Fighting for the 3 points: The Washington Freedom played a hard-fought match against the Atlanta Beat, and won 1-0, meaning they clinch the 4th and final playoff berth. Abby Wambach scored a brilliant chip shot in the 88th to give the Freedom the win it needed to propel them into playoffs. They will face off against the Philadelphia Independence on Sept. 19th in the First Round.The Washington Freedom clinched the 4th and final playoff spot with a 1-0 win over the Atlanta Beat.
The match was pretty intense, and I, like many others, took advantage of the good ol' webcast option (thanks to the Freedom for making it available!). What would I have done without webcasts this year? A lot of sitting impatiently in front of match trackers, and getting all fidgety, that's what. Anyways, the Freedom clinched the 4th and final playoff berth, and will be playing against the Philadelphia Independence in the WPS Playoffs First Round. The match against the Beat was a tough one, but Washington came out swinging against Atlanta. Washington were the clear aggressors for the entire game, and played the better match. In fact, the refereeing was the only thing that marred this match. I wouldn't say it was as horrendous as the refereeing in the 2010 World Cup, but it was the worst I've seen in WPS. There was a clear penalty chance ignored for the Freedom, and the Freedom's 1st goal was disallowed, due to an offsides call. A scramble in the box saw the ball go into the Beat's net, yet it was disallowed. However, it technically should not have been offsides, since an Atlanta defender had joined Hope Solo on the goal line for that attempt. Then, on the other end of the field, Atlanta bounced in a goal off a free kick, however, that too was disallowed, due to a confusion in the box, and some possible fouling. However, Washington was not to be outdone, and they kept fighting on. In the 88th minute, they got the goal they fully deserved, when Becky Sauerbrunn lobbed a ball over the Atlanta defense. Wambach was waiting and latched onto the perfect ball. She then chipped it over the charging Hope Solo to give the Freedom the goal it needed, and also the 3 points to advance into the playoffs.
Washington deserved this win, and to say they didn't is a complete lie. Washington played aggressive, attacking soccer, while Atlanta was just standing their ground, hoping they could clear the next chance out. Everyone on the Freedom played their hearts out and put on some excellent performances, and the co-captains did their job once again. Whitehill's free kicks and services were on the money, and Wambach was precise and clutch as always, especially when it was crunch time. Washington went in with a mission, and they accomplished it for sure.
Next up for Washington is the WPS Playoffs First Round, where they will have to face off against Philly, a team who has been stellar all year, until quite recently that is. Philadelphia has gone into a losing streak towards the end of the season, whereas Washington is coming off of a comeback. But, we'll talk predictions and pre-game analysis going into the WPS First Round tomorrow.
The WPS regular season ended in style today. To think that 5 months have passed since the start of the season is pretty crazy. Man, how time flies! I'm going to miss it for sure. But, we still have playoffs to look forward to. After all, the 2010 WPS Champion still needs to be crowned.
Once again, Congratulations to all the teams that are in the playoffs. Catch you tomorrow when we discuss the WPS First Round!
Denise
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