Courage Put The Brakes On Beat\'s Winning Streak
June 15, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Carolina Courage News Release
Atlanta, GA. (June 15, 2002) The Carolina Courage defeated the Atlanta Beat 3-1 at Herndon Stadium in Atlanta Saturday night. The win, Carolina's fourth in five attempts against Atlanta, continues the Courage's dominance over the Beat. McDermott's "Road Warriors" have not lost a game this season on the road (3-0-2) and have moved into sole possession of second place in the WUSA.
After controlling possession for the better part of the half, the Beat drew first blood in the 32nd minute. Midfielder Homare Sawa dribbled past a couple of Courage defenders and served a dangerous long cross into the Courage penalty box to her streaking teammates. Liping Wang flashed in front of Courage goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill, screening her momentarily. The ball did not make contact with Liping but skipped past Luckenbill into the far right corner of the goal.
With only a few seconds remaining in the half, the Courage came charging back. Brooke O'Hanley sent a pass into the Atlanta penalty box, aimed for Danielle Slaton. A Beat defender was able to intercept the volley, but it fell to the feet of Danielle Fotopoulos. The Courage's leading scorer made no mistake, poking the ball into goal past goalkeeper Briana Scurry. It was Fotopoulos' sixth goal of the 2002 campaign.
"They outplayed us in the first half, so to go in tied was critical to us, psychologically," explained Courage head coach Marcia McDermott. "It gave us a fresh start."
The Courage came out of the locker room with a vengeance, pushing numbers into the Atlanta half of the field. This pressure paid off in the 58th minute, when midfielder Unni Lehn punched in her second goal of the season. Tiffany Roberts, sliding through the box, directed a loose ball to Lehn, who hammered it with her left foot into the top of the goal.
"(Unni) works hard in the midfield, she's got really good ideas on the ball, and she's truly a goal scorer," praised McDermott.
The Courage weathered a brief flurry of Atlanta offense, before Birgit Prinz snatched an insurance goal, her second of the season. Hege Riise started the play from midfield with a masterful pass into open space. Carolina's German forward chased down the ball and drove it past Scurry. The assist extended Riise's WUSA record seven game point-scoring streak.
The Beat, playing without Charmaine Hooper, who was forced to miss the match due to a league-imposed suspension, did not manage a shot on goal in the second half.
"We played without our leading goal scorer, the most productive player on our team," explained Atlanta coach Tom Stone. "I am pleased with the fact that we fought and played hard and created good opportunities."
Atlanta had only conceded one goal in its previous four matches, including three consecutive shutouts. With its three-goal output, the Courage continued to demonstrate offensive firepower. Carolina has scored nine goals in its last three games.
The Courage now occupies second place, two points behind the Philadelphia Charge, whom they host on Wednesday.
"Right now, Philly is the class of the league, said McDermott. "So you can't help but be motivated to go after them and after a chance at first place."
The Courage will play its first midweek game of the season this Wednesday, June 19th at SAS Stadium at 7:00 pm. Come watch the Carolina Courage take on Lorrie Fair and the Philadelphia Charge. It's Mardi Gras Night, and the first 1,500 fans to arrive at the stadium will receive free Mardi Gras beads. The match will be regionally televised on Fox Sports Net.
For ticket information, call the Carolina Courage ticket office at (919) 573-7626 or visit online at www.carolinacourage.com. Individual game tickets may be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, including Kroger's, Hecht's and Schoolkids Records. You can also dial (919) 834-4000 or log on to www.ticketmaster.com.
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Women's United Soccer Association Stories from June 15, 2002
- Spirit Suffers Capital Punishment - San Diego Spirit
- Homare Sawa Scores Beat's Only Goal; Beat Record Moves to 5-4-1 - Atlanta Beat
- Wambach Leads Rout - WUSA
- Charge Blank Breakers - WUSA
- Courage Fight Back, Down Beat - WUSA
- CyberRays Tip Power - WUSA
- Courage Put The Brakes On Beat's Winning Streak - Carolina Courage
- Pichon Leads Charge to 1-0 Win Over Boston - Philadelphia Charge
- Charge Seek to Extend Home Unbeaten Streak - Philadelphia Charge
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