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July 7, 2010

By Brian Davis, Assistant Media Relations Director & WPS Communications

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Recently, third-year Tennessee Lady Vol assistant soccer coach Keeley Dowling and her Sky Blue FC teammates traveled to the White House to be honored by President Barack Obama for the team's surprising 2009 championship run during the inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS).

The valiant effort by the fourth-seeded Sky Blue FC and the former UT All-American Dowling continued all the way to the WPS title as the New Jersey-based squad upset the top-seeded Los Angeles Sol, 1-0, in the championship tilt at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., behind a 16th-minute goal by Heather O'Reilly.

"This team came together when it counted," said President Obama about Sky Blue FC's last-to-first run during the 2009 season. "No matter what obstacles they faced, no matter what disappointments and distractions they had to deal with, they had each other's backs, and they stayed focused on their ultimate goal. That's what teams do. They work hard. This team loves being an underdog, and in the end, that made all the difference."

The Sky Blue out-shot the home-based Sol, 12-8, and benefited from an early ejection that went against the home squad. LA's Allison Falk received a red card in the 27th-minute for a bad challenge on a breakaway attempt by the Sky Blue's Natasha Kai.

Dowling helped the upset-minded Sky Blue reach the championship match by scoring the team's lone goal during a 1-0 victory over St. Louis Athletica in the WPS semifinals.

The 2010 version of the Sky Blue FC is currently occupying third place in the league standings with a 5-4-2 mark (17 points). Dowling, a defender, has played in seven matches, started six contests and played over 550 minutes for the squad this season.

Photos below are credited to (c) Howard C. Smith/isiphotos.com