CyberRays catch a break, gear up for home stretch run

July 21, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Jose CyberRays News Release


SAN JOSE (July 21, 2003) – The CyberRays stayed in the playoff hunt with a 2-1 comeback victory Sunday over the Philadelphia Charge. Currently in seventh place, the CyberRays are only four points out of fourth and a playoff spot with five games left. Fortunately, four of those games are against teams in the WUSA's top four, the teams that the CyberRays need to make up ground against, and three of them will be in Spartan Stadium.

Week 16 in review: Tough week The CyberRays gave up a goal in the fourth minute, but then Katia and Katie Barnes responded with goals of their own for a 2-1 victory. It was the first game without Pretinha, the CyberRays' leading scorer, who suffered a season-ending injury last weekend.

Coming in Week 17: A needed break The CyberRays face the second-place Boston Breakers at 3 p.m. Sunday at Spartan Stadium, a critical game in their playoff push. A victory could move the CyberRays into a fifth-place tie. Season series: 0-1-0. All-time series: 2-3-2, (1-1-1 in Spartan Stadium). Top scorers: CyberRays – Sissi (3g + 4a = 10 pts); Boston – Dagny Mellgren (10g + 2a = 22pts), Maren Meinert (8g + 6a = 22pts). Practice schedule at West Valley College: off today, 1:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

CyberRays-Boston series notes: The CyberRays lost the first game against Boston this season when Dagny Mellgren scored in the 86th minute for a 1-0 victory. The CyberRays' only victory in Boston was July 15, 2001 – their first visit to Nickerson Field – when they won 2-0 on goals by Julie Murray and Tisha Venturini-Hoch (when her last name was just Venturini). ... Boston holds the distinction of scoring more goals in a single game against the CyberRays in a Spartan Stadium match than any team (4) and holding the largest lead over the CyberRays in Spartan than any team (4-0).

Key matchup: CyberRays central defenders Kelly Lindsey and Thori Bryan against Boston's league-leading scoring duo of Dagny Mellgren and Maren Meinert.

Ian Sawyers on facing Boston: ``Boston has two of the finest goal-scorers in the world, and that's what we have to take care of first. Then we've got to figure out a way to make them pay in the middle and in the back.''

Game notes Barnes tough on Philadelphia: CyberRays Katie Barnes got her second goal of the season Sunday. It was the second time her goal was a game-winner, and it was the second time she has scored this season against Philadelphia. Her earlier goal this season came in the April 5 season-opener at Spartan Stadium when the CyberRays won 1-0.

Brandi-less: Although Brandi Chastain was available Sunday against Philadelphia, coach Ian Sawyers elected to hold her out because she is still bothered by a strained left quadriceps. It was the seventh time in their three-year history that the CyberRays have begun a match with Chastain on the bench, and the third time this season. The CyberRays are 1-2 in games this season without their captain and 2-4-1 overall in games she has missed. Both victories came in Spartan Stadium. Three of the six games she has missed have been against the New York Power in New York accounting for 60 percent of the five times the CyberRays have played on Long Island. The rundown:

Date Opponent Result Reason out

6/10/01 @ New York Power 0-0 T yellow card suspension

8/9/01 @ Atlanta Beat 0-4 L coach's decision

6/9/02 vs. San Diego Spirit 3-1 W injury

7/21/02 vs. Washington Freedom 2-3 L national team duty

6/14/03 @ New York Power 1-3 L national team duty

7/5/03 @ New York Power 1-2 L coach's decision

7/20/03 vs. Philadelphia Charge 2-1 W coach's decision

Rare comeback: The CyberRays fell behind Philadelphia 1-0 on Sunday, then rallied to win 2-1. It's the first time the CyberRays have scored a come-from-behind victory all season and just the sixth time in team history. Here's the rundown:

Date Opponent Deficit Result

5/13/01 vs. Carolina Courage 0-1 2-1 W

8/25/01 vs. Atlanta Beat (Founders Cup) 1-2

2-3 3-3 (4-3 PKs) W

4/13/02 vs. Boston Breakers 0-1 2-1 W

6/15/02 vs. New York Power 0-1 4-3 W

7/10/02 vs. Atlanta Beat 0-1 1-3 W

7/20/03 vs. Philadelphia Charge 0-1 2-1 W

Series swept: By defeating Philadelphia on Sunday, the CyberRays swept their first series of the 2003 season. They could also sweep the series against the Carolina Courage with a victory at Cary, N.C. on July 30. As tight as the points race is for the playoffs, the victor in head-to-head play is likely to be critical in deciding playoff berths. Head-to-head competition is the first tie-breaker for standings ties. The CyberRays, 6-1-2 all-time against Philadelphia, have won the series against the Charge all three WUSA seasons. Philadelphia is the only WUSA team against which the CyberRays have not lost a series, although the CyberRays can expand that list to include the Boston Breakers depending upon the outcome of the teams' two remaining games this season. This also was the third series the CyberRays have swept. They were 3-0-0 against the Carolina Courage in 2001 (Carolina swept the series in 2002) and 3-0-0 against the New York Power in 2002. Only one team has swept the CyberRays, Carolina. Here's the 2003 series rundown for the CyberRays:

Opponent 2003 series Status

Atlanta Beat 1-1-0 Undecided

Boston Breakers 0-1-0 Undecided

Carolina Courage 2-0-0 CyberRays win

New York Power 0-3-0 New York wins

Philadelphia Charge 3-0-0 CyberRays win

San Diego Spirit 0-2-1 San Diego wins

Washington Freedom 0-1-1 Undecided

Brazilian streak stretched again: With Katia scoring the first goal Sunday against Philadelphia and Sissi assisting on the second, all 20 CyberRays' goals this season have been scored by, or been assisted by, one of the team's three Brazilian players. The total streak of consecutive goals with Brazilian participation now is 27. The last goal without Brazilian input was July 27, 2002, when Lisa Nañez scored the first goal unassisted in a 4-1 victory over New York.

Bellie back on the scoresheet: Christina Bell got the secondary assist Sunday on Katie Barnes' game-winning goal. It's the first point for Bellie since July 27, 2002 when she assisted on Katia's goal in the 34th minute of a 4-1 victory over the New York Power. Bell, who was a starter on the CyberRays' 2001 Founders Cup-winning team, moved into a substitute role last season and has been listed this season on the team's developmental roster. She became eligible for Sunday's game because of the season-ending injury to Pretinha last week. Bell's WUSA career scoring is 2g + 6a = 10pts with four of her assists coming against Philadelphia.

No-save victory: Goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene recorded a victory Sunday even though Philadelphia had 100 percent shooting accuracy. Melanie Hoffmann's goal for Philadelphia was the only shot on goal recorded for the Charge, meaning Beene had no saves but still got a victory. The only previous time Beene had a game in which she had no saves was Aug. 7, 2002, also against the Charge, when Stacey Tullock scored on Philly's only shot on goal in a 1-1 tie. Beene had only one save in the CyberRays 3-2 victory over the New York Power in the 2001 WUSA Semifinals on Aug. 18.

Katia wins ESPY: Katia, the CyberRays forward who set a WUSA scoring record last season, won the ESPY Award last as the Best Female Soccer Player in a nationally televised presentation at the Kodak Theater. Katia won out in balloting by more than 5 million fans online over three other WUSA stars: Marinette Pichon of the Philadelphia Charge and Birgit Prinz and Kristin Luckenbill of the Carolina Courage. Katia, also a member of the Brazilian national team, captured the WUSA scoring title with 15 goals and six assists in 2002. The 36 points were the best output in the league's first two seasons. Katia, known for her exciting play, was also honored with the 2002 Goal of the Year.

Pretinha lost for season: Pretinha, the CyberRays' leading scorer, will miss the remainder of the WUSA season and the Women's World Cup this fall because of a knee injury she suffered in the USA-Brazil international friendly July 13. Pretinha went down in the 25th minute of the match with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

Pretinha, 28, was the CyberRays' leader in goals (5), assists (5) and points (15) this season. In addition, she has played for Brazil in all three previous World Cups (1991, '95 and '99) and both Olympics (1996 and 2000).

CyberRays sign Patrick: The CyberRays have signed forward Kim Patrick of Pleasanton as a developmental player. Patrick, 22, led Tennessee the last two seasons in goals, points, shots and shots on goal. A high school all-American at Foothill High, she originally went to North Carolina where she led the Atlantic Coast Conference in goals and scoring her freshman season and played for two national championship teams. She had a goal and an assist in the 1999 NCAA semifinal game played at Spartan Stadium in which UNC defeated Penn State 2-0, and she assisted on the game-winning goal in North Carolina's 2-0 victory over Notre Dame for the championship.

Venturini-Hoch to be honored: Tisha Venturini-Hoch, a founding player of the WUSA, announced her retirement May 30, the day before the CyberRays played the Breakers the first time this season in Boston. Tish will be honored the next time the CyberRays play Boston, here in Spartan Stadium on Aug. 10, the final regular season game of the season.

CyberRays injury update

F Pretinha (right ACL) is out; D Brandi Chastain (L quad strain) is questionable; D Kelly Lindsey (R knee sprain) and F Katia (R hamstring) are probable. D Dianne Alagich will miss Sunday's game for Australian national team duty.



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from July 21, 2003


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