CyberRays still in race after 1-1 tie with Boston
July 27, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Jose CyberRays News Release
SAN JOSE (July 27, 2003) â Looking for a victory and the three points that would keep their playoff chances in their own hands, the CyberRays got a tie instead today. The CyberRays' playoff fate is still in their own hands â winning their last four games would clinch a spot regardless of what else happens in the WUSA â but tying the Boston Breakers 1-1 at Spartan Stadium makes every game from here through Aug. 10 crucial.
``We came in knowing we needed to get three points, so this game is going to mean more pressure on us going down the stretch,'' CyberRays defender Thori Bryan said. ``You don't want to be dependent on the last game. You don't want your chances riding on other teams' results.''
The seventh-place CyberRays, 6-8-3 with 21 points, travel to Cary, N.C. on Wednesday to face the sixth-place Carolina Courage and to Washington, D.C. to play the third-place Washington Freedom in the WUSA's nationally televised game Saturday on PAX before playing their last two games at home.
The CyberRays have been fighting an uphill battle, playing their last two games without injured captain Brandi Chastain and their leading scorer, Pretinha, who will miss the remainder of the season following knee surgery last week. Nevertheless, they are 1-0-1 in those games, gaining four points.
Midfielder Tisha Venturini-Hoch, who wore the captain's armband today in Chastain's stead, gave the CyberRays a 1-0 lead three minutes into the second half following an opening 45 minutes in which her team outshot Boston 13-8. Keri Sanchez, who intercepted a Boston pass, slid a ball across the top of the penalty box to Venturini-Hoch, who fired into the lower right corner of the goal from 15 yards out.
But the CyberRays were unable to hold onto the lead. In the 64th minute, Boston's Maren Meinert controlled a ball deflected by Bryan in front of the CyberRays' net and buried the shot.
The CyberRays are currently four points behind the fourth-place San Diego Spirit, which holds the last WUSA playoff spot, but they have four games to make up that deficit while San Diego has only two games left in its regular season.
Women's United Soccer Association Stories from July 27, 2003
- CyberRays still in race after 1-1 tie with Boston - San Jose CyberRays
- San Jose CyberRays 1, Boston Breakers 1 - San Jose CyberRays
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.
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