Adirondack Lynx

Lynx Ring Philadelphia Liberty with strong 5-2 home showing

A'dack finds scoring punch and finally lets rip against the Liberty's strong, offside trap defense. Arbulu has banner day. Velan, Stockdale, Knowlton, and Cerrone put in great games too.

By AL Staff -- AdirondackLynx.com

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Saratoga Springs , NY - The Adirondack Lynx did not have to travel to Philadelphia to ring the Liberty Bell. Instead they beat the Philadelphia Liberty 5-2 on their home turf, in their first home game of the WPSL season, at Skidmore College in the blistering afternoon sun.

Sitting in the cellar of the North East Division standings of the WPSL is not the place the Lynx want to find themselves. At 0-2 on the season, with no points, A'dack approached this game with lots of training and attention to detail and a strong desire to pull themselves back up. And that's just what they did.

Adirondack Head Coach, PJ Motsiff adjusted his usual player formation and lineup in order to allow his team more scoring opportunities against a Philadelphia Liberty team that likes to get it's players forward in front of the ball offensively and use the offside trap defensively. Motsiff's adjustment paid off as the Lynx finally unleashed the scoring power that they've been missing so far this season countering the heavy use of the Philly offsides playing defense.

The 5 goal barrage started just 4 minutes in, as the only two high school players on the team connected for the first tally. Hannah Cerrone (U20 US National Team, Boston College bound), playing a central midfield role on the day, picked up a ball in the Lynx defensive third and smartly ran full speed with it up the middle of the wide open field. Cerrone held on to it as long as she could before laying it off perfectly into space on the right flank for a moving Brooke Knowlton (Boston College bound). Knowlton positioned herself for her first touch, swept onto the ball and coaxed it perfectly towards goal, then hit her next touch low and forcefully to the far post, straight past the Liberty Keeper, making it 1-0.

Only seven minutes later Liberty's Jill Hutchinson knotted the tying goal.

With the Liberty pulling a large number of offside trapped plays, the Lynx continued to press quickly into them getting caught. This worked in Philadelphia’s favor repeatedly as several times in a row the Lynx attack was called back by the officials. But the offside trap is a dangerous game to play continuously, once a team does finally break though, it's a 1v1 situation, goalie vs forward. Four of the Lynx goals on the day were 1v1 situations, all with a solo lynx player taking on the Liberty goaltender.

Carla Arbulu (Ohio State University) recognized the offside trap situation early in the game and began making runs out of the backfield directly into the Liberty’s defense. It worked a charm, as she scored an unassisted goal at the 17 minute mark by moving full steam on to a loose ball at the 30 yard marker, and instead of trying to lay it off or play it forward, she held and ran with it directly at the Philly defense as they were pulling up their offside trap. She made it clean though the trap and went 1v1 against the Liberty keeper. Arbulu calmly drove her left footed shot low and out of reach to make it 2-1 in favor of the Lynx.

I felt our offense played really well today, and our possession was strong. And our team defense and transition went really well too so that really helped us out ” -- Kienna Mitchell, Adirondack Defender

Carla then followed her first goal up just 8 minutes later, with a similar one. Again She picked up a loose ball and carried it full speed forward, laying it off to teammate Hannah Cerrone. Cerrone then one-timed her pass through the charging wall of defenders back to Arbulu. A textbook give and go play, leaving Arbulu in the clear for yet another 1v1 against a lone goalkeeper. It had the same result as her first with Arbulu not panicking and punching the ball into the netting with just the right placement and force. It was Cerrone's 2nd assist of the match.

In the second half, Philadelphia's Heidi Guastaferro came out to score for the Liberty to bring them back into the game down just a single goal down at 3-2. It was then that Mary Velan (NCSAA All-American, SUNY Oneonta) really stepped up the pace of the game in the last 15 minutes. Velan is a lightning quick midi/forward who has little fear and plays every 50/50 balls like she owns them. With many players hitting the bench for a hydration because of the the heat, Velan rose well above the occasion and showed why she is an All-American and the 2006 SUNYAC Player of the Year.

At the 79th minute defender Ashley Clinton (Nazareth College) sent a lofted pass down the right flank to Velan. Velan first touched it perfectly past her defender then ran onto it and drove down the right side full pace. She then delivered a service into the box for English International, Laura Stockdale. (Franklin Pierce College) Stockdale headed in what was easily the most beautiful goal of the match as she timed her diving header perfectly hitting the inside of the near post with great pace on the ball.

Velan then went on to score her own goal in the 86th minute that was unassisted 1v1 with the Philly keeper one last time.

Post game comments from A'dack Coach PJ Motsiff , “This was the first game where our midfield and our forwards were really linking together and controlling the area the way they should be. The players created a lot of scoring opportunities for themselves. Over and over again, the team was winning balls in the defense and midfield and then playing them quickly and smartly forward. This is the type of play that was missing before, and we will need consistently, if we expect to return to the post season.”

The Lynx return to action this Friday, June 15 at 6pm when they take on Real Shore FC out of New Jersey. The game is also at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY..

 

 

  

          ADK                 PHL

SOG     7                      7

Saves   3                      3

Fouls    9                      8

Offside  6                      2

Corners 5                    3

 

STARTING LINEUP:

Adirondack :Bohn, Dickerson, Mitchell, Arbulu, Cerrone, Colfer, Velan, Reece, Knowlton, Frisch

GOALS:

1st Half
ADK: Knowlton (Cerrone)
PHL: Jill Hutchinson
ADK: Arbulu (Unassisted)
ADK: Arbulu (Cerrone)

2nd Half
PHL: Heidi Guastaferro
ADK: Stockdale (Velan)
ADK: Velan (Unassisted)

 

Related Outside Links :

• In A Flash Photography's Gallery of Philadelphia Liberty game photos
• Philly Liberty website
• Liberty game report
• WPSL Official Site