Wambach Named Player of the Week

May 12, 2003 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release


ATLANTA (Monday, May 12, 2003) - Washington Freedom forward Abby Wambach has been selected as the league's MET-Rx Player of the Week for the week ending May 11, 2003. The 2002 WUSA Rookie of the Year registered her first career WUSA hat trick to lead the Freedom to a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Charge on May 10 at RFK Stadium.

After scoring one goal in the Freedom's first four games, Wambach recorded the team's first-ever hat trick in the win over Philadelphia on Saturday. Wambach had a hand in all four Freedom goals. After coming off a sub-par outing against Atlanta on April 26, Wambach was perhaps the best she has ever been in a Freedom uniform, using her characteristic toughness to finish two diving headers in the first half to put the Washington up 2-0. She then set up the Freedom's third goal by sacrificing the body in a nasty collision with two Philadelphia defenders and goalkeeper Melissa Moore in the 79th minute, creating a penalty kick opportunity that Mia Hamm converted.

Wambach completed her first WUSA hat trick in second half stoppage time, when she collected a Kelly Golebiowski shot which clanged off the crossbar toward the top of the six-yard box during extra time. Wambach settled the rebound and blasted a shot to the right corner past Moore to make it 4-1. Wambach's hat trick was the second of the 2003 season and the seventh in WUSA history.

"Its really nice to contribute," said Wambach, who scored in the Freedom's opening day win but was held scoreless in the club's last three matches. "The last couple games I haven't been able to contribute, so I feel satisfied after this game. I played the ball without hesitation and put it in the back of the net."

Wambach captured 61 points in the voting (30 first place, 1 second place) to defeat Boston's Maren Meinert (14 pts.), San Jose's Sissi (9 pts.), New York's Krista Davey (5 pts.), San Jose's Pretinha (2 pts.) and San Diego's Julie Fleeting (2 pts.) also received votes. The MET-Rx Player of the Week is selected every Monday throughout the regular season by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association.

MET-Rx is the official protein-based sports supplement of the WUSA. MET-Rx Sports Nutrition. "Goals Set. Goals Met."



Women's United Soccer Association Stories from May 12, 2003


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