Three Play Two

Published on April 28, 2003 under Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release


ATLANTA (Monday, April 28, 2003) - Three WUSA stars competed for their club and country on the same day as Carolina's Danielle Slaton, Atlanta's Briana Scurry and Washington's Mia Hamm each played two games on Saturday, April 26.

Many WUSA fans knew that there was a chance players from Atlanta and Washington would see action in the U.S. vs. Canada match and the Beat vs. the Freedom since both games took place at RFK Stadium, but Slaton actually played in two games in two cities. The 2002 WUSA Defensive Player of the Year played the second half of the USA's 6-1 win over Canada, hopped on a commercial flight to Cary, NC, and then played second half of Carolina's 3-1 loss to New York. Scurry looked sharp as she played the full 90 minutes for the U.S. and then the entire match for Atlanta in a 1-1 draw with Washington at RFK Stadium. Hamm played 63 minutes against Canada and came on in the 63rd minute against Atlanta. Her pass resulted in Kelly Golebiowski's game-tying goal in the 68th minute.

Boston's Kate Sobrero, Angela Hucles and Kristine Lilly each played for the U.S. on Saturday and made it to Boston in time for the Breakers home opener, but all three players did not see action in the nightcap. Boston fared just fine without them, defeating Philadelphia 3-1. Atlanta's Cindy Parlow played 90 minutes for the U.S. and did not see action for the Beat in the second half of a doubleheader at RFK Stadium.

San Diego's Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Shannon MacMillan and Aly Wagner all played for the U.S. on April 26 and traveled back to the West Coast Saturday evening with San Jose's Brandi Chastain and Spirit teammate Christine Latham (Canada). MacMillan, Wagner and Chastain all played the entire match for the U.S., while Foudy, Fawcett and Latham each saw considerable action in the U.S. - Canada contest. In San Diego's 2-1 win on Sunday, Chastain played the entire match for San Jose and all but Wagner (who played 86 minutes) went the distance for San Diego.

"They were tired, but they wanted to play and show our crowd that we can play a lot better than we did in the first game," said San Diego Head Coach Omid Namazi after his team went above .500 for the first time in club history. "We didn't want to change our starting lineup so we would keep the continuity and that's what we did."

New York's Christie Pearce and Tiffeny Milbrett, Carolina's Tiffany Roberts and Washington's Siri Mullinix all suited up for the U.S. but did not see action against Canada. All four players started for their respective WUSA matches on Saturday.

THE ROAD TO CHINA ... KATIA LEADS BRAZIL TO BERTH IN WORLD CUP FINALS; AFC QUALIFIERS RESCHEDULED: San Jose CyberRays forward Katia scored five goals as Brazil defeated Colombia 12-0 on Sunday, April 27 to win the CONMEBOL qualifying tournament and earn Brazil passage to China for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. Katia's CyberRays teammate Pretinha added two goals in the rout of Colombia. Brazil had defeated Argentina 3-2 on April 23 and Peru 3-0 on April 25 to win the tournament with 9 points. By finishing second in the CONMEBOL qualifying tournament, Argentina (4 pts.) also qualified for the Women's World Cup.

The Asian qualifiers for the women's World Cup will be played June 10-22 at Bangkok, Thailand. The tournament originally was set for April 17-30 in Bangkok, but the event was postponed because of SARS.

WHO'S IN - GOING TO CHINA 2003 [13 of 16 decided]
China - host country Canada, United States - CONCACAF - (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) Russia, France, Sweden, Germany, Norway - UEFA (Europe)
Australia - OFC (Oceania)
Ghana, Nigeria - CAF (Africa)
Brazil, Argentina - CONMEBOL (South America)

3 SPOTS REMAIN
- 2 will be decided by the Asian qualifying tournament June 10-22 at Bangkok, Thailand.
- Final berth will be decided in a playoff between Mexico (CONACAF 3rd place team) and the nation that finishes third in the Asian qualifying tournament

TOP 2 TEAMS FROM 2002 ARE 0-5: The Carolina Courage and Philadelphia Charge finished 1-2 in the 2002 WUSA regular season standings, but the two clubs are a combined 0-5 to start the 2003 campaign. At least Philadelphia lost both games on the road. Founders Cup II champions Carolina have lost three at home to start the 2003 season. Last year, Carolina started 3-0 on its way to a 12-5-4 record.

"Sometimes it takes getting a goal down to turn the light on," said Courage Head Coach Jay Entlich. "We've got to find a way in the next two weeks to turn the light on a lot earlier with this team whether it's changing our mentality before we come out of the locker room or tweaking our warm up a little bit. Things need to be changed at the beginning of our games."

"I have to admit I'm a little nervous about the 0-3 start," said Courage defender Staci Burt. "But I'm not going to get scared. A couple reporters have asked us if there is any chance we're going to make it to the playoffs. Are you kidding? We still have 18 games left. We're definitely going to get out of this losing streak."

Philadelphia started the 2002 season 4-0 and finished 11-4-6. Charge Head Coach Mark Krikorian could make some lineup changes as his club prepares to host New York on May 3.

"We have to go back to the drawing board," said Krikorian after Saturday's match. "There are all sorts of excuses that we can use with the weather and what not, but we have to look past this game and prepare for next week."

TWO OF TOP THREE DRAFT PICKS SCORE FIRST PRO GOALS: New York's Christie Welsh and Boston's Devvyn Hawkins scored their first professional goals on Saturday, April 26. In a 3-1 win at Carolina, number two WUSA Draft pick Welsh scored in the 10th minute when she charged into the penalty box, cut back inside Carolina's Nel Fettig and hammered a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Maite Zabala. Hawkins, who was selected third in the 2003 Draft, headed in a goal off a pass from Dagny Mellgren in Boston's 3-1 win over Philadelphia.

BOSTON CONTINUES "THE STREAK": With Saturday's 3-1 win over Philadelphia, the Boston Breakers now have a 12-game unbeaten streak at home, dating back to the last game of the 2001 season. The Breakers went 5-0-5 at home in the 2002 season and won their final home game of the 2001 season.

"I'm very proud of the team because we changed our system and changed our style on defense to suit the players we had,'' Boston Head Coach Pia Sundhage said following Saturday's victory. "We played without Kate, Lil and Hucles and still played pretty well on defense.''

NEW YORK ENDS ITS LOSING STREAK: Tiffeny Milbrett scored her first two goals of the year and rookie Christie Welsh scored her first professional goal as the New York Power snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over winless Carolina on Saturday night. New York's last win was a 3-2 win at Philadelphia on July 24, 2002.

"All the credit in the world to Millie (Milbrett)," Courage Head Coach Jay Entlich said when asked about Milbrett's performance. "I even told our team at the end that organizationally we couldn't have done really anything different on that set piece (the 2nd goal). Millie steps up and just puts it right under the bar. My hats off to Millie on that shot. It was just an incredible shot."

WUSA/MLS DOUBLEHEADER ON MAY 3 AT GILLETTE STADIUM: For the second year in a row, the Boston Breakers and New England Revolution will join forces for a doubleheader at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution battle the San Jose Earthquakes at 4 p.m. May 3, and the Breakers host the San Diego Spirit at 6:30 p.m. It will be the second WUSA/MLS doubleheader of 2002, as the San Jose CyberRays and Earthquakes hosted a doubleheader on April 19. The Washington Freedom and D.C. United will team up for two doubleheaders in 2003 (May 17 and July 19).

CAN ANYONE STOP ATLANTA'S MARIBEL DOMINGUEZ?: Mexican national team captain Maribel Dominguez scored the Beat's lone goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw with the Washington Freedom. Dominguez has now tallied five goals and two assists, for a WUSA-leading 12 points. Although it's still early, her scoring exploits have Dominguez on a pace to score 35 goals and 84 points in 2003. San Jose's Katia holds the WUSA record for most points in a season (36 in 2002), while New York's Tiffeny Milbrett scored a league-record 16 goals in 2001.

In addition to scoring the lone goal on Saturday, Dominguez drew a penalty kick when she was taken down by Washington 'keeper Siri Mullinix (who saved Nikki Serlenga's PK). Once again, Dominguez's clever maneuvers created her goal. After rookie Abby Crumpton's pass found Dominguez in the top right corner of the box, Atlanta's leading scorer eluded a Washington defender and blasted a shot over Mullinix that slid under the crossbar in the 68th minute.

"She had a great goal," Mullinix stated after Saturday's draw. "If I had been a step back I might have been able to get a hand on it. She had a player on her, and she wasn't completely unmarked. She was able to touch it wide and get a shot. It was just a great finish on her part."

Bryan's streak ends: Defender Thori Bryan had played every minute of every CyberRays' game until Sunday, when she was subbed out in the 78th minute against San Diego. Her streak of consecutive minutes played thus ended at 4,233 minutes. The Washington Freedom's Jen Grubb, who has played every minute of every Washington game, takes over the WUSA lead for consecutive minutes played in regular season and playoff games with 4,320 minutes. Kelly Lindsey was the player who replaced Bryan in the San Diego game.

CAST YOUR VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE ALL-STAR: Soccer fans have the opportunity to vote for their favorite WUSA players who will compete in the 2003 WUSA All-Star Game by going online at www.WUSA.com. The 2003 WUSA All-Star Game will be held at SAS Stadium in Cary, N.C. on Thursday, June 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT). The All-Star Game will be televised live on ESPN2 and will provide a look at all of the top players who are expected to star in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in China in September and October.

Fans will make up one block of the voting to select the 11 starters for the WUSA American Stars and the WUSA World Stars squads. The other two blocks that vote on the starting lineups are coaches/GMs and members of the media. Each voting block consists of 33.3 percent of the vote. The starting lineups for the both teams will be announced on Tuesday, June 3. Five additional reserve players will be announced on June 9. The reserve players will be selected by the two All-Star head coaches in conjunction with WUSA Commissioner Tony DiCicco.

The format of the 2003 WUSA All-Star Game will feature the WUSA American Stars vs. the WUSA World Stars. Head coaches for each team will be decided based on regular season performance and will be determined by June 1.

NEW YORK'S CHRISTIE PEARCE TO BE ON WUSA.COM CHAT THIS WEEK: New York defender Christie Pearce will be the featured guest on this week's WUSA.com live web chat on Tuesday, April 29. The chat will begin at 8:00 p.m. (ET)/5:00 p.m. (PT) and will last approximately 30 minutes. Pearce will be on hand to answer fan questions. Fans can submit questions before and during the chat. For more information, log on to www.WUSA.com.

WUSA Game Previews (Week Five)

Saturday, May 3, 2003 - New York Power at Philadelphia Charge - 4:00 p.m. (ET) - PAX TV (National Broadcast); (Season Series: First Meeting) (All-time Series History: Philadelphia leads 3-2-1)

New York is coming off its first victory of the 2003 season with a 3-1 victory at Carolina on Saturday, April 26. Philadelphia is 0-2-0 for the first time in team history after falling to Boston 3-1 on Saturday, April 26. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in a 3-2 victory for New York on July 24, 2002. Forward Tiffeny Milbrett sparked New York past Philadelphia with a two-goal performance coming off the bench.

Key Players to Watch: New York's Milbrett (2g, 4 pts., tied for 7th among WUSA scoring leaders) tallied two goals versus Carolina on Saturday (April 26). The Power's all-time leading scorer needs just two goals to become the first player in WUSA history to record 30 goals. Forward Christie Welsh (1g, 2 pts.) registered her first career WUSA goal on Saturday (April 26) versus Carolina. Goalkeeper Carly Smolak (1-3-0, 2.75 GAA) recorded her first victory of the 2003 season with the 3-1 victory over Carolina. Smolak has only faced the Charge once during her WUSA career, holding a 0-1-0 record with a 3.00 goals against average. Philadelphia midfielder Melanie Hoffmann (1g, 2 pts.) registered her first career WUSA goal in the Charge's 3-1 loss to Boston on April 26. Hoffmann successfully converted a penalty kick during stoppage time to record the score. Forward Marinette Pichon, who suffered a left knee contusion during last Saturday's game (April 26), will be looking for her first goal of the 2003 season this weekend. Pichon, the 2003 WUSA MVP, has scored three goals during her career versus the Power (three matches). Goalkeeper Melissa Moore (0-2-0, 2.00 GAA) will be looking for her first victory of the 2003 season. Moore holds a 3-1-0 record life-time versus New York with a 1.50 goals against average.

Key Matchup: (New York defender Christie Pearce versus Philadelphia forward Marinette Pichon) Pearce will have her hands full with the speedy French striker. In the second matchup last season, Pichon recorded a hat trick against the Power. In the third meeting, Pearce was assigned to man-mark Pichon and held her scoreless as the Power came back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.

The "Inside Scoop": New York snapped a seven-game regular season losing streak with a 3-1 victory on Saturday, April 26. The Charge holds a 2-1-0 record all-time versus New York at Villanova Stadium, outscoring the Power 7-5. Milbrett's last 15 goals (28 total during her career) have been scored on the road, including two versus Philadelphia on July 24, 2002 in a 3-2 victory for the Power. This will be Philadelphia's home opener of the 2003 season. The Charge had the best home-winning percentage in the WUSA last season (7-1-3, .727). Philadelphia's only loss at home in 2002 was at the hands of New York.

They Said it: "Philadelphia is a very good club, with a great striker in (Marinette) Pichon and a very good defense. In the past, this has been a great, close matchup." - New York Power Head Coach Tom Sermanni on Philadelphia.

Referee: Rachel Woo. Assistant Referees: Brenda Wright, Martha Sinclair. 4th Official: Adam Smeltz.

Saturday, May 3, 2003 - San Diego Spirit at Boston Breakers - 6:30 p.m. (ET) - No TV; (Season Series: Boston leads 1-0-0) (All-time Series History: San Diego leads 4-2-1)

The San Diego Spirit moved above the .500 mark for the first time in team history with a 2-1 victory over San Jose on Sunday, April 27. Boston has won two straight matches after downing the Philadelphia Charge 3-1 on Saturday, April 26. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in a 2-1 victory for Boston on April 5, 2003. Forwards Dagny Mellgren and Maren Meinert each tallied a goal in that match to lead Boston to its first victory of the 2003 season.

Key Players to Watch: San Diego forward Julie Fleeting (2g, 4 pts., tied for 7th among WUSA scoring leaders) notched the game-tying goal in the Spirit's 2-1 victory over in-state rival San Jose on April 27. The Scottish international has scored a goal in two straight games for the Spirit. Forward Shannon MacMillan (1g, 2a, 4 pts., tied for 7th among WUSA scoring leaders) registered her second assist of the 2003 season on Fleeting's goal versus San Jose. MacMillan has tallied two goals and four assists during her career versus Boston (six matches). Goalkeeper Jaime Pagliarulo (2-1-0, 1.00 GAA) recorded her second consecutive victory with the 2-1 win over San Jose. "Pags" holds a 2-1-1 record with a 2.20 goals against average life-time versus Boston (six matches). Boston's Meinert (4g, 8 pts., tied for 2nd among WUSA scoring leaders) registered two goals in Boston's 3-1 victory over Philadelphia on April 26. In six match versus the Spirit, Meinert has tallied three goals and four assists for 10 points during her WUSA career.

Breakers forward Mellgren (2g, 2a, 6 pts., tied for 4th among WUSA scoring leaders) tied a career high in assists with two versus Philadelphia. The Norwegian international recorded a goal earlier this season versus San Diego. Midfielder Devvyn Hawkins (1g, 1a, 3 pts., tied for 14th among WUSA scoring leaders) has notched a goal and an assist in her last two starts. Hawkins registered her first career WUSA goal versus Philadelphia on April 26.

Key Matchup: (San Diego defender Joy Fawcett versus Boston forward Maren Meinert) Meinert has had more success than any other Boston player (3 goals, 4 assists, 10 points) versus the Spirit. The German international has already recorded a goal versus San Diego this season. Fawcett missed the first meeting between these two teams due to ankle surgery.

The "Inside Scoop": Boston has won the last two meetings with San Diego, including a 2-1 opening day victory. The Spirit has outshot the Breakers 17-13 in seven previous meetings. Boston is riding a 12-game home unbeaten streak (WUSA record - dating back to August 12, 2001). San Diego is over .500 for the first time in team history. This match will be part of a WUSA/MLS doubleheader at Gillette Stadium.

They Said it: "They (Boston) are a quality side and look like they have turned the corner. It will be a tough challenge. However, we will have a full and rested lineup." - San Diego Head Coach Omid Namazi on Boston.

Referee: Sandra Hunt. Assistant Referees: Claudiu Badea, Sarah Kraus. 4th Official: Bahij A. Salman.

Saturday, May 3, 2003 - San Jose CyberRays at Atlanta Beat - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - Comcast Sports South - tape-delay at 10:00 p.m. ET; (Season Series: First Meeting) (All-time Series History: Atlanta leads 4-1-1)

Atlanta extended its regular season undefeated streak to four games with a 1-1 tie at Washington on Saturday, April 26. San Jose dropped its second consecutive match with a 2-1 loss at San Diego on April 27. The last meeting between these two teams resulted in 3-1 victory for the CyberRays on July 10, 2002. Brazilian striker Katia led San Jose to its first-ever regular season victory over the Beat with two goals in that match.

Key Players to Watch: San Jose's Katia, who missed the CyberRays' last match (Sunday, April 27 versus San Diego) due to World Cup Qualifying with Brazil, will be looking for her first WUSA goal of the 2003 season. San Jose's all-time leading scorer versus the Beat, Katia has notched three goals (six points) versus Atlanta during her WUSA career (six matches). Midfielder Tisha Venturini-Hoch (1g, 2 pts.) notched her first goal of the 2003 season on Sunday, April 27. Venturini-Hoch has tallied two goals and an assist versus the Beat in six matches. Goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene (1-2-0, 1.33 GAA) registered nine saves in San Jose's loss to the Spirit on April 27. Beene holds a 1-3-1 record with a 1.40 goals against average all-time versus the Beat. Atlanta forward Maribel Dominguez (5g, 2a, 12 pts., 1st among WUSA scoring leaders) recorded her fifth goal of the season in Atlanta's 1-1 tie with Washington on Saturday, April 26. The Mexican international has tallied a goal in three straight games. Midfielder Homare Sawa (2g, 1a, 5 pts., 6th among WUSA scoring leaders) has recorded a goal and two assists versus San Jose all-time (six matches). Goalkeeper Briana Scurry (2-0-1, 0.33 GAA) had her scoreless minutes streak (381) snapped during the 1-1 tie with Washington. Prior to the 67th-minute goal by Washington's Kelly Golebiowski, Scurry had recorded a shutout in three consecutive regular season games.

Key Matchup: (San Jose defender Thori Bryan versus Atlanta forward Maribel Dominguez) - Bryan has been effective since moving inside from the flank, but Dominguez has been a rookie sensation, getting a hat trick in her second WUSA match and leading the league with five goals, scoring in every game she's played.

The "Inside Scoop": In six regular season meetings, San Jose has only been able to record one victory (July 10, 2002, 3-1 win at Spartan Stadium). Atlanta has outscored San Jose 11-6 during those six meetings. San Jose has never won a match in Atlanta (0-2-1). The only meeting between these two teams at Herndon Stadium was a 2-1 victory for the Beat on June 22, 2002. Charmaine Hooper has recorded six of the Beat's 11 total goals in this series. Katia is responsible for three of San Jose's six total goals versus Atlanta.

They Said it: "You always have to concern yourself with the creativity of San Jose's attack. They play such an unpredictable game, that you really have to stay on your toes. We've always had some great matchups versus the CyberRays. When you couple Katia's amazing goal scoring ability, with Chastain coming up from the backfield, you really need to be prepared for anything." - Atlanta Beat Head Coach Tom Stone on San Jose.

Referee: Kari Seitz. Assistant Referees: Brian D'Amato, Melanie Johnson. 4th Official: Patrick Baker.

TEAM INJURY REPORTS AS OF 04/28/03
ATLANTA BEAT: PROBABLE - F Conny Pohlers (L knee contusion); D Ifeoma Dieke (R hamstring strain); M/D Kylie Bivens (L ankle sprain); D Sharolta Nonen (R calf contusion).
BOSTON BREAKERS: OUT - F Ragnhild Gulbrandsen (L Foot Bone Bruise).
CAROLINA COURAGE: No Game this week (Bye Week).
NEW YORK POWER: OUT - D Sara Whalen (R ACL tear); D Kristy Whelchel (R ACL tear); D Cheryl Salisbury (Calf Strain - R); D Lauren Orlandos (Hamstring Strains); GK Saskia Webber (Calf Strain - R); PROBABLE - GK Meghan Frey (L thumb sprain) D Jaclyn Raveia (Hairline Fracture - R Collarbone).
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: QUESTIONABLE - F Marinette Pichon (L knee contusion); PROBABLE - M Erin Misaki (R knee effusion);
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: OUT - M Jen Nielsen (Broken L toe); PROBABLE - M Kerry Connors (L Achilles Tendonitis); F Christine Latham (Sprained R hand).
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: QUESTIONABLE - F Katie Barnes (R Calf strain); PROBABLE - D Kelly Lindsey (R knee contusion); M Tisha Venturini-Hoch (R knee contusion).
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: No game this week (Bye Week).

NATIONAL TEAM DUTY AS OF 04/28/03
ATLANTA BEAT: None. BOSTON BREAKERS: None.
CAROLINA COURAGE: M Unni Lehn (Norway).
NEW YORK POWER: None.
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: None.
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: None.
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: None.
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: M Bai Jie (China).

suspension Summary 04/28/03

Player Team Suspension Reason None

Warning Summary 04/28/03

Player Team Reason

Jena Kluegel Boston Breakers 2 Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated - A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =3 consecutive cards accumulated.

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

Atlanta Beat: Atlanta battled the Washington Freedom to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, April 26 at RFK Stadium... Forward Maribel Dominguez notched her fifth goal of the 2003 season to give the Beat a brief lead in the 67th minute... Washington tied the match in the 67th minute on a Kelly Golebiowski goal... Atlanta remains unbeaten on the season at 2-0-1... Goalkeeper Briana Scurry had her scoreless minutes streak snapped at 381 after Washington's goal in the 67th... Scurry had recorded a shutout in three straight regular season games, dating back to August 10, 2002... Scurry was one of three WUSA players to play two games (U.S. women's national team and WUSA) on Saturday, April 26 (Carolina's Danielle Slaton and Washington's Mia Hamm the others)... Scurry played both a full 90 minutes in both matches... Atlanta is unbeaten in four consecutive regular season matches (dating back to August 10, 2002)... The Beat has won three straight regular season home matches (dating back to August 10, 2002)... Atlanta leads the league in both team offense (4.00 goals per game) and team defense (0.33 goals per game).

Boston Breakers: Boston won its second straight match with a 3-1 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday, April 26 at Nickerson Field... Forward Maren Meinert notched two goals in that match to give the German international four goals on the season.... Meinert is tied for second among the WUSA scoring leaders... Meinert is tied for the league lead in shots (14) and shots on goal (10)... Rookie midfielder Devvyn Hawkins recorded her first career WUSA goal on April 26... With the victory on April 26, Boston extended its WUSA-record home unbeaten streak to 12 games, dating back to August 12, 2001... Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc recorded her third win of the 2003 season... LeBlanc's win total from 2002 was five... LeBlanc ranks third in the league in saves (16)... Boston is tied for second in team offense (2.00 goals per game) and ranks sixth in team defense (2.25 goals per game).

Carolina Courage: The Courage heads into a bye week this week after dropping its third straight home match to start the season... On April 26, Carolina fell to the New York Power 3-1 at SAS Stadium... Forward Danielle Fotopoulos recorded her first goal of the 2003 season after successfully converting a penalty kick in the 66th minute... With the goal, Fotopoulos has registered a goal or and assist in seven consecutive regular season matches (dating back to July 31, 2002)... Defender Danielle Slaton was one of three WUSA players to play two games (U.S. women's national team and WUSA) on Saturday, April 26 (Atlanta's Briana Scurry and Washington's Mia Hamm the others)... This is the first time in team history that the Courage has dropped three straight home matches to start a season... Carolina ranks fifth in the WUSA in team offense (1.00 goal per game) and seventh in team defense (2.67 goals per game)... The Courage will be without midfielder Hege Riise for the remainder of the season (R ACL tear)... Head Coach Jay Entlich is still pursuing his first WUSA victory.

New York Power: New York snapped a seven-game regular season losing streak (dating back to July 27, 2002) with a 3-1 victory at Carolina on April 26... Tiffeny Milbrett notched her first two goals of the 2003 season in that match... Of Milbrett's 28 career goals in the WUSA, the last 15 have come on the road... Rookie forward Christie Welsh registered her first career WUSA goal on April 26... The victory also snapped a four-game road losing streak (dating back to July 27, 2002)... Goalkeeper Carly Smolak earned her first victory with the Power as a result of the win... The Power outshot the Courage 14-8 and did not allow Carolina to record its first shot on goal until the 51st minute... The Power ranks tied for fifth in team defense (1.00 goal per game) and eighth in team defense (2.75 goals per game)... The victory was Head Coach Tom Sermanni's first of his WUSA career.

Philadelphia Charge: Philadelphia dropped its second consecutive match of the 2003 season with a 3-1 loss to Boston on April 26... The Charge start the season 0-2-0 for the first time in team history... With the loss, Philadelphia has lost its last four games, datig back to last season (including the playoffs)... The Charge is also riding a four-game road losing streak (dating back to July 31, 2002)... The Charge is 0-4-3 in its last seven games on the road... Midfielder Melanie Hoffmann recorded her first career WUSA goal with a penalty kick during stoppage time on April 26...Her goal marks the third straight season that an international player has scored the Charge's first goal of the season (2002 Kelly Smith, 2001 Doris Fitschen)...Phialdelphia owns the league's best home-winning perenctage (12-4-5, .690)... Hoffmann's goal on April 26 ended a 375-minute scoreless streak for Philadelphia... Prior to Hoffmann's goal, the Charge last scored a goal in the 73rd minute on August 7, 2002... Phiadelphia ranks eighth in team offense (0.50 goals per game) and fifth in team defense (2.00 goals per game).

San Diego Spirit: For the first time in team history, the San Diego Spirit moved above the .500 mark with a 2-1 victory over San Jose on April 27 at Torero Stadium... Julie Fleeting recorded her second goal of the season to tie the match at 1-1 in the 54th minute... An own goal by San Jose goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene in the 61st minute proved to be the difference... The victory was also the first over San Jose at Torero... San Diego has won back-to-back game for only the second time in team history (July 25-July 29, 2001)... Omid Namazi becomes the quickest Spirit coach to win two games (Carlos Suarez and Kevin Crow each took eight games)... Fleeting tied the league record for shots on goal with seven on April 27 (tied with teammate Shannon MacMillan and San Jose's Katia)... The Sprit ranks fourth in team offense (1.67 goals per game) and third in team defense (1.00 goal per game).

San Jose CyberRays: The San Jose CyberRays lost to the San Diego Spirit at Torero Stadium for the first time 2-1 on April 27... Tisha Venturini-Hoch got the CyberRays on the board early with her first goal of the 2003 season in the 49th minute... Unfortunately, an own goal by goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene proved to be the difference in the 61st minute... The own goal was only the second suffered by San Jose in 45 games... Defender Thori Bryan's streak of consecutive minutes played ended on April 27... She was subbed out in the 78th minute, ending her streak at 4,233... The CyberRays were without both Katia and Pretinha (Brazilian national team duty) for Sunday's (April 27) game with San Diego... Katia (5 goals) and Pretinha (2 goals) helped lead Brazil to a berth in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup with a 12-0 victory over Colombia on April 27... San Jose ranks seventh in the WUSA in team offense (0.67 goals per game) and fourth in team defense (1.33 goals per game).

Washington Freedom: The Washington Freedom remains one of only two undefeated teams in the WUSA (Atlanta the other) with a 1-1 the Beat on Saturday, April 26... Midfielder Kelly Golebiowski registered her first career WUSA goal to tie the match in the 67th minute... With the draw, Washington is 3-0-1 on the season, sitting atop the WUSA standings with 10 points... The Freedom extends its WUSA-record unbeaten streak to 13 games (dating back to June 29, 2002)... The tie also extends Washington's home-unbeaten streak to seven games (dating back to July 3, 2002)... With the week off, Washington will face the Hampton Roads Piranhas (W-League) in an exhibition on Friday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Virginia Beach Sports Plex... Mia Hamm was one of three WUSA players to play two games (U.S. Women's national team and WUSA) on Saturday, April 26 (Atlanta's Briana Scurry and Carolina's Danielle Slaton the others)...Washington ranks tied for second in team offense (2.00 goals per game) and second in team defense (0.75 goals per game)... Midfielder Monica Gerarado retired this past weekend to become the assistant women's soccer coach at the University of Pittsburgh.

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


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.


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