MILTON, Mass. - Going into the first game of the 2009 W-League season, the Washington Freedom players were meeting each other for the first time; yet the Freedom (1-0-0, 3 pts.) was still able to earn a 1-0 victory against the Boston Renegades (0-1-0, 0 pts.) at Milton High School in Milton, Mass. Many in attendance were there to support the fundraiser for Milton High School varsity soccer coach Mike Madden, who tragically lost the use of his legs after having back surgery.
The first half of the game was chaotic, as the Washington players adjusted to the play of their new teammates. Boston had seven shots on goal but Freedom goalkeeper Alyssa Pont was up to the task and made some nice saves.
However, towards the end of the half the Freedom began to gain momentum and had its two best chances of the half. The first chance came from a through ball from Jenn Parsons to Tiffany McCarty. McCarty beat Renegades goalkeeper Laurel Peak with her first touch but missed slightly wide of the left post.
The second chance came with minutes left in the first half as Brittany Tegeler came from the left side to slip the ball inside the box to Parsons. Parsons managed to take a few nice touches on the ball before the ball strayed a little too far from her foot into the arms of Peak.
The Freedom was able to string more passes together during the second half and finally broke through with a goal.
Midway into the second half, Katie Watson crossed the ball into the box to Sandra Matute, who was clipped at the ankles by a Boston defender. Matute capitalized on the ensuing penalty kick, as she shot the ball past Peak into the bottom right corner of the net.
With four minutes left in stoppage time, monsoon-like rain began to fall onto the field, and as visibility decreased the Washington Freedom found itself on its heels. The ball bounced around in front of the Freedom net, which ended on a shot into the arms of Pont, preserving the 1-0 win.
The one downside to the win was the injuries of Julie Lancos and Lina Cords, who both suffered knee injuries. Lancos left in the 36th minute with a knee strain while Cords left the game in the 82nd.
Washington’s next matches will be back-to-back games on the road. The Freedom will play at the Long Island Rough Riders on May 30 and at the Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues on May 31, with both games scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m.
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