ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Heather O’Reilly scored twice on Saturday at Sahlen’s Stadium to lift the Boston Breakers to a 2-1 win over the Western New York Flash, now winless through three games.
O’Reilly scored the game-winner in the 83rd minute when her left-footed shot nutmegged Flash goalkeeper Adrianna Franch. Lianne Sanderson played a through ball to O’Reilly who made a diagonal run, cutting in from the right side.
A confident start for the Breakers was negated seven minutes into the match when Australian Samantha Kerr scored to put the Flash ahead 1-0. Laura Heyboer played Kerr in for the shot, which went right over 18-year-old goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago.
But O’Reilly leveled the score in the 15th minute with a simple tap-in at the far post off a Sydney Leroux low cross. Boston continued to pressure throughout the opening half, but couldn’t find the go-ahead goal before the break. O’Reilly continued to link up with midfielder Sanderson through the right wing, giving Flash defender Katherine Reynolds trouble.
Western New York almost found the go-ahead goal against the run of play in the 33rd minute when Kerr got around Boston defender Cat Whitehill, but Kerr’s shot was right at Santiago, who made the save.
Boston continued to pressure the Flash before O’Reilly eventually struck the game-winner, giving Boston four points from two games.
WNY Starters: Sahlen, Johnson, Taylor, Reynolds, Yokers, Zerboni, Perez, Heyboer, Martin, Kerr, Franch
Boston Starters: Whitehill, Wilkinson, King, McNeill, Nogueira, Lohman, O’Reilly, Leroux, Sanderson, Schoepfer, Santiago