Marta leads Sol to victory over Pride
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Twenty goals in 20 games?
Marta says there is no particular figure that she’s aiming for, but on a hot Sunday afternoon in Carson, the Brazilian striker scored her third goal in as many matches to lead the Sol to a 1-0 victory over the Bay Area-based FC Gold Pride.
The win kept the Sol (3-0-0) unbeaten and untied in Women’s Professional Soccer, with goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc and the Los Angeles defense recording a third shutout.
“I don’t focus on scoring goals, I just focus on playing,” Marta said. “As a forward, I will eventually score goals, but I don’t have a number in my mind. I just get on the field and want to contribute.
“One-zero was enough for us to win.”
The game’s lone goal came 1:27 into the second half.
The move originated with Sol midfielder Shannon Boxx, who spotted U.S. national team teammate Aly Wagner out on the right wing and sent the ball her way.
Wagner glanced up and then delivered a perfect looping cross to Marta, who had freed herself from the attentions of the Pride defenders. The Brazilian’s finish was clinical, with goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart having little chance of stopping the shot.
Wagner was making her first start of the season after coming off an injury. She played 80 minutes and her effect was obvious from the start.
“Her passes are what really makes Aly. We’re happy to have her back,” said Sol Coach Abner Rogers.
“She has great vision. She sees things earlier than most players, and then obviously she has the technical ability to hit a certain type of ball.”
Wagner said she had been working during training to learn the best way to combine with Marta and to deliver the ball to the forward’s liking.
“She did a great job bringing it down and just finishing it,” Wagner said.
“I try to talk to her to figure out exactly what she wants. We’ve had some discussions about timing and what she sees and what I see. Luckily today, that one we actually connected on.”
There should have been more goals because both teams attacked throughout, but a combination of solid defending, good goalkeeping, poor finishing and the eventual sapping effects of the heat kept the score down.
“They definitely had opportunities to score goals,” Rogers said. “So did we. I mean, the game could have ended up 5-5.”
The Sol is in first place in WPS with nine points, three more than the second-place Boston Breakers.
The team’s next two matches are at St Louis and at Boston.
Sunday’s attendance, announced as 6,119, was a sharp drop from the opening-day count of 14,832.
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