GAME NOTES: New England Mutiny (3-5-2) vs. Boston Breakers (8-2-0) [WPSL Elite]
DATE & TIME: Saturday, July 7, 2012 (6:00 PM)
NEXT HOME GAME
LAST MUTINY GAME (07/03/12): NEW YORK 4, NEW ENGLAND 0
GOALS SET & SCORED FOR MUTINY OFFENSE
VENUE: East Longmeadow H.S. (E. Longmeadow, MA)
ADDRESS: 180 Maple Street, E. Longmeadow MA 01028
New England Mutiny vs. Chicago Red Stars [WPSL Elite]
DATE & TIME: Thursday, July 19, 2012 (7:00 PM)
VENUE: East Longmeadow H.S. (E. Longmeadow, MA)
ADDRESS: 180 Maple Street, E. Longmeadow MA 01028
The New York Fury staked a major claim on a spot in the upcoming WPSL Elite playoffs with a 4-0 victory over the Mutiny at Hofstra Stadium. The win improves the Fury's record to 7-3-1 (22 pts) moving them ahead of the 6-1-3 Western New York Flash by one point. New York is now 11 points clear of New England, who are in fifth place with a 3-5-2 record (11 pts). New York needs only two more points - or a New England loss or tie - to clinch a spot in the WPSL Elite playoffs, which will be hosted by WNY at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, NY this July 25 & 28. The Mutiny are now 10 points behind the Flash in the league standings. The 2011 Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) champions need only to win one of their four remaining matches to qualify for the playoffs. Meghan Lenczyk scored two goals for the home team en route to their most dominating performance on the 2012 season. "This was our best performance of the season," said New York Fury Head Coach Paul Riley to BigAppleSoccer.com. "We got at them from the first whistle." Former WPS star Allie Long scored the eventual game-winning goal just five minutes into the game, as she corralled a deflection off a Mutiny defender to net her first tally of the season. Merritt Mathias sent a cross in from the right flank to set up Lenczyk's 1st goal in the 26th minute, who connected on her header for the 2-0 lead. Jasmyne Spencer scored her 3rd goal of the season in the 40th minute after collecting an errant New England back pass. Lenczyk closed out the scoring in the 60th minute.
The New England Mutiny is 4th in scoring (18 goals) in WPSL Elite, tied with the WNY Flash. Thanks for the steadily burgeoning offensive attack can go to the trio of Kate Howarth, Riley Houle and Becca Mays. Howarth leads the team in goals (7) and points scored (17) after her two-goal performance vs. WNY on Sunday, June 24th, while she is tied with Houle and Mays for the team lead in assists (3). The Miami Hurricane star has been receiving plaudits from her opponents and the press alike for her play, especially in the three straight matches vs. Chicago (6/16), Boston (6/20) and WNY (6/24). One of the Mutiny veterans this season, Houle has continued her strong run of play for the University of Connecticut, scoring the first goal in the first match vs. the Breakers (her 2nd of the season) while providing an offensive threat from midfield. Mays (3g, 3a, 9 pts) has continued her penchant for clutch scoring over the past few seasons with the now-defunct Breakers Reserves. The San Antonio, TX-native scored the 2nd goal & assisted on the 90th minute game-winner by Howarth in the 3-2 win at F.C. Indiana on June 14th. Mays would notch the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute over Philadelphia on June 2nd, a 2-1 win in what was the Mutiny's last home game prior to this Sunday's match vs. WNY. After scoring 4 goals in the first 3 matches this season, Tiya Gallegos has cooled off but is still second in goals scored on the team.
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WEIMER JOINS MUTINY FOR 2012 SEASON
New England announced on June 18th the signing of Fortuna Hjorring forward Tiffany Weimer for the remainder of the 2012 season, pending U.S. Soccer approval. The former WPS draft pick recently concluded her season with Fortuna of Denmark's top-flight Elitedivisionen, where the team finished 2nd and qualified for the Champion's League via a 3-0 win over league champion Brondby. Weimer made her 1st appearance for the Mutiny in this past Tuesday's 4-0 loss to New York. Weimer's skill and attacking ability is a known quantity for New England fans, as she played against her new team for SoccerPlus CT of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) in the 2007 season as the East Conference Player of the Year. In 2011 with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Weimer scored 7 goals & 4 assists in 14 games and will reunite with two of her Whitecaps teammates in Mutiny colors: midfielder Kelsey Hood & defender Ciara McCormack. In 2010, Tiffany made 8 appearances for the WPS Boston Breakers before joining AIK of Sweden's top-flight Damallsvenskan for the 2nd half of the season, where she scored 4 goals. In 2009, Weimer played for WPS F.C. Gold Pride, where she was a 3rd Round selection (17th overall) in the league's inaugural draft. In her debut appearance for the northern California club, she assisted on the first goal in club history. She made 15 appearances that season, recording a goal and a team-high 3 assists. In her 4 years at Penn State University, Weimer tallied 91 goals - the most in Big Ten Conference history - and was a 2-time MAC Hermann Trophy runner-up (awarded to the best college soccer player). The
Tiffany Weimer's offensive acumen will aid the Mutiny's 2012 stretch run. [pic courtesy ISI]
FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS
The Mutiny were pleased to announce that Tony Horta was re-hired as Head Coach for their 2012 season competing in WPSL Elite. Horta returns to the New England bench after a two-year absence, when he guided the team for three seasons from 2007-2009. Horta oversaw the most successful run in team history in the 2007 & 2008 seasons, when the team won 20 matches while losing only four & drawing three (overall record: 25-11-3). New England qualified for the WPSL National Championship in both those campaigns, losing to F.C. Indiana in the 2007 Final. Tony will be able to make up for that loss this summer, as FCI are also a part of the newly-formed WPSL Elite League. During his tenure, Horta was named the 2007 WPSL East Coach Of The Year and many of his Mutiny players reeled in the accolades. He coached five players who were named All-WPSL (Meghan Schnur, Stephanie Labbe, Erin O'Grady, Mary-Frances Monroe & Jenny Maurer) including the 2007 WPSL East Goalkeeper Of The Year in Labbe and the 2008 WPSL East Player Of The Year in Monroe. Horta coached at the collegiate level for the Quinnipiac women's soccer team for nine years, developing a nationally-ranked program while winning 3 Northeast-10 Conference Championships while being named Conference Coach of the Year in 1994. Tony was an assistant for the nationally-ranked women's programs at the University of Connecticut (under Len Tsantiris) and the University of Hartford (under Austin Daniels, who was also the first Head Coach in Mutiny history).
FIRST "CROSS-STATE" DERBY (06/20/12): BOSTON 4, NEW ENGLAND 2
In what was their strongest performance up to that point of the season against former WPS competition, New England would fall to Boston by a 4-2 score at Dilboy Stadium. The Mutiny would go up early on a Riley Houle goal, but a hat-trick from Kyah Simon would propel the Breakers to victory in front of 2,147 fans. The early lead for New England would be the first for any of the "amateur" teams against a former WPS team this season in WPSL Elite. Houle would capitalize off a defensive error in the 12th minute, dribbling around Boston goalkeeper Alice Binns for her 2nd goal of the season and the 1-0 lead. The Mutiny defense would bend but not break under the increasing pressure from the Breakers offense as the 1st half wore on this hot summer night. New England would not bunker, though, as Kate Howarth would force Binns to snuff out opportunities in the 34th & 38th minutes of the match. The best case scenario for the Mutiny would have seen the team go into half-time with the 1-0 lead. Such was not the case, as Simon would net goals in the 41st & 45th minutes off assists from Katie Schoepfer and Courtney Jones, respectively, to put Boston up 2-1 at the break. The Breakers would notch their 3rd goal of the match just 4 minutes into the second half, as Schoepfer was tripped up in the Mutiny penalty area & converted on the resulting penalty kick. New England would not go down without a fight, and in the 59th minute, Howarth tallied her team-leading 5th goal of the season off a Kelsey Hood assist to make the 3-2 score. Seven minutes later, Boston would deflate the Mutiny's hopes of a comeback as Jones played a ball over the top of the New England defense, and Simon headed it past keeper Vikki Alonzo for the final score of 4-2.
Kate Howarth has been a hot streak all season for the Mutiny, scoring vs. Boston in the team's 4-2 road loss on June 20th. [pic courtesy M. Linehan]
LAST BREAKERS GAME (06/30/12): BOSTON 1, CHICAGO 0
A goal in the 89th minute by Australian international striker Kyah Simon - her WPSL Elite leading 10th of the season - gave Boston a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville. The win put the 8-2-0 Breakers into a 1st-place tie with Chicago. The first time these teams met was on June 3rd at the Red Stars, where Chicago handed Boston its first loss of the season via a 1-0 defeat. Michele Weissenhofer scored the only goal of the match in the 34th minute, with former USWNT star Lori Chalupny credited on the assist. In the rubber match of the season series, former University of North Carolina forward Courtney Jones (1st on team in assists with 6) came on as a late defensive sub and was the one who set up Simon's game-winner. Jones took the ball down the left flank into the corner, sending it over to Katie Schoepfer (2nd on team in goals scored with 6) who dummied the ball to Simon. Slipping as she came into the 6-yard box, the Australian international managed to get a foot on the ball and knocked it past Chicago goalkeeper Jamie Forbes. It was a sluggish start for both sides in the high heat as neither team could establish a first half rhythm. The Breakers came out with a bit more pace and possession in the 2nd half. In the 51st minute, Jess Luscinski's strike from distance made Forbes work to make the save, tipping it out of play. Chicago's two best chances in the second half came in the 65th and 68th minutes, the latter a hard shot from Ella Masar that skimmed the crossbar from 20 yards out. The Breakers are back in action on Friday, July 6th hosting the ASA Chesapeake Charge (1-7-2) at Dilboy Stadium. It will be Heather O'Reilly's sendoff game before she and her USWNT teammates head over to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
BOSTON COACHING STAFF
Boston Breakers Head Coach Lisa Cole has a history with the New England Mutiny. Prior to joining the Breakers, Cole was the President & Assistant Coach of SoccerPlus CT Reds, a Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) team coached by former USWNT mentor Tony DiCicco. The team played its inaugural season in 2007 and capped it with a USASA U-23 National Title & a USASA Bronze in the Open Cup. SoccerPlus CT were ousted out of the WPSL playoffs by the Mutiny that season, who won the East Conference title and the berth into the WPSL Championship. In addition, Cole is the Director for the SoccerPlus Education Center, a non-profit organization that provides & participates in educational programs, seminars, community outreach events and individual mentoring on and off the soccer field. Cole's collegiate coaching experience includes a year at Florida State as an Assistant Coach in 2005. Prior to that, she served as Head Coach of the University of Rhode Island (2003 & 2004). Before taking over the URI program, Cole spent three seasons (2000-03) as an assistant at the University of Connecticut under Head Coach Len Tsantiris. During her tenure, UConn made two appearances in the Elite Eight and one trip to the Sweet 16. She holds her USSF "A" License and her NSCAA Premier Diploma. Former USWNT legend Kristine Lilly serves as her assistant, who was one of the most capped players in National Team history. A native of Wilton, CT, Lilly is one of the most decorated players in international soccer history with 352 caps, more than any other female or male in U.S. Soccer history. A 2-time World Cup champion and 2-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. Women's National Team, Lilly scored 130 goals with the National Team. Jake Beverlin (Assistant Coach) and Andrew Quinn (Goalkeeper Coach) round out the Breakers staff.
WPSL ELITE LEAGUE
On February 9, 2012, the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), a national amateur women's soccer league with over 70 teams throughout the nation, announced the formation of WPSL Elite. The semi-professional league was formed in the wake of the suspension of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), with eight (8) league teams including former WPS teams and the region's top WPSL teams playing the highest level of women's soccer in the United States. The New England Mutiny, one of the oldest members of the WPSL & a charter franchise of the East Conference, accepted an invitation to become one of the franchises in the newly formed league. The Mutiny joined three (3) former Women's Professional Soccer teams (Western New York Flash, Boston Breakers and the Chicago Red Stars) and the ASA Chesapeake Charge and F.C. Indiana as the charter teams. In March, another WPSL team in the New York Fury and the newly-formed Philadelphia Fever would also join the league to round out the eight-team lineup.
ABOUT THE NEW ENGLAND MUTINY
The New England Mutiny are a charter member of the WPSL East Conference, winning five East titles while reaching the WPSL National Final on two occasions. The Mutiny will compete in WPSL Elite in 2012, competing against the Boston Breakers, WNY Flash, New York Fury, Chicago Red Stars, F.C. Indiana, ASA Chesapeake and the Philadelphia Fever. For more information on the team, please visit http://www.MutinySoccer.com or send an e-mail to NewEnglandMutiny@aol.com. AAA (American Automobile Association) of Pioneer Valley & Green Earth Energy Photovoltaic are the Official Team Sponsors of the Mutiny. Visit AAA's official website at http://www.pioneervalley.aaa.com to receive auto insurance discounts & quotes, learn more about AAA Driving School, book special travel discounts, apply for an auto loan and more! Visit Green Earth Energy Photovoltaic's website at http://www.greenearthenergypv.com. You can also follow our team on Twitter and Facebook.
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