Sky Blue Hit the Road Hoping to Knock Off Freedom

Faced with a must-win situation on Wednesday night, Sky Blue came through with a 1-0 victory over the Long Island Rough Riders at Drew University’s Ranger Stadium. Michele O’Brien scored the only goal of the game against her former team as the Rough Riders dropped into third place at 7-2-2 for 23 points. Sky Blue holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with Long Island with a victory in the only meeting of the season between the two teams.

The top three teams from the Northeast Division qualify for the playoffs with the top team earning a bye into the Eastern Conference semifinals and with the second-place team hosting the third-place team in a mid-week battle for a chance to go to the conference final four.

Following Saturday’s game against the Freedom, Sky Blue closes its season at home on Sunday, July 20 when it hosts the Northern Virginia Majestics at 5 p.m. at Ranger Stadium.

The Freedom has a tough upcoming spread with five games in nine days to finish the season starting with the match against Sky Blue. Washington hosts the Fredericksburg Lady Gunners on Sunday and Long Island on Wednesday in a match that had to be reschedule from earlier in the season. The following weekend, the Freedom closes out its season with a road trip north to face Boston and the Connecticut Passion.

Sky Blue will be glad to once again hit the road to face the Freedom. For the season, Sky Blue is 5-0-1 away from home compared to 2-3-1 at Ranger Stadium. In the team’s two-season history, Sky Blue holds a 12-0-1 road mark including a 3-0 victory over the Freedom last season at the SoccerPlex. In the first meeting between the two teams, Washington claimed a 1-0 win on a late goal by Christie Welsh.

Wednesday’s win over the Rough Riders marked the return to action for Sky Blue defender Fanta Cooper, who missed the previous four games due to a knee injury. Cooper was strong as a left back in a formation that included mainstay Kim Brandão in the middle along with Stephanie Peel, who was starting just her third game of the season. Sarra Moller had good game at right back for a Sky Blue defense that has allowed just seven goals in 12 games.

In goal, Jillian Loyden is expected to return after missing the Rough Riders game due to illness. Dimitra Poulos stepped in and did an admirable job to record the shutout – her second of the season in two games. Loyden had played 10 of the first 11 games posting four shutouts.

For the Freedom, two regulars will be missing from the lineup. Ella Masar and Becky Sauerbrunn have both been called up to the United States Under-23 National Team for the upcoming Nordic Cup in Sweden. Masar has three goals in seven games for Washington while Sauerbrunn has anchored a Freedom defense that has allowed just five goals in nine games.

The big guns for Washington are Welsh up front and center midfielder Lori Lindsey. The hero in the first match with Sky Blue, Welsh has five goals and three assists in eight appearances while Lindsey has four goals and two assists in nine games. The Freedom added Jenn Parsons to the lineup from the Richmond Kickers Destiny this season and she has proven valuable with three goals and a team-high four assists.