Aluko leads Beat to 1-0 win over Sky Blue FC
by WPS - Staff Report
07/18/2010 - 06:01 p.m.
Eniola Aluko celebrates scoring the Beat's lone goal in the seventh minute.
Boxscore (all statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial)
PISCATAWAY, NJ (July 18, 2010) -- The Atlanta Beat (2-7-4, 10 points) defeated Sky Blue FC (5-6-3, 18 points), 1-0, at Yurcak Field in front of 2,808 fans. The lone notch of the game came off the foot of Beat forward Eniola Aluko in the 7th minute, and the visiting side held on the rest of the way to take the three road points.
Atlanta mounted an early attack in the match, with Aluko at the foundation of the offensive game plan. The English native got her first good look in the 5th minute when she fired a shot from the left corner of the 18-yard box, but Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill was there to clean it up. The home side was not as lucky two minutes later when Aluko was fed a cross from midfielder Angie Kerr on the right flank, and the striker one-touched the ball past Luckenbill to give her team an early one-goal advantage.
The pace of the action slowed a bit after that opening score, and the home team looked to garner control of possession as a result. Making some notable contributions to the Sky Blue FC offense was forward Tasha Kai, who returned to the Starting XI in this match. She proved to be a nice combination with Italian striker Patrizia Panico, and the duo created some dangerous opportunities for their team. However, the Beat defense was able to fight off the Sky Blue FC attack throughout the opening half of the game, and Atlanta was able to take the 1-0 lead into the locker rooms at the break.
“I always try to play with a lot of energy, and I know that rubs off on my teammates,” Kai said of her energetic demeanor. “Unfortunately, we came up short tonight. We had our chances, but we have to do a better job of putting them away.”
Sky Blue FC nearly equalized the count in the 62nd minute on a play which started on a beautiful pass forward by midfielder Kacey White. Speeding into open space and onto the feed was Panico, who fired a hard strike off the top of the crossbar. The ball then deflected to the right side of the box where Kai put a header just wide of the frame. With the possession, the home side looked to grab a hold of the momentum.
Sky Blue FC played more explosive soccer the rest of the way, but the home side was unable to make the game level. The team’s final chance came in the 87th minute, when defender Meg Schnur sped through the Atlanta defense to the right side of the goal. With a little bit of space in front of her, the U.S. National Team defender sent a ball to the center of the area, but the Beat defense was able to clear it away.
Up next, the Atlanta Beat head home to host the Chicago Red Stars in a midweek match-up on Wednesday, July 21, at KSU Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30pm ET. Sky Blue FC returns to action on Saturday, July 24, in an I-95 rivalry in West Chester, PA, against the Independence at 7pm ET, and the game will be televised on Comcast Sports Net.
Boxscore (all statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial)
QUOTES
Beat Head Coach Gareth O’Sullivan:
On the goal by Aluko
Just a super run and a through ball in the air from Angie Kerr on the right wing. Eni timed her run superbly and had a great one touch finish to beat the keeper.
On possession and style of play
We played a very offensive style tonight and tried to play the ball to feet as much as possible. We tried to get forward and get in behind their back four. We definitely had success in first half to get in behind.
Certainly, we had a chance to get that second goal, but I am pleased with the way we held on in the final minutes when they were throwing everything at us.
On Tina Ellertson coming off
Tina took a knock to the face but was okay. We cleaned her up and she was able to return.
On the win and team morale
As I said prior to the game, we had a pretty happy camp this week despite the result from Boston. We thought we would turn the corner some time soon, and we did. This is only baby steps. The big stuff will come against Chicago this week who were resting over the weekend. That will be a difficult game. We will recover and get back to be ready for them. We’ve played them three times already, so it should be a good match.