Prediction

Here is Soccer America Associate Editor Dean Caparaz’s prediction for May 16: Bay Area 1 Boston 0

Preview

(all times ET) Wednesday, May 16 – (7:00 pm) – Boston (1-1-2) at Bay Area (1-2-1) (AT&T 3, Fox Sports Net Bay Area). Season series: Tied (1 match: 1-1, April 29); All-time regular-season series: Tied (teams are tied on aggregate goals, 1-1). Leading scorers: Boston: F Maren Meinert (2 g = 4 pts); Bay Area: Sissi (1 g, 2 a = 4 pts). Did you know? Boston M Kristine Lilly converted the late penalty kick that tied the Bay Area, 1-1, in the April match in Spartan Stadium. Boston F Dagny Mellgren earned the PK when Bay Area D Kelly Lindsey fouled the Norwegian in the CyberRays penalty area. Key players out:Boston: F Maren Meinert (German national team duty), M Bettina Wiegmann (German national team duty); Bay Area: D Lauren Molinaro (broken ankle-R). Notes: Boston coach Jay Hoffman has to reshuffle his lineup with Meinert and Wiegmann in Germany for a May 17 friendly with Russia. Possible replacements for Meinert up front are F Meotis Erikson, M Angela Hucles and F Allie Kemp. Possible replacements for Wiegmann in midfield are M Elie Foster and M Jen Tissue. … Boston G Tracy Ducar will be around, but Hoffman will start G Karina LeBlanc vs. the CyberRays. Ducar started Boston’s first four games, but Hoffman wants to take a look at the talented Canadian international. “She’s a good goalkeeper and we’ve got to take a look at her in a game,” Hoffman said of LeBlanc. “Tracy has played very well. I’ve been very pleased with way she’s played. She has come up big when she’s needed to.” … Boston F Robin Confer (strained muscle in her back) is not an option up front because she is on the seven-day injured list. As the absence of Confer and the Germans left the Breakers with 17 players on their active roster, they called up D Chrisy McCann from their reserve squad. McCann was insurance for D Kate Sobrero (according to the Breakers, she missed last Saturday’s 2-2 tie with Washington because of a pulled muscle in her backside), but Sobrero is expected to start vs. the CyberRays. McCann did not make the 16-player travel squad. … Bay Area coach Ian Sawyers doesn’t want his team to let down because the Germans — who played well in the earlier tie with the Breakers — are away. “You’ve got to be careful with that,” Sawyers said. “They have a lot of talented players. The German players definitely complemented their style. [If] we have our players going in there thinking, Okay, they don’t have all their guns, the tendency is to drop off. I still expect them to come at us.” … If Boston wins the match, it would have 8 points and move into a tie with Philadelphia for first place. If the Bay Area wins, it would have 7 points and move into a tie for second place with Washington. Another tie would leave both clubs in the middle of the pack. KEY MATCHUP: Boston M Keri Raygor vs. Bay Area M Kim Clark: The last time San Jose, Calif., native Raygor played in her hometown, she faced speedy M Venus James, who started on the right side of midfield. This time she takes on Clark, who got her first start of the season in the 2-1 win over Carolina on May 13. Clark, who started on the right while James moved to the left, was the best CyberRay in that match. Like James, Clark has pace, but the USC product is a greater goalscoring threat than James. SCHEDULED REFEREES: Referee: Sandra Hunt; Assistant Referees: Chris Strickland (SAR), Yader Reyes (JAR). Fourth Official: Dinesh Singh.