Carolina Courage Notebook
July 22, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Carolina Courage News Release
Courage Ready To Regroup, Literally: With six starters missing last game due to national team duty and injury, the Courage suffered defeat for only the third time all season. This week, the team will get a boost when midfielders Hege Riise, Unni Lehn and Tiffany Roberts return home from Blaine, Minnesota, where the U.S. dispatched Norway 4-0 in an international friendly. Additionally, Kim Yankowski, Carla Overbeck, and Danielle Slaton are all likely to return to the starting lineup, after being sidelined with various injuries.
UPCOMING GAME:
Carolina Courage (10-3-3, 33 pts) @ Atlanta Beat (8-7-1, 25 pts)
DATE: Saturday, July 27th
TIME: 7:00 pm (EST)
PLACE: Herndon Stadium, Atlanta, GA
TELEVISION: Fox Sports South
ALL-TIME RECORD: Courage leads series 4-0-1
LAST MEETING (6/15): The Courage responded to Atlanta's first half strike by pouring in three unanswered goals to maintain its statistical dominance over the Beat. Fotopoulos, Lehn and Prinz all scored for Carolina.
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
7.20.02 Philadelphia 2, Carolina 0
Atlanta 3, Boston 1
San Diego 1, New York 0
7.21.02 Washington 3, San Jose 2
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
7.24.02 New York @ Philadelphia, 7 pm
Boston @ Washington, 7 pm
7.27.02 San Diego @ Washington, 4 pm
Philadelphia @ Boston, 6 pm
New York @ San Jose, 6 pm
Carolina @ Atlanta, 7 pm
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"It's not a shame that the players are representing their nations. We're building our sport. In addition, both teams have very deep rosters. We saw a lot of new players in a game with consequences. That's valuable."
~ Courage head coach Marcia McDermott (7-20)
COURAGE INJURY UPDATE:
OUT: None
DOUBTFUL: None
QUESTIONABLE: Danielle Slaton (inflammation, right knee)
PROBABLE: Kim Yankowski (lower back sprain), Carla Overbeck (sore right knee)
Week in Review:
Missing as many as six starters due to national team duty and injury, the Courage lost for only the third time this season. Unfortunately, all three of those losses have come at the hands of Philadelphia, who has now climbed ahead of Carolina and into first place in the WUSA standings. The 2-0 defeat signaled the first time the Courage has been held scoreless all season. The loss also brings to an end the scoring streaks of Birgit Prinz and Danielle Fotopoulos, owners of the WUSA's all-time longest point-scoring streaks (9 games).
TEAM NOTES
Tiffany Roberts Earns Her 80th Cap: It meant breaking her Courage record for consecutive appearances, but Carolina midfielder Tiffany Roberts earned her 80th international appearance for the United States, starting and playing 45 minutes in the US's 4-0 victory over Norway. In the game, Roberts was matched up against Courage teammates Hege Riise and Unni Lehn who represented Norway.
Assist-Leader Riise MVP Candidate: Courage midfielder Hege Riise is the engine that powers the Courage offensive machine. Riise has already bettered her mark of 8 assists last season and is tied for the league lead in helpers (11) with Boston's Kristine Lilly. A definite candidate for WUSA MVP, Riise is tied for the league lead in game winning assists and second in the WUSA in game winning goals.
Road Undefeated Streak Comes To An End: The Courage could not uphold its "road warrior" reputation against powerhouse Philadelphia this past Saturday. The Courage fell 2-0 at Villanova Stadium. It was Carolina's first defeat of the season on the road.
Tickets Going Fast: Less than a 1,000 tickets remain for the Courage's next home game versus the Washington Freedom. This will be Carolina's second to last regular season game and the only time Mia Hamm is scheduled to visit her college stomping grounds this year. Don't be left out. Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (919) 834-4000, or visiting online at http://www.ticketmaster.com
TRAINING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, July 23: 10:00 am â 11:30 am @ SAS Stadium
Wednesday, July 24: 10:00 am â 11:30 am @ SAS Stadium
Thursday, July 25: 10:00 am â 11:30 am @ SAS Stadium
Friday, July 26: Travel to Atlanta / Train at Herndon Stadium 4:00 â 5:00 pm
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Women's United Soccer Association Stories from July 22, 2002
- Two Teams Could Clinch Berths - WUSA
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- Carolina Courage Notebook - Carolina Courage
- Charge Tie WUSA Unbeaten Streak - Philadelphia Charge
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