Western New York Flash Edge Out Sky Blue in New Jersey

Makenzy Doniak handles the ball for the Flash, contested by Erin Simon of Sky Blue (Photo: Western New York Flash)

There were a cluster of games on Saturday, including a face-off between the Western New York Flash (1-2-0) and Sky Blue FC (1-1-1). On paper, one could argue that the two teams are traversing through similar obstacles. Both teams are comprised of young talent, with world-class talent interspersed. Both teams have a new head coach and are looking to change the trajectory of the club in the seasons to come. Finally, both teams entered the contest with four points, looking to gain their first win since week one.

The teams faced off in front of a modest Mother’s Day crowd of 1,252 and 11,131 YouTube viewers (as of May 9th). Sky Blue FC had the better first half, with 54% of the possession. The midfield was able to find Kai and Hayes multiple times, but Western New York used their size and aggressive play to knock Sky Blue off the ball. The first yellow card was issued early, as Abby Dahlkemper took down Tasha Kai in a desperation move. From the reactions of SBFC, the play remained physical throughout the half.

New Jersey was able to play through the frustration and get on the board first. Raquel Rodriguez found a charging Maya Hayes in the 35th minute to give the home crowd first dibs on a goal celebration. Hayes picked up her second goal of the season, both in front of the home crowd.

Western New York would have their chance to level the game in the 72nd minute when defender Erica Skroski was called for a handball in the box. Caroline Stanley was carded prior to the shot, arguing her case against the penalty kick. Eventually Jaelene Hinkle took her shot from the spot, beating a diving Stanley and tying the match at one a piece.

Maya Hayes scored the lone goal for Sky Blue in the 2-1 loss to Western New York on Saturday (Photo: Robyn McNeil, ISI Photos)

The game would again get physical, and New Jersey seemed to get more flustered as the match went on. Less than ten minutes after her equalizer, Hinkle offered a service in, looking to find Jessica McDonald. Stanley challenged, finding a piece of the ball and McDonald. Samantha Mewis was there to collect the rebound, scoring what would be the game-winning goal. The shot in the 86th minute marked the first multiple-goal game, as well as the first goal in the run-of-play for the Flash this season.

After the match, Head Coach Paul Riley felt the road win was a step in the right direction for his young team, but knows there is still more growth needed, “we started again, nine [young players], and it’s not easy for them. You could see last five, ten minutes, they’re like desperate, holding onto the win … it’s nice to come on the road and just, get the job done.” Riley applauded the performance of Sam Mewis, but knows that the forward line must do better moving forward.

Christy Holly also discussed areas for improvement for his young side, wanting to see the players do a better job of controlling the game from start to finish, “I think the the first half … we controlled the style that we wanted to play and it the second half, we just didn’t get a foothold in the game.” Holly felt that the team showed a bit of inexperience, not being able to regain control and play their game.

Holly hinted that some players like Rodriguez (who has yet to play a full 90 minutes) are being given time to adjust to the level of play. Knowing the expectation and pressure placed on the young Costa Rican National Team player, Holly wants to allow his 2nd overall pick to be as comfortable as possible. Rodriguez is a skillful ball handler who has provided glimpses of her ability thus far. Whether her mental or physical toughness needs improvement can be argued, but Holly has every intention of allowing Raquel the time to grow. Rodriguez and others will need to be in top form as we inch closer to the Olympic break.

Sky Blue will lose Kelley O’Hara and potentially Christie Rampone for the Olympics. Sam Kerr, who is expected to return to full contact in two weeks, might potentially play with Australia again before returning to Sky Blue. The newest keeper to the roster, Erin Naylor, will also return to her National Team (New Zealand) in preparation for Rio. Holly does not expect to keep three keepers on the roster, meaning that either rookie draft pick Caroline Casey (1-1-0) or free agent acquisition Caroline Stanley (0-1-1) will likely get the boot until the Olympics, “If a world class player is available, we’re gonna bring in a world class player,” said Holly, “I’ve got decisions to be be made over the next 48 hours, and I’ll talk to the keepers. The keepers have been very well informed in terms of where they stand in what we’re trying to do.”

This weekend, Western New York will travel to Florida to take on the Orlando Pride (2-2-0), while Sky Blue FC will host the Boston Breakers (0-4-0).

Follow Erica Ayala on Twitter @elindsay08