Beat win third straight as Freedom freefall continues
by WPS - Staff Report
07/28/2010 - 06:36 p.m.
Monica Ocampo celebrates scoring her gamewinning goal. She tallied a pair of second half goals to lead the Beat to a 3-2 victory over the Freedom.
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KENNESAW, Ga. (July 28, 2010) – Monica Ocampo scored a pair of goals as the Atlanta Beat (4-7-4, 16 points) defeated the Washington Freedom (4-7-5, 17 points), 3-2, Wednesday evening at KSU Soccer Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga. The victory extended Atlanta’s winning streak to three games while increasing the Freedom’s losing streak to four games and winless streak to nine games.
The Beat jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute as midfielder Johanna Rasmussen dribbled up the field, shot and scored past Freedom goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris. Rasmussen’s goal was her third of the season.
In the 41st minute, the Freedom equalized as rookie Nikki Marshall netted her third goal of the season off an assist from Homare Sawa.
Washington had several prime opportunities to take the lead. In the 44th minute, Beat defender Tina Ellertson fouled Marshall inside the 18-yard box earning herself a yellow card and the Freedom a penalty kick. Sonia Bompastor, who lined up at left back, took the kick but sent it over the cross bar. Then in the 63rd minute, Abby Wambach nodded a header off the post.
A minute later the Freedom got the goal they were looking for as Wambach set up second-half substitute Sarah Huffman for the score. The goal was Huffman’s first of the season.
Washington’s lead, however, was short lived. In the 67th minute, second-half Beat substitute Zerboni McCall sent teammate Monica Ocampo through. With only Harris to beat, Ocampo put away her shot to knot the score at 2-2.
Atlanta took the lead in the 88th minute as Ocampo scored her second goal of the evening on a breakaway. The Beat forward has three goals on the season.
Harris made her WPS debut in the loss. She earned the start in Washington’s goal after Erin McLeod tore the ACL in her right knee in Saturday’s loss to FC Gold Pride. Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra made two other changes to his starting lineup inserting midfielder Allie Long and forward Lene Mykjaland while sitting defender Cat Whitehill and midfielder Sarah Huffman.
Atlanta remains in last place in the WPS Standings but drew closer to the rest of the pack and now sits three points out of a playoff position with nine games left on its schedule. The freefalling Freedom, meanwhile, remain tied with the Chicago Red Stars, 3-0 losers to the Philadelphia Independence Wednesday evening, for fifth place.
The Beat host league-leading FC Gold Pride, winners of five straight matches, on Sunday, Aug. 1 at 5pm ET / 2pm PT. That match can be viewed on Fox Soccer Channel and also via webcast at womensprosoccer.com. The Freedom, meanwhile, travel to Boston to face the third-place Breakers on Saturday, July 31 at 6pm ET.
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