PISCATAWAY (NJ) - Sky Blue FC (5-6-3, 18 points) was unable to overcome the Atlanta Beat (2-7-4, 10 points) tonight at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, falling by a count of 1-0. The lone notch of the game came off the foot of Beat forward Eniola Aluko in the seventh minute, and the visiting side held on the rest of the way to take the three road points.

"We played with three forwards tonight in the hopes that we could find more opportunities on the offensive end," Sky Blue FC head coach Pauliina Miettinen said of the 4-3-3 formation that her team used. "We created some good chances, but we just weren't able to convert them for the equalizer."

Atlanta mounted an early attack in this match, with Aluko at the foundation of the offensive game plan. The English native got her first good look in the fifth minute when she fired a shot from the left corner of the 18-yard box, but Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill was there to clean it up. The home side was not as lucky two minutes later when Aluko was fed a cross from midfielder Angie Kerr on the right flank, and the English striker one-touched the ball past Luckenbill to give her team an early one-goal advantage.

The pace of the action slowed a bit after that opening score, and the home team looked to garner control of possession as a result. Making some notable contributions to the Sky Blue FC offense was forward Tasha Kai, who returned to the Starting XI in this match. She proved to be a nice combination with Italian striker Patrizia Panico, and the duo created some dangerous opportunities for their team. However, the Beat defense was able to fight off the Sky Blue FC attack throughout the opening half of the game, and Atlanta was able to take the 1-0 lead into the locker rooms at the break.

"I always try to play with a lot of energy, and I know that rubs off on my teammates," Kai said of her energetic demeanor. "Unfortunately, we came up short tonight. We had our