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Washington Spirit Defeat Sky Blue FC in Heartbreaker

By Scott Sinclair

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Despite showcasing their best effort thus far this season,  the Sky Blue FC (1-3-2, 5 points) suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of host Washington Spirit (3-2-1, 10 points) at the Maryland SoccerPlex on Saturday night by a final score of 1-0. Scoring the game-winner for the Spirit was Nigerian striker Francisca Ordega, who finished a Crystal Dunn assist with under a minute remaining in second half stoppage time. Much like their first match up earlier this season, it was Dunn and Ordega who were the keys to victory against the Sky Blue.

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“That was the best we have played all year, and the most chances that we have created all year,” said Jim Gabarra, Sky Blue FC Coach. “We had Maya Hayes, who had never played right back before in her life, probably put in the best job at that position of any player in the league so far this season. We had Kim DeCesare step in up front at the last minute, and she did a tremendous job of winning everything in the air and really putting their defense under pressure. I could not be any more proud of the way we played tonight. I am just disappointed for the players that they did not get what they truly deserved, and that is three points.”

The game was a microcosm of the season thus far for the Sky Blue; solid all around effort, only to come up short.

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Esther González leads Gotham to victory over the Washington Spirit
Esther González leads Gotham to victory over the Washington Spirit /

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    • In what proved to be a brilliant tactical move, Hayes was shifted from her natural forward position to the defensive back line for this match, and her assignment was to stick to Dunn. The New Jersey native did an incredible job of taking Dunn out of the run of play throughout the majority of this contest, showing veteran savvy at a position completely foreign to her. Dunn, who keyed the earlier victory for the Spirit over the Sky Blue was unable to display her amazing breakaway ability.

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    Sky Blue FC found itself with an early opportunity in this match, as Washington netminder Kelsey Wys gave away a ball inside the penalty area that was collected by midfielder Katy Freels. With a dangerous look on goal, Freels then ripped a shot towards the frame that was knocked away by Wys and then finally cleared by defender Megan Oyster in just the third minute of play. It was a rare early opportunity for the visiting Sky Blue who have found early scoring chances hard to come by.

    The momentum then shifted to the other side of the field, where the Spirit earned a short free kick in the 6th minute.Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Brittany Cameron was forced to make a diving save of a Whitney Church header that was punched out for a corner kick. On the ensuing corner kick by midfielder Angela Salem, Joanna Lohman struck a hard shot that hit the crossbar and went out of bounds for a goal kick.

    For the visiting Jersey side, the key figure in the first half was Danish striker Nadia Nadim, who was both creating chances and finding herself on the receiving end of some legitimate opportunities. In one such chance in the 33rd minute, Nadim hit a well-struck ball that Wys was forced to punch over the bar. After Shawna Gordon put the ensuing corner kick into play, first-year defender Kristin Grubka nearly answered on a strike that Wys was again able to keep clean of the goal. Overall, Wys played a tremendous match.
    Unfortunately for Sky Blue FC, it would be the Spirit that finally broke the deadlock. In the 92nd minute of play, Dunn stepped into a situation where she was able to play a ball over the top of Cameron in the penalty area. There awaiting the distribution was Ordega, who quickly chipped it over and tapped it in for the game-winner.

    The lone tally by Ordega would prove to be enough for the Spirit, which took the season series and a critical three points following the stoppage time conversion.

    Sky Blue FC vs. Washington Spirit
    May 16, 2015 – Maryland SoccerPlex
    Boyds, Maryland

    Scoring Summary
    Sky Blue FC: 0-0-0
    Washington: 0-1-1

    WAS 92 F.Ordega (C.Dunn)

    Lineups:
    SBFC – B.Cameron, K.Grubka, H.Haagsma, L.Cutshall, C.Levin, K.Freels, K.DeCesare (L.LaBonta-75), T.Lytle (M.Waldus-82), S.Gordon (L.LaBonta-71), M.Hayes, N.Nadim
    Substitutes Not Used: A.Bledsoe, N.Stanton, S.Killion, G.Wagner

    WAS: K.Wys, E.Johnson, M.Oyster, K.Reynolds, T.Huster, W.Church, J.Lohman (L.del Rio-46), A.Salem (A.Da Costa-82), C.Dunn, C.Nairn, F.Ordega
    Substitutes: C.Miller, Lillard, A.Singer, T.Weimer, C.Dydasco

    Misconduct Summary:
    None

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