SANTA CLARA, CA* (MAY 24, 2009)- A sell-out crowd of 6,280 packed Buck Shaw Stadium on Sunday afternoon to see FC Gold Pride take on the Los Angeles Sol.  The Sol emerged victorious putting away two goals and blanking the
Pride.  This was the first time the Pride has been shut out at home.

The Sol scored the lone goal of the half on a penalty kick awarded to Los Angeles after Captain Aya Miyama was taken down in the 18-yard box.  Midfielder Camille Abily took the PK and put it away in the 27th minute for the Sol, marking her second goal of the season and giving the visiting team a 1-0 advantage.

The match was closely watched by the officials, who handed out two cautions for unsporting conduct in the first half, one to the Pride’s Brazilian defender Erika and one to the Sol’s striker Marta in the 45th.

Pride keeper Allison Whitworth, getting her first taste of WPS action, saw more than her fair share of action in the game and denied Marta’s full force attack twice in the second half.  In total, Whitworth made six big saves in her first career start, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Sol’s attack.

“I want to do the best I can for my team,” said Whitworth of her heroics.  “It’s my job to keep the ball out of the goal.”

In a quick turn of events that saw Brandi Chastain nearly miss a goal in the 85th minute, the Sol countered the Pride’s attack.  Han Duan broke free behind the Pride’s defense and slipped one in past a diving Whitworth in the 86th minute of play to put the Sol up 2-0.

“We had one mental lapse, but we will learn from it,” said FC Gold Pride Head Coach Albertin Montoya. “We went from Brandi almost scoring to a missed ball off a goal kick.  We lost our concentration for one second.  When you have players like Marta and Duan, they’ll make you pay.”

The Pride executed on the game plan, marking tight on Marta and limiting the number of touches she had on the ball.  Speedy defender, Kandace Wilson played a key role in containing Marta throughout the game keeping pace with
the Sol’s crafty forward. Wilson was forced to leave the game late in the second half with a right hip injury.  She has been transported to Santa Clara Urgent Care with Team Doctor Tiffany Gorman for a full diagnosis.   Further information on Wilson’s status will be released as it becomes available.

With the loss, the Pride remains in third place with a 3-4-1 record and 10 points, remaining one point behind the Boston Breakers sits in second.  The Sol stands alone in first place with a 5-1-2 record and 17 points. The west
coast rivals will meet twice more before regular season play concludes.

The Pride now looks to prepare to make the cross country trip to take on the Washington Freedom on Sunday, May 31 at 4pm ET.  The first time these two teams met, the Freedom stole the show with a 90th minute goal from Abby Wambach, lifting her team to a 4-3 victory.  The Pride hopes to even the score next weekend in Maryland.