Fantasy Shots: Week 5 in Women's Professional Soccer

What an unpredictable week for women's professional soccer.

On a cold, windy night in Maryland, Boston and Washington battled to a scoreless tie.

St. Louis served Philadelphia their first loss of the season, after Lindsay Tarpley scored her first goal of the season in her first start of 2010.

FC Gold Pride forward Tiffeny Milbrett scored a spectacular goal to lead the Pride to a 2-0 win over Chicago Red Stars.

Finally, in an stellar game between the posts, Sky Blue FC's Karen Bardsley helped the 2009 Champions to a 1-0 victory over a challenging Atlanta team. Atlanta debuted their new stadium, the first ever women's specific soccer venue in the world.

Top Four Point Leaders For Each Position:

Goalkeepers: Karen Bardsley (Sky Blue, 157 points), Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride, 92 points), Hope Solo (St. Louis, 72 points), Jillian Loyden (Chicago, 71 points)

Defenders: Allison Falk (Philadelphia, 76 points), Carrie Dew (FC Gold Pride, 68), Ali Riley (FC Gold Pride, 31 points), Daphne Koster (Sky Blue, 26 points)

Midfielders: Lori Lindsay (Philadelphia, 64 points), Homare Sawa (Washington, 60 points), Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, 35 points), Kristine Lilly (Boston, 32 points)

Forwards: Christine Sinclair  (FC Gold Pride, 47 points), Abby Wambach (Washington, 47 points), Eniola Aluko (St. Louis, 43 points), Tasha Kai (Sky Blue, 36 points)

The lone newcomer to the top four list is Daphne Koster of Sky Blue, who is tied in points with teammate Brittany Taylor.

Game Results from Week Five:

Sky Blue FC 1-0 Atlanta Beat

St. Louis Athletica 2-1 Philadelphia  Independence

Washington Freedom 0-0 Boston

FC Gold Pride 2-0 Chicago Red Stars

Lauren's Week Five Team (*denotes captain):

Formation: 3-4-3

Points Earned: 124

Goalkeeper: K. Bardsely* (SBFC, 112 points)

Defenders: A. Falk (PHI, -2 points), C. Dew (FCGP, 10 points), B. Taylor (SBFC, 10 points)

Midfielders: K. Lilly (BOS, 0 minutes), L. Chalupny (STL, 0 points), L. Lindsey (PHI, -5 points), H. O'Reilly (SBFC, 2 points)

Forwards: K. Smith (BOS, -3 points), A. Wambach (WAS, 0 points), C. Sinclair (FCGP, 0 points)

My fantasy team was saved by the excellent game played by goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, who made several fantastic saves against a Atlanta attack. Making her my captain effectively saved my team from utter catastrophe, as instead of dropping in rankings, as I thought I would, I was boosted to #17 overall.

So to that I say, thank you, Karen Bardsley! My other point gainers for the week were Sky Blue's Brittany Taylor, with 10 points, and midfielder Heather O'Reilly, who gained two.

Picks for Week Six (*denotes captain):

Formation: 3-4-3

Don't mess with the good thing!

Goalkeeper: Nicole Barnhart* (FCGP)

Barnhart and FC Gold Pride are going up against Kelly Smith and the Boston Breakers. Boston hasn't scored a goal in two games, and Barnhart is strong enough to hold them at bay (no pun intended!) especially if Boston continues to struggle finding the back of the net.

WATCH LIST: Karen Bardsley (SBFC)

The only reason I don't leap to continue with SBFC's Karen Bardsley for the next wee can be explained in two words: Lindsay Tarpley. With her strong start last week (a goal against Philadelphia), Tarpley has already shown she's a threat. The addition of another strong goalscorer makes St. Louis's offensive line look extremely threatening, and eventually Bardsley will make a mistake...right?

Defenders: A. Falk (PHI), C. Dew (FCGP), C. Whitehill (WASH)

Falk has scored three goals on the season (OK, one was an own goal, but still check out the film...it was pretty spectacular!) and against a struggling Chicago team, she could strike again. If not a goal, Falk also has an assist on the season. She is also a superb defender.

Dew has also been an attacking presence in the back while holding the line for FC Gold Pride. With a goal and an assist in four games, Dew will be strong against a Boston team that hasn't netted a goal in over 200 minutes.

Whitehill makes the return to my Fantasy roster after a two week hiatus and trust me, I'm happy about it! As one of my favorite soccer players, it was very difficult to not have her in the back. Whitehill will need to step her defense up against an Atlanta side that continues to push for their first win and who will have a home-field advantage in their gorgeous stadium.

Midfielders: K. Lilly (BOS), L. Chalupny (STL), L. Lindsey (PHI), S. Bompastor (WAS)

One of the midfileders with the highest fantasy points, Lilly will have her hands full against FC Gold Pride, but her experience on the field should play to her benefit.

Chalupny has played a part in almost every goal scored by St. Louis this year. She is dynamic, attacking, and solid in the midfield. Look for connecting with US National teammate Tarpley.

Lori Lindsey continues to be a rock in the Philadelphia midfield and will likely return to form against Chicago this weekend.

Bompastor has been solid in the Washington midfield and has been a part of many Freedom offensive plays. It's only a matter of time before she starts scoring, and that might come this weekend against Atlanta.

WATCH LIST: K. Chapman (CHI), C. Blank (STL), Mami Yamaguchi (ATL)

Chapman has been looking strong with Chicago, and has been serving up some pretty awesome balls to her forwards.

Blank makes up another cog in the chain of strong Atheltica midfielders. If she starts, she will be valuable against Sky Blue.

Yamaguchi has quietly been adding shots on goal to her score sheet, and she also has an assist on the season. Atlanta needs a strong showing this week against the Freedom, and Yamaguchi will likely help that.

Forwards: C. Sinclair (FCGP), A. Wambach (WAS), L. Tarpley (STL)

Sinclair continues to be Gold Pride's biggest threat, and against Boston, she will be key to get another win for her team.

Wambach is the league leader in assists (six) and those goals should be coming any day now. She suffered a broken nose in the Freedom's game against Boston, and her status on the roster is tentative. If she does start, against the only team in the league who hasn't won a game, Wambach should see plenty of opportunity.

With her strong start last week (a goal against Philadelphia), Tarpley has already shown she's a threat. One of the world's best midfielders should be starting for St. Louis again, and she'll be looking for assists too.

WATCH LIST: A. Rodriguez (PHI), T. Milbrett (FCGP), K. Smith (BOS), E. Aluko

Rodriguez is the league shots on goal leader and will continue those shots against Chicago, and may net a goal.

Milbrett is solid as ever and scored one of the most beautiful goals I've ever seen (video is up at the top of this article). She will be getting looks on goal no doubt against Boston.

Smith continues to be one of Boston's most viable threats, and as always is in the consideration for the fantasy side. She has the ability to get shots off on goal and her world-class style should be a good match for Barnhart.

Aluko remains a threat for St. Louis, being in the right place at the right time for most of her goals. Against a strong Sky Blue defense and WPS Player of the Week Karen Bardsley, she'll have to finish her shots.

Photo curtosy of Women's Professional Soccer