[Official FC Gold Pride Press Release]
FC GOLD PRIDE FALLS SHORT AGAINST BOSTON
SANTA CLARA, CA (July 19, 2009) - FC Gold Pride was unsuccessful in breaking the string of bad luck adding a ninth game to the team’s current winless streak. The Pride remains in seventh place, 10 points out of fourth place.
In their second trip to Santa Clara, the Breakers wasted no time on the attack, getting on the board in the 13th minute with a goal scored by Kelly Schmedes, the first of her WPS Career. The Breakers managed to hold onto their early lead for the next 77 minutes earning the win and three points on the road which vaulted the team from fourth to second place.
“We stress how important it is to go out there and get the first goal show some energy, excitement and desire to compete, and try to make things happen.” said FC Gold Pride Head Coach Albertin Montoya. “I think we lacked that in the first half. In the second half we started to create chances, hit the post twice and started getting in behind the defense, we were pressing them. As it happens so often we had one breakdown in the back. We have to give Boston credit, they took advantage of that and put the ball in the back of the net. At the end of the day, it was similar to some of the losses in the past whether we have our national team players or not, it’s that one breakdown.”
The Pride pressured the Breakers in the second half, firing off nine shots while not allowing a single shot on goal. Despite a couple of close-range opportunities, the Pride couldn’t find the back of the net. US Soccer star Tiffeny Milbrett shined once again on the front line for the Pride as one of the driving forces behind the team’s attack.
“I want to take responsibility for not being able to tie up this game,” said FC Gold Pride Tiffeny Milbrett. “It’s not easy when you have missing pieces. Unfortunately were still a very young team and very fragile, we haven’t grown enough together. I think what we see right now, is we’re putting stuff together. But unfortunately luck is not with us sometimes, also were not creating our own luck.”
“I think we are a team that needs to just keep fighting to the very end. Regardless, we need to button up our defense, button up our midfield, we need to score goals from our forwards, or even from our midfield; we just have to do everything,” added Milbrett.
Sunday saw the WPS debut of Rye, NY native, Greer Barnes. Barnes held strong on the back line adding both size and strength to the team’s defense.
“I think I did well for my first game,” said Barnes. “I’ve been practicing with the team for about two weeks now, and I think we did well. We just need to finish off our opportunities, put the ball in the back of the net. We’re good defensively we just have to keep the ball. I thought we did well we just have to get the W.”
FC Gold Pride will remain at home to host the first place Los Angeles Sol in the team’s only mid-week home game of the regular season this Thursday at 7 p.m. This is the fourth and final time the intrastate rivals will meet during the 2009 regular season. The Sol owns the season series against the Pride, winning all three previous matches between the west coast teams.
