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Destiny Play Washington Freedom At RFK Stadium

June 19, 2008 - Women's Professional Soccer (WPS)
magicJack News Release


Richmond, VA - (Thursday, June 19, 2008) - The Richmond Kickers Destiny of the W-League are set to face the Washington Freedom in an exhibition match at RFK Stadium this Sunday, June 22nd at 5:15 pm. The women's game will be played as the second leg of a doubleheader with DC United and San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, who take the field earlier that day at 3:00 pm. Click here to order tickets in advance to the Sunday Soccer Doubleheader.

The Washington Freedom, one of the original teams in the WUSA, officially joined the W-League during the 2007 season taking the W-League Championship title that year. The Freedom's roster currently features such stars as US Women's National Team player Christie Welsh and fan favorite Lori Lindsey, as well as two former Richmond Kickers Destiny players Becky Sauerbrunn and Jenn Parsons. The Freedom are led by head coach Jim Gabarra who managed the Freedom to the 2003 WUSA Championship with a roster boasting US National Team stars Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach. The Washington Freedom are set to be a part of the new women's professional league, WPS, slated to re-launch in 2009.

With Gabarra at the helm, the Freedom have complied a record 5-1-1 and 16 points so far this season, good for second place in the Northeast Division standings. The Freedom's single loss of the season came to division leaders Boston Renegades who's lone goal edged the Freedom earlier this month. Overall, Washington has notched 15 goals over the opposition while just allowing five on the season. Recently, the winless Northern Virginia Majestics shocked the Freedom with a 1-1 draw last weekend.

Former Richmond Kickers Destiny standouts Sauerbrunn and Parsons joined the Freedom prior to the 2008 campaign. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, Parsons catapulted the Destiny to the playoffs last season, tallying 11 goals and three assists in 11 games played. Finishing fifth in the W-League in points and third in goals scored, Parsons garnered W-League All-League and All-Central Conference honors and was a W-League Most Valuable Player nominee. A member of the Destiny since its 2004 inception, Parsons led the squad in scoring for four consecutive seasons. She continues her scoring ways in Washington, currently leading the Freedom with three goals and four assists for 10 points, two points ahead of Welsh and Lindsey.

Sauerbrunn became the first Destiny player to be named to the US Women's National Team last spring, traveling to China for the 2008 Four Nations Tournament. The call-up marked the first to the full National Team for Sauerbrunn, who also represented the US at the U-21, U-19 and U-16 levels, co-captaining the 2004 US U-19 squad in Thailand. While with the Destiny, she made 24 appearances over two seasons with the Richmond Kickers Destiny, logging 2,137 minutes. A defensive stalwart, she also posed an offensive threat, notching three goals and one assist en route to Richmond's back-to-back playoff berths. The 2007 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, 2007 NSCAA/adidas Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year and three-time NSCAA All-American, Sauerbrunn anchored a University of Virginia defense that led the nation in goals against average (0.40) and set a school record with 15 shutouts.

Destiny travel to Atlanta Friday before Sunday's exhibition

The Destiny head to Atlanta on Friday, June 20th for a rematch against the W-League powerhouse before Sunday's exhibition in Washington. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:55 pm at the RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium.

The Silverbacks were last year's Central Conference Champions and W-League Finalists and have since gone undefeated in 2008. Allowing just three goals in eight games played, the Silverbacks have posted six shutouts while unleashing 29 goals on the opposition. The two teams last met in Richmond on May 26th when the Silverbacks handed a 3-0 decision to the Destiny.

Most recently, the Destiny battled the Charlotte Lady Eagles to a 2-0 hard-fought road loss last weekend. Despite the scoreline, the Lady Eagles narrowly out-shot the Destiny 12-8 as Richmond held the second-place home team scoreless during the first half. The Destiny recently notched their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over the Hampton Roads Piranhas on June 5th. Forward Jess Varela leads the Destiny with three goals and six points.

Following this weekend's fixtures, the Destiny return home to host the expansion franchise West Virginia Illusion on Saturday, June 28th at Sports Backers Stadium. The women take the field at 7:00 pm as the second leg of a doubleheader with the Richmond Kickers Future (PDL).



Women's Professional Soccer Stories from June 19, 2008


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