Sky Blue FC (0-8-1, 1 point) will return to National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) action on Friday, hosting the Washington Spirit (2-7-2, 8 points) at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, N.J. The match-up gets underway at 7:00 p.m., and tickets are available now online or by calling 888-SBFC-TIX (888-723-2849).
“Both teams will be missing key players for this match, but that presents an opportunity for others to step-up in their absence,” said Denise Reddy, Sky Blue FC head coach. “I look forward to getting an extended look at some players who may not have gotten a lot of minutes so far this season. Overall, we are expecting a really good match in front of our fans at home.”
Friday night marks the second contest of the season between these two clubs. They first met in a midweek match-up last month at the Maryland SoccerPlex, where the Spirit was able to earn a 1-0 victory. The lone score of that outing occurred in the 64th minute, as Andi Sullivan hooked up Ashley Hatch for the eventual game-winner.
Sky Blue FC was last in action when it hosted Utah Royals FC this past Saturday night at Yurcak Field. After Diana Matheson made it a 1-0 match by finishing a feed from Gunnhildur Jonsdottir in the 3rd minute, Shea Groom responded in the 10th minute when she buried a pass from Katie Johnson. The deciding tally eventually occurred in the 85th minute when a Sky Blue FC own goal placed a final 2-1 tally onto the scoreboard. The loss for Sky Blue FC was its sixth in a row.
Washington hosted the Chicago Red Stars in its most recent outing, falling by a count of 2-0 at the Maryland SoccerPlex. After undergoing a five-hour weather delay before kickoff, the Red Stars jumped-out to a first-half lead behind a Yuki Nagasato to Sam Kerr goal in the 25th minute. Nagasato would later double the score by finishing an Alyssa Mautz feed in the 49th minute.
Historically, this overall series is 7-8-2 in favor of Washington, with the record at Yurcak Field standing at 4-4-0. Sky Blue FC is currently on a five-game losing streak against the Spirit, being outscored over that span by a count of 14-6.
Sky Blue FC will be playing without a number of players who are on international duty this weekend. Midfielder Carli Lloyd and forward Savannah McCaskill are with the U.S. Women’s National Team, forwards Janine Beckie and Adriana Leon are with Canada, midfielder Thaisa is with Brazil and defender Rebekah Stott is with New Zealand.
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