We’re tight on space in the Thursday paper, so here’s a lot more on the Athletica win over Los Angeles than we can fit there.

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Everyone in the WPS knows the road to the championship game is going to go through the Los Angeles Sol, and on Wednesday, the Athletica proved they’re going to be a major player too.
Amanda Cinalli scored in the 11th minute as the Athletica beat the league-leading Los Angeles Sol, 1-0, in Carson, Calif., giving the Sol just their second loss of the season and their first at home. The win strengthens the Athletica’s hold on second place in the WPS, putting them five points ahead of third-place Boston. The Athletica are off this weekend; their next game is on July 18 at Washington.
“At this point in the season, any three points is huge, especially in the last games leading up to playoffs,” said goalie Hope Solo. “This one is great, with L.A. being the top team, to prove to other teams they can be beat.”
Barring a calamity, the WPS championship game is going to be played at the Sol’s home field, the Home Depot Center, on Aug. 22. The Sol are a win away from clinching first place in the league, which will put them directly into the final and make them the hosts. Knowing that, the Athletica put a lot of importance on this game, and they got what they were looking for.
“We wanted to leave this field with good memories,” Athletica captain Lori Chalupny said, “because it’s where we want it to end.”
“This definitely helps us mentally with our confidence,” said Cinalli, who left the game in the 75th minute with a shoulder injury. “We can go on L.A.’s field, play them and beat them. When playoff time comes, we know we have the ability to do it.”
While Cinalli’s goal, her second of the season, was the game-winner, the team would have been in trouble if not for Solo, who made four dazzling saves in posting her sixth shutout of the season, the second most in the league.
“Oh my goodness, she does it every game,” said Cinalli. “She’s the best in the world. It’s unbelievable how she moves around in the box.”
It was the third straight win for the Athletica and their fourth in a row on the road. After going winless in their first four games, the Athletica have won seven of their past 10. The Sol came into the game with an 11-game unbeaten streak and a four-game winning streak.
Fearing they might be dragging at the end of the game after playing on Sunday, the Athletica were looking for an early goal and got it. Eniola Aluko, the lone forward in the starting lineup, got the ball to the end line and then crossed the ball to Cinalli, who was open and drilled it in from about 8 yards out.
Cinalli came out in the 75th minute after colliding with L.A. goalie Karina LeBlanc in the box for what could have been a penalty. Cinalli landed hard on her shoulder and was subbed out. After the game, she said it was still hurting and she would have it looked at when she got back to St. Louis. With 10 days off, she’s got some time to get well.
While her teammates were praising Solo, she took a critical eye to her game.
“I had a decent game,” she said. “It wasn’t everything I’m still hoping it can be. It’s coming together at the right time. My kicking game wasn’t where it needed to be and some of the saves I made may have been because I’d given up the ball. It wasn’t a complete game. I did make the saves I needed to make, and our defenders made my job much easier, like Tina running down the ball at a specific angle so the person on the ball can only shoot.”
After a slow start, it seems the Athletica have found their game.
“We feel like we’re getting into our stride,” Solo said. “I’ve said all along any team can beat any team, there’s so much parity. I believe San Jose is last in points and that was a hard-fought win there for us. I think we’re hitting our stride, but in the same breath, we have to be consistent for us to be successful.”

The Athletica fully frustrated L.A. star Marta, who got a yellow card for knocking down Kendall Fletcher, who man-marked her the whole match.