PISCATAWAY, N.J. (May 21, 2011) – The Atlanta Beat (1-5-1) of Women’s Professional Soccer battled Sky Blue FC (NY/NJ 1-3-1) to a disappointing 3-0 loss at Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University Saturday night when Laura Kalmari scored in the 23rd minute, Allie Long finished on a penalty in the 57th, and Heather O’Reilly scored in the 70th.

In the early going “it started well,” said head coach James Galanis. “We were possessing the ball and we had the right ideas, but we were losing the ball in the final third. Our final ball was struggling. But, for the most part, we were actually playing really well.”

The Beat found several early corners in the match. However, it was Sky Blue FC that put away the scoring opportunities. In the 23rd minute, Sky Blue midfielder Casey Noguiera sent in the corner kick that resulted in Kalmari’s goal. Following the goal, the Beat kicked off quickly and began working to regain confidence. "We conceded a goal from a mistake on a corner and it ended up hurting us,” said Galanis. “The only positive was that we didn’t get down after we conceded a goal. We kept playing, but we kept making the same repetitive mistakes. We weren’t able to generate any good chances because we kept giving the ball away. Mentally, we were not fully tuned into the game.”

At the end of the first half, New Jersey maintained the one goal advantage before Sky Blue found the net twice in the second half. Sky Blue’s Adrianna hit the post in the 57th minute as Beat defender Analisa Marquez pulled Noguiera down in the box. Sky Blue midfielder Allie Long finished the ensuing penalty kick, putting the Beat at a two goal deficit. “We picked it up but continued to make technical errors after the second goal,” said Galanis.

On the final goal of the match, “We made the decision to step up, but the entire backline did not step-up which allowed one of their players to get in behind us,” said the coach. Beat goalkeeper Alli Lipsher came off her line to challenge the midfielder, but O’Reilly went around her and slotted it to score. According to Galanis, “One player did not step up in time which allowed her to be onside.”

The Beat’s best chance came in the 84th minute when midfielder Carli Lloyd picked off a pass to rip an outside shot that went just wide of the goal. “Carli’s chance was the best, but it just went wide. We had a couple of other chances, but that might have been the closest. She basically went on a run and took players on.”

The Atlanta Beat and Sky Blue FC are tied in league standings with four points each. The Beat rank middle of the pack in goals scored with five.

“We conceded the first goal today from a mistake on a corner, and it ended up hurting us. We backed off a little. But as the half went on, we came back into our own. From the early second half, it looked like were going to claw our way back in,” said the coach. “Our effort was good from some players but not good enough from other players. Some are reacting rather than anticipating. Enough is enough. They are not reaching their potential and that’s the issue that I have.”

SCORING SUMMARY:

Team	1	1	Final
Atlanta Beat	0	0	0
Sky Blue FC (NY/NJ)	1	2	3
Goal	Assist	Minute
(NJ) Laura Kalmari 2	Casey Nogueira	'23
NJ: Allie Long 1	Penalty Kick	'57
NJ: Heather O'Reilly 1	Unassisted	'70

TEAM STATS:

Stat	ATL	SBFC
Shots	6	15
SOG	3	9
Fouls	8	6
Offsides	0	4
Corners	4	7
Saves	4	3

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

Team	Player	Card	Min
ATL	Lauren Sesselmann	(Y)	'88

Atlanta Beat -Allison Lipsher, Cat Whitehill, Katherine Reynolds (Bianca D'Agostino, 72'), Analisa Marquez, Keeley Dowling, India Trotter, Katie Bethke (Carli Lloyd, 46'), Lori Chalupny (Lauren Sesselmann, 46'), Megan Jesolva, Lyndsey Patterson, Meghan Lenczyk

Substitute not used: Allison Whitworth

Sky Blue FC (NY/NJ) -Therese Jenni Branam, Kendall Fletcher, Anita Asante, Brittany Taylor, Carrie Dew, Angie Kerr (Tobin Heath, 75'), Allie Long, Laura Kalmari (Heather O'Reilly, 33'), Carolyn Blank, Adriana (Eniola Aluko, 57'), Casey Nogueira

Substitute not used: Therese Sjogran, Karen Bardsley, Michelle Wenino, Alyssa Mautz

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial

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About the Atlanta Beat
The Atlanta Beat joined Women’s Professional Soccer as one of two expansion clubs in the 2010 season. Atlanta entrepreneur T. Fitz Johnson secured the rights to the Atlanta team in September 2008 before the club officially became a WPS franchise on June 18, 2009. The Beat play all WPS home games in Kennesaw Georgia at KSU Soccer Stadium, the world’s only women’s soccer specific stadium of this magnitude. Atlanta’s new team takes on the same name as the market’s former Women’s United Soccer Association club which was the only WUSA team to reach the playoffs in every season. The Beat's colors are Ferrari Red, Championship Gold, and Black.

Women’s Professional Soccer
Women’s Professional Soccer is the world’s best soccer league for women, featuring stars from the U.S. National team and around the globe. In 2011, WPS will feature a six-team league playing 18-games each from April through August for the chance to qualify for the WPS Playoffs. The top team in the regular season will earn the right to host the WPS Championship presented by Citi as the top seed on August 27. The six teams include Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence, Sky Blue FC (New Jersey), magicJack (Florida) and Western New York Flash.

About WellStar
WellStar Health System is the official jersey sponsor and Healthcare provider for the Atlanta Beat of Women’s Professional Soccer. WellStar, a not-for-profit health system, includes Cobb, Douglas, Kennestone, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; WellStar Physicians Group; Urgent Care Centers; Health Place; Homecare; Hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing Center; and WellStar Foundation. For more information, call 770-956-STAR or visit www.wellstar.org.