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Two Losses put San Diego out of Playoff Hunt

August 5, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA)
San Diego Spirit News Release


Playing against all odds, the Spirit finally succumbed on July 31 in their race for a playoff berth with a 4-1 loss to the Atlanta Beat at Torero Stadium. Three days later, San Diego dropped a 3-1 decision to the league-leading Philadelphia Charge in Philly. The match at Villanova Stadium was delayed 40 minutes due to lightning. The Spirit plays their final road contest of the year on Wednesday, August 7, 4 p.m., against the Atlanta Beat in the final installment of the "Cox Civil War." San Diego concludes their sophomore WUSA season on Sunday, August 11, 5 p.m., against the Carolina Courage on Fan Appreciation Night. San Diego will be looking for their first win against the Courage and to finish the 2002 season on a positive note. Carolina, who has qualified for the post-season, has been at or near the top of the WUSA standings all season long. The Spirit will show the popular movie "Shrek" after the match and celebrate their great fan support by giving away prizes and gifts to the Spirit supporters throughout the evening. QUICK GLANCE

RECORD: 4-11-4, 16 points, 7th place.
LAST MATCH: 4-1 loss vs. Atlanta on July 31, at Torero Stadium; 3-1 loss @ Philadelphia on August 3, at Villanova Stadium
LEADING SCORER: Shannon MacMillan, 5 goals, 6 assists, 16 points.
INJURY REPORT: Zhang Ouying, pulled hamstring, questionable; Jaime Pagliarulo, strained knee, out.

NEXT ON THE SLATE:

Atlanta Beat, 8/7, 4 p.m. PT at Herndon Stadium, no telecast - The Spirit plays the Atlanta Beat for the final time in 2002. Atlanta is in a battle for the fourth and final playoff berth with the San Jose CyberRays, and with a win over San Diego can clinch that berth.

SD v ATL 2002, 0-2-0; SD v ATL Lifetime, 1-3-1; SD v ATL in San Diego, 1-2-0; SD v ATL in Atlanta, 0-1-1; 2002 Leading Scorer v ATL, Fleeting, 1 goal; Lifetime Leading Scorer v ATL, MacMillan, 3 goals.

Carolina Courage, 8/11, 5 p.m. PT at Torero Stadium, live on Channel 4 San Diego - The season concludes for the second consecutive year against the Courage at Torero Stadium. Last year's finale was one of the most dramatic games in team history as Shannon MacMillan scored twice in the second half including a goal in stoppage time to equalize the match. Carolina has already clinched a playoff berth after missing the post-season in 2001.

SD v CAR 2002, 0-2-0; SD v CAR Lifetime, 0-4-1; SD v CAR in San Diego, 0-1-1; SD v CAR in Carolina, 0-3-0; 2002 Leading Scorer v CAR, Zhang 1 goal; Lifetime Leading Scorer v CAR, MacMillan, 4 goals.

SPIRIT NEWS:

SPIRIT ATTENDANCE STILL STRONG - Fans continue to come to Torero Stadium, despite the team's 4-11-4 record. The franchise is ahead of last year's average attendance figure, 5,831 to 5,714, a feat that is uncommon for second-year sports teams. In 2001, the Spirit attracted 62,850 in 11 games; this season San Diego has drawn 52,475 in only nine dates, with one home match remaining. During the 2002 season, the Spirit has hosted their first, second, third and fourth largest crowds in team history.

JULIE FLEETING IS THE REAL DEAL - Scottish forward Julie Fleeting joined the Spirit in Boston on Monday, July 8. Fleeting, Scotland's all-time leading scorer, may her debut on July 10 against the Breakers. In her six games, she has totaled three goals and one assist, including July 20's game-winning goal against New York in the 90th minute. She had her 3-game point and 2-game goal streak ended against Washington on July 27.

TWICE AS NICE -- Five different opposing players have scored two goals in a game against the Spirit in 2002, while four Spirit players have accomplished the feat against opposing goalkeepers. Homare Sawa, Kristine Lilly, Katia, Abby Wambach and Dagny Mellgren have struck for their teams. San Diego counters with Shauna Rohbock, Julie Foudy, Zhang Ouying and Shannon MacMillan.

THREE DOT INFO...

The Spirit used their 18th different lineup of the season...Jenny Mascaro scored her first goal of 2002...Mascaro has a point in three of four games...Amy Sauer picked up her first professional career point on an assist...Fan Yunjie also notched her first assist of the season...Carly Smolak made her fifth consecutive start in goal for the 2002 season and her sixth career on 8/3...Smolak has a record of 1-3-2 as a starter...Smolak set a team season-high for consecutive shutout minutes this season at 178 minutes on 7/27...Smolak earned her third consecutive loss in goal on 8/3... Fan Yunjie returned to the starting lineup after missing four consecutive games on 7/31, 7/20 & 7/27, pulled hamstring, 7/14, coach's decision...Zhang Ouying missed her third game of the season due to a pulled hamstring...The Spirit is 9-1-3 when scoring the first goal of the game, first loss came on 7/31 v ATL...The Spirit is 2-17-6 when the opponent scores first...San Diego is 0-12-3 when trailing at the half...The Spirit is 0-13-3 when trailing at the 75th minute...San Diego has allowed two or more goals in 13 of 19 games...The Spirit has allowed the opponent to score 2 or more goals in a half in eight of 13 games...San Diego has allowed three or more goals in five of the last seven road games and seven of 11 games...Has lost seven of the last eight road games...Has trailed at the half in eight of 13 games...Has not held a lead at halftime in 13 consecutive games...Has trailed at the 75th minute in nine of 13 games...Has allowed the opponent to score the first goal in 11 of the last 13 games.

AUGUST "IN THE SPIRIT" ON THE AIR - The August edition of Channel 4 San Diego's "In the Spirit with Julie Foudy" premiered last Saturday, August 3. This edition features a profile on reserve goalkeeper Shelley Finger, Shauna Rohbock's window washing fascination and gameday stadium preparations.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

The San Diego Spirit will face the Philadelphia Charge in a post-season exhibition match on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., that will serve as the first game of a unique doubleheader with the Los Angeles Galaxy regular season finale against the San Jose Earthquakes. The Spirit match kicks off at 5 p.m. PT, followed by the MLS match at 8p.m. PT.

THIS WEEK IN SPIRIT HISTORY SPIRIT AND COURAGE PLAY IN DRAMATIC SEASON FINALE

August 12, 2001- Shannon MacMillan's fifth two-goal game of the season capped a comeback in the season finale against the Carolina Courage. Her second goal came in stoppage time of the second half to lift the Spirit to a 2-2 tie with the Courage before a sellout crowd of 6,155 at Torero Stadium.

QUOTE SHEET:

Crow on the team not finishing in the first half... "I think in the first half they got caught flat in the back a few times. We had several breakaways and we did not finish. Those always come back to bite you in the end."

Crow on the opening up on play in the second half... "The game opened up on both ends in the second half as both teams were a little undisciplined. Unfortunately we were on the wrong end of the lack of undiscipline as they got three goals of basically off of crosses."

Crow on keeping the energy level up... "That is why I made the subs when I did after the goal. I wanted to keep the energy level up. Subbing the two players involved in the goal was already in the cards before they scored."

Crow on the team's concentration... "It is something that we have had problems with all season long. At one point in a game we lose our concentration and drop the level of play down."



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from August 5, 2002


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