WPS Chicago Red Stars Win First for New Coach on Masar's First Two Goals

Forward Ella Masar (pictured above) netted her first two career goals and head coach Omid Namazi his first league win as the Chicago Red Stars defeated the Boston Breakers, 2-1, on Friday night in Women's Professional Soccer action at Harvard Stadium.

The Red Stars got on the scoreboard first in the 13th minute. Defender Kate Markgraf started the attack with a long ball from the back to Red Stars forward Cristiane, who flicked a header to Masar, who made a run behind the Breakers defense.

"The timing was perfect," Namazi said. "That's how you draw it on the board."

Chicago's defense held Boston in check throughout the first half, allowing only one shot, and zero shots on goal.

"The first half was the best half I've seen in this team so far with me coaching," Namazi said. "We imposed ourselves, had possession, and got the early goal as a result of good play. We had some lapses toward the second part of the first half for maybe a five to  seven minute stretch. But I thought we played a good first half."

But at the start of the second half, the Breakers broke through when Fabiana notched her first career WPS goal in the 46th minute to tie the score at 1-1.

The two teams battled scoreless for a little more than a half hour, until the 79th minute when Masar hit the back of the net off of Marian Dalmy's second assist of the season.

Dalmy played the ball diagonally to Masar, who had a 50-50 attempt against Breakers goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Masar reached out and poked the ball underneath Naeher for the game-winner.

The Red Stars almost took the lead in the 68th minute. Breakers goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher came out of the goal to challenge Red Stars forward Cristiane. The Brazilian international put the ball past Naeher but former Red Star defender Chioma Igwe dove across the net to cover for Naeher and was able to prevent a Chicago tally.

Naeher made three saves for Boston while Jillian Loyden celebrated her birthday by making two saves for Chicago. With the result, Loyden continues to lead WPS in fewest goals allowed.

The Red Stars improved to 2-0 against the Breakers this season, and their two road wins already surpasses last year's road win total. Chicago's lone road victory in 2009 occurred during the team's season opener at Saint Louis Athletica.

After a season and a half of numerous close calls and excellent chances, Ella Masar finally broke the scoring barrier, logging her first two professional tallies. The Urbana, Ill., native made the most of her third start this season and put herself among the club's leading scorers, Cristiane and Casey Nogueira.

"She has been practicing really well, and I noticed that she was creating a lot of chances," Red Stars head coach Omid Namazi said. "I felt it was a good time to give her a start and see how it works, and it worked to perfection. She got behind the Boston defenders and she finished tonight."

With the win, Chicago improves to 3-5-3 on the season, with 12 points, while Boston falls to 1-5-4 and remains winless at home. The victory also is the first for Namazi, who has a 1-1-2 record in his four matches at the helm.

Since the sacking of head coach Emma Hayes, the Red Stars have only lost one of five matches, and their scoring has increased dramatically.

The victory also strengthens Chicago's hold on fifth place, with the goal of finishing at least fourth, to qualify for postseason play, looking more like a reality.

Next up for the Red Stars is a 4 p.m. CT match on Sunday, July 4, against the Washington Freedom in Boyds, Md. It will be the fourth game of a four-game road trip, which started against Washington on June 12, with a 2-2 draw.

Chicago Red Stars at Boston Breakers
May 29, 2010 Harvard Stadium, Allston, Mass.
Red Stars 2, Breakers 1
Red Stars    1    1    -    2
Breakers     0    1    -    1
SCORING SUMMARY
1. CHI, Ella Masar 1 (Kate Markgraf 1), 13; 2. BOS, Fabiana (Del Rio), 46; 3. CHI, Ella Masar 2 (Marian Dalmy 2), 79.
Red Stars: Loyden (GK), Dalmy, Engen, Markgraf, Spilger, Formiga, Carney, Chapman, Rapinoe (Nogueira, 71), Masar (McDonald, 89), Cristiane (Asante, 85).
Breakers: Naeher (GK), Scott, LePeilbet, Igwe (Bogus, 84), Cox, Lilly, Fabiana, Del Rio (Hemmings, 78), Angeli, Smith, Cheney (Tarpley, 76).
STATISTICS:
Shots: Red Stars 11, Breakers 4
Shots on goal: Red Stars 5, Breakers 2
Saves: Red Stars 2, Breakers 3
Corner kicks: Red Stars 7, Breakers 3
Offsides: Red Stars 8, Breakers 3
Fouls: Red Stars 9, Breakers 11
Cautions and ejections:
Formiga (CHI), yellow card (26th minute)
Smith (BOS), yellow card (37th minute)
LePeilbet (BOS), yellow card (48th minute)
Fabiana (BOS), yellow card (67th minute)
Spilger (CHI), yellow card (72nd minute)
Cristiane (CHI), yellow card (81st minute)
Referee: Jennifer Bennett
Referee's assistants: Alp Gulden, Amy Willing
Fourth official: Dan Marques
Attendance: 3,647