Carolina Courage Notebook
Published on June 24, 2002 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Carolina Courage News Release
Courage Matches Last Season's Point Totals: With 10 regular season games remaining, the Courage has already earned 21 points â which is as many as the 2001 team earned all last year.
LATER THIS WEEK
San Diego Spirit (2-6-3, 9 pts) @ Carolina Courage (6-2-3, 21 pts)
DATE: Saturday, June 29th
TIME: 7:00 pm (EST)
PLACE: SAS Stadium
TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net
ALL-TIME RECORD: Courage leads series 3-0-1
SERIES HISTORY NOTE: The Carolina Courage is the only team in the WUSA that San Diego has never defeated.
LAST MEETING: In the season opener at Torero Stadium, Danielle Fotopoulos scored her first goal of the season for Carolina, while Zhang Ouying notched her first WUSA goal for the Spirit. In the final minutes of the match, Danielle Slaton raced forward and fired a rocket into the San Diego goalmouth. The ball caromed off of a San Diego defender and into the Spirit net to give the Courage a 2-1 road victory.
COACH'S KEY TO VICTORY: "San Diego has an explosive attack. The best way to defend them is to hold possession ourself. Obviously, you have to respect the talent of Shannon MacMillan and Zhang Ouying. We can never defend them alone. We must always have defensive cover."
Week in Review:
Carolina continued its dominance on the road (4-0-2), maintaining its distinction as the only unbeaten road team in the WUSA. Danielle Fotopoulos and Birgit Prinz extended their point scoring streaks to five games each, while Prinz has now registered either a goal or an assist in every game in which she has played for the Courage.
TEAM NOTES
Courage Matches 2001 Season Point Production After 11 Games: With 10 regular season games remaining, the Courage has already earned 21 points â which is as many as the 2001 team earned all last year.
"I'm Your Venus!": The Courage could not be happier with its off season acquisition Venus James, who notched two goals, including the game winner in Carolina's 3-1 win over Washington.
Riise Leads WUSA In Assists: Courage midfielder Hege Riise, who helped to set up Birgit Prinz's goal in the 67th minute, has handed out seven helpers in 10 games for the Courage and is tied for the WUSA lead in assists (with Boston's Kristine Lilly).
Fotopoulos Among League Leaders: Forward Danielle Fotopoulos, who led the Courage in scoring last year, is currently third in the WUSA in scoring with seven goals and three assists.
Courage Boasts Top Offense In WUSA: The Courage, who scored only 28 goals in all of 2001, has the WUSA most explosive offense this season. Through eleven games, the Courage has scored a WUSA-high 21 goals, including 13 in its last five matches.
Women's United Soccer Association Stories from June 24, 2002
- Courage's James Player of the Week - WUSA
- WUSA Midseason Report - WUSA
- Charge Leading the Pack at Midseason - Philadelphia Charge
- Spirit Tie League Leaders - San Diego Spirit
- Carolina Courage Notebook - Carolina Courage
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