Portland Thorns FC vs. Sky Blue FC Quotes
May 16, 2013
Thorns FC Head Coach Cindy Parlow Cone
Overall thoughts on the match:
“We had some moments where we connected passes, and doing well. Sky Blue FC is a very good team. They have great players in every line on the field from the front all the way back to the back. They did some great things tonight and they scored a tremendous goal on us; it doesn’t get much better than that in terms of placement – great finish by them. They played tough defensively; they were a tough block to break down.”
On the team’s offensive performance:
“Any time you are pushing and trying to score and you’re getting chances and not able to finish, it’s frustrating to the players. I think they kept their head, kept their cool and they kept fighting. I love the attitude, the mentality and the spirit of this team. They kept fighting all the way to the end even though they were missing near chances, missing wide, missing high; getting a little bit unlucky at times. But I love the spirit and unfortunately we lost to a very good Sky Blue team today.”
On the backline against Sky Blue:
“I was very happy with our backline and our goalkeeping. I thought they were very solid defending. I didn’t think Sky Blue created a ton of chances, but they did the one thing that actually counts in this game and they put it in the back of the net.”
On using the loss to continue to grow as a team:
“I think we are coming together all over the field. Obviously, we are disappointed with the loss. But in terms of continuing to grow as a team, I think this was a good game for us to continue to grow, to continue to get better.”
Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc
On the loss:
“It hurts. Especially at home, because we want to put on a good show for the fans, and make them know that we appreciate them. We get the result for them. To lose at home, it stings that much more, but it’s good to have it early in the season. There’s a lot of things we’re going to learn from it. Hopefully we can get the result on Sunday.”
On if the team put on a good show:
“I think we were entertaining at times. It’s tough when you have games back-to-back, you can see you’re a little bit tired in the legs. But we just have to find a way through those teams. They sat in, they did it well, they were organized. We’ve got to beat the block and get the ball in the back of the net. We want to do it for the fans, especially at home. It’s such an incredible environment here. It’s the environment you dream of as a kid.”
On positives to take from the match:
“We were organized defensively. I don’t think they broke us down too many times. All the shots were from far out. So there’s a lot of positives there. The goals that we have in the season, we will not be happy with that, because of the result. So there’s growth in the way we defended, there’s growth in trying to beat the block, even as a defensive unit. But I think overall, just because we lost, we won’t be happy with it.”
Defender Rachel Buehler
On the tempo of the game:
“We played some really good soccer at times, had some really good chances. The last ten minutes we played with a lot of urgency and maybe we could have brought that more in the game. Overall I think we’ve had a good record so far, and a loss is a good wake-up call. Mentally it is good to get after the next game and focus our energy on that, for sure.”
On the defense of Sky Blue FC:
“They played a very tactical. They dropped in a played a very smart, defensive game, and you have to meticulously get through that. It’s frustrating and it was hard to kind of break through their block.”
On rebounding after the first loss:
“Having a loss like this early in the season; there is a lot of season left to play. I think we could come back from one loss. I think in a way it’s not a bad thing.”
Notes:
- Morgan has attempted five or more shots in consecutive matches.
- Foxhoven has appeared in all six matches this season as a second-half sub.
- Midfielder Angie Kerr made her first substitute appearance this season, after starting the team’s first three games.
- Portland’s nine goals ranks tied for first in the league (with the Washington Spirit).
- Morgan ranks first in the league in shots (25) and shots on goal (17) following Thursday’s game.
- Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc’s 0.66 goals-against average is tied for the league league (with Sky Blue FC’s Cameron).
- Portland attempted a season-high seven corner kicks on Thursday.
- Thorns FC were whistled for being in an offside position a season-high eight times against Sky Blue FC.
- LeBlanc has made four or more saves in each of the last three games.
