WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 21, 2009) – The Washington Freedom reclaimed second place in the WPS with an 83rd minute Rebecca Moros goal that gave the 1-0 win to the Freedom at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in front of 2,731 fans.

Moros’ goal came on a breakaway counter attack by Lisa De Vanna. She picked up the ball in midfield and made a run at the Athletica back line. De Vanna’s forward ball found Moros with Kia McNeill defending her. McNeill’s attempted clearance came directly back to Moros who took the shot past an on rushing Hope Solo. Moros’ shot hit the underside of the crossbar came down on the line and then bounced into the goal.

“It was on a fast break two on two, De Vanna drew the defenders in because of her speed and she fed it right to me,” said Moros, “McNeill made a valiant effort to clear the ball but it came back to me.”

The win moves the Freedom to 16 points and into second place by themselves. Meanwhile Saint Louis, still with a game in hand on much of the league, found themselves in fourth place for the moment pending Sunday’s results.

“When you play at home you have to win,“ Head Coach Jorge Barcellos said, “soccer is a game when you have opportunities you have to score. If you don’t score sooner or later the other team will.”

Athletica did have those chances in the second half starting in the 47th minute when Christie Welsh crashed her header from a corner off the underside of the crossbar. The ball came straight down, never crossing the goal line, and was cleared off the line by a Freedom defender.

Three minutes later Melissa Tancredi would repeat the same scenario. Tancredi’s header off another Saint Louis corner slammed into the crossbar and rebounded out before being cleared. Five minutes into the second half the score line read Crossbar 2 – Saint Louis 0.

Athletica still generated chances as the game and the heat began to takes its toll on both teams. Eniola Aluko made a bid for her fourth goal of the year in the 63rd minute, as she broke clean from the Freedom on the right side only to have her shot stopped by Erin McLeod.

The win for Washington was especially big considering Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra was forced to take off Abby Wambach in the 41st minute due to a hamstring problem. Gabarra decided to be cautious and remove his forward from the game. Despite this set back, the Freedom stayed strong, especially on defense.

“I think Saint Louis had the better play in the second half but we held strong defensively and that ended up being the difference in the game,” said Freedom Head-coach Jim Gabarra. “To get a win on the road against a team that is ahead of you in the standings and has game in hand is critical at this time of the year.”

Since starting to play for the Freedom on June 13, Ali Krieger has helped reinforce Washington’s defense. In the past two games she has played, the Freedom have been able to maintain a clean sheet each game. Whether it has been her style of defending or her influence on the team, there is no doubt she has made a difference on the field.

This game is a far cry from the last time the Freedom and the Athletica met on May 3 at the Maryland Soccerplex. The game ended in a three to three draw with the Freedom coming from behind to soccer two goals in the final minutes of the game. The next time the Freedom will meet the Athletica will be on July 18 at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.
 
The next Washington Freedom game is against the Boston Breakers. Kick-off is set for Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.


Saint Louis Athletica (4-4-2) vs. Washington Freedom (4-3-4)
June 20, 2009 – The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park, Fenton, Missouri

SCORING SUMMARY:
83rd minute Rebecca Moros (no assist)

LINEUPS:
STL: Solo; Logterman, Ellertson, McNeill, Weber (Tancredi 27); Fletcher, Cinalli (Larsson 81), Woznuk, Chalupny; Aluko, Welsh (Hanks 58)

WAS: McLeod; Bompastor, Sauerbrunn, Whitehill, Krieger; Lindsey, Long (DeDycker 58), Sawa; De Vanna (Singer 84), Moros, Wambach (Gilbeau 41)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:

23rd minute	Elise Weber	Yellow Card	Unsporting behavior
35th minute	Amanda Cinalli	Yellow Card	Dissent

STATS SUMMARY: 

	STL	WAS
Total Shots	11	12
Shots on Goal	7	4
Saves	1	7
Fouls	12	10
Corners	4	1
Offsides	0	0

Referee: Karie Seitz
Referee's Assistants: Melanie Johnson, Dan Davenport
4th official: Doug Helfrich
time of game: 1:49
attendance: 2,731
weather: party cloud, hot-humid, 88 degrees at kick-off