Sky Blue Closes Out Regular Season Looking for Success
Kim Brandão helps solidify Sky Blue's back four
Robyn McNeil
The W-League regular season comes to a dramatic end for Jersey Sky Blue on Sunday as three teams including Sky Blue battle it out for the final postseason berth in the Northeast Division. The Long Island Rough Riders and Connecticut Passion are also still vying for an opportunity to extend their season.
Sky Blue’s final regular season game will be on Sunday at 5 p.m. when the Northern Virginia Majestics visit Drew University’s Ranger Stadium in Madison, NJ.
With the Washington Freedom and the Boston Renegades already earning playoff bids, there is one more postseason spot left in the Northeast Division with the top three teams advancing. Long Island is in the driver’s seat in the race for the final spot after its 1-0 victory over the Fredericksburg Lady Gunners last night. The Rough Riders sit in third place with an 8-3-2 mark for 26 points while Sky Blue and Connecticut are tied on points with identical 7-4-2 records for 23 points.
If Long Island wins on Sunday, then it would lock up a playoff spot. The Rough Riders host the New Jersey Wildcats in Long Island at 3:30 p.m. In the first meeting between the teams in New Jersey on June 14, the Rough Riders snuck a 2-1 victory when substitute Jenna McKeon connected on the winning goal in second half stoppage time.
In the complicated matrix that the three-way race presents, the only scenario that would allow Sky Blue to reach the playoffs for the second-straight season would be if both Long Island and Connecticut lose on Sunday and Sky Blue knocks off the Majestics. Sky Blue, which is in its second season in the W-League, would then finish tied with Long Island in points and would advance based on the first tiebreaker, which is head-to-head record. Sky Blue defeated Long Island 1-0 on July 9 in the only meeting of the season between the two teams.
If all three teams finish tied on points, then the final spot would be determined by goal differential with Long Island most likely going through. The Rough Riders enter at +10 while Sky Blue and Connecticut both are at +2. The Passion plays its final game on Sunday when it hosts the Washington Freedom at 6 p.m. Long Island would advance if it finishes tied in points with Connecticut based on a 2-0 record against the Passion this season.
|
Northeast Division |
Pts |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
GF |
GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Freedom | 31 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 6 |
| Boston Renegades | 28 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 11 |
| Long Island Rough Riders | 26 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 13 |
| Connecticut Passion | 23 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 22 |
| Jersey Sky Blue | 23 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 10 |
| Northern Virginia Majestics | 11 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 21 |
| New York Magic | 10 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 19 |
| New Jersey Wildcats | 8 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 17 | 30 |
| Fredericksburg Lady Gunners | 1 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 34 |
Boston and Washington are still battling it out for the top spot in the division and the two teams will meet Saturday night in Boston. The first-place team will advance directly to the Eastern Conference semifinals next weekend while the second-place team will host the third-place team in a preliminary game on Wednesday night.
Sky Blue’s main priority will be to beat Northern Virginia, which has struggled to a 2-5-5 record after claiming the No. 3 spot in the division last year and a trip to the playoffs. The Majestics have been very competitive this season with the five ties as well as three one-goal defeats including a 1-0 setback to Sky Blue on June 21 in Virginia.
Goalscoring has been a problem for both Sky Blue and the Majestics through the first 13 games this season with Sky Blue entering the final match with 12 goals scored in and with hitting the back of the net 13 times. Both teams have a leading scorer with just three goals – Yolanda Odenyo connected three times in four games early in the season for Sky Blue before missing the rest of the way due to injury while University of Virginia alum and former US youth international Kelly Hammond has three goal for the Majestics.
Defense has been the difference between the two teams this season with Sky Blue allowing just 10 goals this season compared to 21 for the Majestics. Sky Blue keeper Jillian Loyden has four shutouts in 11 games with a goals-against average of .925. Defenders Fanta Cooper, Kelly Eagan, and Kim Brandão have been mainstays in the back all season for Sky Blue.