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Left: Breakers goalkeeper Ashley Phillips makes a punching save against the Philadelphia Independence.  Right: Athletica midfielder Shannon Boxx will be looking for a goal against the rookie keeper.

(April 24, 2010) -- In the world of professional sports, job promotions are often hard to come by, and with many starting positions already claimed last year, new and old players alike are battling for their roster spots every day. The Boston Breakers alternated between two goalkeepers in 2009, Kristin Luckenbill and Allison Lipsher. But a name few ever heard mentioned was Ashley Phillips, who served as the team’s developmental ‘keeper.

The 2009 season came and went with Phillips only seeing game time with the WPSL’s Boston Aztecs. During the off-season, Phillips set out to improve her game for the chance to earn some professional minutes in 2010 and impress head coach Tony DiCicco and assistant coach Lisa Cole, two goalkeepers themselves.

“Obviously it is a little bit nervous everyday – all your coaching staff is watching you and they know when you mess up,” Phillips said of playing under DiCicco and Cole. “But at the same time, we get acknowledged from both of them and they are two of the best goalkeeper coaches in the world so you can’t ask for much better than that.”



Video: In this exlcusive Q&A, Breakers goalkeeper Ashley Phillips tells us what she did in the off-season to make Boston's first eleven, how she enjoys playing for the team and which goalkeeper she'd pick for her WPS Fantasy Team.

All of her off-season toil paid off.  She quickly stood out as a clear option for the starting position over Lipsher and draft-pick Alyssa Naeher.  After Phillips’ WPS debut in a victory against the Washington Freedom in Week One, the Breakers stripped the word “developmental” from her contract promoting her to the full 18-player roster.

“This offseason I did a lot of work on the field, but also in the gym,” said Phillips. “I worked at CATZ, our sports performance facility, almost every day. They did a lot of work to get me stronger, faster and a lot fitter. I also stayed around Boston, so it was hard to play outdoors, but I played a lot of indoor soccer in men’s league to get ready for preseason.”

When Boston heads to Saint Louis this weekend, Phillips will be faced with the offensive presence of Eniola Aluko, who scored two goals in the Athletica’s home opener.  Saint Louis shares the same 1-0-1 record with the Breakers, as both teams sit tied atop the WPS Standings, making Sunday’s match a battle for the sole spot at number one.

The respect Phillips holds for the ‘keeper she’ll be facing on Sunday was evident in her answer to what goalkeeper Phillips would select for her WPS Fantasy Team.

“Besides myself?” she replied. “I’d probably pick Hope Solo. She is just a fantastic goalkeeper all around. She had such a great year last year and I think she’ll have an even better one this year.”

Phillips might admire Solo’s success defending the net, but this Sunday she and Boston will be looking for their offensive line to put a few balls past her. The Athletica’s stocked midfield, on the other hand, hope to slide a few through balls past Boston’s backline to test their young ‘keeper one-on-one with Aluko.

Tune into Fox Soccer Channel on Sunday, April 25 at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT to see if Phillips or Solo have what it takes to shutdown the opposition. (The match will also be webcast at womensprosoccer.com and streamed to iPhones.)

Notes:

• The Boston Breakers’ Kelly Smith and Saint Louis Athletica’s Eniola Aluko both lead their teams with two goals apiece on the young season.
• Lindsay Tarpley made her first appearance since tearing her ACL at the close of the 2009 season against Chicago in Week Two. Tarpley will look to record more minutes against Boston on Sunday.
• Shannon Boxx enters Sunday’s match with two yellow cards in two consecutive matches. While the midfielder will need to be aggressive to win balls against Boston’s Leslie Osborne in the midfield, a third yellow will warrant a one-game suspension.