Sky Blue FC went down 3-0 to Utah Royals FC within the first 30 minutes of the first half, coming back with just a goal by Carli Lloyd goal in the second half.
We’ve seen the same out of Sky Blue week after week. Every week we ask if this is when Sky Blue FC finally get their first win of the season. But every week we see the same performance: in the first half, Sky Blue stays back and plays passively. They go down early and then fight back too little too late. Every week we ask: why can’t Sky Blue FC start a game off strong?
As always Sky Blue FC let Utah take advantage of them early in the game. They were of no threat to Royals goalkeeper, Abby Smith. That changed after Sky Blue had their first shot in the 60th minute. In the end, Sky Blue had six shots, two on target, failing to test Smith, with the exception of one goal.
The first goal was scored in the seventh minute when Royals’ Katrina Gorry’s cross was slightly deflected off of Sky Blue’s Sarah Killion. The ball went across the box untouched until it wound up at the feet of Christen Press at the far end of the six-yard box. Press hit the ball back across the net and past Kailen Sheridan, giving the keeper no chance.
In the 25th minute, Press hit a through ball to fellow forward, Katie Stengel, who easily lost her defenders and took Sheridan on one-on-one. Sheridan came out well, but the ball deflected poorly off of her body, bouncing into the back of the net.
Utah’s last goal came three minutes after their last. Sky Blue’s captain, Carli Lloyd, committed a foul on Stengel at about 35-yards out. Gorry stood over the ball, hitting it into the box, where an unmarked Stengel found the back of the net with ease.
Sky Blue FC’s only goal came in the 62nd minute, starting with a through ball from Janine Beckie to Shea Groom. Groom took the shot, but Smith stopped it with her feet, only to deflect it to the feet of Lloyd. With a one-time shot, Llyod curled the ball into the upper 90.
It’s time Sky Blue steps up. They’ve been playing too lackadaisical in the first half, only to scramble to tie in the second. They need to change things up, not change their lineup, but change their strategy. What their doing isn’t working, and it shouldn’t take twelve unsuccessful outings to realize this. They need a new set-up or attack plan. They need to complete passes in the attacking third. They need to find their aggression early in the game, not late in the second half.
I don’t know what will spark the change in Sky Blue that will help them win, that’s not my prerogative. But until they realize what it takes for them to win, expect to see more games like this.
