Vancouver, BC Canada (Sunday, June 22, 2008)- The Pali Blues Soccer Club stretched their first-place advantage in the Western Conference to a four-point cushion tonight after prevailing over the Vancouver Whitecaps (5-2-2) by a count of 3-0. With the win, the Blues improve their regular season record to 7-0-0.
"On the soccer side of things, I was very proud of the soccer we played tonight," Blues head coach Charlie Naimo stated. "Vancouver held strong and made it difficult for us to finish some first half chances, but our girls were resilient after halftime and got one early. In the locker room (at halftime), we all agreed we were playing well and just needed to stay the course with a little added intensity. It was an entertaining match."
Naimo, a veteran head coach in the W-League, specifically noted the operations of the 2004 and 2006 league champions.
"It was fantastic to experience how well Vancouver runs things up here," he commented. "They are a class organization."
As far as the action on the pitch, defenses stood tough in a scoreless opening half. The newly-acquired India Trotter ended the scoring drought in the 48th minute when she finished a feed from forward Danesha Adams to give the Blues a 1-0 advantage, and defender Kendall Fletcher helped stretch the gap to two goals by setting up a score for forward Katy Cross in the 71st minute. Cross has now netted five knocks in the past three games. After forward Rosie Tantillo gave her team a 3-0 lead on an unassisted tally in the 78th minute, the Blues took a defensive approach for the final 12 minutes to preserve the win.
Goalkeeper Val Henderson played the full 90 minutes and recorded three saves in net for the Blues, picking up her fourth win and third shutout of the season.
The Blues now head south to Washington to play a road contest against the Seattle Sounders (1-1-3) this Tuesday. Kickoff for that game is slated for 6:00 PM (PST). Seattle has three players who have tallied goals and currently sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with six points. Goalkeeper Katie Hultin has recorded two shutouts in net for the Sounders, and the club is led by head coach Teddy Mitalas.
The Pali Blues return to the Stadium by the Sea on Monday, June 30, when they host the Fort Collins Force. Tickets for all home match-ups for the Blues are only $10 for adults ($8 with student ID) and $5 for kids under the age of 12.
Stay tuned to the team website at www.bluessoccerclub.com for all updates regarding the Blues.
