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USWNT Talk

KC Clinches Playoff Berth with Mewis Goal

Goals from Kristie Mewis and Lauren Holiday clinched a playoff spot for FC Kansas City. The club is the first NWSL team to make the postseason. Maura Gladys on that story and the rest of the USWNT hopefuls.
BY Maura Gladys Posted
August 06, 2013
2:23 PM
Kristie Mewis, who has been strong defensively on a stacked FC Kansas City team, came up big offensively, scoring the winning goal in Kansas City’s 3-2 win over the Portland Thorns. It was her first professional tally.

Mewis dribbled right at the Portland defense before uncorking a screamer that Thorns keeper Karina LeBlanc got a hand on but tipped into the back of the net.

Mewis’ goal was preceded by two goals by, who else, Lauren Holiday. Holiday corralled a cross from Merritt Mathias, took a touch, and finished point-blank in the 23rd minute, then finished a nifty pass from Erika Tykrak in the 55th minute to score Kansas City’s second goal. Rachel Buehler assisted on the Thorns’ first goal and Alex Morgan scored their second one, in the 89th minute.

Despite giving up two goals, Nicole Barnhart was fantastic for Kansas City. She made five saves, including three point-blank shots, and visibly frustrated Portland’s attackers. Her performance was just another chapter in what has been a standout season. She leads the league in shutouts and has only given up 16 goals.

Carli Lloyd kept up her workhorse pace, netting a goal in each of the Western New York Flash’s games this week. Her first tally came in a 3-0 win over the Washington Spirit. Lloyd scored again in the Flash’s 2-2 draw with Boston on Saturday to fend off Boston’s playoff push and keep WNY firmly in fourth place. While she remains overshadowed by Abby Wambach, Lloyd has scored seven goals this season and re-established herself as a top-notch midfielder.

With the Swedish league back in full swing, Americans are back in the goals column. Christen Press and Meghan Klingenberg scored all three of Tyreso FF’s goals in the squad’s 3-2 win over Kristianstad. U.S. national team defender Whitney Engen will join the pair in Sweden. She had a previous stint with Tyreso in 2011 and will move in late September/early October, when when her contract with Liverpool expires.

Maura Gladys, a featured ASN columnist, works in production for KICKTV. She also runs the goalkeeping blog All You Need Is Glove.

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