Courage Notebook
April 9, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Carolina Courage News Release
The 2002 WUSA season will begin exactly where it ended last season for the Carolina Courage â on the road in San Diego. The Courage will have to tend to some unfinished business, having tied the Spirit in last season's finale, 2-2. With two wins and one draw in three matches against San Diego, the Courage has never lost to the Spirit.
Key match-ups:
San Diego's Shannon MacMillan vs. Carolina's Danielle Slaton There is no player hotter than âBig Mac', who seems to be scoring at a 2 goals per game clip - and this against international competition. Will Danielle Slaton, the Courage's #1 draft pick and a rising defensive star of the U.S. National Team, be able to shut down MacMillan in her own backyard?
San Diego's Julie Foudy vs. Carolina's Hege Riise This match will feature two of the greatest playmakers in the game. Which "midfield maestro" will pull the right strings and make a greater impact on the game?
LAST WEEK'S RESULT: (Preseason)
DATE: April 6th
OPPONENT: Atlanta Beat in Chattanooga, Tennessee
SCORE: 2-1 (Loss)
Courage Completes Its Preseason With A 2-1 Loss To The Beat
In its final test before beginning the WUSA regular season, the Courage lost 2-1 to the Atlanta Beat last Saturday in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Emily Burt scored both goals for the Beat, while Hege Riise notched the lone tally for Carolina. The Courage finished its preseason schedule with a 5-3-1 record against WUSA and NCAA opponents.
SEASON OUTLOOK:
New Year, New Faces Perhaps no team in the WUSA has overhauled its roster to the extent the Carolina Courage has. The Courage is very much a new-look team, with the addition of two top internationals, including German Player of the Year Birgit Prinz and Norwegian midfielder Unni Lehn. The Courage also boasts some homegrown talent acquired in this year's college draft. Among the young guns added to the Courage roster are Danielle Slaton, the #1 overall pick in the 2002 WUSA Draft, Katie Barnes, a first team All-American forward from West Virginia, Emily Oleksiuk, a three-time first team All-American goalkeeper from Penn State, and midfielder Meghan Anderson, the all-time leading goal scorer in Nebraska soccer history.
Solid Returners Although only nine members of last year's team have returned for Year Two, these players will form the core of Coach McDermott's squad. Danielle Fotopoulos will return to spark the offense, as she did last season with her output of nine goals and five assists. Hege Riise and Tiffany Roberts will patrol the midfield, and the back line of Carla Overbeck, Staci Burt, Erin Baxter and Staci Wilson will keep offenses in check. Kristin Luckenbill, who emerged last season as one of the top shot blockers in the WUSA, will handle goalkeeping duties for the Courage.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Riise Returns With A Vengeance Carolina's Norwegian playmaker Hege Riise has only been back with the Courage for one week, but she has already made her presence known, scoring in both of the team's preseason contests since her return.
...And Then There Were Two (Norwegians)
Unni Lehn arrived at Raleigh-Durham airport late Saturday evening, after fulfilling her obligations to Norwegian club team Trondhiems-Orn in the UEFA Women's Cup. Lehn practiced for the first time with her new teammates on Tuesday morning. It should not take Lehn long to get on the same page with one of her Courage mates. She and Hege Riise have played alongside one another on the Norwegian National Team for nearly six years.
• Discuss this story on the Women's United Soccer Association message board...
Women's United Soccer Association Stories from April 9, 2002
- San Diego Spirit Media Day - San Diego Spirit
- Courage Notebook - Carolina Courage
- Mowins and Dorrance Named to PAX Broadcast Team - WUSA
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.
