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San Diego Spirit Wins Third Straight

March 19, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Diego Spirit News Release


SAN DIEGO - Jen Nielsen and Kerry Connors both scored twice to pace the San Diego Spirit to a 5-0 preseason win over the University of Wisconsin on Wednesday morning at Torero Stadium. The win was the third straight for the Spirit in the 2003 preseason.

Allie Kemp-Sullivan began the scoring with a quick strike from 16 yards away in the 5th minute off a cross from Jenny Mascaro. Kemp-Sullivan, the club's scoring leader with six goals, has scored in all three preseason matches.

San Diego (3-0) increased its lead with three goals in an 11-minute span, beginning with a Connors first-time blast from the top of the penalty area in the 27th minute. Connors nailed her first goal of the preseason with precision accuracy on a shot that sailed inside the left post. Nielsen tallied twice, first, from 10 yards out in the 34th minute on a Mascaro back-heel pass from the end line. She followed her first tally with a goal four minutes later when she tucked a shot just inside the left post after controlling a Susan Bush pass from the right flank.

Connors completed the scoring with her second goal of the match in the 57th minute on another left-footed shot from 12 yards away. The Spirit created several more scoring opportunities late in the match, but could not finish their attempts.

Wisconsin never seriously challenged the Spirit's defense throughout the match, as Jaime Pagliarulo, making her first appearance of the preseason, and Shelley Finger combined for the club's third consecutive shutout.

Quotes

Head coach Omid Namazi on the match...

"Our performance in the first half was the best of the preseason. I was pleased with the way we worked with and without the ball. To start the second half we made a formation change and substituted some players causing us to lose our rhythm in the beginning, but we had a stronger finish to end the match."

Notes

- San Diego continues preseason play on Wed., March 26, 5:00 p.m. PT, vs. Atlanta in Houston, Texas.

- Save the date - Wednesday, April 2, 1:00 p.m. - Annual Spirit Media Day.



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from March 19, 2003


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