REDS STEAL ONE FROM MUTINY
The New England Mutiny dominated the SoccerPlus CT Reds in every offensive category last night except for the one that counts the most – goals. The Mutiny saw opportunity after opportunity miss the frame. New England dominated play outshooting the home side 29-3 but lost the match 1-0.
New England and SoccerPlus CT renewed their rivalry in the Women’s Premier Soccer League last night in New Britain, CT. The Reds prevailed in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Championship Final, which saw the Mutiny upset the undefeated regular season champion Reds and catapult the local side into the WPSL National Final Four in Sacramento, CA.
In a heated affair that has characterized this rivalry in the last two years, it was the Reds who broke out on top in the final minute of the first half when Reds’ forward Beth Lloyd ran under the kick from goalkeeper Caity Casey after the ball eluded the Mutiny defense. Lloyd in all alone on Mutiny goalkeeper Lauren Brodeur slotted it into the lower left side.
The Mutiny dominated the Reds in the first half, outshooting the home side 9-2. The Mutiny had the game’s first scoring opportunity in the 18th minute when Becky Gundling’s shot from 30 yards out rang off the crossbar. Jenny Maurer had another chance for New England when she received a pass from Riley Houle just outside the penalty area, but her shot sailed wide. Maurer would just miss another chance in the 32nd minute as the ball sailed just past the left post.
The second half saw more of the same from the Mutiny. Maurer’s free kick in the 60th minute was saved by Casey. In the 68th minute Riley Houle took a feed from Meghan Cunningham into the area, but her shot just missed. Just a minute later Karen Gurnon headed a corner that was cleared off the line by a Reds defender. In the 73rd minute Becky Gundling would hit her second crossbar of the game with another shot from distance. In the 79th minute Maurer would penetrate the defense but her shot missed the lower left corner. Riley Houle had the last chance of the evening as her shot glanced off the crossbar in the 90th minute. The Mutiny outshot the Reds 20-1 in the second half.
“We did everything right except scoring. I don’t know what to say”, stated Mutiny head coach Tony Horta.
“That was a robbery, but we’ll take the result and look to improve”, added Reds head coach Chris Bart-Williams.
The Mutiny falls to 1-1 on the season while SoccerPlus CT goes to 1-0.
The Mutiny are on the road again next week as the team travels to Long Island for a match against the 2006 National Champion Long Island Fury. The Mutiny will then return home on Friday, June 5th at Agawam High School against the Lancaster Inferno.