In front of 864 fans, magicJack bounced back from its first loss of the season last week with a 4-0 win last night over the Atlanta Beat. With less than a month until the Women’s World Cup in Germany, some of the top US players look to be peaking at just the right time.
Abby Wambach scored her first hat trick of the season and midfielder Sarah Huffman scored her first goal of the season in the win. magicJack pressured Atlanta early and often throughout the entire game. In the first 10 minutes alone magicJack hit the crossbar, had a goal waived off due to an offside call, and then in the 9th minute Wambach scored her first goal of the evening, chipping Beat goalkeeper Alli Lipsher from 30 yards out.
For the Atlanta Beat, Lori Chalupny looked the most dangerous throughout the game, but could not break through the back line of Tina Ellertson, Christie Rampone, and Becky Sauerbrunn. Rampone, who played her first game back since a groin injury, lasted the full 90 minutes and looked to be 100 percent.
In the 13th minute Huffman beat Lipsher near post from 15 yards out, which all started with Omolyn Davis taking on three Atlanta Beat players then serving a beautiful ball out left to Huffman. magicJack’s center midfielders Davis and Lydia Vandenbergh played very well together dominating that part of the field for the majority of the game.
In the second half, Atlanta Beat started to put some pressure on magicJack’s back line earning two corner kicks, but both were handled by magicJack. Wambach scored her second of the night in the 66th minute taking the ball down the left flank and firing another past Lipsher. In the 88th minute magicJack forward Ella Masar broke through the back line of the Beat defense, but was canceled out by Lipsher, who misplayed the ball right to Wambach’s feet. Wambach hit the ball in the back of the net completing her first hat trick of the season.
After the three goal performance Wambach said, “I still believe in the next few weeks I have some things to work on” in her preparation for the Women’s World Cup, which starts June 26th. magicJack will be without Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Shannon Boxx, Jill Loyden, Christie Rampone, and Becky Sauerbrunn for at least four games while they are in Germany with the US national team.