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Beat Shuts out Charge 1-0, Pohlers Gets 2nd Game Winner in as Many Games

July 16, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Atlanta Beat News Release


VILLANOVA, PA (July 16, 2003) - Conny Pohlers scored the only goal of the game, as the Atlanta Beat defeated the Philadelphia Charge, 1-0, Wednesday night at Villanova Stadium. The Beat (9-3-4, 31 pts) remains in first place in the eight-team WUSA, while the Charge (3-9-4) dropped their third straight game.

Rookie Hope Solo started in goal for the first time in 10 games for the Charge, who fell to 0-4-2 in their last six. She made two saves and kept it a one-goal game in stoppage time when she deflected a close range shot from Charmaine Hooper.

Briana Scurry made six saves for Atlanta to preserve the 1-0 win, her sixth shutout of the season and her fourth all-time against the Charge.

Charge forward Marinette Pichon returned to action after a two-game absence due to injury. She was held scoreless, but did manage six shots. The reigning league MVP had been sidelined for the previous two games with a bruised sciatic nerve in her lower back.

Atlanta's Cindy Parlow was also held without a goal. Parlow recorded a hat-trick earlier this season versus the Charge in a 4-2 win on June 22 in Atlanta. The Beat have now won three straight against the Charge and are 5-1-0 in their last six overall against Philadelphia.

In the 31st minute, Pohlers gave the Beat the go ahead goal, when she notched her fourth goal of the year and second in as many games. The play started when Parlow collected a through ball from Homare Sawa, bringing Solo off her line to come out and try to corral the ball from Parlow's feet. The defense stopped another shot before Pohlers put her shot by Jen Tietjen-Prozzo who was left alone to defend the net.

The Charge were not without the chances to even the score in the second half. In the 83rd minute Mary McVeigh put a header over the crossbar off a corner kick. The corner kick chance resulted from a Pichon shot that Scurry had to deflect out of bounds.

In the 73rd minute the Charge had another good scoring chance courtesy of a Pichon cross that found Melanie Hoffmann's feet at the six. Hoffmann couldn't control the ball and the Beat defense cleared the it out of danger.

Both teams also had a few good scoring chances in the first half. The Charge's best opportunity came when Stacey Tullock headed a ball towards net that hit the ground and bounded up only to hit the crossbar and get cleared out of danger.

The Beat were with their complete lineup for the first time since June 28. Since then the Beat had been missing multiple players, who were on call with their respective national teams. Homare Sawa and Maribel Dominguez were making their first appearances since June 28 and Briana Scurry and Cindy Parlow each missed the Beat's match last Saturday versus the Washington Freedom.

Atlanta next heads to Boston for Saturday's nationally televised match versus the Breakers at 4 p.m. at Nickerson Field. The Beat has defeated the second place Breakers, twice this season. The Breakers, idle tonight, currently sit six points behind the Beat.

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