By William Bretherton

wbretherton@mdjonline.com

After four straight road games, the Atlanta Beat have just one tie to show for their efforts.

But they may be able to gain momentum tonight when they play their first home game in front of a packed house at Kennesaw State's new 8,306-seat stadium built for the university and for the Beat.

"I'm really excited," 19-year-old forward Ramona Bachmann said. "It's the first women's soccer stadium in the world. It was built for us, and we will play there."

They will welcome Sky Blue FC, a New Jersey-based club which won Women's Professional Soccer's inaugural championship last season against the now-defunct Los Angeles Sol.

The stands will be filled with local soccer enthusiasts, with many of the area's soccer organizations - including Top Hat, the state's lone all-female soccer club - bringing large groups to cheer Atlanta on.

For Mother's Day, flowers will be given out to mothers at the gate. And along with the normal expectations of the team's home opener, the eyes of WPS will be on Atlanta, with league commissioner Tonya Antonucci in attendance and national TV exposure on Fox Soccer Channel.

With the opening of the new stadium, there will be plenty of glitz and glamour off the field. On the field, however, the two teams playing tonight have combined for just five goals in eight games. Neither offense has been able to get much done this season, and tonight figures to be a low-scoring match.

Sky Blue goalkeeper Karen Bardsley leads the league in shutouts with two and her goals-against average of 1.00 is tied for second in the league. Bardsley has stopped 23 of the 27 shots that she has faced.

"(Bardsley) is a good keeper," Beat coach Gareth O'Sullivan said. "She is an English international player with many caps. She saved a penalty kick against FC Gold Pride last week. I think she is obviously coming into our game with good form, so we are going to have to make sure that we really pester her."

On the offensive side of the ball, forward Tasha Kai netted two goals in Sky Blue's win over Chicago to become the team's leader in goals scored, and place in her in a tie for third in the league.

"(Kai) has the ability to get in behind defenses," O'Sullivan said. "She didn't play last week with an injury, and we're not sure what the extent of her injury is. She can get behind the defense with great pace and do the unexpected."

While Sky Blue FC (2-2) has definite leadership on both sides of the ball, the Beat (0-3-1) are still searching for explosiveness on the offensive end. In four games, they have scored two goals, with Bachmann and Monica Ocampo each having one.

While Bachmann and Ocampo have the goals, forward Johanna Rasmussen has been right alongside them, leading the team in shots taken (eight) and shots on goal (five).

"When we play a lot, I get the possibility of coming up with shots," Rasmussen said. "We have been playing a lot on the right side, which gives me a chance to get off more shots."

On defense, the Beat will start Brett Maron in goal for the second week in a row. After allowing just one goal against Philadelphia last week, she earned her second start after Allison Whitworth started the first three games of the season. The Beat have allowed six goals on the season, which is just ahead Washington's seven for last in the league.

On top of difficulties finding leadership, the Beat will be without rookie midfielder Tobin Heath, who is still recovering from a sprained ankle she sustained two weeks ago at FC Gold Pride.