Over One Hurdle, Team's Confidence Begins to Grow

April 28, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Diego Spirit News Release


The proverbial monkey was lifted off the back of Spirit players when they defeated the San Jose Cyberrays Sunday to go above the .500 mark for the first time ever. Somehow you had to think that this group of athletes would be the ones to do it. Ever since training camp, a different feeling has surrounded the 2003 edition of the Spirit.

Captain Julie Foudy feels the confidence growing, "We are a more versatile team this year, and no longer just one dimensional. We have flank players, goal scorers and a lot of firepower up top to help Mac (MacMillan). Omid (Namazi) keeps us focused on what we need to do and a win like we had on Sunday is huge for us in taking the steps to truly believe in ourselves."

With one hurdle cleared, the team can now work on gaining points in the standings. "The focus had been on getting the monkey off our backs of not getting over .500 that is over. We think you probably need 11 wins to go through to the playoffs and we can start working on that," said Foudy.

QUICK GLANCE AT THE SPIRIT

NEXT MATCH: Saturday, May 3, 3:30 p.m. PT, @ Boston Breakers, Gillette Stadium, No telecast
LAST MATCH: Sunday, April 27, 2-1 win over San Jose, Torero Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
RECORD: 2-1-0, 6 pts.
LEADING SCORER: Julie Fleeting, 2 goals, 4 points; Shannon MacMillan 1 goal and 2 assists, 4 points
INJURIES: Jen Nielsen, Broken Toe, Out

NEXT ON THE SLATE: Boston Breakers, Saturday, May 3, 3:30 p.m. PT, Gillette Stadium

The Spirit will travel to Boston, for the only time this season, on May 3 for a rematch of the home opener, when the Spirit lost 2-1. San Diego will have a full and rested team when it faces the Breakers on Saturday. The game will start at 3:30 p.m. and is part of a WUSA/MLS doubleheader. The game will not be televised, but can be tracked online at WUSA.com.

PDF VERSION OF THE SPIRIT's 2003 MEDIA GUIDE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT SANDIEGOSPIRIT.COM

A PDF version of the 2003 San Diego Spirit media guide is available on the club's website at sandiegospirit.com. The maroon hidden link is located on the bottom of the left side column, just under the "Around the League" button. The link is hidden to allow private access to the media.

SHANNON MacMILLAN PARTICIPATES IN ESPN's JOCKS TO GI's DIRECT PROGRAM

Shannon McMillan is participating in ESPN's Jocks to GI's Direct pen-pal campaign. MacMillan has been corresponding with military personnel engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Visit to see MacMillan's letters.

NAMAZI SETS RECORD

San Diego Spirit head coach Omid Namazi set a record in only three games, as he became the quickest coach to reach two wins in his career. Former Spirit coaches Carlos Juarez and Kevin Crow, both took eight games to gain their first two victories.

KIM PICKUP PHOTO HAD AOL AND MSNBC.COM FLIPPING

A photo of Kim Pickup caught in mid-air doing her popular "Pick-Flip" was one of last week's AP's Photos of the Week. The photo was also displayed on the AOL and MSNBC websites. In fact, her photo finished third in the voting for favorite sports photo of the week; the winner was a photo of Chicago Cub Sammy Sosa being hit in the helmet with a pitch.

MAGAZINE POSTER SUPERSTARS

The San Diego Spirit were the featured poster in the most recent San Diego Sports Magazine issue. The pull-out poster features a large action photo of team captain Julie Foudy surrounded by a collage of actions shots of other Spirit players. In addition to the poster, the magazine also has a full-page article on the team.

SPIRIT INVOLVED IN GOT MILK? 3 v. 3 TOURNAMENT

The Spirit will be involved once again in the annual Got Milk? 3v3 Tournament, to be held May 31-June 1 at UCSD Warren Field. This is a 3v3 format with up to 5 people per team. Each person on the team receives a ticket to the May 31 Spirit game against Atlanta, as part of their registration fee. Teams can register on line at www.3v3soccer.com .

MEDIA PARKING AT TORERO STADIUM FOR MAY 18 GAME

The USDHS parking lot normally used for media parking will not be available for the Spirit's game on May 18. The Communications Department has a limited number of passes for the parking structure adjacent to the stadium and can provide them to media outlets on a first-come, first-serve basis, Please contact us to make arrangements for picking up your parking pass at the Spirit's April 27 game against San Jose.

SPIRIT SNAPSHOTS

Spirit director of communications Aaron Heifetz made his broadcasting debut as the analyst on Sunday's Spirit/CyberRays telecast on Channel 4 San Diego. He was partnered with KNSD's Jim Stone...Goalkeeper Jaime Pagliarulo won consecutive games for the first time in her career...Julie Foudy passed Shannon Boxx for most career games played, 42, on Sunday...San Diego won consecutive games for the first time since July 25 and 29, 2001...Julie Fleeting tied Shannon MacMillan's single-game record with seven shots on goal on Sunday...Shannon MacMillan's first free-kick goal against Canada with the U.S. National Team on Saturday was ranked sixth on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day.

SAN DIEGO SPIRIT WINGS PAGE TWO SAN DIEGO SPIRIT WINGS UPCOMING SCHEDULE

The Spirit goes on the road for its next two matches, playing at Boston on Saturday, May 3, in a game that will not be shown on television. The Spirit will travel to red-hot Atlanta for a Saturday, May 10, battle with the league-leading Beat. That game will be broadcast live on Channel 4 San Diego & Channel 3 Orange County at 4 p.m. PT. The Spirit will then return home for a May 18 contest against Boston that will finish the season series against the Breakers after only six games of the season. That match kicks off at 5 p.m. PT at Torero Stadium.



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from April 28, 2003


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