Sky Blue FC closes out home-and-home series with Pride

Sky Blue FC hits the road on Saturday to once again face the Orlando Pride. After their 1-1 draw on Wednesday, both teams are now knocked out of contention for post-season play, but that does not mean that their seasons are over. Both teams will be working in their second-to-last game of the season to finish strong. As the saying goes, it's not over ‘til it's over.

In Wednesday night’s home-and-home series opener, Sky Blue FC had a difficult time getting started but came back stronger in the second half. To take the series by getting a win, they will have to be on their game from the first minute until the final whistle is blown.

Orlando made their presence known by dominating the first half, and they continued their great game play in the second half. However, their defense had noticeably weakened by the game’s end, a problem that has plagued the Pride for much of the season. It will be interesting to see how, if at all, the dynamic changes when Orlando Pride hosts Sky Blue FC.

The dynamic may change for Sky Blue based on some injuries affecting their team’s starting lineup. Leah Galton, who has been so powerful on generating the team’s attack from the left, is out for Saturday’s match because of concussion protocol. Midfielder Taylor Lytle, who has started in all 18 matches so far this season, is also out with a left knee sprain.

Good news for Sky Blue fans is that Kelley O’Hara’s injury status has been upgraded from out to questionable. O’Hara has been unavailable for the last two matches because of a right ankle sprain. With Galton out for Saturday, O’Hara could easily fill her spot on the wing to help strengthen Sky Blue’s attack if healthy enough.

Sky Blue FC travels to Orlando to take on the Pride on Saturday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed online on the NWSL Soccer channel on YouTube and is available here.

Sky Blue FC Roster by Position:

Goalkeepers (2): Caroline Casey, Caroline Stanley

Defenders (6): CoCo Goodson, Kristin Grubka, Kelley O’Hara, Christie Rampone (C), Erin Simon, Erica Skroski

Midfielders (6): Kelly Conheeney, Theresa Diederich, Shawna Gordon, Sarah Killion, Raquel Rodriguez, Nikki Stanton

Forwards (4): Maya Hayes, Tasha Kai, Samantha Kerr, Danielle Schulmann

What: Sky Blue FC at Orlando Pride
When: Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Online: NWSL Soccer Channel on YouTube