With regular goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart away with the U.S. national team, FC Gold Pride Coach Albertin Montoya unleashed his secret weapon, backup Allison Whitworth, on the first-place Los Angeles Sol on Sunday at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Even though the Sol prevailed 2-0 in the Women’s Professional Soccer league match, Whitworth received glowing reviews after befuddling Brazilian superstar Marta and Chinese international Han Duan for most of the afternoon. Whitworth made six saves in her first action of the season, including one showstopper in which she raced out to the half-circle atop the penalty box and knocked the fleet Marta off the ball with a slide.
“She is an amazing goalkeeper,” Montoya said of Whitworth. “We as a coaching staff always knew that. She could start on almost any team in the league, and unfortunately she plays behind a U.S. national team goalkeeper, but in practice she’s sure giving her a run for her money.”
“She was awesome — that’s emphatic with, like, 100 exclamation points,” teammate Brandi Chastain said of Whitworth’s play. “I don’t think that there’s anyone else in this league who could have come in and did the job she did.”
Before an announced crowd of 6,280, the Sol locked up the victory on a Han breakaway goal in the 86th minute, with the Gold Pride pressing forward trying for a draw. Los Angeles scored its first goal through a Camille Abily penalty kick in the 27th minute after Carrie Dew was called for a tripping foul in the box.
“I certainly didn’t go into the tackle intending to give up a PK,” Dew said. “It’s unfortunate because we had had a lot of momentum up to that point.”
Sol goalkeeper Val Henderson stopped what could have been a game-changer in the 38th minute, on the Gold Pride’s best chance of the first half. Five yards from goal, the tightly guarded Tiffany Weimer received a low a cross from Eriko Arakawa on the right and one-timed a hard shot that Henderson managed to repel with her left foot.
Looking for a spark, the Pride brought in Chastain for Arakawa in the 80th minute. Chastain missed a golden opportunity shortly before Han’s goal when her point-blank header popped over the crossbar.
“I thought I had it,” Chastain said. “On those crosses they usually have that bend where it kind of comes down at the end, but this one stayed at the same height, so I wasn’t able to just get on top of it.”
