Courage Notebook
Published on May 8, 2002 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Carolina Courage News Release
Courage Christen SAS Stadium With Win: The Carolina Courage marked its historic home opener with a dramatic 1-0 victory over visiting Atlanta. Courage captain Tiffany Roberts headed a Hege Riise cross past Beat goalkeeper Briana Scurry in the 72nd minute to propel the Courage. Goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill recorded her first shutout of the 2002 season for Carolina.
Game Quote of the week
"I saw the ball and I just tried to knock it in again. I saw TR go up and she was the tallest one on the field at that moment and she scored. It was tremendous."
~ Courage midfielder Hege Riise on Tiffany Roberts' game-winning goal
Upcoming in Week 5: Boston Breakers @ Carolina Courage
Time: 7:00 pm Television: CNNSI (Channel 47 local)
Season Series: First meeting. All-Time Series: Courage leads 2-0-1.
Top scorers: CAR â Danielle Fotopoulos (2 g, 0 a = 4 pts); BOS â MarenMeinert (3 g, 2 a = 8 pts). Key Players Out: CAR â Hege Riise and Unni Lehn (Norwegian National Team duty); BOS â Dagny Mellgren (Norwegian National Team duty).
Carolina-Boston Series Notes: In an even series in which neither team has won by a margin of victory greater than one goal, Boston holds a 2-1-0 advantage over 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.
Match-up To Watch:
Courage newcomer Meghan 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. Anderson will be going toe-to-toe with one of the most experienced midfields in the WUSA. The Breakers' midfield features the "Queen of Caps", Kristine Lilly (235 international matches) and Bettina Wiegmann, who is second all-time in appearances for Germany with 134.
Coach's Keys To Winning:
"We need to shut down the center midfield and win the battle on the flanks."
Team Notes
Familiar Faces On the Opposing Bench: The May 11th game against Boston will reunite the Courage players with former teammates and current Breakers players Sarah Yohe and Sarah Dacey. Both players were waived by Carolina in the off season and found their way onto the Boston roster.
Winning Streak Continues: The Courage occupies first place, along with the Philadelphia Charge. Both the Charge and the Courage are undefeated at 3-0-0 and both have a game in hand, having played one less than the other teams in the league.
Happy Birthday To Me: Tiffany Roberts gave herself (and her team) an early birthday present, when she scored the game-winning goal on Saturday. Roberts, who turns 25 on Sunday, broke the deadlock in a 0-0 game by decisively heading home a Hege Riise cross in the 72nd minute.
Luckenbill Lays Down The Law: Courage goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill boasts a league-leading 0.67 goals against average, having only conceded two goals in three WUSA matches. Luckenbill has registered the most saves (26) and has the highest save percentage (92.9%) in the WUSA.
Someday My Prinz Will Come: The Courage will have to wait until after the UEFA Women's Cup Final until German Player of the Year Birgit Prinz joins the squad. Prinz's German club FFC Frankfurt advanced to the May 23rd showdown against Swedish team Umea, after dispensing with Toulouse of France 2-1 and 0-0.
Courage Injury Update
Overbeck (knee surgery) out.
Courage in the Community
Tuesday, May 7: Danielle Fotopoulos will be the keynote speaker at the Western Wake Medical Center's brand new Women's Pavilion & Birthplace. The seminar for mothers and their daughters will emphasize the importance of fitness and self esteem.
Courage in the Media
Friday, May 10: At 5:45 pm Courage captain Tiffany Roberts will discuss this weekend's match up with the Boston Breakers on AM 850 The Buzz.
Friday, May 10: Carolina forward Danielle Fotopoulos will serve as a guest meteorologist on FOX 50's Friday night news broadcast.
TRAINING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 7: 10:30 am â noon @ SAS Soccer Park
Wednesday, May 8: 10:30 am â noon @ SAS Soccer Park
Thursday, May 9: 10:30 am â noon @ SAS Soccer Park
Friday, May 10: 10:00 am â 11:00 am @ SAS Stadium
Women's United Soccer Association Stories from May 8, 2002
- San Diego Spirit Announce New TV Show - San Diego Spirit
- Courage Notebook - Carolina Courage
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.
