The Boston Breakers "Go Pink" in their final 2012 WPSL Elite home match.

Women's Soccer News: Boston Breakers Play Final Home Match of 2012 WPSL Elite Season

Team Will “Go Pink” at Saturday, July 14, Game to Support Breast Cancer Research

The Boston Breakers will play their final 2012 Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) Elite home match on Saturday, July 14, against Philadelphia Fever. It will be the Breakers’ third annual PUMA Project Pink Night, with players donning pink jerseys to raise awareness of breast cancer. During the match there will be a silent auction where fans can bid on several signed pink jerseys to raise money for the organization Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and bring pink or breast cancer-themed banners to the match to support the cause.

The Breakers look to close out their season on a high with a victory over the Fever, following a disappointing loss on the road against New England Mutiny. The team has not lost a home match on the field, although an earlier win over Western New York Flash was later deemed a Boston forfeit. The Breakers have nine wins on the season are one of only two teams in the league, along with Chicago Red Stars, who have not drawn in a match this year.

"Any time you take a loss, you are excited to get back on the field and get a positive result," Breakers Head Coach Lisa Cole said. "We felt that our last performance was a little bit unlucky, a little bit fatigue, and a result of us not putting the game away early, so all of those things we have focused on this week. (The Fever) held us to a 1-0 win at their house, and it took us a while to score."

The key for the Breakers will be putting away their chances early and often. Forward Katie Schoepfer, one of the league’s top playmakers, will look to match up with Australian international Kyah Simon and rookie Melissa Henderson on the attack. In her best post-collegiate season, Schoepfer has scored six goals and notched five assists to rank her second in the WPSL Elite on points.

Dilboy Stadium has been good to the Breakers this season, and they have outscored their opponents 14-4 on the field. The Breakers have notched two shutouts courtesy of rookie keeper Alice Binns, one of the top goalkeepers in WPSL Elite. Simon, who leads the league with 12 goals, will look to extend her streak to six games with at least one goal scored. She and Breakers teammate Tameka Butt were called up earlier in the week to the Australian Women’s National Team for a friendly in Japan, but the two are expected back in time for Saturday’s match.

Saturday night will be the Breakers annual PUMA Project Pink Night to raise funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. In addition to the live silent auction, which begins at kickoff and ends in the 80th minute of the game, the team will also hold an online auction beginning on Monday, July 16, at 10:00 a.m. ET and running through 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 17. In that auction fans can bid on additional Project Pink jerseys signed by Leslie Osborne, Heather O’Reilly, Cat Whitehill, Simon, and Butt. More information can be found on the Breakers website.

"It's really awesome what (PUMA) is doing," Breakers captain Osborne said. "It's a fun way to get people involved, especially kids, when you're wearing pink. A lot of kids out there don't know what pink means, and it's a good way to let kids know and one more person know what breast cancer is and how it effects people's lives, and at the same time raise money, it's just an awesome initiative that PUMA has done. It's pretty special, and I love that the athletes are the ones who are showing it off." 

Fans can also help support the fight against breast cancer by tweeting the hashtag #projectpink on Twitter. PUMA will donate $1 for every #projectpink tweet! For more information, visit puma.com/projectpink. Fans can stop by the PUMA fan zone Saturday at the game to get a free PUMA cat temporary tattoo or get a piece of their hair colored pink for the cause.

Finally at Saturday’s game, T4 Soccer, an official partner of the Boston Breakers, will be conducting performance testing competition before the game and at halftime. This complimentary testing will be open to all youth players in attendance at the game. Winners at the U-12, U-14 and U-18 age levels will be announced during the second half and will be awarded a soccer ball autographed by Breakers captain Osborne.

The T4 vertical jump test determines an athlete’s maximal jumping ability through the use of a special electronic jump mat under the guidance of an Assessment Specialist. Maximal jumping ability is an indirect measurement of an athlete’s lower body power, which is a combination of strength and speed. This is a critical factor in soccer movements such as turning, jumping, sprinting and changing pace.

The Breakers have clinched a berth in the 2012 WPSL Elite Championship Series, and are now battling for top seed in the playoffs. Boston will close out the season on the road in what could be a preview of one of the WPSL Elite semi-final games. The Breakers will take on WNY Flash at Sahlen’s Stadium on Sunday, July 22.

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