Bay Area Breeze News Release - www.bayareabreeze.com
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
WALNUT CREEK, Ca. - The Bay Area Breeze scored three on Tuesday night but couldn't stop the LA Strikers' attack dropping a 5-3 decision to their southern California counterparts.
With neither team able to take control of the game early on chances were limited on both sides. It was the visitors that grew into the game and found their reward in the 34th minute as Kristi Moore fired home to put the Strikers up 1-0. Just three minutes from half the Strikers doubled their advantage. This time it was Tanya Samarizich finding the back of the net.
The Breeze would not go down so easily and came out firing to start the second half. Forward Brandi Vega found the back of the net in the 50th minute with a fine individual effort. Just two minutes later, Vega bagged her second to tie the game up 2-2.
“I knew we needed a lot of energy coming into the second half,” Vega said. “The goals were a team effort, I just happened to be there to clean them up. That’s the easy part, they did all the dirty work.”
However, the Strikers were not done and put the game to rest scoring in both the 53rd and 65th minutes to go up 4-2.
The Breeze continued to fight and pressed forward at every opportunity. Halftime substitute Gina Woodward provided the Breeze a lifeline in the 77th minute pouncing on a bobbled save attempt to make it 4-3. Woodward knew what it would take to fuel the fire in her teammates.
“I knew I had to work hard to get us back into the game down two goals again, a dangerous lead in soccer,” Woodward said. “I used my intensity on the field to fire up the rest of my team and it worked. We made a strong comeback, unfortunately we couldn’t hold them off in the back.”
The Strikers put the game away in the 79th minute adding another goal for good measure, securing the 5-3 win at Kezar Stadium.
The Breeze hit the road this weekend for a southern California tour. They will take on the Santa Clarita Blue Heat on Friday at 8 p.m. ET and the LA Strikers on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. at Occidental College.