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Courage, Charge Rise to the Top

May 6, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release


ATLANTA (Monday, May 6, 2002) -The upstart Carolina Courage and the high-scoring Philadelphia Charge remain the only unbeaten teams in the Women's United Soccer Association following week four of the 2002 WUSA regular season. The only two WUSA teams to play just three games (the remaining six teams have played four matches), Carolina and Philadelphia also are the only two clubs to register three victories.

With Saturday's 1-0 victory over Atlanta, Carolina is now 3-0-0 (9 pts.) and halfway to last year's victory total when the club finished in last place with a 6-12-3 (21 pts.) mark. Led by goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill, defender Danielle Slaton and defensive midfielder Tiffany Roberts, defense has been the key for Carolina. The Courage has the stingiest defense in the WUSA, allowing just 0.67 goals per game. Carolina is the only WUSA team holding opponents under one goal per game.

While pleased with the team's fast start, Carolina Head Coach Marcia McDermott is emphasizing that the club's place in the WUSA standings does not matter until the end of the season. Carolina should only improve as the season progresses, especially with the additions of German star Birgit Prinz at the end of May and U.S. national team veteran Carla Overbeck, who is slated to return from a knee injury in June.

"We've put an emphasis on winning points," McDermott said about the team's fast start. "First place, last place are not in our conversations. Our conversations are concerned with winning points now so we're in the playoffs at the end of the season."

The high-scoring Boston Breakers visit SAS Soccer Park Saturday, May 11 to try and snap Carolina's unbeaten streak. Led by U.S. national team star Kristine Lilly and German national team standouts Maren Meinert (co-WUSA scoring leader) and Bettina Weigmann, Boston won two of three meetings against Carolina last year, but all three matches were decided by one goal.

Philadelphia, 3-0-0 (9 pts.), keeps charging along, using a wide variety of players in the attack to average a WUSA-high 2.67 goals per game. The Charge finished fourth in the WUSA last year with a 9-8-4 mark (31 pts.), qualifying for the playoffs where the club lost in a dramatic overtime game to Atlanta. English national team star Kelly Smith, who has a goal or an assist in all three games, joins rising American star Mandy Clemens and French national team standout Marinette Pichon in the Charge's multi-faceted attack.

"When you have quality players and people who are technical like these young women are, you're going to score your share of goals," Philadelphia Head Coach Mark Krikorian said.

Despite Saturday's 4-2 victory over Boston, Krikorian added that it is still early in the season and he expects his club to improve, especially when Pichon and injured Chinese international Zhao Lihong become better assimilated.

"We're obviously delighted with our early-season success. However, we don't feel that we're clicking on all cylinders just yet. Our goal is to continue to improve as the season goes along."

Philadelphia faces a tough challenge as the Washington Freedom visits in a nationally televised match on PAX TV Saturday, May 11 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Current WUSA Player of the Week Abby Wambach and the Freedom are coming off a 3-0 victory yesterday at San Diego, but Melissa Moore, Heather Mitts and the rest of the Philadelphia defense should be ready. Although better known for having the WUSA's top offense, Philadelphia's defense has also shined, as the Charge ranks second in goals against average, allowing just 1.0 goal per game.

EARLY BIRTHDAY PRESENT: Tiffany Roberts, one day before her 25th birthday, notched her first WUSA goal as Carolina remained unbeaten in the league this season. Roberts' parents and her 87-year-old grandmother were in attendance at SAS Stadium.

"I'm actually so happy right now," Roberts said after the game. "It's my birthday tomorrow and it's my first goal ever, so I couldn't have asked for it to come at a better time."

"Tiffany Roberts steps up and wins the game for them every time, it seems," Atlanta Head Coach Tom Stone said. "She's been the MVP almost every time we've played them."

CHINESE FOURSOME YET TO MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME: It nearly happened Sunday evening in San Diego, but four Chinese players have yet to step on the same field all at the same time in a WUSA regular season match. Washington's Bai Jie and Pu Wei met San Diego's Zhang Ouying and Fan Yunjie on May 5, but Bai did not play due to a left knee strain. Washington and Philadelphia, who meet May 11 in the PAX nationally televised match, each have two Chinese players. However, Zhao Lihong is expected to be out for three more weeks because of stress reaction in her left foot suffered in the first half of the April 27 win over New York. Barring injuries, it appears that the June 1 matchup between Atlanta (Sun Wen and Liping Wang) and San Diego (Zhang Ouying and Fan Yunjie) will be the first time four Chinese players all meet in a WUSA regular season contest.

WUSA STARS BATTLE EACH OTHER IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING: Norway takes on France Thursday, May 9 in qualifying for World Cup China 2003. A victory over France will clinch a World Cup berth for the Norwegians. Germany is the lone team to qualify for World Cup China 2003. Qualifying for the United States and the CONCACAF region takes place in the fall. What does Thursday's match mean for the WUSA? Carolina will be without midfielder Hege Riise and forward Unni Lehn, and Boston will be without Dagny Mellgren for Saturday's match between the two clubs. New York's Anita Rapp and Linda Ormen will also miss this weekend's action at Atlanta due to Norwegian national team duty. All five flew out of the United States after Saturday and Sunday's games to join Norway's national team for the World Cup qualifier against France and a May 12 qualifier vs. the Ukraine. Philadelphia's Marinette Pichon (France) will be back in time for the Charge's match on Saturday against Washington.

MOORE TO PARTICPATE IN THIS WEEK'S WUSA.COM CHAT: Philadelphia goalkeeper Melissa Moore will be the featured guest on this week's WUSA.com web chat on Tuesday, May 7. The chat will begin at 8:00 p.m. (ET) and will last approximately 30 minutes. Moore, one of the WUSA's top goalkeepers, will be on hand to answer fan questions. Fans can submit questions before and during the chat. For more information, log on to www.WUSA.com.

SCORING CONTINUES TO RISE: The 2002 WUSA season has produced a lot of goals through the first 15 games. The league is currently averaging 3.27 goals per game. Through the first 15 games of the 2001 season, the WUSA had only averaged 2.00 goals per game. In 2002, a WUSA team has failed to score a goal only five times through the first 15 games. During the 2001 season, a team was shutout 11 times in the same amount of time. Below is a comparison between the two seasons.

Season Gm G Avg. Shutouts
2002 15 49 3.27 5
2001 15 30 2.00 11

BEENE SHUTS DOWN THE POWER AGAIN: During the San Jose CyberRays' 1-0 victory over the New York Power on Sunday, LaKeysia Beene recorded her first shutout of the 2002 season. It was her ninth shutout (the most in league history) of her WUSA career and marked the fourth time in which the San Jose 'keeper had not allowed a goal against New York. In five meeting (including the playoffs), Beene has allowed only two goals. In the last four regular season meetings, Beene has shut down the Power attack, allowing no goals. With Beene in net, San Jose is the only team in which New York has not recorded a regular season score.

WASHINGTON FINALLY FINDS SUCCESS ON THE ROAD: The Washington Freedom recorded its first road victory since June 3, 2001 with a 3-0 win versus San Diego on Sunday evening at Torero Stadium. The win was the first road victory for the Freedom in eight tries. The Freedom's last road win was a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Charge.

WUSA Game Previews (Week Five)

Saturday, May 11, 2002 - Washington Freedom at Philadelphia Charge - 4:00 p.m. (ET) - PAX TV (National Broadcast) (All-time Series History: Philadelphia leads 2-1-0)
Philadelphia leads the all-time series 2-1-0 versus Washington while outscoring the Freedom 5-2. The last meeting between these two teams took place on July 26, 2001 at RFK Stadium. In that match, Philadelphia defeated Washington 2-0. The win kept the Charge from falling below .500 for the first time in team history. Chinese international Liu Ailing leads all Charge players with two goals versus the Freedom. No Washington player has scored more than one goal versus Philadelphia.

Key Players to Watch: Washington's Abby Wambach (1g, 3a, 5pts.), this week's WUSA Player of the Week, returned to the Freedom lineup to score her first career WUSA goal versus San Diego last Sunday. The league leader in assists, Wambach, has registered an goal or an assist in every match she has played in for the Freedom. Monica Gerardo (2g, 1a, 5 pts.) and Jacqui Little (2g, 4pts.) each netted a goal on May 5 to give the Freedom its first road win in eight tries with a 3-0 victory over San Diego. Little has now scored more goals (2) in four matches than the forward had scored all of last season. Gerardo has already tied her 2001 output for goals scored (2). Goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse recorded her first career shutout on Sunday, registering six saves versus one of the league's highest-scoring offenses (San Diego). Philadelphia had an offensive explosion last week, recording four goals versus Boston on May 4. Kelly Smith (2g, 1 a, 5 pts.) extended her point-scoring streak to three matches after notching her first assist of the 2002 season on Saturday. Mandy Clemens (1g, 2pts.) recorded her first goal of the season in the win over the Breakers. Melissa Moore (3-0-0, 1.00 GAA) recorded her third straight victory in the 4-2 win over Boston. The Philadelphia 'keeper improved to 8-3-1 during her WUSA career.

Key Matchup: (Philadelphia forward Kelly Smith versus Washington defender Jennifer Grubb) Grubb will look to contain the Charge striker who has been hot for Philadelphia. Scoring five points in three matches, Smith will look for her first points versus the Freedom. Grubb will focus on shutting down the English international in an attempt to cap the league's most explosive team (2.67 goals per game).

The "Inside Scoop": Philadelphia (3-0-0) continued its dominance over opponents with a 4-2 victory over Boston on Saturday, making them one of only two undefeated teams in the WUSA. Philadelphia star Smith leads all Charge players in scoring but has never recorded a point versus the Freedom. Washington is coming off its first road victory in eight tries and will look to carry the momentum of its 3-0 win over the San Diego Spirit into Villanova Stadium.

They Said it: "Look for (Marinette) Pichon, (Kelly) Smith, and (Mandy) Clemens to be one of the most entertaining attacking trios in the league," - Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra on the Philadelphia Charge.

Referee: Sandy Hunt. Assistant Referees: Sharon Wheeler, Adam Smeltz. 4th Official: William R. Delaney.

Saturday, May 11, 2002 - New York Power at Atlanta Beat- 7:00 p.m. (ET) - MSG (New York) (All-time Series History: Atlanta leads 2-0-1)
Atlanta hosts New York holding a 2-0-1 record in the all-time series versus the Power. In all three meetings, the Beat has outscored the Power 5-1. Atlanta was victorious in the last meeting versus New York with a 2-1 victory on July 22, 2001 at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Cindy Parlow netted both goals in that match to give the Beat its eighth victory of the season. Charmaine Hooper and Parlow lead all Beat players with two goals each versus the Power. New York forward Tiffeny Milbrett has scored the Power's only goal versus the Beat.

Key Players to Watch: New York's Milbrett (2g, 4pts.) will look to spark a Power offense that has been able to only record two goals in its last three matches. Emily Janss (2g, 4pts.) will look to assist Milbrett in the offensive duties for New York. Minna Mustonen (1a) returns to the lineup after missing the last two games due to Finnish national team duty. Mustonen will add firepower to the New York attack. Goalkeeper Saskia Webber (1-1-0, 2.69 GAA) will return between the pipes for the Power after serving a red card suspension last game. Atlanta's Hooper (1g, 2pts.) and Parlow have had the most success versus New York and will look to continue that trend. Briana Scurry (1-3-0, 1.50 GAA) will look to shut down the Power, a team against which the Atlanta 'keeper has seen success (one goal in three matches).

Key Matchup: (New York defender Christie Pearce versus Atlanta forward Charmaine Hooper) - Pearce will try and use her speed to keep the ball away from the physical Hooper. Last year, Hooper scored two goals in a 3-0 victory over the Power. Since moving to the central defense, Pearce has bolstered the Power's back line. Look for Sara Whalen, who has struggled against Hooper, to assist Pearce.

The "Inside Scoop": New York is currently riding a three-game losing skid and will look for success on the road. The Power is 1-1-0 away from Mitchel Athletic Complex while scoring five of its six goals of the season away from home. The Beat is undefeated versus the Power, holding New York to just one goal in three tries. Atlanta, which won its last home match, will look to extend its winning ways at Herndon Stadium this weekend. New York will be without its Norwegian international players (Linda Ormen and Anita Rapp) due to national team duty. This should give Janss the opportunity to team up with Milbrett up top.

They Said it: "Atlanta is a very physical team with Charmaine Hooper & Cindy Parlow up front. That will test our back line. It will also be interesting playing in their new stadium." - New York Power Head Coach Pat Farmer on the Atlanta Beat.

Referee: Rachel Woo. Assistant Referees: Diane Driggers, Patrick Baker. 4th Official: Corey Rockwell.

Saturday, May 11, 2002 - Boston Breakers at Carolina Courage - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - AT&T 3 (Boston); CNNSI Regional (Carolina) (All-time Series History: Boston leads 2-1-0)
Boston holds an all-time 2-1-0 lead in the series versus the Carolina Courage. In the three matches played, the Breakers lead the Courage 4-3 in goals scored. The last meeting between the two teams took place on July 21, 2001 at Nickerson Field. Carolina won that match 2-1 to give the Courage its second road win of the season. Boston's Maren Meinert leads all Boston players with three goals scored versus the Courage. No player on the Carolina roster has recorded more than one goal against the Breakers.

Key Players to Watch: Meinert (3g, 2a, 8pts.) is tied for the league lead in points scored after registering her third goal of the season on Saturday. Meinert has now scored three goals in the last four matches for the Breakers. Kristine Lilly (2g, 1a, 5pts.), who missed the April 27 Breakers match due to national team duty, scored her second goal in as many matches for Boston last Saturday. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc (1-2-1, 2.25 GAA), will face the Courage for the first time this weekend. Carolina's Danielle Fotopoulos (2g, 4 pts.) leads all Courage players in points scored and goals this season. Defender Tiffany Roberts (1g, 2 pts.), one day before her 25th birthday, scored the game-winning goal versus Atlanta last weekend. The league's hottest goalkeeper, Kristin Luckenbill (3-0-0, 0.67 GAA), will face Boston for only the third time. Luckenbill has an all-time record of 1-1-0 versus the Breakers.

Key Matchup: (Carolina midfielder Meghan Anderson versus Boston midfielder Kristine Lilly) - Courage rookie Anderson will be asked to fill some big shoes when she steps into the starting midfield role in the absence of Norwegian teammates Hege Riise and Unni Lehn. She will be going head-to-head with one of the most experienced midfielders in the WUSA. Lilly will look to control play in midfield by taking advantage of Anderson's inexperience.

The "Inside Scoop": Boston faces one of only two undefeated teams in the WUSA for the second straight weekend (lost to Philadelphia 4-2 on May 4). The Breakers will be without the services of Dagny Mellgren due to national team duty. The Boston forward has one goal in four matches for the Breakers. Carolina will be missing playmakers Riise and Lehn to national team duty as well. This will give newcomer Anderson an opportunity to step into the starting midfield role this weekend.

They Said it: "We need to shut down the center midfield and win the battle on the flanks." - Carolina Courage Head Coach Marcia McDermott on the key to victory.

Referee: Erich Simmons. Referee Assistants: Thomas Supple, Bill Dittmar. 4th Official: Daniel Burak.

Sunday, May 12, 2002 - San Diego Spirit at San Jose CyberRays - 6:00 p.m. (ET) - KICU (San Jose); Cox 4 (San Diego) (All-time Series History: Series tied 1-1-1)
In a series tied 1-1-1 all-time, San Diego has outscored San Jose 2-1 in three matches. The last meeting between these two teams took place July 25, 2001 at Spartan Stadium. San Diego won that match 2-0, snapping the then-league-best 10-game unbeaten streak. Neither team has had a player score more than one goal in this series, while no one on San Jose's current roster has recorded a score for the CyberRays versus the Spirit.

Key Players to Watch: After being upset by Washington last weekend (3-0), the Spirit will head to Spartan Stadium to look for its first road victory of the 2002 season. With two of the leading scorers in the WUSA (Zhang Ouying - 3g, 2a, 8 pts. and Shannon MacMillan - 2g, 1a, 5 pts.) the Spirit aims to regain its spot as the highest scoring team in the league. San Jose ended its two-game losing skid with a 1-0 victory over New York on Sunday. Pretinha (2g, 4 pts.) scored the game-winning goal for the CyberRays last week. Goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene (2-2-0, 1.25 GAA) registered her first shutout of the 2002 season. She has now recorded nine clean sheets during her WUSA career.

Key Matchup: (CyberRays defender Michelle French versus San Diego forward Shannon MacMillan) - MacMillan is tied for third in the league in scoring with two goals and an assist, both goals coming in a 6-1 victory over the New York Power. French will try to contain one of the league's most explosive players. French is part of a defense that has allowed 1.3 goals per game (third in the WUSA) and shut down the league's most lethal striker in 2001, Milbrett, last weekend.

The "Inside Scoop": Neither team has found much success at home in this series. Both team victories came on their opponent's soil. It has not been a high-scoring affair between these two teams. A total of three goals has been scored in the three prior meetings. Two of Beene's league-best eight shutouts in 2001 came against San Diego. MacMillan, the second leading scorer in the WUSA last season, has yet to register a point versus the CyberRays. This will also mark the first meeting of the 2002 season between San Diego midfielder Julie Foudy and her husband San Jose Head Coach Ian Sawyers.

They Said it: "Coming off a loss, the Spirit is going to be coming at us full bore. They've been working on their defensive strategy, and I expect we'll see a well-organized team. Because of our recent success against them (a 2-2 draw and a 4-1 victory in the preseason), we'll be playing with confidence. We got a result on the road, now we'll go home, get some rest.'' - San Jose CyberRays Head Coach Ian Sawyers on San Diego.

Referee: Terry Vaughn. Referee Assistants: George Gansner, Chris Strickland. 4th Official: Robert Sabella.

TEAM INJURY REPORTS AS OF 5/6/02
ATLANTA BEAT: PROBABLE - D Nancy Augustyniak (R knee patellar tendonitis); F Cindy Parlow (R ankle contusion); F Sun Wen (left adductor strain).
BOSTON BREAKERS: OUT - GK Tracy Ducar (R knee articular cartilage lesion); D Kate Sobrero (L knee meniscus tear); PROBABLE -F Ranghild Gulbrandsen (foot surgery); D Keri Raygor (R hamstring).
CAROLINA COURAGE: OUT - D Carla Overbeck (R knee surgery).
NEW YORK POWER: OUT - GK Gao Hong (R wrist surgery); D Jenn O'Sullivan (L knee ACL/PCL tear).
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: OUT - F Rakel Karvelsson (R ACL tear); M Zhao Lihong (stress reaction L foot); PROBABLE - D Erica Iverson (R foot sprain); F Kelly Smith (L Knee).
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: OUT - M Jen Mascaro (Broken L foot).
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: PROBABLE - Theresa Wagner (right knee tendonitis); Kelly Lindsey (lower back strain).
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: OUT - F Mia Hamm (L knee thigh bone lesion); PROBABLE - GK Erin Fahey (groin pull-l); M/D Bai Jie (L knee strain).

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY AS OF 5/6/02
ATLANTA BEAT: None.
BOSTON BREAKERS: NORWAY - F Dagny Mellgren
CAROLINA COURAGE: NORWAY - M Hege Riise, M Unni Lehn
NEW YORK POWER: NORWAY - M Linda Ormen, M Anita Rapp
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: FRANCE- F Marinette Pichon
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: None.
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: None.
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: None.

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

ATLANTA BEAT: Atlanta dropped its third game of the season on Saturday as the Carolina Courage continued to be the biggest nemesis of the Beat, defeating Atlanta 1-0 in Cary, NC ... The Courage has now defeated the Beat three out of four times the teams have met (with the other being a draw) ... Atlanta has scored just two goals in four games and allowed six ... The Beat did not allow six goals until game 10 in 2001 ... "Maybe I'll just have to pitch a shutout every game," Atlanta goalkeeper Briana Scurry told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after Saturday's loss at Carolina. "If that's what it takes, that's what I've got to do." ... Atlanta may not be scoring, but the Beat does rank first in the WUSA in fouls suffered with 67 ... Forward Cindy Parlow is tied for the WUSA lead in fouls suffered with 14 ... The Beat ranks second in the WUSA in fouls committed with 62, nine behind league leader San Diego ... Atlanta is averaging a WUSA low 7.75 shots per game ... On the flip side, the Beat is allowing just 9.25 shots per contest, the lowest total in the WUSA (Philadelphia is allowing 9.33 shots per game).

BOSTON BREAKERS: The Breakers took a step back in their progress on Saturday as Boston suffered a 4-2 loss against the Philadelphia Charge at Villanova Stadium ... Maren Meinert and Kristine Lilly scored for Boston ... Meinert has now notched a point in all four games this season for the Breakers ... Meinert now has three goals and two assists for eight points, tying her with San Diego's Zhang Ouying for the WUSA scoring lead ... Lilly now has two goals in two games this year ... Defender/midfielder Keri Raygor did not play against Philadelphia due to a slight hamstring pull, snapping her streak of 23 consecutive games played for the Breakers ... The Breakers have already had four different starting lineups - the only players to start and play in every game this season are Maren Meinert and Chrisy McCann ... Watch out for Boston after halftime as the Breakers have scored half of the team's eight goals in the 46th-60th minute period ... The four goals in the first 15 minutes after halftime are twice as many as any other WUSA club ... Boston is allowing a WUSA-high 15 shots per game ... Only 18 (4.5 per game) of the shots by the Breakers have been on goal, a league-low average ... However, Boston's conversion rate (44%, 8 of 18) of shots on frame is the best in the WUSA.

CAROLINA COURAGE: Tiffany Roberts' driving header in the 72nd minute gave the Carolina Courage a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Beat Saturday afternoon in the inaugural game at SAS Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium built for a WUSA team ... Carolina (3-0-0, 9 pts.) is tied with Philadelphia (3-0-0, 9 pts.) for first place in the WUSA ... Carolina continued its dominance over Atlanta as the Courage now leads the all-time series 3-0-1 ... An important part of Carolina's 3-0 start is that the Courage has scored the first goal in all three of the club's matches in 2002 ... The Courage went 5-3-2 when scoring first in 2001 but 1-9-1 when allowing the first goal ... Carolina may be low in shots on goal (the Courage's 15 shots on frame are the lowest in the WUSA and the club's per game average is the second lowest to Atlanta), but the team is accurate as five of those 15 shots on goal have found the back of the net ... That 33% conversion rate is the third highest in the WUSA (Boston is at 44% and San Diego at 34%) ... Goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill, the league's April Co-Player of the Month, leads the WUSA in goals against average (0.67), saves (26) and save percentage (92.9%) ... German Player of the Year Birgit Prinz, who will join the Courage in late May, capped Germany's 8-0 spanking of Portugal by notching the final tally in the 85th minute on Saturday in a World Cup qualifying match.

NEW YORK POWER: Despite controlling the most of the game in San Jose's third of the field, the Power was unable to overcome an early goal by the CyberRays and suffered the team's second consecutive home loss and third straight loss overall ... The 1-0 loss to San Jose on Saturday marked the WUSA debut of reserve goalkeeper Nicole Williams, who made three saves on the evening ... Regular goalkeepers Gao Hong (wrist) and Saskia Webber (red card suspension) were out for the Power ... With Anita Rapp and Linda Ormen off with the Norwegian national team for World Cup qualifying matches, the Power will not have their full roster back until May 14 ... The May 11 game will make the third straight game that the Power will be without one of their starters ... Both Tiffeny Milbrett and Minna Mustonen missed the Philadelphia Charge game (April 27) when the U.S. national team met Finland ... Mustonen also missed the match against San Jose (May 5), while Rapp and Ormen will miss the game against Atlanta (May 11) ... The first 15 minutes of each game have been touch on the Power, as New York has not scored in that time frame and has allowed three goals during that 15-minute interval.

PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: During their home opener, the Charge defeated the Boston Breakers 4-2 on Saturday, May 4 to remain undefeated on the season ... Philadelphia and Carolina are the only two teams in the WUSA who have not yet registered a loss ... Three different players scored for the Charge on Saturday ... Jen Tietjen recorded her first career goal during stoppage time of the first half to draw Philadelphia even with Boston 1-1 heading into halftime ... Marinette Pichon recorded a goal and an assist while Mandy Clemens scored her first goal of the 2002 season ... Kelly Smith, who recorded an assist on Tietjen's goal, extended her current points-scored streak to three matches ... The English international has recorded a point in each of Philadelphia's three matches ... Liu Ailing recorded her first point of 2002 on Saturday ... The team's leading scorer in 2001 registered an assist in the 4-2 victory ... Midfielder Zhao Lihong will miss at least the next three weeks due to a stress fracture in her left foot ... The injury was suffered during the Charge's match versus the New York Power on April 27 ... The Charge continue to experience early season success with a 3-0-0 start in 2002... Last year, Philadelphia got off to a 2-0-1 start through the first three games of the season.

SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: San Diego dropped its first match to the Freedom on Sunday, May 5 with a 3-0 loss to Washington at Torero Stadium ... It was San Diego's worst defeat since a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia on July 13, 2001 ... With the loss, San Diego dropped to 1-2-0 at home in 2002 ... "The loss was a combination of our impatience, Washington playing well, and us playing poorly. There is no sugar-coating this, we just didn't play well." - San Diego Head Coach Carlos Juarez on the loss to Washington ... With the shutout, Zhang Ouying's three-game point streak came to an end ... The WUSA co-Player of the Month had recorded three goals and two assists in three matches during April ... San Diego will face in-state foe San Jose on Sunday, May 12 ... San Diego is currently ranked first in the WUSA in goals scored while San Jose is ranked seventh ... San Diego has scored 2.33 goals per game at home to lead the league while registering 2.00 goals per game on the road ... The Spirit has allowed 2.00 goals per game at both Torero Stadium and on the road.

SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: The CybersRays ended a two-game losing skid with a 1-0 victory over the New York Power on Sanday evening ... Pretinha's 14th-minute goal gave San Jose its first road win of the season ... Lakeysia Beene recorded her first shutout of the 2002 season .. The shutout was also her ninth clean sheet in her WUSA career ... Four of her nine shutouts have been against the Power ... Pretinha's goal gives the Brazilian international the team lead in both goals and points scored ... Thori Bryan played in her 27th consecutive match (including the playoffs) on Sunday ... Bryan has played in 2,450 consecutive minutes during the streak ... She is one of only two players (Washington's Jennifer Grubb) to play in every regular season game for their club and the only one to play in every game (including the playoffs) ... San Jose will host San Diego on Sunday, May 12 ... The CyberRays will be looking for their first home victory versus San Diego after losing the only meeting at Spartan Stadium between the two teams 2-0.

WASHINGTON FREEDOM: The Freedom is coming off its first road victory in eight tries with a 3-0 win over the San Diego Spirit on Sunday, May 5 at Torero Stadium ... Rookie Abby Wambach (this week's WUSA Player of the Week) returned to Washington's lineup to score her first career WUSA goal in the 3-0 win over San Diego ... "It feels great to contribute to the team and score my first WUSA goal. I will continue to work hard for my team." - Wambach on her first career goal ... She has now scored in three straight matches for the Freedom ... Dawn Greathouse recorded her first career shutout on Sunday ... She made six saves versus one of the most explosive offenses in the league (San Diego) ... Washington heads to Philadelphia to face the Charge on Saturday, May 11 ... The Freedom will look to get over .500 for the first time since June 9, 2001 ... Washington averages 1.50 goals per game on the road while only allowing 0.50 goals per match.



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from May 6, 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.


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