PISCATAWAY, N.J. (June 17, 2009) - Sky Blue FC can finally look down in the Women’s Professional Soccer standings. In a midweek match, Rosana scored the only goal of the game in the first half as the New Jersey side claimed a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars in front of 2,611 fans at Yurcak Field.

With the victory, Sky Blue FC (3-5-3) climbed into a three-way tie for fourth place with the Boston Breakers (3-4-3) and FC Gold Pride (3-5-3) with 12 points each. The Breakers and Gold Pride tied 1-1 in the other WPS match of the night. Sky Blue FC, which played five-straight road matches earlier in the season, continued its success at home raising its record to 2-1-2 including a four-match unbeaten streak.

"We’re proud of the way we attacked," said Sky Blue FC midfielder Heather O'Reilly. "The difference between this game and the games we’ve played in the recent past was that we willed that goal into the back of the net. We weren’t going to stop fighting until it was in."

Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Jenni Branam claimed her second straight shutout of the season and Sky Blue FC’s fourth of the season. In three meetings this season with the Red Stars, Sky Blue FC has two wins and a tie outscoring Chicago 3-0 in the process.

In a tightly played opening half, Sky Blue FC’s Rosana and Chicago’s Megan Rapinoe provided the best scoring chances. Rapinoe volleyed over in the 14th minute and then shot right at Branam eight minutes later.

Rosana scored Sky Blue FC’s goal in the 23rd minute following a scramble in front. The Brazilian international poked home a loose ball from five yards out for the winner. Rosana also missed just wide of the right post in the 43rd minute.

The second half was a contrast as play opened up and both teams created more chances. Chicago had the better of the play in the early stages of the second half and came close to scoring multiple times. In the 56th minute, Carli Lloyd nailed a long distance free kick that handcuffed Branam slightly, but she recovered in time to prevent further danger.

In the 58th minute, Branam stopped Christiane from an angle and then two minutes later Danesha Adams snapped a close-range header right into the hands of Branam off a free kick from Rapinoe. In the 68th minute, Carli Lloyd lined up a free kick one yard outside the box and banged a hard shot off the middle of the crossbar.

Sky Blue FC recovered in the latter stages of the second half and nearly added to the lead. Collette McCallum came off the bench and got into the action volleying over in the 72nd minute and then curling a shot wide of the left post seven minutes later. In the 81st minute, Julianne Sitch’s header missed inches wide of the right post.

Chicago’s last chance of the game came in the 88th minute as Marian Dalmy soared a volley past the upper left corner off a cross from Jill Oakes.

Sky Blue FC now takes a mid-season break with 11 days until its next match. The team will host Saint Louis Athletica on Sunday, June 28 at 6 p.m. at Yurcak Field in a match televised on Fox Soccer Channel.

June 17, 2009 – Yurcak Field	1	2	-	F
Chicago Red Stars (2-4-5)	0	0	-	0
Sky Blue FC (3-5-3)	1	0	-	1

Lineups:
Chicago Red Stars – Caroline Jönsson; Marian Dalmy, Jill Oakes, Natalie Spilger, Frida Östberg (Captain) (Lindsay Tarpley 65’); Megan Rapinoe (Lydia Vandenbergh 88’), Chioma Igwe, Carli Lloyd, Brittany Klein, Cristiane; Danesha Adams.
Sky Blue FC – Jenni Branam; Meghan Schnur, Christie Rampone (Captain), Anita Asante, Keeley Dowling (Captain); Kelly Parker (Julianne Sitch 75’), Rosana (Collette McCallum 64’), Yael Averbuch, Heather O’Reilly (Captain); Natasha Kai, Kacey White (Jen Buczkowski 69’).

Scoring Summary:
Rosana 23rd minute

Misconduct Summary:
SBFC – Rosana (caution) 56th minute
SBFC - White (caution) 68th minute

Game Summary:
Referee – Veronica Brito
Sideline Refs – Moo Hackett, Ryan Dos Reis
4th Official – Brian Dunn
Attendance – 2,611
Weather – Overcast, 68 degrees

BOXSCORE (All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial.)

QUOTES

Sky Blue FC interim Head Coach Kelly Lindsey:

“It was great to get goal early, but now we need to focus on how we play when we have a lead. In this league, every team has a dynamic attack and they will not stop coming at us. That’s the next building block we’re going to work on in order to round out our play.”

Sky Blue FC forward Natasha Kai:

“It was a battle for the full 90 minutes. Both sides had plenty of chances, but it only takes one goal to win and we were the team that made our chances count. As a professional, you have to convert the few scoring chances you get in a game, and we did our job tonight.”

Chicago Red Stars midfielder Carli Lloyd:

“I really enjoyed playing at Yurcak Field tonight. I miss being at Rutgers – this was my home for four years. I had family and friends in the stands tonight, and while it was exciting to play in front of them it was unfortunate that we couldn’t get the win.”

Chicago Red Stars head coach Emma Hayes:

“We simply lost the game in the first half tonight. It’s always difficult to come back from being a goal down, but particularly so in this league where you rarely see a team come from behind and win. We need to look at our personnel this week and find the players who are capable of making a difference in the final third.”