Philadelphia's Smith Named May Player of the Month; Washington's Mullinix Named Player of the Week
June 3, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Philadelphia Charge News Release
ATLANTA (Monday, June 2, 2002) - Philadelphia Charge midfielder/forward Kelly Smith has been selected as the WUSA's May Player of the Month by the Professional Soccer Reporters Association.
Smith tallied two goals and three assists in May, helping the Charge post a 3-1-0 mark in the month. She also received Player of the Week accolades in month, after recording a goal and an assist against the Washington Freedom on May 11.
Unfortunately, Smith's season ended in her first game in June, as she tore the ACL in her right knee in the Charge's 0-0 draw against San Jose on June 1. Smith ends her season with four goals and three assists for 11 points - the same totals she had during an injury-plagued 2001 campaign.
In a landslide vote, Smith garnered 13 of 15 first-place votes and two second-place votes for 27 points. She outdistanced teammate Marinette Pichon and Boston's Maren Meinert, the second-place finishers, by 22 points. 2002 WUSA PLAYERS OF THE MONTH (as selected by PSRA) Month Player Team Note April Kristin Luckenbill Carolina Courage 2-0-0 record with 19 saves and a 90.5% save percentage Zhang Ouying San Diego Spirit Three goals and two assists in three matches May Kelly Smith Philadelphia Charge Two goals and three assists as the Charge went 3-1-0 in May
WASHINGTON'S MULLINIX NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Washington Freedom goalkeeper Siri Mullinix has been selected as the WUSA's Player of the Week for the week ending June 2, 2002.
Siri Mullinix made a WUSA all-time high 13 saves in a 0-0 draw at Boston Saturday afternoon. She faced 24 shots and kept the Freedom in a match where they were outshot 24-6. The starting goalkeeper for the United States at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Mullinix is returning to the form that made her one of the world's best goalkeepers. The University of North Carolina product underwent surgery to her right shoulder during the offseason and has started the last three Freedom matches and played four total games in 2002. Her 1.22 goals against average ranks fourth in the WUSA.
Mullinix, who had 26 points in the voting (12 of the 17 first-place votes), outdistanced Carolina's Birgit Prinz (14 pts.), Atlanta's Charmaine Hooper (8 pts.) and San Jose's LaKeysia Beene (2 pts.). The WUSA's Player of the Week is selected every Monday throughout the regular season by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association.
• Discuss this story on the Women's United Soccer Association message board...
Women's United Soccer Association Stories from June 3, 2002
- Charge's Smith Tears ACL, Out for Season - Philadelphia Charge
- Smith to Miss Rest of Season - WUSA
- Carolina Courage Notebook - Carolina Courage
- Philadelphia's Smith Named May Player of the Month; Washington's Mullinix Named Player of the Week - Philadelphia Charge
- Beat Extends Winning Streak Looks for Fourth Straight in New York - Atlanta Beat
- WUSA Clarifies Comments about Playboy.com - WUSA
- Charge's Smith to Have MRI Today - Philadelphia Charge
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.
