Courage Falls To Atlanta, 2-1
Published on April 6, 2002 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Carolina Courage News Release
Chattanooga, TN. (April 6, 2002) The Carolina Courage lost, 2-1, to the Atlanta Beat today in its final preseason exhibition at W. Max Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The victory ended the Courage's streak of unbeaten results against Atlanta, extending back to last season.
The Beat took an early lead in the 8th minute. After the Courage failed to clear an Atlanta corner attempt, Julie Augustyniak served the errant ball back across the Courage backline to teammate Emily Burt. Burt eluded the goalkeeper, who came charging off her line, and fired the ball into the open Carolina goal.
The Courage had back-to-back chances to equalize 12 minutes later from a pair of corners. Kim Yankowski hit a screaming drive that Briana Scurry barely misdirected up against the crossbar. A few seconds later, Danielle Fotopoulos dropped a nice ball to midfielder Hege Riise, who placed her shot just above of the goal.
A barrage of late Courage chances, including another blast from Yankowski, closed out a first half, in which Carolina outshot the Beat, 8-4.
After the break, Atlanta increased its lead after only six minutes. Once again, it was Emily Burt who tallied for the Beat. When Danielle Slaton mistimed her jumping header clearance, Nikki Serlenga's cross fell right to the feet of the an opportunistic Emily Burt, who made no mistake with the finish.
Hege Riise started the comeback for the Courage in the 70th minute. After Danielle Fotopoulos was pulled down just outside the penalty box, the Courage's Norwegian playmaker neatly slotted the ensuing free kick into the corner of Atlanta's net.
With less than nine minutes remaining, the Courage turned up the pressure. Nicole Roberts struck a bomb from 28 yards that beat Atlanta goalkeeper Melanie Wilson, but slammed against the bottom of the crossbar. The ball bounced down on the goal line but was quickly cleared out of danger by defender Kylie Bivens.
The Courage was unable to equalize and, despite outshooting the Beat, 17-8, the game ended, 2-1, to Atlanta.
The Courage will open the WUSA regular season on Saturday April 13, on the road in San Diego. The Courage has never lost to the San Diego Spirit. The game will be televised locally on CNNSI, beginning at 6:00 pm (EST).
The Courage will play its home opener on May 4 at the brand new State Capital Soccer Park in Cary against the Atlanta Beat. For ticket information, call the Carolina Courage ticket office at (919) 573-7626 or log on to the official website at www.carolinacourage.com.
Women's United Soccer Association Stories from April 6, 2002
- Beat Defeats Courage 2-1 in Chattanooga - Atlanta Beat
- Courage Falls To Atlanta, 2-1 - Carolina Courage
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