CyberRays' Brazilian attack pounds Carolina 3-1

May 11, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Jose CyberRays News Release


SAN JOSE (March 10, 2003) – It took bazillions of Brazilians, but the CyberRays broke out of their scoring slump tonight in a big way.

All three of the team's Brazilian players – Pretinha, Katia and Sissi – got their first goals of the season in a 3-1 victory over the defending champion Carolina Courage. That's as many goals as the CyberRays had scored in their previous four games, and the victory boosted the 3-2-0 team into a third-place tie with the New York Power with nine standings points.

``All of us (the three Brazilians) feel very responsible for scoring,'' Pretinha said afterward. ``Yes, we were under pressure, but now I think we've improved our performance and we feel better. We have been supported by our coach and our whole team.''

Pretinha, playing forward for the second straight week after starting the season in midfield, opened the scoring in the 53rd minute with a shot from near the penalty spot that was simply impossible for Carolina goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill to reach. Within the next 14 minutes, first Katia and then Sissi had fired in 8-yard shots of their own – Katia in the 65th minute and Sissi a couple of minutes later.

``I felt like I had a monkey on my back,'' Katia said. ``I was talking to this monkey telling him `You have to get out of here!' Tonight he left me alone and let me score.''

The scoring outburst followed a first half that CyberRays coach Ian Sawyers described as ``sluggish,'' and for the second week in a row the CyberRays played the first half with Sissi on the bench. Her entry into the game had an almost immediate impact.

``I want to be able to play the whole game,'' she said, ``but if it helps the team (for her to sub in), that's fine. Helping the team is the most important thing.''

``Once she came into the game,'' Katia said, ``she gave us all this great energy.''

Venus James, a CyberRay in 2001 and a native of nearby Oakland, broke up goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene's shutout in the 93rd minute when she got hold of a ball the CyberRays failed to clear on a corner kick and pounded it home.



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from May 11, 2003


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