Independence falls to Red Stars but still clinches playoff berth
by WPS - Staff Report
09/01/2010 - 07:42 p.m.
Marian Dalmy's first WPS goal helped the Red Stars defeat the Philadelphia Independence, 2-0.
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BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (Sept. 1, 2010) – The Philadelphia Independence (10-9-4, 34 points) dropped their third straight game and fell into third place in the WPS Standings with a 2-0 loss to the Chicago Red Stars (6-11-6, 24 points) Wednesday evening at Toyota Park. Despite the defeat, the Independence clinched a playoff berth when Sky Blue FC tied FC Gold Pride earlier in the evening.
The Red Stars jumped out to an early lead as they won a free kick in the 4th minute just outside the right-hand corner of the 18-yard box. Rookie Casey Nogueira took the kick and teammate Veronica Boquete latched onto it and slipped it past Philadelphia goalkeeper Val Henderson. The goal was the first of Boquete's WPS career.
Chicago doubled its advantage in the 54th minute as Karen Carney sent a pass to Marian Dalmy, who was sprinting forward to join the attack from the Red Stars’ backline. From 30 yards out, Dalmy lofted a shot over Henderson and into the upper left corner of the net. The goal was also the first of Dalmy’s WPS career.
The Red Stars, already eliminated from playoff contention, remain in sixth place in the WPS Standings. Chicago concludes its 2010 season when it hosts the Washington Freedom on Sunday, Sept. 5 at 6pm ET/5pm CT on Fox Soccer Channel.
The Independence has a bye this weekend before finishing the regular season by paying a visit to FC Gold Pride on Saturday, Sept. 11. That match, which could be a preview of the 2010 WPS Championship presented by Citi, will also be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT.
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POST-MATCH QUOTES
Red Stars Head Coach Omid Namazi
"Anytime we get that first goal it seems like if we can ride it out. Tonight was no different. we had decent spurts of play, but we could have scored a lot more. but overall, the possession wasn't as good as some of the games we've lost. having said that, i'll take the win.
"I felt our back line did a great job of containing [Amy] Rodriguez. She really puts a lot of pressure on the defense and has outstanding speed. So we dropped off. The space in front of us was pretty occupied by Formiga. She did a great job, [Katie] Chapman. We weren't worried about that space. We were worried about the space behind. I thought our back line, especially our two central defenders, did a great job."
Red Stars forward Veronica Boquete (through translator):
On her delay to play: "It was very tough to know that I could not contribute. Yet because of some visa issues I couldn't get on the field and help the team and get into the playoffs. At the end of the day, it is what it is. I'm happy that now I've sorted out the visa and obviously very happy with what I did tonight."