Full WPS Week Two round-up soon to come, don’t worry.

The second half of the Breakers/Philadelphia match provided some legitimate entertainment, as both teams remembered that the point of soccer is to try to get the ball inside the net. There were strong performances across the line-up, with players fully fulfilling their roles despite the lack of many clear goal-scoring opportunities.

A penalty kick initially awarded to the Boston Breakers was reneged by referee Bryan Roslund as Boston appeared to be offside when the foul was committed by Heather Mitts. Philadelphia found it difficult to create many chances as Boston’s defenders quickly gobbled up the ball from the Indie’s three forwards.

Philadelphia seemed determined to keep better possession in the midfield as Heather Mitts was subbed off for Joanna Lohman at the half. However within the first five minutes of the second half, a deflected Kelly Smith free kick eluded Karina LeBlanc and gave Boston the lead. Perhaps the goal should have attributed to Lianne Sanderson’s face though, as it appeared to have touched the ball last. Philadelphia responded well just minutes later, however, as Lori Lindsey expertly bent her own free kick enough to meet Allison Falk’s head.

The match opened up after the equalizing goal but despite some promising moments from each team’s offense in the final third, there would be no more goals to report in the match. It was a fair result for each team.

Philadelphia has some solid role players but were lacking a bit in finding the killer pass or shot in front of goal. Perhaps Rodriguez and Sanderson need a little more time together to form a more productive partnership. Boston loved to push the wall out wide to either Lilly or one of the overlapping fullbacks but also looked slightly anemic in front of goal. Lauren Cheney exhibited how effective she can be with her back to goal. The Boston defense also succeeded in frustrating Philadelphia and squeezing them out of possession in their final third.

Boston Breakers:

GK Ashley Phillips 6.5 Went largely untested as most of Sanderson’s shots drifted either wide or over the bar. She also didn’t venture out of the box very often, but when she was called upon (such as clearing out a dangerous corner kick in the 79′) she appeared aggressive and eager to pounce on the open ball

D Stephanie Cox 5.5 Had a fairly quiet game until the very end when she began to take probing runs down the flank. But she did what she was supposed to do and snuffed out a lot of incoming balls to the left

D Kasey Moore 7.5 Played a large part in neutralizing any possible Philadelphia attacks with her quickness, athleticism and smart decision making. She came up big in stepping in to oncoming forwards and stripping balls away. She also proved to be Boston’s best free kick taker as a wonderful bending free kick in the first half barely missed the far post

D Amy LePeilbet 8.5 The 2009 Defender of the Year was in top form making crucial last-gasp tackles, picking out balls and then pushing them out wide and even getting active in Boston’s attack. Perhaps the most dominant and consistent player on the field

D Alex Scott 6.5 Also did everything she was asked to do defensively by keeping fellow countrywoman Leanne Sanderson quiet. Also made some diaganl runs through midfield

M Leslie Osborne 7 Performed her holding midfielder role well, particularly when matching up with Lori Lindsey. Not afraid to put in a tackle and get physical to break up play. Made it very difficult for Philadelphia to get aything going in the first half

M Chioma Igwe 4 Went unnoticed for large parts of the game but did contribute in stuttering play in midfield

M Kristine Lilly 7.5 In fine form, per usual although she looked a little fatigued towards the every end of the match. Bossed the left side of midfield and served in some wonderful crosses to forwards her were either too late or missed their cues.

M Liz Bogus 6.5 (Subbed off for Laura del Rio in the 74′) Had some bright moments with rocket shots from the right side of midfield. Is key in keeping Boston’s play wide and had two legitimate chances

F Kelly Smith 7 (Subbed off for Tiffany Weimer in the 88′) Is it harsh to grade a player down for a poor decision in front of goal? Midway through the first half, she had one defender beat and was staring LeBlanc in the face and would have put away a shot if she hadn’t decided to take another touch. Still though, she proved to be effective in continuing play from midfield

F Lauren Cheney 7.5 Proved that she can still be effective with three defenders on her back. Her turn and ability to keep possession despite serious pressure makes her more than simply a goal poacher. She was able to use her size to dribble around trouble and find an open teammate out wide. The relationship between she and Smith needs to be developed further. Hopefully next time she’ll be able to find better chances on goal

Subs:

F Laura del Rio 6 Earned some recovery balls well but was subbed in a little too late to really gel with Cheney

F Tiffany Weimer Inconclusive

Philadelphia:

GK Karina LeBlanc 7 Appeared to be untouchable in the first half, particularly when diving out of her box to jump on a dangerous ball. But she was caught out when Smith’s free kick took a nasty deflection and it seemed to take her a minute to regain that confidence. Love the cursing at her defenders though

D Nikki Krzysik 5.5 Not spectacular but certainly not horrible. Was outmuscled by Cheney but kept chances coming in from the flanks at a minimum

D Allison Falk 8 A little less comprehensive than LePeilbet but still a very well-rounded central defender. Proved to be dominant in the air, was in the right places positionally to clear away balls and occupied her area well. Oh yeah, and being in the right place for a well-taken header is also a good sign

D Sara Larsson 6 Eventually learned how to deal with Cheney by shifting her position slightly and thus not being so susceptible to getting post up

D Heather Mitts 7.5 (Subbed for Joanna Lohman at the half) She didn’t appear to be not 100% match fit in the first half. She utilized her pace to handle Lilly and Smith and generally shut down the flank. Wonder how she looks at full fitness

M Jennifer Buczkowski 4 All of her good work defensively in midfield was lost when she committed a silly and reckless foul on Osborne from behind. And right in front of the referee. It merited the second yellow

M Caroline Seger 6.5 Her play really picked up in the second half as she began to run box-to-box but her final pass just wasn’t there. Her shot also looked a little shaky. Still though, she was a nuisance in winning the ball back her own defense and then finding an open player further up the pitch

M Lori Lindsey 7 (Subbed off for Estelle Johnson in 90′) Couldn’t find much link-up success in the first half but went on to dictate play in the middle of the park as the match wore on. She won balls and then constantly find open space to pass to a teammate. Her free kick was also dead-on in Philadelphia’s goal. Hopefully she can be more consistent

F/D Holmfridur Magnusdottir 6.5 Ah, how I love typing that name. At the start she seemed to be one of the most exciting players on the field as she scrapped to win balls and made convincing runs. But her touch and positioning disappointed and she couldn’t go on to make much of her possession. Then she was called upon to replace Mitts and came up big with some defensive stops. She looks most comfortable going forward though

F Amy Rodriguez 6 Eh, I don’t know. If you expect Rodriguez to be a goal scorer like she is for the National Team then you’ll be disappointed. But she doesn’t seem to play that role for Paul Riley. She succeeded in widening play and later got very involved defensively, often running back to make tackles in front of goal

F Lianne Sanderson 6 (Subbed for Danesha Adams 79′) Was able to find the ball at her feet and make the initial run but couldn’t convert anything after that. The Boston defenders either overwhelmed her or she made a poor decision in the box. Still she was a physical presence and proved to retain possession well

Subs:

F Joanna Lohman 6.5 Helped free up the Philadelphia midfield when she came on. Seemed to pair well with Lindsey and was able to make some incisive runs for the benefit of Sanderson

F Danesha Adams 5.5 Used her excellent speed to elude some defenders but couldn’t find the right position to do much with it

D Estelle Johnson Inconclusive

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This post is related to the following ongoing stories:

• 2010 WPS Season