Sky Blue FC returned to Yurcak Field on Saturday, June 11th to face two-time defending NWSL champions FC Kansas City. The result was a 1-1 draw, with all of the scoring action coming in the first half.
Since the end of last season, FCKC has lost seven starters from their championship team and very much seem like a team still trying to find their rhythm even a third of the way into the season. Entering this game they sat in 9th place with only five points earned from seven games played.
Sky Blue seemingly struck first, when Kim DeCesare, in her first start of the season, headed a ball in the 14th minute that FCKC keeper Nicole Barnhart deflected off the bottom of the crossbar. The ball bounced over the goal line and then back out, but the referees ruled it a non-goal.
FCKC countered in the 27th minute, when Shea Groom got a nice pass at the top of the box from Erika Tymrak and rifled a shot over the outstretched arms of Sky Blue keeper Caroline Stanley for her second goal of the season.
Minutes later, almost immediately after the game was restarted, Sky Blue’s Sarah Killion sent the ball towards the goal and FCKC’s Heather O’Reilly took down Kelley O’Hara in the box, drawing a penalty kick. Even though Barnhart correctly dove to her right, she couldn’t get there quickly enough and Sarah Killion converted the penalty kick to level the game in the 30th minute.
One very bright spot for Sky Blue was the return of Australian forward Sam Kerr, who saw her first action in seven months, finally recovered from an ankle injury sustained in November 2015 while playing in Australia. Head coach Christy Holly admitted to using caution in bringing her into the game, saying that she probably could have gone 45 minutes in this game. He chose to sub her in for the final fifteen minutes instead.
Sky Blue (2-3-3, 9 points) will face the Seattle Reign (2-3-2, 8 points) next Sunday, June 19th, at home in New Jersey, at 6 p.m.
To see photos from this match, click here.
