Sports stats



All-Star Reserves Announced

September 9, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release


ATLANTA (Monday, September 9, 2002) - The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) today announced the reserve players for the North and South All-Star teams that will compete in the 2002 WUSA All-Star Game in Portland, Oregon on September 21 at 4:00 pm ET (1:00 pm PT). The match will be broadcast live from PGE Park on PAX TV to more than 90 million households in the United States and several other countries worldwide.

U.S. national team veterans Briana Scurry (Atlanta Beat), Shannon MacMillan (San Diego Spirit) and Kate Sobrero (Boston Breakers) highlight the list of players named to the two teams. Five of the 11 reserve players competed in the 1999 Women's World Cup, while all but three reserves are currently active members of their respective national teams. The reserve players were selected by the All-Star coaching staffs in conjunction with WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCicco.

MacMillan, who starred at the University of Portland before her success in the WUSA and with the U.S. national team, will move into a starting role for the South squad as Carolina Courage forward Birgit Prinz will not participate in the WUSA All-Star Game. Prinz's German club, FFC Frankfurt, has a UEFA Women's Cup match in Yugoslavia during the WUSA All-Star Weekend.

The WUSA's inaugural All-Star Game, presented by Hyundai, will have a World Cup flavor as 17 of the 32 players competed at the historic Women's World Cup in 1999. A look at the All-Star reserves follows:

SOUTH ALL-STAR RESERVES
GK Briana Scurry Atlanta Her six shutouts led the WUSA in 2002
D Nel Fettig Carolina Let go by New York in preseason, she started 21 of 23 games in 2002
D Carrie Moore Washington Freedom's man-marker shut down WUSA's top scorers in 2002
D/M Kylie Bivens Atlanta Rising U.S. national team star is extremely versatile
F Charmaine Hooper Atlanta Canadian star finished tied for fourth in the WUSA with 11 goals in 2002
F Shannon MacMillan San Diego USA's leading scorer in 2002 will start in place of Carolina's Birgit Prinz

NORTH ALL-STAR RESERVES
GK LaKeysia Beene San Jose Beene holds the WUSA all-time mark for goalkeeper victories with 19
D Kate Sobrero Boston She was the youngest U.S. starter in the 1999 Women's World Cup. D Erica Iverson Philadelphia Finalist for WUSA Defensive Player of the Year in 2002
M/F Angela Hucles Boston She more than doubled her point total from 2001 (4) to 2002 (10)
F/M Maren Meinert Boston Finished tied for fourth in WUSA scoring in 2002 (7g, 15a, 29 pts.)

The 2002 WUSA All-Star Game will be held at PGE Park in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, September 21 at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT).

The format for the WUSA All-Star Game will feature the North All-Stars vs. the South All-Stars, as the best players from the WUSA's eight teams will be split into two squads. The North team will feature players from the Boston Breakers, New York Power, Philadelphia Charge and San Jose CyberRays, while the South will consist of athletes from the Atlanta Beat, Carolina Courage, San Diego Spirit and Washington Freedom.

Carolina Courage Head Coach Marcia McDermott and Philadelphia Charge Head Coach Mark Krikorian will serve as the head coaches of the two WUSA All-Star teams. Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra will serve as McDermott's assistant coach for the South All-Stars while San Jose CyberRays Head Coach Ian Sawyers will serve as Krikorian's assistant on the North team. NOTE: Gabarra replaces Atlanta Beat Head Coach Tom Stone.

WUSA All-Star Game tickets can be purchased at PGE Park and all Portland-area Ticketmaster outlets, including select Fred Meyer and G.I. Joe's locations. Tickets are also available by calling Ticketmaster at (503) 224-4400 or by going online at www.ticketmaster.com. Individual tickets to the WUSA All-Star Game are priced from $15-$45. In addition, a special $4.75 ticket is available for a limited time only in the Fred Meyer Family Seat Section.

Featuring the best women's soccer players in the world, WUSA athletes include Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Tiffeny Milbrett, Danielle Slaton, Julie Foudy and dozens of international stars. The eight WUSA teams are the Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Carolina Courage, New York Power, Philadelphia Charge, San Diego Spirit, San Jose CyberRays and the Washington Freedom. The WUSA recently completed its 2002 season when the Carolina Courage defeated the Washington Freedom 3-2 at Founders Cup II.

WUSA North All-Star Team - capsule bios (reserves)

LAKEYSIA BEENE GK SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS 5-7 March 9, 1978 GOLD RIVER, CA Just one year removed for a stellar 2001 WUSA campaign, Beene continued to excel in net for the San Jose CyberRays in 2002 ... After an 8-7-5 season in 2002, Beene holds the WUSA mark for career victories with 19 ... Her 72 saves in 2002 place her second all-time in saves (167) in the WUSA ... After finishing second in shutouts in 2002 (4), Beene ranks second in all-time clean sheets (12) in the WUSA ... Her career 1.16 goals against average ranks third all-time in the WUSA ... She was named 2001 WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year as well as to the All-WUSA First Team in that same year ... A member of the U.S. national team since 2000, the Notre Dame product has 12 caps while registering a 0.62 goals against average.

KATE SOBRERO D BOSTON BREAKERS 5-9 Aug. 23, 1976 BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI The backbone of the Breakers defense, Sobrero is an experienced veteran with the ability to play both central defender and outside back ... She played and started in 16 matches for Boston in 2002, recording one assist (June 22 versus New York) ... A member of the U.S. national team since 1998, Sobrero has 76 appearances for the USA ... Earned a Silver Medal as a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team ... Was the youngest U.S. starter in the 1999 Women's World Cup ... Started in the USA's 8-2 win over Scotland on Sept. 8.

ERICA IVERSON D PHILADELPHIA CHARGE 5-9 April 30, 1976 WALNUT CREEK, CA A vital part of Philadelphia's league-leading defense (1.00 goals per game allowed), Iverson has become a mainstay on the Charge's back line ... She played in 19 games for Philadelphia in 2002 as well as the team's playoff match versus Washington (August 17) ... Iverson registered two goals in 2002, including her first career WUSA goal on June 29 versus Atlanta ... She was named to the All-WUSA First Team in 2002 ... Iverson was a finalist for WUSA Defensive Player of the Year in 2002.

ANGELA HUCLES M/F BOSTON BREAKERS 5-7 July 5, 1978 VIRGINIA BEACH, VA After playing more of a defensive role for the Breakers in 2001, Hucles became more involved in Boston's offensive side of the game this past season ... She more than doubled her point total from 2001 (4) to 2002 (10) ... In 19 matches, she registered three goals and four assists for Boston ... Recorded her first-ever multiple-score match with a goal and an assist versus Atlanta on April 20 ...She earned her first three caps with the U.S. national team this season, including the 8-2 win over Scotland on Sept. 8.

MAREN MEINERT F BOSTON BREAKERS 5-6 August 5, 1973 DUISBURG, GERMANY Meinert is a player who can score goals as well as create opportunities for her teammates ... She recorded a WUSA-record 15 assists in 2002 ... With seven goals and 15 assists for 29 points in 2002, Meinert finished tied for fourth among the league's leading scorers ... Meinert's 1.38 points per game in 2002 ranked 10th in the WUSA ... She was named to the All-WUSA Second Team in 2002 and the All-WUSA First Team in 2001 ... She finished the 2002 season tied for first in points scored for the Breakers ... She retired from national team duty after helping Germany capture the 2001 European Championship ... She was a member of the German national team that won the Bronze Medal in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

WUSA South All-Star Team - capsule bios (reserves)

BRIANA SCURRY GK ATLANTA BEAT 5-8 Sept. 7, 1971 DAYTON, MI One of the world's best goalkeepers, Scurry possess excellent athletic ability and a deep knowledge of the goalkeeping position ... She finished the 2002 season (9-8-1, 1.33 GAA) with a league-high six shutouts ... Scurry led the WUSA in catch/punches with 95 in 2002 ... She is first in career shutouts in the WUSA with 13 ... She ranks second in career goals against average (1.08), winning percentage (59.7) and wins (18) ... She was named to the All-WUSA Second Team in both 2001 and 2002 ... Scurry was a finalist for the 2002 WUSA Goalkeeper of the Year ... The number one goalkeeper for the U.S. from 1994-1999, Scurry has returned to form in 2002 ... Scurry has recorded two caps in 2002 with 0.00 goals against average ... She is the only goalkeeper to record 100 career appearances for the U.S. national team ... She made a penalty kick save on China's third shot, giving the U.S. the chance to win the World Cup title in 1999.

NEL FETTIG D CAROLINA COURAGE 5-4 April 25, 1976 FT. WAYNE, IN A versatile player, Fettig can play in the back or in the midfield ... A big reason for Carolina's successful turnaround defensively in 2002, Fettig played in all 21 games during the regular season and both playoff match for the Courage ... She recorded three assists in 2002 ... She helped strengthen a defensive unit that reduced the number of goals allowed by 25 percent ... The University of North Carolina product started all 22 games (21 regular season + one playoff) for the New York Power in 2001; however, she was waived during the preseason and was claimed by Carolina.

CARRIE MOORE D WASHINGTON FREEDOM 5-4 July 22, 1978 ROANOKE, VA Moore filled the void left due to the midseason injury to Lindsey Stoecker to become the club's defensive stopper ... Helping to guide Washington's defense as one of the league's top defensive units, Moore played in 18 matches in 2002 ... She emerged to become a solid defensive asset, and was called upon to shut down the WUSA's top scorers such as Tiffeny Milbrett, Marinette Pichon and Katia .. Her play in the back was one of the driving forces towards Washington's berth in WUSA Founders Cup II.

KYLIE BIVENS D/M ATLANTA BEAT 5-5 Oct. 24, 1978 UPLAND, CA A rising U.S. national team standout, Bivens becomes a more mature player with every games she plays ... She has started as a defender in each of her two WUSA seasons, but was moved to midfield midway through each year as Atlanta Head Coach Tom Stone felt her speed, vision and passing ability was best served in the midfield ... Bivens registered a goal and four assists for Atlanta in 2002 ... She played in 18 match for the Beat in 2002 ... She has seven caps with the U.S. national team in 2002 ... Bivens registered her first career national team point with an assist versus Denmark in the 2002 Algarve Cup.

SHANNON MACMILLAN F SAN DIEGO SPIRIT 5-5 Oct. 7, 1974 ESCONDIDO, CA The ultimate forward, MacMillan has proven that she is one of the top strikers in the world ... She leads the U.S. national team in scoring in 2002 with 12 goals in 2002, including one in the USA's 8-2 win over Scotland on Sept. 8 ... She finished the 2002 campaign with five goals and eight assists for 18 points with the Spirit, ranking 14th among the WUSA's leading scorers ... She ranks seventh on the WUSA's all-time scoring list with 48 points (17 goals, 14 assists) ... MacMillan was named to the All-WUSA First Team in 2001 ... She has been a member of the U.S. national team since 1993 ... MacMillan was a member of the 1999 Women's World Cup champions ... Scored the "golden goal" versus Norway to put the U.S. into the Olympic finals in 1996.

CHARMAINE HOOPER F ATLANTA BEAT 5-7 Jan. 15, 1968 OTTAWA, CANADA The Canadian striker is a strong presence who is comfortable taking on opponents or playing with her back to goal ... For the second consecutive season, Hooper has led the Beat in scoring (11g, 3a, 25 pts.) ... Hooper finished the 2002 season with a league-high six game-winning goals ... She tied the WUSA record for consecutive games with a goal (5) during the 2002 season ... She was named to the All-WUSA First Team in 2001 ... One of only four players to have a hat trick in WUSA history, Hooper ranks second all-time in WUSA goals scored with 23 ... Canada's all-time caps and goal scoring leader, Hooper was named the Honorary Ambassador for the recently completed FIFA Women's Under-19 World Championships.



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from September 9, 2002


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central