TERRY GEERDTS Members of Sky Blue FC, including East Brunswick native Heather O’Reilly (r), take the ball upfield Sunday. BRIDGEWATER — Women’s professional soccer was introduced to New Jersey on Sunday when more than 6,000 fans watched the home team, Sky Blue FC, take on the best women’s soccer player in the world.
The sell-out crowd watched the Brazilian sensation Marta score twice in a two-minute span late in the first half to lead the Los Angeles Sol to a 2-0 victory at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater.
Sky Blue FC head coach Ian Sawyers said that the team tried their best to stop Marta, but between the 42nd minute and the 44th minute, her play was just too much.
“You can’t stop her, as the ESPN expression goes, you can only hope to contain her,” Sawyers said. Marta is the three-time defending FIFA World Player of the Year.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine welcomed the soccer team to New Jersey before the game, and Julie Foudy, two-time Olympic gold medalist and former U.S. Women’s team captain for 14 years, provided the ceremonial “first kick” along with her daughter.
Sawyers said that the atmosphere for the game, in the converted baseball stadium, was exciting.
“It was phenomenal,” Sawyers said. “I was out there about an hour and a half before the game and there were people out there.”
He said that all concerns about fans showing up to the game went away when he saw the more than 6,000 fans.
Sky Blue FC had its chances in the match but Sol goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, who serves as an assistant coach at Rutgers University, made one decisive save in each half to claim the shutout.
In the 42nd minute, Marta took advantage of a giveaway and split two defenders before slotting a shot under Sky Blue FC goalkeeper Jenni Branam. In the 44th minute, Han Duan set up the second goal as she carried the ball up the left side before serving a cross for Marta to put into the back of the net.
Marta, who received “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd during her play, received a lot of support from the opposing stands.
“It’s very gratifying for an athlete … ,” Marta said. “I hope they would understand that I’d sign every autograph in the stadium, but I’d be here until tomorrow.”
Sky Blue FC is one of seven teams, along with the Los Angeles Sol, that are part of the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS).
Heather O’Reilly, a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, said despite the loss, she was excited to play in front of her home state. “Today was an extraordinary day for women’s soccer and for New Jersey,” O’Reilly said. “We were a part of history, which was really special. As a player, it was a joy, especially being from New Jersey, with the atmosphere here which was incredible.”
She said that she left the game very confident in what her team has to offer and the league as a whole.
“The people came to see good women’s soccer, and that’s what they got,” O’Reilly said. “There are some world-class players out there.”
O’Reilly, a graduate of East Brunswick High School, was nominated in 2007 for Sports Illustrated’s 2007 Sportsman of the Year.
“It was the first game,” O’Reilly said. “We got out a lot of the jitters and are moving on more confident.”