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San Diego Spirit Game Plan vs. Carolina

August 1, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Diego Spirit News Release


OPPONENTS' NOTES:

* Birgit Prinz is responsible for 35 percent of Carolina's goals this season...With 23 points, Prinz is the leading scorer for Carolina and is tied for fifth in the league.

* Carolina is at zero in the goals for/goals against ratio, having scored 30 goals and allowing 30 goals.

* Carolina has out-shot their opponents by over a 2-to-1 ratio, 182-89.

THE OUTLOOK

The Spirit (25 pts.) face the Carolina Courage (24 pts.) on Sunday in a match with major playoff implications. The winner of the game takes the season series and thus, the first tiebreaker should the two teams be tied on points at the end of the season. Six teams are vying for positions 2-4 in the WUSA playoffs. The last match between the Spirit and the Courage was a frustrating, 1-0, loss on July 19 in Cary, N.C., in a match that was dominated by Carolina in the first half and the Spirit in the second. After giving up a soft goal off a corner kick, the Spirit could not rally for an equalizer despite numerous great chances. The Courage have been hurt by season-ending ACL injuries to two of their best players in forward Danielle Fotopoulos and midfielder Hege Riise, but have held on strong through the play of forward Birgit Prinz, one of the world's best strikers, defensive midfielder Tiffany Roberts, defenders Danielle Slaton and Nel Fettig and goalkeeper Kristen Luckenbill. It was Fettig who tallied the winning goal in the last match, just her second score of the year, and who played some gutsy defense to keep the Spirit off the board. The Spirit has lost just one game this year when it had all of its players available and the attack has gelled towards the end of the season as forward Christine Latham has found her scoring touch. If the Spirit can keep the clamps on Prinz, who should be one of the stars of the 2003 Women's World Cup, and find a way to keep imposing goalkeeper Kristen Luckenbill off balance, the odds of winning this key match increase. Realistically, the final two games for the Spirit are a must-win situation in order to make it to the playoffs.

STAT BREAKDOWN

Spirit Carolina
GOALS FOR: 24 30
GOALS AGAINST: 25 30
SHOTS: 255 182
LEADING SCORER: Fleeting, 22 pts. Prinz, 23 pts.
STREAK: Lost 1 Lost 1

SPIRIT QUICK SHOTS...A victory would:
* End a three-game winless streak.
* Give San Diego a five-game unbeaten home streak.
* Give San Diego the season series over Carolina for the first time.
* Tie club record for wins in a season, 7.
* Set a club record for home wins in a season, 5.

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Women's United Soccer Association Stories from August 1, 2003


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