Piscataway, N.J- To kick off Week 15 of the NWSL, Sky Blue FC hosted the Washington Spirit in front of a sold out crowd where the Spirit’s second half goal led them to a 1-0 victory.
Both sides saw the return of their World Cup players as Carli Lloyd, Mallory Pugh, and Rose Lavelle joined their league teams for the first time since their victory in France.
Sky Blue got things started in the first half as Lloyd sent a ball to midfielder Raquel “Rocky” Rodriguez. While in the box, Rodriguez took a left-footed shot that went above the crossbar.
Minutes later, the Spirit made a run as Pugh sent a ball to Lavelle within the box. Sky Blue goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan deflected the shot from Lavelle while the ball pinged off several players before being cleared by the backline.
Before the half came to an end, the Spirit were persistent in creating opportunities on goal. With Pugh cutting past Sky Blue’s defense, her ball was sent to the net and almost changed the atmosphere of the match. Her shot fell to the outside of the net though with Sheridan following her every move.
By the end of the first half, the score remained void of any leads on a goal. Midfielder Ashley Hatch made a run and was only up against Sheridan down the pitch. Hatch’s solid shot to the right looked effortless to give the Spirit a 1-0 lead in the 54’ minute.
With the lone goal from Hatch, she led the Spirit to earn three points where they now stand with a 6-4-3 record. The defeat for Sky blue put them behind with eight points and a 2-9-2 game record.
Sky Blue will now head to Texas as they face the Houston Dash on Sunday, July 28. The match will air at 5:30 pm PST and can be viewed live on Yahoo! Sports.
SCORING SUMMARY:
WAS-Ashley Hatch, 54’
BOOKING SUMMARY:
NJ-Julie James, 50’ yellow card
WAS-Tori Huster, 90+2’ yellow card
SKY BLUE FC: #1-Kailen Sheridan, #3-Caprice Dydasco, #24-Estelle Laura Johnson, #12-Gina Lewandowski, #8-Erica Skroski, #5-Julie James, #16-Sarah Killion, #28-Imani Dorsey, #11-Raquel Rodriguez, #4-Paige Monaghan, #10-Carli Lloyd
Subs not used: #19-Elizabeth Eddy, #13-Didi Haracic, #7-Jennifer Hoy, #9-Nahomi Kawasumi, #15-Kaylan Marckese, #29-Amandine Pierre-Louis, #14-Kenie Wright
WASHINGTON SPIRIT: #1-Aubrey Bledsoe, #7-Amy Harrison, #3-Samantha Staab, #14-Paige Nielsen, #23-Tori Huster, #4-Jordan Dibiasi, #12-Andi Sullivan, #10-Rose Lavelle, #6-Chloe Logarzo, #33-Ashley Hatch, #11-Mallory Pugh
Subs not used: #19-Dorian Bailey, #8-Meggie Dougherty Howard, #13-Bayley Feist, #28-Elise Kellond-Knight, #20-Cheyna Matthews, #2-Arielle Ship, #30-Shae Yanez
TOTAL SHOTS: NJ 6-17 WAS
SHOTS ON GOAL: NJ 2-3 WAS
FOULS: NJ 9-8 WAS
OFFSIDES: NJ 4-1 WAS
Sky Blue FC
Washington Spirit
