Moments 2 and 1: "We Waited 6 Years" and a Rivalry Born
The final two moments of our 2009 debut season cannot really be separated. The two are so intertwined that one would not exist without the other. It is also difficult to determine which moment was better than the other which is why they will be presented together. For purposes of chronology, the first moment will be addressed first and the original write-up in The Current by our president will be used to paint the picture of a certain Sunday in rainy April.
Boston saw their first Breakers game since August 2003 on Saturday,
as the Breakers defeated St. Louis Athletica 2-0 on second-half goals
from Kelly Smith and Kristine Lilly. Thanks to all those who came
out and supported the Breakers, and special thanks to those that
watched the game from the Dock and made their voices heard. From the
opening chant of “We’ve waited six years for this
game” to the chants of “Scurry would have saved that”
that got under Hope Solo’s skin, we’re well on our way to
giving Boston the best home field advantage in WPS.
The tailgate was rain-soaked and freezing (but the food was
delicious and the drinks refreshing), but things dried up just in time
for kickoff. The first half was chippy, as players adjusted to the
super-slick Fieldturf. In the second half, the Breakers gave us a
glimpse of the exciting attacking soccer we’ll be looking forward
to seeing as the season progresses
Ah yes getting under Hope Solo's skin. I am certain that Breakers General Manager Andy Crossley is cringing at this post, but it cannot be ignored. Upon hearing that Hope was less than impressed with the chants of the Dock, some in the section decided to modify the Fox Soccer Channel rally towels handed out for the return trip of the Athletica. The wording on the towel "honored" Solo by proclaiming it to be "Hope's Crying Towel". Yeah that one kind of came back to bite us in the neck... Someone must have told Hope about our towels because after the game (an Athletica victory, of course) she came over to the Dock and yelled "Who's crying now baby?!". As much as we were upset with the win, we were rather pleased with Hope's reaction and proceeded to clap for her. I have a feeling that Hope is never going to have a problem getting pumped for a match-up at Harvard. The hope (no pun intended) is that the critical (some may say mildly hostile) Dock affects her overall game in a positive manner and brings a World Cup back to American shores in 2011. A rivalry born indeed.
