Independence win their fifth in a row

The Independence tightened their grip on first place in Women's Professional Soccer on Saturday night with a 2-1 win over the second-place Western New York Flash.

The win, on the Widener University campus in Chester, was the Independence's fifth in a row, and they improved to 7-2-3. Western New York, based in Rochester, is 6-2-2.

Both teams were missing players who were away for the World Cup.

It was the third meeting between the front-runners, with the Independence and the Flash both winning at home in their previous encounters. With six games to play, the Independence have 24 points to 20 for the Flash. The top finisher will host the league title game.

"The last time we played [Western New York], we were 12 points behind," said victorious coach Paul Riley. "So, we turned 16 points around. But they are going to be a handful in the playoffs."

The Independence went up, 1-0, about eight minutes into the contest when forward Tasha Kai took a perfect lead pass from midfielder Christina DiMartino and challenged Western New York goalie Ashlyn Harris. Harris tried to cover the far side of the goal. Kai scored on the short side.

In the 35th minute, DiMartino had a breakaway opportunity, but her shot was wide left. When Kai charged the goal again in the 39th minute, Harris blocked the shot.

However, she couldn't stop an attempt by Sinead Farrelly in the 44th minute. After Kai hit the left post, Farrelly was there to complete the job, and the Flash were down by 2-0 when halftime arrived.

"I was in the right place at the time," said Farrelly, who scored for the first time as a pro. "I've had opportunities to score and missed, and it's been a pretty big joke. That it wound up being the game-winning goal, and me getting it, means so much."