If the Wildcats were looking for a challenge when they scheduled the Washington Freedom Reserves for two exhibition games this season, then they got exactly what they were looking for tonight. In a tightly contested battle, the Wildcats and Freedom Reserves tied 1-1 in front of a festive crowd of 682 fans at Memorial Stadium in New Brunswick. Joanna Lohman scored for Washington while Rachel Yankey hit the back of the net for the Wildcats.
In their first non-win of the season, the Wildcats match the Freedom Reserves evenly with the shots finishing 8-8. Washington put out a lineup with eight former WUSA players while the Wildcats were without their United States Women's National Team contingent away for the game against Ukraine tomorrow in Portland, OR. Those four players are expected to be back in the lineup when the Wildcats face the Freedom Reserves in the rematch on July 30th at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
"As nerve-wracking as it was, that was the most entertaining game I've watched our team play since I became head coach of the Wildcats," said second-year Wildcats skipper Charlie Naimo. "We did a great job even with the absence of some of our key players. I think this was a great measuring stick for our team and a testament to our depth to be able to play with a team of that caliber."
In the early going, Yankey appeared to have put the Wildcats ahead in the seventh minute. The England international cracked a shot from the top of the box that hit the underside of the crossbar and appeared to cross the line before bouncing out but neither the referee nor the linesman were in a good position to see it.
Washington came back with the next great chance three minutes later as Ali Krieger broke in behind the defense, but Karina LeBlanc came off her line and kicked away her point-blank shot.
The Freedom Reserves stuck first in the 21st minute on a great header by Joanna Lohman, but the Wildcats struck back in the 32nd minute when Jen Redmond fed Yankey into the box and she coolly slipped home a shot just inside the left post from 15 yards out.
Both teams had one great chance to win the game late in the second half. In the 81st minute, Yankey played a superb through ball to Kristen Edmonds, who controlled the pass but fired right at Washington keeper Nikki Resnik from just outside the box. The Freedom Reserves came close four minutes later on a bizarre play in front of the Wildcats goal. Emily Janss crossed the ball in from the right and it bounced all the way across the goalmouth were Lohman couldn't connect. The ball floated back across the goal to L.B. Puglisi but her header from a lying-down position was cleared away.
The Wildcats return to W-League action in one week when they travel to face the New Hampshire Lady Phantoms on July 16th at 5 p.m. at Southern New Hampshire State University.
LINEUPS:
WASHINGTON FREEDOM RESERVES: Nikki Resnik, Kylie Bivens, Carrie Moore, Casey Zimny, Tiffany Roberts, Emily Janss, Betsy Barr, Lori Lindsey, Joanna Lohman, Ali Krieger, Jacqui Little. SUBSTITUTES: Ashley Kennedy, L.B. Puglisi.
NEW JERSEY WILDCATS: Karina LeBlanc, Beth McNamara, Rochelle Willis, Alicia Wilson, Sarah Dwyer, Rachel Yankey, Jen Redmond, Kelly Hammond, Lisa Grubb, Kate Sands, Kacey White. SUBSTITUTES: Bonnie Young, Kristen Edmonds.
GOALS:
WFR: Lohman (Krieger) 21st minute
NJW: Yankey (Redmond) 32nd minute
SAVES:
WFR: Resnik 3; NJW: LeBlanc 2
SHOTS:
WFR: 8; NJW: 8
