Photo courtesy of Howard C. Smith/isiphotos.com

The Philadelphia/Washington match-up was always going to be characterized by one adjective: laborious. And was it ever.

Both teams worked hard throughout the 120 minutes (more on this in a bit). But perhaps it was the viewer who worked the hardest, as there were many sequences in the match that rigorously tested one’s attention span. Possession kept getting knotted up in midfield and neither team managed to find a consistent rhythm. And then there were the missed chances. Dozens of them, it seemed.

Washington had a decent first half and controlled the flanks reasonably well. Philadelphia, on the other hand, were dead set on sending the ball up the middle and hoping that Amy Rodriguez could convert something out of nothing. Still, neither side looked very threatening.

The second half resumed and Washington vowed to play in a more attacking formation, subbing off fullback Becca Moros for forward Lene Mykjaland at the half. Anita Asante was shifted from midfield to the back line. Despite Asante’s best efforts, Washington paid dearly for this. Philadelphia was the aggressor for the rest of the match. Amy Rodriguez, Tina DiMartino and Caroline Seger troubled Washington’s back four and would have easily put the game to bed had it not been for one person: the USWNT’s #1 in waiting, Ashlyn Harris.

Sensing trouble, Jim Gabarra demoted the industrious and dependable Sonia Bompastor to left-back. She made three tremendous saves that rivaled the brilliant work of her goalkeeper and kept the Freedom alive. Abby Wambach was uncharacteristically anonymous in the second interval, as was Nikki Marshall.

It’s never good when a team’s goalkeeper gets more time on the ball than a team’s star striker. But the Freedom were in good hands. The rookie Harris seemed utterly unflappable, even as her back line continued to falter. By the end of the second half, Washington’s defense had apparently sent out a hospitable invitation to Philadelphia’s front six players for tea and biscuits in the final third. But Harris wasn’t having any of it. Her one-handed aerial stop of Rodriguez’s close-range effort could have perhaps won the game.

The score remained 0-0 at the end of regulation. 30 minutes of extra time would commence and perhaps it was tired legs or maybe a lapse of concentration, but both teams seemed content with penalty kicks. The intensity that characterized the match for much of the second half had cooled down considerably. Philadelphia kept on the attack, albeit at a much slower clip while Washington’s attack remained non-existent.

And then it happened. 120′ after the first whistle indicated kick off and 30 seconds before the final whistle would indicate penalty kicks, Amy Rodriguez totally pulled an Abby Wambach. Tina DiMartino slipped Rodriguez a pass in the box and Rodriguez calmly put it past Harris. Rodriguez had been frustrated by either Harris, the post or poor technique throughout the entire game. But not at that moment. She snapped her six-week goal-scoring drought with what will surely be one of the most significant goals of her life.

Rodriguez’s 12 regular season goals proved she’s no fluke. Her team’s surprising postseason appearance proved that she isn’t damaged goods. Her extra time goal to send her team through to the penultimate match before the WPS Championship game proves that she’s a stellar striker who can change games when it matters most. That’s what elite athletes do and in this moment, Amy Rodriguez is a member of the elite.

And if things go her way in five days, perhaps Tony DiCicco will agree.

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

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• Soccer, Sports, WPS

This post is related to the following ongoing stories:

• 2010 WPS Playoffs