PISCATAWAY, N.J. (June 28, 2009) - Elise Weber scored an improbable goal in the 84th minute to allow Saint Louis Athletica to sneak out of town with a 2-1 victory over Sky Blue FC in front of 3,256 fans at Yurcak Field in Women’s Professional Soccer action.

Sky Blue FC held a 21-5 advantage in shots but could only muster one goal off the foot of Julianne Sitch that tied the score in the 76th minute. Eniola Aluko opened the scoring for Athletica less than two minutes into the game.

With the loss, Sky Blue FC drops to 3-6-3 for 12 points while Saint Louis improves to 5-5-2 for 17 points. Sky Blue FC returns to action on July 4 when it hosts the Boston Breakers at 4 p.m. at Yurcak Field (888-SBFC-TIX | www.skybluestore.com)

"It’s very encouraging that we were able to come back as we did – I really believe in this team and I think we will still have many successes this season," said Sky Blue FC Head Coach Kelly Lindsey. "We’re going to do great things this season; all we need is a little more consistency in our game to reach our goals."

Saint Louis took control early when Aluko netted her fourth goal of the season. Lori Chalupny played the ball behind and the England international barely stayed onside before rolling a shot into the lower left corner of the goal.

Sky Blue FC responded with a number of chances but couldn’t find the back of the net before halftime. In the 10th minute, Natasha Kai blocked a Hope Solo clearance and Kacey White tried to chip the Athletica goalkeeper but she got back to her line in time to grab the attempt. Meghan Schnur followed in the 21st minute with a shot from 25 yards out that went over the bar.

Sky Blue FC continued to press and in the 40th minute Keeley Dowling sent a nice cross into the box from the right side that Rosana headed with force just over the goal. Four minutes later, a nice combination between Heather O’Reilly and Kacey White led O’Reilly into the box but her shot was stuffed by Solo.

In the second half, it was more chances for Sky Blue FC as O’Reilly’s effort from 20 yards was tipped over the bar by Solo in the 70th minute and O’Reilly followed that with a volley that just missed the left post four minutes later.

Sky Blue FC finally broke through in the 76th minute off an extended sequence in the Athletica box. Collette McCallum chipped the ball forward and Kai battled with Saint Louis defender Tina Ellertson. The ball bounced loose for Sitch to nail inside the left post.

Saint Louis stunned the crowd with the game-winner eight minutes later. Melissa Tancredi took a throw to the side of the Sky Blue FC box and Weber looped the ball high into the air and just inside the far post.

Sky Blue FC will be hosting a celebration on July 4 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the United States Women’s National Team victory in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. for the Sky Blue FC vs. Boston Breakers match.

June 28, 2009 – Yurcak Field	1	2	-	F
Saint Louis Athletica (5-5-2)	1	1	-	2
Sky Blue FC (3-6-3)	0	1	-	1

Lineups:
Sky Blue FC – Jenni Branam; Meghan Schnur (Collette McCallum 63’), Christie Rampone (Capt), Anita Asante, Keeley Dowling (Capt); Kelly Parker, Rosana (Julianne Sitch 69’), Yael Averbuch (Jen Buczkowski 65’), Heather O’Reilly (Capt); Natasha Kai, Kacey White.
Saint Louis Athletica – Hope Solo, Stephanie Logterman, Tina Ellertson (Elise Weber 79’), Sara Larrson, Kia McNeill; Amanda Cinalli (Melissa Tancredi 63’), Kendall Fletcher, Angie Woznuk, Lori Chalupny (Capt); Eniola Aluko, Christie Welsh (Lisa Stoia)

Scoring Summary:
STL - Aluko (Chalupny) 2nd minute
SBFC – Sitch (unassisted) 76th minute
STL – Weber (Tancredi) 85th minute

Misconduct Summary:
None

Game Summary:
Referee – Felisha Mariscal
Assistant Referees – Steven Ambrus, Brian Dunn
4th Official – Hakan Baydere
Attendance – 3,256
Weather – Party cloudy, 83 degrees

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

QUOTES

Sky Blue FC midfielder/defender Julianne Sitch:

“The ball was played in and Natasha (Kai) chased the ball down and kept it alive for us. Without her working hard to keep the play going, the ball would have never fallen to me. We’ve all been doing a good job of creating chances in recent games, and I was glad to be able to put one in the back of the net.”

Sky Blue FC defender Anita Asante:

“Obviously I play with (Aluko) on the English National Team, so I know what she brings to the table. Even though I understand her game and know what she is capable of, she’s still a threat. We had a nice battle today; finding a way to combat a player with her talents is part of what makes the professional game so challenging.”

Sky Blue FC forward Kerri Hanks:

“It seems like I’ll fit in well with the system Coach Lindsey is employing here with Sky Blue FC. Kelly obviously wanted me here for a reason – hopefully I can reward the faith she’s placed in me by playing well for Sky Blue FC.”

Saint Louis Athletica defender Elise Weber:

“(Melissa) Tancredi won a throw-in for us, and on the following play I realized that the defender wasn’t watching me – she was focused on Melissa. I made a run into space and collected the ball; it took a bounce and I knew I wouldn’t be able to cross it on the ground. I just tried to play as dangerous a ball as I could, to make the keeper have to come out and make a play.”

Saint Louis forward Eniola Aluko:

“It was good to score an early goal since we absorbed so much pressure throughout the course of the game. The score helped us settle in a little easier and build confidence. In winning tonight, we showed our resilience – in that sense, winning ugly has become somewhat typical of Saint Louis soccer.”