PISCATAWAY (NJ) – Sky Blue FC and the Boston Breakers played to a 0-0 draw, at Yurcak Field in front of 3,418 fans Saturday night.

Although the match ended in a scoreless draw, both teams had openings but outstanding defense and goalkeeping proved superior.

“It was a back and forth game,” Sky Blue FC forward Tasha Kai said after the game. “A lot of offense and a lot of defense, there was a lot of holes and seams that we saw in the defense and we had our chances, real good chances, they had their chances but the goalkeepers came up big, our defense came up big, we just need to finish.”

Kai returning after missing five weeks with a hamstring injury, started the second half said she was a little banged up but “felt pretty good” after the match.

Sky Blue FC (3-2-2, 11 points) goalkeeper, Karen Bardsley recorded her league-leading fourth shutout but was matched between the pipes by the sterling play of Boston’s (1-2-4, 7 points) Ashley Phillips. Phillips and Bardsley stood tall to every attack the opposing offenses threw their way.

Sky Blue opened the match aggressively, as they controlled possession to start the game.

“Sky Blue certainly had their chances,” Boston Head Coach Tony DiCicco said. “They had a stretch of five minutes in the first half where they had us running around but after that I thought we were the

“I think that we have something up top that gives us this (a lot of runs are made) so it gives us options to play that way,” Sky Blue FC Head Coach Pauliina Miettinen said. “We have a lot of speed, which the opponent has to respect and that gives us more tools (options) and we have more of a comfort level, we trust ourselves, but overall it looks better than it looked in the beginning of the season and it will get better.”

Finishing was the common theme after the game, as effective defender play thwarted some spectacular advances by both teams. Three offensive opportunities stood out in the first half, Kacey White just missed in the 35th minute, Laura Kalmari sailed a shot high at the 38-minute mark and Heather O’Reilly floated a shot over the cross bar at the 44th minute.

“You’re only going to get one or two chances and in those one or two chances we need to put the ball in the back of the net,” Kai said. “We didn’t get that done today, but there is something to work on for next week.”

Sky Blue FC returns home to Yurcack Field June 19 for a match with the Philadelphia Independence after two road games. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

Sky Blue FC

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