Beat Prepares for Semifinal Showdown Versus San Diego; One Win Away From Founders Cup III

Published on August 11, 2003 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Atlanta Beat News Release


ATLANTA (August 11, 2003) - The Atlanta Beat finished second in the 2003 WUSA Regular Season and will host the third place San Diego Spirit on Sunday, August 17, at 6 p.m. The Beat tied its regular season finale on Sunday, 1-1 versus the New York Power and finished with a regular season record of 9-4-8 and 35 points.

In the first WUSA semifinal, the first place Boston Breakers will host the fourth place Washington Freedom at 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 16. The game will be played at Nickerson Field, home to the Breakers, and will be televised live on PAX-TV.

WUSA Semifinal Preview - Atlanta Beat vs. San Diego Spirit Sunday, August 17, 2003 - 6 p.m. @ Herndon Stadium Television: ESPN2

The Atlanta Beat faces the San Diego Spirit on Sunday in the second of two WUSA semifinal matches. The match was setup as the Beat finished in 2nd place in the regular season and the Spirit finished in 3rd place. With a top two finish, the Beat earned home field advantage in the semifinals.

This is the Spirit's first trip to the WUSA postseason and is the Beat's third consecutive trip. Atlanta is the only team in the league's short history, to advance to the playoffs in each of the three WUSA seasons. San Diego ended the regular season with a 2-1 win over the Washington Freedom, to claim 3rd place in the final standings.

The Beat finished the regular season on a five game winless streak, where they went 0-1-4, and dropped to second place, after the Boston Breakers defeated the San Jose CyberRays last Sunday. While each team heads into the playoffs, riding different waves of emotion, the Beat is the more experienced playoff team and has a superior record over all the 2003 playoff teams.

This year's regular season series was won by Atlanta with a 1-0-2 record. The Beat tied the Spirit at home 1-1 on May 10, in the first meeting, then went on the road and played to a 1-1 tie on May 31. The only win in the 2003 series came in Atlanta on July 9, as the Beat took the final regular season match 2-0.

The Beat holds the edge in the overall series standings versus the Spirit, with a 4-2-3 record and is 5-0-4 this season versus the three playoff teams. In the nine games played, the Beat has outscored the Spirit 15-10. While this is the Spirit's first trip to the playoffs, the Beat is 1-1-1 all-time in postseason play.

The Beat defeated the Philadelphia Charge in the 2001 semifinals before playing the San Jose (Bay Area) CyberRays in the inaugural Founders Cup. The game was played to a 3-3 tie in regulation, with the CyberRays winning a penalty kick shootout to claim the first WUSA Championship. Last season the Beat traveled to Carolina for the WUSA semifinal and was defeated 2-1 in sudden death overtime. While experience and records are in the favor of the Beat, the game will ultimately be decided on the field on Sunday.

Key matchups:

Beat forward Charmaine Hooper vs. Spirit defender Joy Fawcett - Hooper led the Beat in scoring for the third straight season (11G, 7A, 29 pts) and has five goals all-time versus the Spirit. Hooper's second half form has been superb and she'll be dangerous heading into the playoffs. Fawcett, the Spirit's defensive leader, will be counted upon to organize the San Diego defense, while also paying close attention to Hooper and the rest of the attacking team.

Beat defender Nancy Augustyniak vs. Spirit forward Christine Latham - Beat defender Nancy Augustyniak has been a stalwart on the back line all season. The Beat's defense ranked as the best in the three-year history of the WUSA, allowing less than one goal per game. Latham, a rookie forward, ranked second on the team in scoring and finished the season on fire. Augustyniak will look to match her speed and keep her from getting dangerous opportunities near the Beat's penalty area.

Tom Stone's Quotes:

On looking forward to San Diego - "We reminded the team that the reason they may be feeling down was because we had the unique opportunity to chase two titles, and we let one get away from us. But the reality is that it's tough to win both titles (Regular Season and Founders Cup), and now we've got more motivation to cap the season off, by adding the Founders Cup to our trophy case."

On the Spirit heading into Sunday's game - "It appears that Christine Latham has gotten her game where she wants it. Now the Spirit's attack is a full double threat, with Latham and (Julie) Fleeting. Having those two playing well, with (Aly) Wagner and (Julie) Foudy supporting behind them, gives the Spirit attack some good balance."

Beat 1, Power 1 - Game Recap - August 10, 2003 The Atlanta Beat closed out the 2003 regular season with a 1-1 tie versus the New York Power. With the tie, the Beat finished in 2nd place during the regular season with a 9-4-8 record and 35 points. The Boston Breakers finished the season in 1st place with a 10-4-7 record and 37 points.

Charmaine Hooper scored the Beat's only goal of the game in the 13th minute on an assist from Homare Sawa, and had a penalty kick saved in first half stoppage time. The goal was Hooper's 11th of the season, the failed penalty attempt was the third of the season for the Beat. The Power came back from the deficit and tied the game up in the 40th minute off a smashing free kick from Power defender Margaret Tietjen.

Tietjen took the free kick from 35 yards out, after Nikki Serlenga was whistled for a foul. The left-footed free kick curled around the wall and towards the left post. Beat goalkeeper Briana Scurry dove to her right, but the ball squeezed under her and into the corner of the goal.

There were six cautions issued in the physical contest. The Beat finished in 2nd place and still has never lost to the New York Power. The Power finished in 5th place with a 7-9-5 record and 26 points.

Tom Stone's quotes on match versus Power: "The minute we heard [the Boston game] was final, we went to three forwards. We were playing five forwards at the end, begging to be first place"

"We're clearly disappointed that we didn't bring the regular-season title home. We certainly didn't tie because we didn't go for it. We didn't tie because we didn't create chances. We didn't tie because we didn't play hard."

"It's hard to talk about Charmaine missing the penalty shot, because if it wasn't for her goal we wouldn't have been in the lead anyway... Soccer's a cruel game sometimes. We missed two easy ones and that's pretty much the ball game."

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Women's United Soccer Association Stories from August 11, 2003


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