Mia Hamm to Return Wednesday

June 11, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release

ATLANTA (Monday, June 10, 2002) - Washington forward Mia Hamm is scheduled to return to competitive action for the first time in seven months when the Freedom host the Boston Breakers on Wednesday, June 12 at RFK Stadium. Hamm, who underwent knee surgery February 26, will be playing in her first match since the Unity Games on November 3, 2001.

The 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, Hamm was diagnosed with a lesion on her left distal femur (thigh bone), specifically in the trochlear groove. A soreness in her knee developed during the last 18 months, but she played through pain during the 2001 WUSA season. The decision to operate was made when soreness did not dissipate in the offseason.

During the 2001 WUSA season, Hamm scored six goals and added four assists for 16 points to lead the Freedom in scoring. Her 16 points ranked eleventh in the WUSA. However, most WUSA fans don't know that Hamm actually hit the wordwork a WUSA-high seven times in 2001, coming inches away from ranking among the league's top scorers. Although she was playing with an injured knee and shoulder, she was still named to the All-WUSA second team last season.

Hamm decided to rest during the offseason to let the knee heal. However, after conducting an MRI exam in mid-February, she opted to have the surgery. The layoff was the longest of her career. Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra will let Hamm decide how long she can play Wednesday.

"Mia will play anywhere from 15-45 minutes, depending on how she feels," Gabarra said. "Her presence and intensity on the field will make players around her better. Plus, she is always a threat to score at any time."

Despite being picked to finish among the league's elite teams, Washington went 2-10-1 in their last 13 games to finish tied for last place in the WUSA in 2001 with a 6-12-3 record. Head Coach Jim Gabarra's squad is currently in sixth place in the WUSA with a 2-4-3 record (9 pts). Rookie Abby Wambach has elevated her game in Hamm's absence, leading the team in scoring with three goals and three assists for nine points. Hamm and Wambach should compliment each other, providing Gabarra with one of the league's most dangerous scoring tandems. "I am excited about playing on Wednesday, and am looking forward to building my minutes on the field and helping the team in any way possible," Hamm said. "It will be exciting to be back on the field playing in front of Freedom fans. I've missed the fans and the great atmosphere of RFK Stadium on gamedays."

ATLANTA STREAKS INTO SECOND: A few weeks ago Atlanta was battling to get out of the cellar of the WUSA standings. Now the Beat is in second place and only one point behind the league-leading Philadelphia Charge. This past weekend, Atlanta blanked the New York Power 2-0 to win its team-record fourth straight and extend the club's unbeaten streak to five. During Atlanta's five-game unbeaten streak, the Beat has outscored its opponents 10-4.

Atlanta 'keeper Briana Scurry has recorded three straight shutouts. Scurry now leads the league in shutouts (4) and looks to add to the 331 minutes of scoreless action. With last week's clean sheet, Scurry has tied (with San Jose's LaKeysia Beene) the WUSA shutout record with her 11th.

"We are stronger, healthier and playing with more confidence than when we met at the beginning of May. I think this game will prove to be a heavy-weight bout between two of the league's top teams," said Head Coach Tom Stone, referring to Saturday's upcoming clash with the Carolina Courage. "Two of the biggest reasons we've turned things around since the beginning of the season are Charmaine Hooper and Cindy Parlow. They've picked up their level of play and attitude in practice and in games and they are leading our team on the field."

SAN JOSE'S OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: With San Jose's 3-1 victory over the San Diego Spirit on Sunday, June 9, the CyberRays have now scored five goals in three games (1.67 goals per game). Prior to the last three matches, San Jose had scored seven goals in six matches. The three goals scored on Sunday were the most produced by the CyberRays in a match in 2002. The previous high was two in a 2-1 victory over Boston in the season opener and a 2-0 win over Washington on May 26.

One reason for this offensive surge is the play of Katia. This week's WUSA Player of the Week has scored four goals in the last three matches. The league-leader in shots (44) and shots on goal (25), she also leads the league in goals scored with six. Katia is tied for the WUSA lead in scoring with 13 points (6g, 1a).

NOTHIN' COULD BE FINER WHEN YOU'RE AWAY FROM CAROLINA: What a difference a year makes for the Carolina Courage when it comes to playing on the road. Head Coach Marcia McDermott's "Road Warriors" are the lone WUSA team that is unbeaten on the road as the Courage has a 2-0-2 record away from SAS Stadium. Carolina had the WUSA's worst road mark in 2001 at 2-7-1. The Courage opened the 2002 season with consecutive 2-1 victories at San Diego and San Jose. In addition, Carolina has tied Washington at RFK Stadium and recently played to a 2-2 draw at Boston on June 8. Danielle Fotopoulos and company average 1.75 goals per game on the road and allow just 1.25 goals per contest away from home. Can Carolina continue the road success this weekend against red-hot Atlanta? With a 3-0-1 all-time mark against Atlanta, the Courage has the Beat's number.

Better Late Than Never: The Philadelphia Charge has managed to find the back of the net more than any team in the WUSA (15 times). 66.7 percent of those goals have come in the final 45 minutes of action. Of those 10 second-half goals, five (more than any other WUSA team) have come in the final 15 minutes. This past weekend, Marinette Pichon secured a tie with the Washington Freedom after scoring a goal in the 87th minute. When scoring after the 75th minute, Philadelphia is 4-0-1. The Charge stands at 5-1-2 and is in first place in the WUSA standings.

PEARCE TO PARTICPATE IN THIS WEEK'S WUSA.COM CHAT: New York's Christie Pearce will be the featured guest on this week's WUSA.com live web chat on Tuesday, June 11. The chat will begin at 8:00 p.m. (ET) and will last approximately 40 minutes. Pearce will be on hand to answer fan questions. Fans can submit questions before and during the chat. For more information, log on to www.WUSA.com.

WUSA Game Previews (Week Ten)

Wednesday, June 12, 2002 - Boston Breakers (2-3-4, 10 pts.) at Washington Freedom (2-4-3, 9 pts.) - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - CSN-DC (Washington); AT&T 3 (Boston) (Season Series: Series tied 0-0-1) (All-time Series History: Boston leads 2-0-2)
In a rematch of week eight's 0-0 draw at CMGI Field, the Breakers will head to RFK Stadium to face the Freedom. Boston has never lost to Washington, leading the all-time series 2-0-2. Washington's Siri Mullinix set the WUSA record for saves (13) during the last meeting. Despite being shut out, Boston has outscored the Freedom 5-3 in all four meetings. This match will mark the return of Mia Hamm, who has not seen WUSA regular season action since August 11, 2001. In the last meeting between these two teams, Boston outshot Washington 24-6. Kristine Lilly missed a 33rd minute penalty kick in that match. Washington's only meeting with Boston at RFK resulted in a 2-2 tie on May 12, 2001.

Key Players to Watch: Boston's Maren Meinert (4g, 5a, 13 pts.) is tied for the league lead in scoring. Dagny Mellgren (5g, 10 pts.) leads the team in goals scored after her two-goal performance versus Carolina on Saturday, June 8. Kristine Lilly (2g, 3a, 7pts.) rounds out Boston's "triple threat". Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc (2-3-4, 1.56 GAA) is ranked second in saves in the WUSA with 43. Freedom forward Hamm is expected to make her 2002 WUSA debut on Wednesday. Washington's Jennifer Grubb (1g, 2 pts.) recorded her first goal of the 2002 season with a successfully converted penalty kick on Saturday versus Philadelphia. Abby Wambach (3g, 3a, 9 pts.) leads Washington in scoring and is currently tied for 10th among the league leaders in scoring, despite being shut out in her last three matches. Mullinix (0-2-3, 1.17 GAA) held the league's highest scoring offense to just one goal, tallying six saves versus Philadelphia on Saturday. Mullinix will be looking for her first victory of the 2002 season. Defender Steffi Jones made her WUSA debut, making an immediate impact on Washington's possession game while playing central midfielder. The German star set the tone for the Freedom in the middle third of the field versus Philadelphia.

Key Matchup: (Boston forward Maren Meinert versus Washington defender Jennifer Grubb) - During the last meeting between these two teams, Meinert recorded a game-high seven shots (five on goal) but was unable to find the back of the next due to the superb play by Mullinix in net. Grubb will have the task of trying to shut down the German striker. She will be asked to use her strength to battle Meinert off the ball throughout the match.

The "Inside Scoop": Boston will be looking for its first victory since May 18 (2-1 at New York). The Breakers have been held to just two goals in the last three matches. Boston has never lost to Washington with three of the four previous meetings taking place in Boston. The Breakers' 24 shots during the last meeting tied the league's season high for most shots by a single team in a game. Washington's goal by Grubb in the 40th minute versus Philadelphia snapped a two-game scoreless streak for the Freedom. With the 87th-minute goal by Philadelphia last weekend, the Freedom has now allowed four goals in the final 15 minutes of action (second most in the league).

They Said it: "Boston is a team that will always try to play attractive, attacking soccer. They have a great attacking combination with (Dagny) Mellgren, (Kristine) Lilly and (Maren) Meinert."- Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra on Boston.

Referee: Sandra Hunt. Assistant Referees: Steven Taylor, John E. Schmitz. 4th Official: Mike Stutt.

Saturday, June 15, 2002 - New York Power (2-6-1, 7 pts.) at San Jose CyberRays (4-3-2, 14 pts.) - 4:00 p.m. (ET) - PAX TV (National Broadcast) (Season Series: San Jose leads 1-0-0) (All-time Series History: San Jose leads 3-0-1)
One of the league's hottest teams, San Jose, will host New York in a rematch of the week four 1-0 victory for the CyberRays over the Power. With the victory, San Jose is undefeated versus New York 3-0-1. Having been shut out in all four previous regular season meetings, the Power has been outscored 3-0 by the CyberRays. LaKeysia Beene has recorded four of her 11 career shutouts versus New York. This will be only the second meeting between these two teams at Spartan Stadium during the regular season. Despite leading the league in scoring last season and ranking third among this year's leading scorers, Tiffeny Milbrett has yet to record a point versus the CyberRays. The Power's only goals versus the CyberRays came during the playoffs last season. New York scored two goals (Emily Janss and Jen Lalor) in a 3-2 semifinals loss to San Jose on August 18, 2001.

Key Players to Watch: The Power's Milbrett (4g, 4a, 12 pts.) was held scoreless last weekend versus Atlanta. However, the New York striker is tied for third among the WUSA's leading scorers. Milbrett will be looking for her first score versus the CyberRays. Janss (3g, 1a, 7 pts.) is one of the only New York players to record a goal versus San Jose. Linda Ormen (2g, 3a, 7 pts.) rounds out the New York scoring attack. Both Janss and Ormen are second only to Milbrett on the team in goals and assists respectively. San Jose's Katia (6g, 1a, 13 pts.), this week's WUSA Player of the Week, leads her club in scoring and is tied for the lead in scoring in the WUSA after a two-goal performance versus San Diego on Sunday. Sissi (5a, 5 pts.) leads all CyberRays in assists and is tied for the league lead in that category. LaKeysia Beene (4-3-2, 1.00 GAA) is among the top goalkeepers in the league. Beene is second in goals against average (1.00) and shutouts (3), and ranks third in wins (4). Beene has yet to allow a regular season goal to New York.

Key Matchup: (New York forward Tiffeny Milbrett versus San Jose defender Thori Bryan) - Two of the fastest players in the WUSA will go head-to-head this Saturday. Bryan will look to keep Milbrett off the ball as much as possible. Bryan and her defensive teammates have kept Milbrett off the scoresheet, shutting down the Power offense. Milbrett will look to help snap the Power's current two-game losing streak.

The "Inside Scoop": San Jose 'keeper Beene has yet to allow a regular season goal by New York. Beene has allowed only one goal in the last three matches for the CyberRays. Tied for the WUSA lead in career shutouts (11), Beene has registered four clean sheets versus New York. The Power's only goals scored versus the CyberRays came during the 2001 playoffs at Spartan Stadium. Outscoring its opponents 5-1 in the last three matches, San Jose has quietly moved three points behind league-leading Philadelphia.

They Said it: "San Jose made some great offseason moves, picking up Pretinha and Michelle French to bolster an already strong club. It should certainly be a competitive, hard-nosed match, especially them being the home team."- New York Power Head Coach Pat Farmer on San Jose.

Referee: Mark Arblaster. Assistant Referees: Emiliano Monje, David Bragg. 4th Official: Yader Reyes.

Saturday, June 15, 2002 - Carolina Courage (4-1-3, 15 pts.) at Atlanta Beat (5-3-1, 16 pts.) - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - WB 36 (Atlanta); Fox Sports South (Carolina) (Season Series: Carolina leads 1-0-0) (All-time Series History: Carolina leads 3-0-1)
Two of the league front-runners collide as Atlanta hosts Carolina. Having never beaten the Courage, Atlanta dropped this year's previous meeting 1-0 on May 4 at SAS Stadium. After losing that match, Atlanta has gone undefeated in five straight to move into second place in the WUSA standings. In this series, Carolina has outscored the Beat 7-3. Tiffany Roberts scored her first career WUSA goal versus Atlanta on May 4 (one day before her 25th birthday). Carolina is the only team Atlanta has never beaten.

Key Players to Watch: Carolina's Danielle Fotopoulos (5g, 2a, 12 pts.) is tied for third among the league's leading scorers. Fotopoulos is also the only Courage player to record more than one goal versus the Beat. "Fotop" recorded her team-leading fifth goal versus Boston on Saturday. Hege Riise (2g, 4a, 10 pts.) recorded a goal and an assist during Saturday's match versus Boston, extending her point-scoring streak to six games. The Norwegian midfielder leads her club in assists. Goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill (4-1-3, 1.25 GAA) recorded six saves to give her squad its 15th point of the season. Luckenbill leads the league in saves (50) and is second in winning percentage (68.8%). Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper (5g, 10 pts.) is the only member of the Beat to have multiple goals versus the Courage. Hooper has scored a goal in two straight matches, including the game-winner versus New York on Sunday. The Canadian striker leads the WUSA with four game-winning goals on the season. Cindy Parlow (3g, 1a, 7 pts.) notched the insurance goal for the Beat on Sunday. Parlow has scored three goals in the last four games for Atlanta. Goalkeeper Briana Scurry (5-3-1, 1.11 GAA) registered her third straight shutout on Sunday versus New York. The Atlanta 'keeper recorded five saves en route to her 11th career clean sheet (tied for the WUSA lead with San Jose's Beene).

Key Matchup: (Carolina forward Birgit Prinz versus Atlanta defender Sharolta Nonen) - Nonen will have the task of shutting down German forward Prinz. This will be Prinz' first meeting with Atlanta as she will be looking for a point in her third straight match. Nonen will try to hold the explosive striker scoreless for the first time in her short WUSA career. Nonen and company have allowed only four goals in the last five matches, including three straight shutouts.

The "Inside Scoop": Atlanta is one of the league's hottest teams, outscoring its opponents 10-4 during a five-game unbeaten streak. The Beat has also set a new club record for consecutive victories with four. The Beat is currently a point behind league-leading Philadelphia and holds a one-point edge over Carolina in the standings. Carolina is undefeated in two straight, outscoring its opponents 6-3 in those matches. The Courage looks to remain undefeated against the Beat. Atlanta has not been held scoreless since the 1-0 loss to Carolina on May 4.

They Said it: " Right now Atlanta is very difficult to score on. They play a terrific team defense and they are very difficult to get behind. They're a physical team. We're going to have to match that and bring a great competitive spirit. Holding possession and finding our rhythm will be critical for us." - Carolina Courage Head Coach Marcia McDermott on Atlanta.

Referee: Misail Tsapos. Referee Assistants: Corey Rockwell, Brian D'Amato. 4th Official: Patrick Baker.

Saturday, June 15, 2002 - Boston Breakers (2-3-4, 10 pts.) at Philadelphia Charge (5-1-2, 17 pts.) - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - No TV (Season Series: Philadelphia leads 1-0-0) (All-time Series History: Series tied 2-2-0)
The Breakers head to Philadelphia for their second road match of the week. In a rematch of week four's 4-2 victory for the Charge, Boston will look to give Philadelphia its first home loss of the 2002 season. In a series that is tied 2-2-0, the Charge holds a 9-8 edge in scoring during the previous four meetings. Philadelphia's Jen Tietjen, Marinette Pichon and Mandy Clemens each registered a goal in the previous meeting, leading the Charge to its highest offensive total of the season.

Key Players to Watch: Boston's Maren Meinert (4g, 5a, 13 pts.) got the Breakers on the board early versus Philadelphia on May 4. Kristine Lilly (2g, 3a, 7 pts.) recorded a goal and an assist in the previous loss to the Charge. Dagny Mellgren (5g, 10 pts.) leads the Breakers in goal scoring after recording two versus Carolina on Saturday. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc (2-3-4, 1.56 GAA) made eight saves versus Philadelphia on May 4. LeBlanc ranks second in the league in saves with 43. Without leading scorer Kelly Smith (4g, 3a, 11 pts.), Philadelphia's Pichon (4g, 1a, 9 pts.) scored the game-tying goal in the 87th minute versus Washington on Saturday. Pichon is riding a two game goal-scoring streak after the late equalizer. Pichon's first career WUSA goal came against the Breakers on May 4. Clemens (1g, 1a, 3 pts.) will look to compliment Pichon up top. Charge Goalkeeper Melissa Moore (5-1-2, 0.88 GAA) leads the league in goals against average (0.88), winning percentage (75.0%) and wins (5).

Key Matchup: (Boston defender Kate Sobrero versus Philadelphia forward Marinette Pichon) - Sobrero will have the task of trying to shut down the French striker. Pichon has scored a goal in two straight matches and will be expected to lead the league's highest scoring offense (1.87 goals per game). Sobrero will use her speed to neutralize Pichon's attack.

The "Inside Scoop": Philadelphia is the league's only team that has not tasted defeat at home (2-0-2). The Charge holds a one-point lead in the WUSA standings and will be looking to extend that lead with a win over Boston. The Breakers have tied their last two matches and will be looking to avenge the previous meeting versus the Charge. Ranked third in team offense (1.44 goals per game), Boston will face the WUSA's stingiest defense (0.87 goals per game).

They Said it: "Boston plays some of the most attractive and exciting attacking soccer in the league. They have weapons all over the field and we're going to have to play solid defense to shut down their potent attack.'' - Philadelphia Charge Head Coach Mark Krikorian on Boston.

Referee: Arnold Baldeaux. Referee Assistants: Kevin Boisen, Martha Sinclair. 4th Official: William R. Delaney.

Saturday, June 15, 2002 - San Diego Spirit (2-5-2, 8 pts.) at Washington Freedom (2-4-3, 9 pts.) - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - No TV (Season Series: Washington leads 1-0-0) (All-time Series History: San Diego leads 2-1-1)
In a rematch of week four's 3-0 victory for Washington, the Freedom hosts the Spirit on Saturday, June 15. In a series that San Diego leads 2-1-1, both teams have scored seven goals. Washington's 3-0 win was the club's largest margin of victory and team's highest offensive output on the road. Abby Wambach scored her first career goal versus San Diego on May 4. Washington has not won a match since May 4. The match with the Freedom was the first time the Spirit was shut out on in 2002.

Key Players to Watch: San Diego's Zhang Ouying (4g, 2a, 10 pts.) recorded the team's only goal in a 3-1 loss to San Jose on Sunday, June 9. With the goal Zhang regained the team lead in scoring. The goal was Zhang's first since April 20. Shannon MacMillan (3g, 3a, 9 pts.) recorded her third assist of the season on Zhang's goal. Lori Lindsey (1g, 4a, 6 pts.) leads the team in assists after recording her fourth of the season on the Spirit's 75th-minute goal versus San Jose. Washington's Wambach (3g, 3a, 9 pts.) leads the Freedom in scoring and is the only rookie to rank in the top 10 among the league's scoring leaders. Monica Gerardo (2g, 1a, 5 pts.) recorded her last goal versus San Diego on a 71st-minute penalty kick. Jacqui Little (2g, 1a, 5 pts.) has also been held goal-less since the Freedom's May 4 encounter with San Diego. Goalkeeper Siri Mullinix (0-2-3, 1.17 GAA) will face the Spirit for the first time in 2002.

Key Matchup: (San Diego defender Joy Fawcett versus Washington forward Abby Wambach) - Wambach will look for continued success versus the Spirit. The Washington forward scored her first career goal versus San Diego. Wambach is solid in the air and Fawcett will have to contain the imposing striker while in the Spirit's defensive zone.

The "Inside Scoop": San Diego will be looking for its first win since handing Philadelphia its first and only loss of 2002 (May 19). The Spirit has scored two goals in the last three matches while allowing seven. The Freedom is undefeated in its last two matches (0-0-2) and will be looking for its first home victory since April 21 (2-1 versus San Jose). The Freedom is 2-0-0 against teams from California this season.

They Said it: "San Diego has loads of experience and one of the hottest goal scorers in the world during the last year in Shannon MacMillan.'' - Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra on San Diego.

Referee: Jennifer Bennett. Referee Assistants: Sharon Wheeler, Sandra Serafini. 4th Official: Kenneth Kaplan.

TEAM INJURY REPORTS AS OF 6/10/02
ATLANTA BEAT: OUT - D Lisa Krzykowski (L broken ulna); PROBABLE - F Sun Wen (left adductor strain).
BOSTON BREAKERS: OUT - F Ragnhild Gulbrandsen (foot surgery); PROBABLE - GK Tracy Ducar (R knee articular cartilage lesion).
CAROLINA COURAGE: PROBABLE - D/M Erin Baxter (concussion).
NEW YORK POWER: OUT - GK Gao Hong (R wrist surgery); D Jenn O'Sullivan (L knee ACL/PCL tear); QUESTIONABLE - D Christie Pearce (R knee strain).
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: OUT - M Kelly Smith (R ACL tear)
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: OUT - M Jen Mascaro (L foot broken).
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: OUT - D Kelly Lindsey (R knee surgery); QUESTIONABLE - M/D Brandi Chastain (left hamstring strain); F Maren Hendershot-Brown (bruised hip); PROBABLE - D Gina Eagleson (L ankle sprain); F Pretinha (bruised hip)
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: OUT - M Bai Jie (L MCL strain); QUESTIONABLE - F Mia Hamm (L knee thigh bone lesion).

SEASON ENDING INJURIES: PHILADELPHIA - F Rakel Karvelsson (R ACL tear).

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY AS OF 6/10/02
ATLANTA BEAT: None.
BOSTON BREAKERS: None.
CAROLINA COURAGE: None.
NEW YORK POWER: None.
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: None.
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: None.
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: None.
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: None.

Suspension Summary 6/10/02

Player Team Suspension Reason None

Warning Summary 6/10/02

Player Team Reason

Kylie Bivens Atlanta Beat 3 Non-Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated (A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =4 non-consecutive cards accumulated)

Nikki Serlenga Atlanta Beat 3 Non-Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated (A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =4 non-consecutive cards accumulated)

Thori Bryan San Jose CyberRays 3 Non-Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated (A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =4 non-consecutive cards accumulated)

Kelly Lindsey San Jose CyberRays 3 Non-Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated (A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =4 non-consecutive cards accumulated)

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

ATLANTA BEAT: Cindy Parlow had a goal and an assist and Charmaine Hooper also scored as the Atlanta Beat defeated the New York Power 2-0 Sunday evening at Mitchel Athletic Complex. The victory was Atlanta's fourth consecutive win, matching Philadelphia's 4-0 start in 2002 for the most consecutive wins in WUSA history ... With a tie prior to the streak, Atlanta has gone five games without a loss ... Hooper is now sixth in WUSA scoring with 10 points (all from her five goals) and tied for second in the league in goals behind San Jose's Katia ... Midfielders Nikki Serlenga and Homare Sawa are in a four-way tie for the WUSA with five assists each ... Parlow continues to lead the WUSA in fouls suffered with 31 ... Hooper leads the WUSA with 29 fouls committed ... Hooper leads the WUSA with four game-winning goals ... Briana Scurry leads the WUSA with four shutouts ... The Beat extended its unbeaten streak when scoring first to 13-0-3, the best mark all-time in the WUSA ... San Diego is the only other team that has not lost when scoring first, with a mark of 8-0-3.

BOSTON BREAKERS: Dagny Mellgren put on an offensive display in the Breakers' 2-2 draw with Carolina June 8 at Nickerson Field ... Mellgren scored two goals, both on headers, from two great crosses from Maren Meinert ... Mellgren now has five goals on the season, one behind WUSA leader Katia of the San Jose CyberRays ... It was Mellgren's second two-goal game of the season, fourth overall in her WUSA career ... The Boston speedster now has six multiple-point games ... Mellgren (10 pts.) and Meinert (13 pts - tied for WUSA scoring lead) are the highest scoring tandem in the WUSA, one point ahead of Carolina's Danielle Fotopoulos and Hege Riise ... Meinert, Chrisy McCann and goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc have played every minute of every game this season ... LeBlanc's 43 saves are second in the WUSA ... Watch out for Boston early in the game as the Breakers have scored four goals during the first 15 minutes of action, more than any other WUSA club ... Kalli Kamholz picked up her first start in 2002 when she suited up against Carolina ... The former Philadelphia Charge defender played a full 90 minutes.

CAROLINA COURAGE: The Courage battled the Boston Breakers to a 2-2 draw June 8 at Nickerson Field ... Danielle Fotopoulos scored her fifth goal of the season (tied for second in the WUSA), while Hege Riise, who had a goal and an assist, has registered a point in six consecutive games ... Carolina is unbeaten on the road this season at 2-0-2 - the only WUSA team that has not lost yet on the road this season ... The Courage had the WUSA's worst road mark in 2001 at 2-7-1 ... Courage midfielder Erin Baxter, who was sidelined earlier in the season with a mild concussion, experienced another difficult setback, severely injuring her right ankle, only minutes after checking into the game on Saturday ... Doctors will examine Baxter this week ... Fotopoulos' 12 points (5g, 2a) are tied for third in WUSA scoring ... Her 41 total shots and 18 shots on goal both rank second in the WUSA ... Carolina's offense now ranks second in the WUSA, scoring an average of 1.75 goals per game ... Carolina's 116 shots are second in the WUSA behind leader San Jose (141 shots) ... Goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill continues to lead the WUSA with 50 saves

NEW YORK POWER: After losing five of their last seven games, Power Head Coach Pat Farmer installed a new formation during the week and decided to start five reserves Sunday evening against Atlanta, but the Power was unable to get on the board in a 2-0 loss to Atlanta at Mitchel Athletic Complex ... Defender Christie Pearce sat out Sunday's loss after spraining her right ankle June 1 against the Carolina Courage ... Pearce had been the only Power player to play every minute during the first eight games of the season ... Nicole Williams made her second start of the season in goal, while Wynne McIntosh started in place of Pearce ... Katie Tracy and Krista Davey started in midfield as part of a 3-5-2 lineup and Rachel Hoffman paired with Tiffeny Milbrett up top ... Milbrett had a four-game point streak snapped when she failed to register a goal or an assist against Atlanta ... Milbrett is leading the Power with four goals and four assists for 12 points (tied for third in the WUSA) ... Through nine games this season, the Power has compiled a 2-6-1 record for seven points, placing them last in the WUSA standings ... Through nine games last season, New York had a 4-1-4 record for 16 points and was tied for second place in the standings ... New York is allowing 2.44 goals per game, the only WUSA team that is allowing more than two goals per contest ... New York is the WUSA's highest scoring team on the road, averaging 2.25 goals per game ... However, the Power is the league's lowest scoring team at home, averaging just 0.80 goals per contest.

PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: A late goal by Marinette Pichon preserved Philadelphia's undefeated home record in 2002 with a 1-1 tie versus Washington on Saturday ... Pichon's equalizer came in the 87th minute ... Pichon is currently riding a two-game goal-scoring streak ... Five of the Charge's 15 total goals have come in the final 15 minutes of action ... The Charge is the only team to not score a goal in the first 15 minutes ... The Charge is also the only team to not allow a goal in the first 15 minutes of action ... This season the Charge is 2-0-2 at Villanova Stadium and has outscored their opponents 8-4 at home ... Dating back to last season, Philadelphia is 4-0-3 in the last seven home games ... The Charge is 10-1-0 all-time when scoring the first goal ... Philadelphia has never lost a match when leading at halftime (8-0-0) ... The Charge ranks first in team offense (1.87 goals per game) as well as first in team defense (0.87 goals per game) ... Philadelphia has allowed a league-low 80 shots ... Goalkeeper Melissa Moore leads the league in goals against average (0.88), winning percentage (75.0%) and wins (5).

SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: San Diego dropped its third straight match with a 3-1 loss to San Jose on Sunday, June 9 ... The loss was the first for the visiting team in the series between the two teams ... GM Kevin Crow made his debut as interim Head Coach ... Zhang Ouying recorded her first goal since April 20, scoring San Diego's only goal of the match versus the CyberRays ... After the loss on Sunday, San Diego's record of 2-5-2 is the same record as last season's after nine matches ... San Jose's Katia became only the fourth player to score two goals in a single match versus the Spirit ... San Diego has used nine different lineups through the first nine matches ... Shannon Boxx's 29-game-started streak ended on Sunday ... However, Boxx's 30-games-played streak continued ... After Sunday, San Diego falls to 1-12-4 when their opponent scores first ... The three goals allowed on Sunday tied the team record for goals in a half (at Carolina May 26, 2001) ... The Spirit has trailed on the road at halftime in 3 of 4 matches this season ... The Spirit is tied for third in team offense (1.44 goals per game) ... San Diego ranks seventh in team defense (1.78 goals per game) ... San Diego has allowed 11 of the team's 16 total goals during the first half.

SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: San Jose is coming off its first home victory over San Diego with a 3-1 win versus the Spirit on Sunday ... Katia scored two goals in the 3-1 win over San Diego ... The Brazilian has now scored four goals in the last three San Jose matches ... She is currently tied for the league lead in scoring with six goals and an assist for 13 points (with Boston's Maren Meinert) ... Katia leads the league in goal scoring with six on the season ... The two goals Sunday gave Katia her second multiple goal game of the seaon and third of her career ... Sissi, who led the league in assists last season, is currently tied for the WUSA lead in assists with five ... The three goals scored by the CyberRays on Sunday was the team's best offensive output of the 2002 season ... The previous high was two in a 2-1 victory over Boston in the season opener and a 2-0 win over Washington on May 26 ... Tisha Venturini-Hoch scored her first goal of the 2002 season on Sunday ... The CyberRays have never lost a match when Venturini-Hoch has found the back of the net ... The 3-1 victory marked the first time San Jose had won without Brandi Chastain in the lineup ... Chastain missed the match due to a left hamstring strain ... Thori Bryan extended her minutes-played streak to 2,895 ... Bryan has played every minute of every match for the CyberRays ... The CyberRays will face Arsenal Ladies FC in an exhibition in Tulsa, Okla. on Tuesday, June 11 at 9:00 p.m. (ET).

WASHINGTON FREEDOM: Washington is coming off its second straight draw after tying the Philadelphia Charge on Saturday, June 8 ... Jennifer Grubb notched her first goal of the season on a 40th-minute penalty kick ... The Freedom held the league's highest scoring offense through the first 86 minutes .. However, a goal by Marinette Pichon in the 87th minute resulted in the 1-1 tie ... Abby Wambach (3g, 3a, 9 pts.) has been shut out in her last three starts, yet still leads the team in scoring ... Wambach is the only rookie to be listed among the top ten leading scorers in the league ... Mia Hamm is expected to make her 2002 debut on Wednesday ... This will be Hamm's first appearance since August 11, 2001 ... Goalkeeper Siri Mullinix leads the league in save percentage (85.0%) ... Washington is rated eighth in team offense (1.00 goals per game) .. The Freedom is ranked fifth in team defense (1.44 goals per game).

Women's United Soccer Association Stories from June 11, 2002

• Mia Hamm to Return Wednesday - WUSA
• Charge Seek to Extend Home Unbeaten Streak - Philadelphia Charge
• San Diego Spirit Signs Top Scottish Forward - San Diego Spirit

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.