Hudson Valley Quickstrike Press Release - www.quickstrikefc.com

Thursday, July 2, 2009

NEWBURGH, NY – The Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues defeated the New Jersey Wildcats 3-0 on Wednesday to stay undefeated and atop the W-League Northeast Division.

Forward Angelika Johansson led the way with two goals for the Hudson Valley (8-0-1, 25 pts.). She opened the scoring in the 56th minute when Ashleigh Gunning’s corner kick deflected out to midfielder Erica Stewart.

Stewart’s shot pin-balled around the box and fell to Johansson, who slotted it past goalkeeper Robyn Jones to give Hudson Valley a 1-0 lead.

New Jersey (5-4-1, 16 pts.) looked to push the game from the start with three forwards, but could not find a breakthrough and the game was scoreless at the half, something that encouraged the Lady Blues.

“We knew coming out of halftime that we had this game and once we got the first goal we knew more would come,” said midfielder Kristen Edmonds, who took on a defensive role due to last-minute lineup changes.

Youngster Abby Carr came on as a halftime substitute and made an impact immediately. In the 70th minute, she registered her first goal in just her second match of the season when she found herself wide open to head home an Ashleigh Gunning corner kick.

Then, Johansson sealed the game in the 74th minute on a spectacular solo run. She dribbled through the New Jersey defense and rounded the corner to find herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Johansson faked a shot that sent Jones sprawling and Johansson easily slotted the ball into the net.

That goal gave the Quickstrike Lady Blues a 3-0 edge and iced the game. The performance was one of the best of the season, according to Head Coach Jesse Kolmel.

“This was one of our better jobs of possessing the ball and doing better in the final third of the field,” he said.

Erin McNulty came up huge in net to preserve the shutout for the Lady Blues. In the 48th minute, she made a huge save on a breakaway by New Jersey’s Jessica Fuccello while the game was still scoreless. She also helped command a backline that only gave up two shots on goal.

“I’ve played more defensively a couple of times because of injuries,” Edmonds said of her defensive roll. “I actually like it because I get to attack out of the back.”

Now, the Lady Blues have a week off until they travel to Long Island for a rematch with the Rough Riders on Wednesday, July 8. The match kicks off at 5 p.m. at St. Anthony’s High School.