Philly Rebounds to Stay in First
Published on May 28, 2002 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
Philadelphia Charge News Release
Marinette Pichon scored twice to lift the Philadelphia Charge over the Carolina Courage, 3-1, at SAS Stadium Saturday night in a battle of the top two teams in the WUSA. Kelly Smith added a goal and an assist for the Charge (5-1-0, 15pts), who remained in first place, winning for the fifth time in six outings this season. Carolina (3-1-2, 11pts), meanwhile, was handed its first loss of the year.
Melissa Moore ended with six saves for Philadelphia, which improved to 3-1 on the road this year. The Charge have now scored two or more goals in all five wins this season, outscoring their opponents 14-6 this year. With the Charge leading 1-0 in the second half, Carolina picked up its intensity. On the Courage's eighth corner kick of the game, they finally put the ball by Moore, when Danielle Slaton finished off a cross from Hege Riise to make it 1-1 in the 57th minute.
The Courage almost took a one-goal advantage minutes later but Moore saved Danielle Fotopoulos' point-blank shot. From there, the Charge weathered the storm and eventually won the game when Pichon's hard work on the offensive end led to Smith's game-winning penalty-kick goal in the 71st minute.
The penalty kick was set up when Slaton took down Pichon in the box after a crossing attempt was sent out of trouble by the Carolina defender. Smith, who beat Courage goalkeeper Kristen Luckenbill to the right, converted her second game-winning penalty kick of the season. The midfielder also won the Charge's game against the New York Power on April 27 when she converted a penalty kick that was set up when Pichon was fouled in the box.
Three of Smith's team-leading four goals this season have come off set plays. Pichon later put the game out of reach, taking a pass from Lorrie Fair and beating Luckenbill from the top of the penalty area. The Frenchwoman had scored earlier in the game after Smith's shot went off the cross bar and to her head for the easy finish.
Luckenbill ended with four saves for the Courage, who fell to 1-3 all-time against the Charge.
Upcoming Opponent
The Charge return home from a two-game road trip to face the defending WUSA Founders Cup champion San Jose Cyberrays Saturday, June 1 at Villanova Stadium at 7 p.m. The contest begins a three-game homestand for Philadelphia, which will also play four of its next six contests at Villanova Stadium.
In early May, the Charge started their home schedule in successful fashion by downing the Boston Breakers, 4-2, and the Washington Freedom, 3-1. The pair of wins improved the club's home mark to 3-0-1 in its last four and 6-1-2 in its last nine dating back to last season. Overall, the Charge are 7-3-2 at Villanova Stadium since the start of play in 2001.
Midfielder Lorrie Fair is the active points leader for the Charge against San Jose, scoring one goal and adding an assist for three points. Erin Martin and Michelle Demko also have goals against the Cyberrays, who are the only team in the WUSA to hold Smith without a point.
San Jose, which is 2-1 all-time versus the Charge, is led by U.S. National Team star Brandi Chastain and a trio of Brazilian standouts - Katia, Pretinha and Sissi. Chastain has been playing a great deal of time this season at the forward position, while the Brazilians are in the midfield working their magic. Pretinha is the newest member of the Brazilian contingent, having been acquired in the offseason from the Washington Freedom.
CHARGE NEWS & NOTES:
Charge Back on Winning Track
After dropping their first game of the season in a 1-0 loss to San Diego on May 19, the Charge rebounded to beat the second-place Carolina Courage, 3-1, on Saturday. The victory pushed Philadelphia's WUSA lead to four points over the Courage for 1st place in the WUSA standings. French phenom Marinette Pichon scored twice en route to earning her first-ever Player of the Week honors and Melissa Moore earned her league-leading fifth win. Kelly Smith scored the other goal for Philadelphia, her fourth of the season.
Top-ranked Offense, Defense Key Charge Efforts
Philadelphia, which has been tied for or in sole possession of first place all season long, now has the No. 1-ranked offense and defense in the league. With 14 goals in six games thus far, the first-place Charge are scoring at a clip of 2.3 goals per game. This number is especially impressive considering the second-ranked squads, San Diego and New York, score just 1.7 goals per contest. Defensively, Melissa Moore and company allow just 1.0 goals per game, also tops in the league. The Charge have allowed more than one goal by an opponent just once, in a 4-2 win over the Boston Breakers on May 4. A large part of this success can be attributed to a stingy defensive corps that has allowed a league- low 62 shots all season long. To put this in perspective, San Jose ranks second in this category but has allowed 76 shots.
Pichon Earns Player of the Week Award
French superstar Marinette Pichon's two goals in the Charge's 3-1 win over Carolina on Sunday paved the way for her first career Player of the Week recognition. Pichon becomes the second Philadelphia player to garner the honors this season after Kelly Smith won the award on May 13. The Charge are the only team to have had multiple players earn the award thus far this season.
Smith Moves into Scoring Lead
With her goal in the second half of Philly's 3-1 win over the Courage on Saturday, Englishwoman Kelly Smith is now tied for the WUSA scoring lead with 11 points. Her four goals and three assists tie her with Boston's Maren Meinert despite Smith having played one less game thus far this season. Her 1.83 points per game rank tops in the league. Healthy this season, Smith is now blossoming into the dazzling player head coach Mark Krikorian forecast when he selected her with the Charge's first round pick in the 2001 WUSA draft. Smith has now scored in eight of nine regular season games dating back to last season and nine of 10 including the playoffs.
Home Cooking
This season the Charge are 2-0 at Villanova Stadium, having outscored their opponents 7-3. Dating back to last season, the Charge are 3-0-1 in their last four as the host and 6-1-2 in their last nine. The club's lone loss over that nine-game span came to the Breakers on July 19. All-time Philadelphia is 7-3-2 at home.
Practice Times
The Charge are scheduled to be practicing this week on the grass fields at Villanova University. Any media outlet interested in attending is encouraged to contact the Charge PR office at 215-952-5492 before heading out to confirm practice times. Monday:10am-Noon Thursday: 10am-11am Tuesday: 10am-Noon Friday: 10am-11am Wednesday: Off Saturday: 7 p.m., game vs. San Jose
Charge on TV
The Charge will have a total of 16 games televised in the 2002 season. Four of the club's games will be aired nationally on PAX-TV, while 12 others will be aired between Comcast SportsNet and CN8, the Comcast Network. This is the second straight year that the Charge have been broadcast on CN8 and Comcast SportsNet. Last season, a total of nine games were aired locally between the two networks, with this season's total increasing by three.
Upcoming Promotions
Date Item Amount Opponent Time
Saturday, June 1 Team Photo courtesy of PECO First 5,000 fans San Jose 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 8 Heather Mitts Bobblehead 3,000 (14 & under) Washington 4:00 p.m.
Doll courtesy of Got Milk? Saturday, June 15 Charge Ties 1,200 (Dads) Boston 7:00 p.m.
Summer Soccer Camps
The Philadelphia Charge are hosting a number of soccer camps for players of every skill level between the ages of 6 and 18 this summer. Recreational Day Camps cover the fundamental technical skills of the game, while Travel Level Camps provide a more intense technical and tactical experience for players to compete at the next level. In addition to quality instruction and direct contact with the professional athletes, all players receive:
- Camp shirt with logos (perfect for collecting autographs.)
- Camp ball with logos
- One (1) ticket to the Charge game on August 3 against the San Diego Spirit
For more information on Summer Soccer Camps call the Charge office at 215-467-GOAL.
Get Your Tickets Now!
The Philadelphia Charge are slated to play 11 games at Villanova Stadium this season, which is one more than the club's inaugural campaign. To order your season tickets, Fan/Family Packs, group tickets and/or birthday party packages call the Charge ticket office at 215-467-GOAL. You can also order single game tickets by calling Ticketmaster at 215-336-2000 or 856-338-9000 or 302-984-2000.
Women's United Soccer Association Stories from May 28, 2002
- Beat Look to Extend Winning Streak - Atlanta Beat
- Philly Rebounds to Stay in First - Philadelphia Charge
- Carolina Courage Notebook - Carolina Courage
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.
