LA Blues News Release - www.bluessoccerclub.com
Thursday, June 26, 2014
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - The LA Blues (9-0-0) remained undefeated after shutting out the Santa Clarita Blue Heat 5-0 Thursday evening at The Master's College. Katie Stengel scored a brace while Shawna Gordon, Jamie Bell, and Mele French added a goal each. The win extended LA's lead atop the W-League's Western Conference to eight points.
The Blues struggled to keep possession of the ball early in the game, but only 10 minutes passed before they began to connect passes. Once they settled in the Blues created an attack that led to Gordon scoring the opening goal in the 11th minute with a shot from inside the penalty area.
The Blues had a chance at their second goal in the 16th minute when they earned a corner kick. Stengel was at the end of Sarah Killion's service to the back post but her header went high and wide of the goal. A few minutes later Stengel was at it again receiving the ball with her back to goal. She was able to turn and shoot but it was saved by Santa Clarita's Katherine Koury.
In the 29th minute, Killion played a ball over the top for Cheyna Williams, who took off running with one defender chasing her, cut past the last defender and took a shot that went just over the bar.
The next shot on goal for the Blues would go in following a throw-in. Stengel received the ball and worked her way around defenders to put the ball past Koury and double the Blues' lead at 2-0.
Gordon then helped create the play that lead to the third goal of the evening, battling a defender for space and playing the ball up for Killion, who then spotted French making a diagonal run into the edge if the penalty area. With a perfectly weighted pass, French was able to get her shot off and extend the lead to 3-0.
Just two minutes later the Blues made it 4-0 when Kandace Love played a ball into the penalty area where Stengel then sent it into the goal.
The Blue Heat had their first significant chance to score three minutes into the second half when possession was lost by the Blues. Kasandra Massey dribbled the ball up the field before shooting on goal, but halftime substitute Aubrey Bledsoe was there to catch the ball at eye level.
French was at it again in the 54th minute when she was able to get around Koury, but her shot from a tight angle hit the outside netting of the goal.
The next legitimate goal-scoring opportunity came in 70th minute when Santa Clarita earned a free kick from the right side of the field about 20 yards out. The service was headed just over the bar. The Blue Heat then thought they had scored in the 79th minute, but the assistant referee had raised his flag to signal an offside play.
The final goal came with seven minutes to go after a great series of passes from the Blues just outside the box. After they knocked it around three times, Gordon finally found Jamie Bell open inside the area, and Bell was able to put the ball away for the 5-0 victory.
The Blues will play again in a week as they travel to Seattle to take on the Sounders Women at 7:30 p.m. PT on Thursday, July 3. Getting three points out of the match will be critical for the first-place Blues, who have three more games to play.