three minutes later, Kerr struck again, arguably the prettiest goal of the four, when Sarah Killion found Kerr, who was surrounded by four Reign players and chipped a shot that caught the upper right corner of the net, just inside the post, to even the game at 3 goals apiece.
In the 85th minute, Seattle appeared to finally put the game away when Kiersten Dallstream scored a mere two minutes after checking into the game after Rumi Utsugi had her shot blocked by Kailen Sheriden and the rebound fell to Dallstream’s feet.
Sky Blue equalized in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the game, when Maya Hayes headed home a cross from Domi Richardson. Two minutes later, Sky Blue had the chance to seal the game then and there when Reign defender Lauren Barnes was penalized for a handball in the box. Sam Kerr stepped up to take the penalty, although after the game she said she was reluctant to attempt it so she wouldn’t derail her goal scoring streak if she missed. Her fears were realized when her ensuing shot slammed off the crossbar, but moments later the Reign conceded a corner kick to give Sky Blue one last chance at winning the game.
Taylor Lytle delivered the final corner kick of the game, a high ball that dropped right into the middle of the box and found the head of Sam Kerr, who directed it into the net to seal Sky Blue’s dramatic victory.
In the process, Kerr became the first player in NWSL history to score 4 goals in one game, in addition to taking the lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race. It was also Kerr’s third hat trick in the past 30 days for both club and country (Kerr also scored 3 in a come from behind victory over FCKC in July and 3 against Japan in the recent Tournament of Nations).
Next week, Sky Blue (8-9-2, 26 points) host the Boston Breakers (3-9-7, 16 points) at 7 p.m. at Yurcak Field.
