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Natasha Kai celebrates her game winning goal.

Boxscore (All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial)

Piscataway, N.J. (Sunday, April 11, 2010) - Defending Women's Professional Soccer Champions Sky Blue FC (1-0-0) took a tight 1-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars (0-1-0). Chicago Red Stars outshot Sky Blue FC 20-10, but a goal in the 6th minute from midfielder Heather O'Reilly to forward Tasha Kai proved to be the eventual difference in the result, with Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Karen Bardsley putting forth an impressive start to record the shutout.

"Karen dominated the box and played outstanding tonight," Sky Blue FC head coach Pauliina Miettinen said of Bardsley. "As a team, expectations are high, and I think that contributed to the fact that we were a little bit nervous out there. We can definitely play, but we have to be a little bit more willing to move along the field and make ourselves available."

In the early going, it appeared that Sky Blue FC had quickly found its offensive groove. On the 6th minute tally, O'Reilly settled a ball at the top of the box and fed it to a streaking Kai in the center of the field. Kai, who led Sky Blue FC by registering six goals in 2009, needed just one touch to find an opening and struck the ball past Chicago goalkeeper Jillian Loyden to make it 1-0.

"Nerves got the best of us today, but we fought through it as a team," Kai stated after the match. "We played with a lot of heart, and we stuck together. In the end, we came out victorious."

That early notch did calm the nerves of the defending league champions a bit, and the technical focus of the match quickly intensified on both sides. The Red Stars were able to put together some offensive runs immediately after that first tally. The best scoring opportunity for Chicago came in the 39th minute when former Sky Blue FC midfielder Julianne Sitch put a hard strike on a side volley towards the net. However, the host defense was in proper position to deflect the attempt away for a corner kick. The ensuing play resulted in a punch from Bardsley, who held on to keep the slate clean the rest of the opening half. When the two teams headed to the locker room for intermission, the scoreboard still read 1-0 in favor of the home team.

The Red Stars pressured hard at the start of the second half. In the 47th minute, Masar made a strong back heel pass to try and find Katie Chapman. But Chapman's attack was deflected just wide left by the Sky Blue defense as the ball hit the outside of the netting.

Chicago continued to produce corner-kick chances, and in the 58th minute the Red Stars had a high-percentage chance when Cristiane had a good look but shot high and wide right. But despite the regularity of looks, as well as some strategic Red Stars substitutions when the players showed they were tiring, Chicago came up empty on the score sheet.

"I was disappointed that we didn't capitalize on our set pieces. That's something to work at in training this week," Hayes said. "But there were a lot of positives to take out of this game. Other than the result, I thought we were the better team."

Miettinen made her first substitutions of the evening in the latter portion of the second half, first bringing Brazilian playmaker Rosana on for midfielder Yael Averbuch in the 65th minute and then Swedish forward Jessica Landstrom for Kai in the 72nd minute. Landstrom quickly made her presence felt and created a 1v1 opportunity in the 75th minute, where a hard-struck ball was just turned away by Loyden. The final change of the night by Miettinen was made when defender Danielle Johnson came on for Keeley Dowling.

With the closing minutes of the match ticking away, Chicago fought to gain the equalizer, but the Sky Blue FC defense was able to maintain its position. The hosts battled through for a couple of near hits in the final minutes, but Kai's 6th minute goal prove to be the difference in the game when referee Ted Unkel blew the final whistle.

"I was disappointed that we didn't capitalize on our set pieces. That's something to work at in training this week," Hayes said. "But there were a lot of positives to take out of this game. Other than the result, I thought we were the better team."

Sky Blue FC (1-0-0) will return to action against FC Gold Pride (0-1-0) on Saturday, April 17, at Castro Valley Athletic Stadium at 10pm ET (7pm CT). On the same day, the Chicago Red Stars (0-1-0) will host their home opener against midwest rivals Saint Louis Athletica (1-0-0) at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill. at 7pm ET (6pm CT).

Boxscore (All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial)

Quotes:

"There's a danger with scoring too early, and I think that is what happened." - Pauliina Miettinen on how Kai's 5th minute goal may have affected the team

"You could feel that it was the first game, and everyone got a bit nervous. The most important thing was that we won. Three points is what we wanted to have today." - Sky Blue FC forward Laura Kalmari

"I was just focusing on organizing our defense. Obviously, my job first and foremost is to defend our goal, so I'm making sure to watch the ball and make sure they don't get a cheap goal." - Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Karen Bardsley on defending one of Chicago's thirteen corner kicks on the night

"I thought we played well. We could have done a few things better. It was difficult to get on the same page at first because we have a lot of new faces. But, I think for the most part, we did alright." - Bardsley on how the team played