Pacific Palisades, Calif. (Saturday, May 10, 2008) – Pali Blues midfielder Collette McCallum and forward Rosie Tantillo each knocked in a pair of second half goals to pave the way for a 5-0 victory for the visiting Pali Blues Soccer Club (1-0-0) over the Ventura County Fusion (0-1-0) tonight in Ventura. The regular season opener marked the first W-League contest in team history.
“I am very proud of how the entire team performed tonight,” Blues head coach Charlie Naimo stated. “We played a controlled game throughout the night, and the win was due to a complete overall team effort.”
While the Blues were unable to find the back of the net during the first half of the match-up, the club maintained possession, and a handful of near-misses almost notched the first points of the season.
“During the first half, we were just trying to find our rhythm,” Naimo commented. “We made a few minor adjustments during halftime, and we played a very classy style in the second half. We then made the most of our opportunities and were able to score some goals.”
The first goal of the regular season came off the foot of McCallum in the 53rd minute when she finished an assist from defender Kara Kabellis. Two minutes later, Tantillo scored a Liz Bogus ball for her first goal of the evening. In the 65th minute, Tantillo hit an unassisted notch for her second tally. Forward Danesha Adams finished the game with a pair of assists, setting up Bogus in the 71st minute and McCallum in the 73rd. The Blues out-shot the Fusion in the win by a count of 16-6.
Playing all 90 minutes in net for the Blues was Valerie Henderson. In addition to recording the shutout, Henderson also turned away a pair of shots for two saves.
The two clubs will square up again on Saturday, May 31, when the Fusion comes to the Pacific Palisades for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff at the Stadium by the Sea.
LINEUPS:
Pali Blues: Val Henderson, Amy LePeilbet, Kendall Fletcher, Erin Hardy (Rachelle Snyder 78’), Kandace Wilson (Mele French 69’), Jill Oakes, Collette McCallum (Katy Cross 80’), Rosie Tantillo (Leah Tapscott 74’), Danesha Adams, Kara Kabellis ( Erika Prado 69’), Liz Bogus.
Ventura Fusion: Tammy Lenham, Kylie McDonald ( Maytal Shuantz 80’), Katie Gibson, Dani Russell, Madison Kloustad (Sienna Kluch-Escoto 84’), Sarah Stoltz, Jen Lilley (Tenley Garcia 33’), Katie Suits (Patricia Coghlan 69’), Emily Wynne, Catherine Calvert (Alie Avina 78’), Shari Nishi Kawa.
GOALS:
BLUES: McCallum 1 (Kabellis 1) 53’
BLUES: Tantillo 1 (Bogus 1) 55’
BLUES: Tantillo 2 65’
BLUES: Bogus 1 (Adams 1) 71’
BLUES: McCallum 2 (Adams 2) 73’
STATISTICS:
SHOTS
BLUES:16; FUSION:6
SAVES
BLUES: 2; FUSION: 11
FOULS
BLUES: 3; FUSION: 3
OFFSIDES
BLUES: 4; FUSION: 2
CORNERS
BLUES: 3; FUSION: 0
CAUTIONS/EJECTIONS
None
The Blues will play their inaugural home contest when they host the Los Angeles Legends next Saturday, May 17. Tickets for home match-ups are only $10 for adults ($8 with student ID) and $5 for kids under the age of 12. Season tickets are still available and can be purchased online at www.bluessoccerclub.com.
Stay tuned to the team website at www.bluessoccerclub.com for all updates regarding the Blues.
