World Stars Ready to Make Debut
May 27, 2002 - Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) News Release
ATLANTA (Monday, May 27, 2002) - The Carolina Courage and Washington Freedom will receive an infusion of talent for this weekend's games when German national team standouts Birgit Prinz and Steffi Jones make their WUSA debuts. Prinz and Jones recently led their German club team FFC Frankfurt to the celebrated "treble" - a German league title, German cup title, and European club championship. In fact, Jones and Prinz scored FFC Frankfurt's goals in a 2-0 win over Swedish club Umea on May 23 to win the European club championship.
The 5-foot-9 Prinz, who arrived in North Carolina minutes prior to this past Saturday's 3-1 loss to Philadelphia, will join the Courage for Saturday's match against New York at SAS Soccer Park. A prolific scorer with 43 goals in 94 appearances for the German national team, Prinz, 24, possesses the complete package -- technical skills, athletic ability and a soccer mind.
"She is in a class all of her own," FFC Frankfurt coach Monika Staab recently told Germany's Kicker magazine. "She is the best soccer player in the world."
Although Carolina is off to a strong start at 3-1-2 (11 pts.), the Courage offense ranks fifth in the WUSA at 1.33 goals per game. Carolina players and management know what type of impact Prinz can have on the team.
"She's a handful," said Courage Captain Carla Overbeck, who made her 2002 debut in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Philadelphia. "Having marked her in previous games, all I can say is I'm glad she's playing for my team now."
"She is really and truly one of the premier players in the world," said Courage President and General Manager Jerome Ramsey. "She is just a phenomenal player, who will add so much to the team."
Jones, who arrives this week into the Nation's Capital, will bring a strong presence to the Freedom backline. The 5-foot-11 defender should pay immediate dividends to a Washington defense that currently is tied for sixth in the WUSA at 1.71 goals allowed per game. Jones has 74 appearances with the German national team.
"When we sat down at the end of the season we said we needed an experienced defender who could also could provide some leadership," said Gabarra. "She was the first one who came to mind. We felt that she was a perfect fit for us."
The daughter of a U.S. serviceman and German mother, the 29-year-old Jones is a dual citizen and is considered a domestic player in the WUSA. Her father and brother currently live in the United States while Jones' mother raised her in Germany. The versatile Jones played as a defender, striker and midfielder for her FFC Frankfurt this past season, but she is expected to anchor the Freedom backline and serve as the primary defensive marker on opponents' set pieces.
"We're obviously looking forward to having her," Freedom General Manager Katy Button told the Washington Times. "She's an incredible player and a mature, smart, savvy defender and a very physical presence. She scores wherever she plays and is a huge presence in the air. That's why we got her. She's coming in game-fit and strong."
PHILADELPHIA CONTINUES RECORD-SETTING PACE: The Philadelphia Charge became the fastest team in WUSA history to reach five victories with Saturday's 3-1 win at Carolina. Head Coach Mark Krikorian's club continues to score at a record pace as Philadelphia currently averages a WUSA-high 2.33 goals per game. At the current pace, Kelly Smith and company will easily break the 2001 WUSA high of 35 goals, set by the Charge. In fact, Philadelphia needs just 22 goals in the club's final 15 regular season games (an avg. of 1.47) to set a new WUSA scoring record. But don't expect Philadelphia to score early in the game, as the Charge is the only WUSA team that has not scored in the first 15 minutes of a match this season. Of course, Philadelphia also is one of just two teams (Carolina is the other) that have not allowed a goal in the first 15 minutes. Despite the club's success, Krikorian does not want his team to rest on its early-season laurels.
"We've been saying all along that what we're looking for is to continue to develop and get better as the season goes on," Krikorian stated after Saturday's 3-1 victory at Carolina. "I thought at moments during the game we were pretty good and then at other moments we were pretty bad."
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO SCORE FIRST?: In any sport, achieving an early lead is critical to one's success. The WUSA is no different as clubs that score first are 17-5-5 in 2002, including two teams - San Diego and Atlanta - that have never lost when they scored the first goal. During the 2001 regular season, WUSA teams went 53-13-13 when scoring first. In fact, no WUSA club has a losing record when scoring first. All-time, WUSA teams are 70-18-18 when finding the back of the net prior to their opponent. Atlanta has the best all-time mark at 10-0-3, while San Diego is 8-0-3. Philadelphia and San Jose are not far behind, as the Charge is 10-1-0 all-time and the CyberRays are 12-1-3 when scoring first.
IT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO LEAD AT HALFTIME: During regular season play, securing the lead at halftime has meant certain victory for one team. The Philadelphia Charge is 8-0-0 all-time when leading at the half. Atlanta is close to Philadelphia's record, but the Beat has one tie in its 5-0-1 all-time mark when leading at the half. During the 2002 season, WUSA teams are 12-1-5 when leading after the first 45 minutes. WUSA clubs are 46-6-5 all-time when leading at the half. NOTE: Philadelphia has lost once when leading at halftime. The Charge went down to Atlanta, 3-2, in the 2001 WUSA Playoff Semifinals.
NEW YORK'S HOME WOES END: The New York Power became the final team in the WUSA to record a home victory after defeating the San Diego Spirit 2-1 on Saturday, May 25. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak at home for New York. Prior to Saturday's win, the Power had been outscored 5-2 in three matches at Mitchel Athletic Complex. At 1-3-0, the Power has already equaled the number of losses at home from last season (4-3-3). The Power (1-1-1 on the road) will have three of the next four matches on the road.
KLUEGEL TO PARTICPATE IN THIS WEEK'S WUSA.COM CHAT: Boston defender Jena Kluegel will be the featured guest on this week's WUSA.com live web chat on Tuesday, May 21. The chat will begin at 8:00 p.m. (ET) and will last approximately 40 minutes. Kluegel 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.
MEINERT'S STREAK ENDS: Boston forward Maren Meinert was held scoreless for the first time in 2002 during the Breakers 1-0 loss to the Atlanta Beat on Saturday, May 25. Meinert, who had the longest current regular season point-scoring streak (7 games, tying the league record with Philadelphia's Kelly Smith), had recorded a goal or an assist in each of the Breakers first six matches as well as Boston's final match of the 2001 season. During that time, Boston finished with a 3-2-2 record. With Meinert unable to register a point, the Breakers were shut out for the first time this season. The German star is currently tied for the lead among the WUSA scoring leaders (4g, 3a, 11 pts.).
SHUTOUT LEADERS SHINE: Both LaKeysia Beene (San Jose) and Briana Scurry (Atlanta) recorded shutouts this past weekend. Number one and two respectively in all-time WUSA shutouts, both 'keepers added to their career totals with a 1-0 shutout of Boston (Scurry) and a 2-0 blanking of Washington (Beene). With her shutout on Saturday, Scurry tied Beene with her 10th career clean sheet as the Beat held Boston scoreless for the first time this season. A little more than 24 hours later, Beene held Abby Wambach and company without a point en route to her 11th career shutout, to move back into first place on the all-time WUSA shutouts list. Beene was able to hold Wambach scoreless for the first time in her WUSA career. Currently, Scurry and Beene are the only two goalkeepers to record more than one shutout this season. Both lead the league with two.
WUSA/MLS DOUBLEHEADER THIS WEEKEND: This weekend's match between the Washington Freedom and the Boston Breakers will be the first game of a doubleheader with the New England Revolution (Major League Soccer) on Saturday, June 1 at CMGI Field and can be seen live on PAX TV at 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT. This will be the WUSA second doubleheader with MLS this season. The Washington Freedom was also a part of a doubleheader with D.C. United on May 18 at RFK Stadium. One more doubleheader is scheduled for July 27 at RFK Stadium. The Freedom will host San Diego at 4:00 p.m. ET in the first match of the second doubleheader with D.C United this season. WUSA Game Previews (Week Eight)
Saturday, June 1, 2002 - Washington Freedom at Boston Breakers - 4:00 p.m. (ET) - PAX TV (National Broadcast) (Season Series: First Meeting in 2002) (All-time Series History: Boston leads 2-0-1) The Breakers hold a 2-0-1 lead in the all-time series versus the Freedom. Boston has outscored Washington 5-3 in the previous three meetings. The last time these two teams faced each other was on July 29, 2001. In that match Boston defeated Washington 2-1. Dagny Mellgren, who leads all Boston players with two goals versus the Freedom, recorded both goals during the July 29 meeting. No player from Washington has recorded more than one goal versus Boston.
Key Players to Watch: Forward Abby Wambach (3g, 3a, 9 pts.) leads the Freedom in scoring and is currently tied for fourth among the leading scorers in the WUSA. She is the only rookie to be listed among the top 10 in scoring. Midfielder Monica Gerardo (2g, 1a, 5 pts.) and forward Jacqui Little (2g, 1a, 5 pts.) round out Washington's scoring threat. Goalkeeper Siri Mullinix (0-2-1, 1.75 GAA) has started the last two matches in net for the Freedom and will be looking for her first victory of 2002. Boston's Maren Meinert (4g, 3a, 11 pts.) is tied for the league lead in scoring. The Breakers forward had her six-game scoring streak snapped last weekend. Mellgren (3g, 6 pts.) will look for continued success versus the Freedom (two goals in three matches). Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc (2-3-2, 1.71 GAA) continues to keep Boston in games with some spectacular saves. The Boston 'keeper is currently ranked second in the league in saves with 40.
Key Matchup: (Washington defender Jen Grubb versus Boston forward Maren Meinert) - Meinert, who is ranked third in the league in points per game (1.57), will look to exploit a defense which allows 1.71 goals per game (tied for sixth in the WUSA). Grubb will look to disrupt Boston's offensive flow by shutting down Meinert.
The "Inside Scoop": Both teams are coming off tough road losses in which both squads were blanked this past weekend. Washington was shut out for only the second time this season and the first with Wambach in the lineup during last Sunday's 2-0 loss to San Jose. Boston is coming off a 1-0 loss at Atlanta. It was the first time in 2002 the Breakers had not scored at least one goal in a match. This match will also mark the first time this season second (Wambach) and third (Jena Kluegel) round picks in the 2002 WUSA Draft will face off against each other. The game will be the first match of a doubleheader with the New England Revolution (MLS) at CMGI Field. German star Steffi Jones will make her WUSA debut this weekend, bringing a strong presence to the Freedom defense.
They Said it: "Boston is a team that will always try to play attractive, attacking soccer. They have a great attacking combination in (Dagny) Mellgren, (Kristine) Lilly and (Maren) Meinert."- Washington Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra on Boston.
Referee: Rachel Woo. Assistant Referees: Karalee Sutton. Bahij Salaman. 4th Official: Erich Simmons.
Saturday, June 1, 2002 - Atlanta Beat at San Diego Spirit - 6:00 p.m. (ET) - Cox 4 (San Diego); WB36 (Atlanta) (Season Series: First Meeting in 2002) (All-time Series History: Series tied 1-1-1) In a series that is tied 1-1-1 all-time, the San Diego Spirit leads the Atlanta Beat in scoring 6-5. The last meeting between these two teams was on July 29, 2001. In that match, San Diego defeated the Atlanta 3-1 at Torero Stadium. Shannon MacMillan netted two goals that day, handing the Beat its third loss of the season. MacMillan leads the Spirit with three goals in three matches versus the Beat. Cindy Parlow is the only Atlanta player to record multiple goals versus San Diego.
Key Players to Watch: Atlanta's Parlow (2g, 4 pts.) registered her second goal in as many games versus the Breakers on Saturday. Despite playing with a broken nose, Parlow recorded the game-winning goal on a header in the 10th minute. Nikki Serlenga (4a, 4 pts.) recorded her league-leading fourth assist on Saturday and is currently riding a three-game assist streak. Goalkeeper Briana Scurry (3-3-1, 1.43 GAA) notched her second shutout of the season with the 1-0 victory over Boston on Saturday. San Diego's MacMillan (3g, 2a, 8 pts.) scored the Spirit's only goal in a 2-1 loss to New York on Saturday. Rookie Lori Lindsey (1g, 3a, 5 pts.) came off the bench to register her third assist on Saturday. Forward Zhang Ouying (3g, 2a, 8 pts.), who has been held scoreless in the last four matches, is currently tied with teammate MacMillan for sixth among the league leaders in scoring. Goalkeeper Jaime Pagliarulo (2-3-2, 1.45 GAA) is coming off a tough loss last weekend and will look to get San Diego back to the .500 mark this weekend.
Key Matchup: (San Diego central defenders Fan Yunjie and Joy Fawcett versus Atlanta forwards Charmaine Hooper and Cindy Parlow) - Both Fan and Fawcett will be called upon to use their speed and strength to counter two of the most physical players in the world. Both Hooper and Parlow have the mental and physical attributes to wear down defenses.
The "Inside Scoop": Atlanta is coming off a big win over Boston last Saturday. The Beat became the first team to shut out the Breakers this season. Atlanta is currently riding a two-game winning streak and will be looking for its second straight road win of the season. San Diego dropped its first road match of the season in a 2-1 loss to New York on Saturday. San Diego has scored eight of its 12 goals at home while Atlanta has tallied only three goals away from Herndon Stadium this season (3 games).
They Said it: "Last year, it was a great series between our two teams and I expect it to be entertaining this year as well. They have a lot of talent, and although they didn't start as well as last year, they have come on strong and are still a very dangerous team." - San Diego Spirit Head Coach Carlos Juarez on Atlanta.
Referee: Kari Seitz. Assistant Referees: Steven Davidson, Fabio Tovar. 4th Official: Kia Dehpaneh.
Saturday, June 1, 2002 - San Jose CyberRays at Philadelphia Charge - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - CSN (Philadelphia); Fox Sports Bay Area (San Jose) (First Meeting in 2002) (All-time Series History: San Jose leads 2-1-0) The two hottest teams in the WUSA meet at Villanova Stadium. Philadelphia boasts the league's top offense at 2.33 goals per game, and San Jose leads the WUSA in shots (118) and shots on goal (62). With Sunday's 2-0 win over Washington, San Jose may have played its most complete match of the season, outshooting the Freedom 23-5. Because of injuries and national team call-ups, San Jose has never played Philadelphia when the Charge had leading scorer Kelly Smith in the lineup. The CyberRays-Charge series is the highest scoring of any series San Jose has played with 13 total goals. The winner of all three matches last season scored three goals. The CyberRays scored eight goals last season against Philadelphia, the most of any series. The CyberRays surrendered five goals to Philadelphia in 2001, second only to Atlanta's six goals. The home team has won every match in this series. Fortunately for the Charge, the club won't have to face Julie Murray as the now retired Australian forward scored five of her San Jose team-high nine goals in matches against Philadelphia in 2001. Former Philadelphia midfielder Margaret Olafsdottir had two goals against San Jose last year to lead the Charge. Lorrie Fair had a goal and an assist against the CyberRays in 2001.
Key Players to Watch: San Jose forward Katia (4g, 1a, 9pts.) scored two goals in Sunday's 2-0 win over Washington and leads the WUSA in shots (35) and shots on goal (18). Brazilian countrywoman Sissi is tied for the WUSA lead with four assists. Also, San Jose's Brandi Chastain has been dangerous in a variety of positions. Playing mainly at forward, Chastain (1g, 1a, 3 pts.) is one of the WUSA's most spirited players. Philadelphia brings a wide array of attacking options in Smith (4g, 3a, 11pts. - tied for WUSA lead), French international Marinette Pichon (two goals in 3-1 win at Carolina May 25) and rising American star Mandy Clemens (1g, 1a 3 pts.), but unheralded goalkeeper Melissa Moore has some up big on many occasions in 2002. Moore's 1.00 goals against average is the best in the WUSA.
Key Matchup: (Philadelphia forward Kelly Smith versus San Jose defender Thori Bryan) - Smith will attack the heart of the San Jose defense with her precision dribbling and ability to hold the ball, but Bryan has the athletic ability to overwhelm just about any player in the WUSA with her speed and strength. Similar to Carolina's use of Tiffany Roberts this past weekend, look for San Jose's midfield to try and stop Smith before she enters the dangerous third of the field.
The "Inside Scoop": San Jose has blistered opponents with a league-high 118 shots, but will the CyberRays be able to penetrate a Charge defense that is holding opponents to a WUSA-low 1.00 goals per game? Although both teams are known for attacking offenses, Philadelphia is holding its opponents to a WUSA-low 62 shots and San Jose ranks second, holding opposing offenses to just 76 shots.
They Said it: "Pichon makes such outstanding runs. She always finds the hole in your defense and they can hold possession so well that with her quality of runs it's just incredibly dangerous. I think Pichon is just an impressive addition to the league." - Carolina Head Coach Marcia McDermott discussing Philadelphia's Marinette Pichon following the Courage's 3-1 loss on May 25 that saw Pichon score two goals.
Referee: Misail Tsapos. Referee Assistants: Bill Dittmar, Tony Russo. 4th Official: Martha Sinclair.
Saturday, June 1, 2002 - New York Power at Carolina Courage - 7:00 p.m. (ET) - Triangle TV (Channel 24 -local) (Carolina); MSG (New York) (Season Series: First Meeting in 2002) (All-time Series History: New York leads 3-0-0) New York leads the series 3-0-0 versus Carolina. The Power has outscored the Courage 8-3 in the three previous meetings. The last time these two teams met was on August 2, 2001. In that match Tiffeny Milbrett notched her 15th goal of the season as the Power defeated Carolina 1-0. Milbrett leads New York in scoring versus Carolina with four goals and two assists in three matches. No Courage player has scored more than one goal versus the Power.
Key Players to Watch: Milbrett (3g, 4a, 10 pts.) recorded an assist on both Power goals during Saturday's 2-1 victory over San Diego. Milbrett is currently third among the league's leading scorers and is riding a three-game point-scoring streak. Emily Janss (3g, 1a, 7 pts.) and Linda Ormen (2g, 2a, 6 pts.) both scored goals for New York on Saturday. Goalkeeper Saskia Webber (2-2-1, 2.34 GAA) made seven saves on Saturday en route to the team's first home victory of the season. Carolina defender Danielle Slaton (1g, 2 pts.) recorded her first career goal in a 3-1 loss to Philadelphia. Hege Riise (2g, 2a, 6 pts.) recorded an assist during Saturday's loss. Riise is the team leader in assists with two. Danielle Fotopoulos (3g, 1a, 7 pts.) leads the Courage in scoring and is currently ranked eighth among the WUSA leading scorers. Goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill (3-1-2, 1.17 GAA) is one of the top goalkeeper in the league. Luckenbill ranks first in saves (44) and save percentage (86.3 percent). She is also second in the league with a 3-1-2 record (winning percentage of 66.7).
Key Matchup: (Carolina defender Danielle Slaton versus New York forward Tiffeny Milbrett) - Milbrett torched the Courage last season with four goals and two assists, leading the Power to a 3-0-0 record versus Carolina. Slaton will look to use her speed to shutdown the New York striker. Slaton anchors a defense that has allowed only seven goals (second only to Philadelphia's six goals) this season.
The "Inside Scoop": New York is coming off its first home victory of the 2002 season. The 2-1 win over the Spirit showcased Milbrett's playmaking ability as the striker tallied assists on both Power goals. New York has had some success on the road, scoring eight of its 12 total goals away from Mitchel Athletic Complex and will be looking to string back-to-back victories for the first time in 2002. Carolina is coming off its first loss of the season. After falling to Philadelphia 3-1 on Saturday, the Courage will look to rebound at home this weekend. Carolina has won its matches with defense and will look to shut down the leagues second rated offense (1.71 goals per game).
They Said it: "We have had success against Carolina in the past, but they are a totally different team this year. They have some great players in Danielle Fotopoulos, Hege Riise and Danielle Slaton that should make this a good, exciting game to watch.'' - New York Power Head Coach Pat Farmer on Carolina.
Referee: Sandy Hunt. Referee Assistants: George Gansner, Melanie Johnson. 4th Official: Abbras Piran.
TEAM INJURY REPORTS AS OF 5/27/02
ATLANTA BEAT: OUT - D Lisa Krzykowski (L broken ulna); PROBABLE - D Nancy Augustyniak (R knee patellar tendonitis); F Cindy Parlow (Fractured nose); F Sun Wen (left adductor strain); M Nikki Serlenga (R hamstring strain).
BOSTON BREAKERS: OUT - GK Tracy Ducar (R knee articular cartilage lesion); F Ragnhild Gulbrandsen (foot surgery); PROBABLE - D Kate Sobrero (L knee meniscus tear).
CAROLINA COURAGE: None reported.
NEW YORK POWER: OUT - GK Gao Hong (R wrist surgery); D Jenn O'Sullivan (L knee ACL/PCL tear); QUESTIONABLE - M Jen Lalor (mild concussion).
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: QUESTIONABLE - M Zhao Lihong (L foot).
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: OUT - M Jen Mascaro (L foot broken).
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: PROBABLE- M Theresa Wagner (R knee tendonitis); D Danielle Borgman (L foot strain); D Kelly Lindsey (lower back strain); F Kim Clark (L ankle sprain)
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: DOUBTFUL - F Mia Hamm (L knee thigh bone lesion). SEASON ENDING INJURIES: PHILADELPHIA - F Rakel Karvelsson (R ACL tear).
NATIONAL TEAM DUTY AS OF 5/27/02
ATLANTA BEAT: None.
BOSTON BREAKERS: None.
CAROLINA COURAGE: None.
NEW YORK POWER: None.
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: None.
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: None.
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: None.
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: None.
suspension Summary 5/27/02
Player Team Suspension Reason
Marci Miller Atlanta Beat 6/1 at San Diego Red card 5/25 vs. Boston
Staci Wilson Carolina Courage 6/1 vs. New York Two yellow cards 5/25 vs. Philadelphia
Warning Summary 5/27/02
Player Team Reason
Nikki Serlenga Atlanta Beat 3 Non-Consecutive Yellow Cards Accumulated (A caution in the next game will result in a 1 game suspension =4 non-consecutive cards accumulated)
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
ATLANTA BEAT: Cindy Parlow notched the game's only goal as her 10th minute header gave the Beat a 1-0 victory over Boston on May 25 ... "Cindy is such a creative and strong player, but she's still not 100 percent match fit," said Atlanta Head Coach Tom Stone. "When she's fully fit, I think teams are going to have a tough time stopping her." ... In her first action of the season, defender Amanda Cromwell played the entire 90 minutes ... More Stone: "We gave Amanda Cromwell the start because she's an experienced player with good speed and creativity, the things we knew the team would need to counter the speed of Mellgren and Meinert up front." ... Through seven games the Beat has used six different defensive lineups due to injury and experiment ... The past two games have seen the lineups work for the Beat as the team has allowed only one goal in the last 180 minutes ... The Beat currently ranks fourth in league defense, allowing only 1.43 goals per game ... Atlanta midfielder Nikki Serlenga has already equaled her 2001 season assist total, only a third of the way through the season ... Serlenga has notched an assist in three straight matches, and has dished out two to Parlow in consecutive matches ... Serlenga's four assists are tied for the league lead with New York's Tiffeny Milbrett and San Jose's Sissi ... Parlow continues to attract a great deal of attention from the opposition, as the forward leads the WUSA in fouls suffered with 24 ... Goalkeeper Briana Scurry's 38 saves rank third in the WUSA.
BOSTON BREAKERS: Boston suffered a tough 1-0 loss to Atlanta May 25 at Herndon Stadium ... Despite outshooting Atlanta 15-10, Boston could not slide a shot by Beat goalkeeper Briana Scurry ... The loss was the first time the Breakers had been shut out in 2002 and ended Maren Meinert's point scoring streak at seven games, tying the league record with Philadelphia's Kelly Smith ... Midfielder Kristine Lilly has not registered a goal or an assist in three games ... This is her longest pointless streak of her WUSA career ... Last season Lilly went pointless in two games three times .... Breakers defender Kate Sobrero played her second consecutive 90-minute game ... She now has appeared in three games and 233 minutes since returning from a knee injury ...The Breakers are 1-1-1 with Sobrero in the lineup this season and 1-2-2 without her ... Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc's 40 saves rank second in the WUSA ... Despite not scoring this past weekend, Meinert remains tied for the WUSA scoring lead with four goals and three assists for 11 points.
CAROLINA COURAGE: Carolina defender Danielle Slaton scored her first professional goal in a game that many watching felt was closer than the scoreline, but Philadelphia managed a 3-1 win over Carolina May 25 at SAS Stadium ... Philadelphia and Carolina were even in shots on goal (7), but the Courage was unable to finish on a regular basis ... Staci Wilson's second yellow card reduced Carolina to 10 players when she was sent off in the 83rd minute ... Slaton's overview of the game: "They definitely have a lot of weapons as was evidenced today and we respect them tremendously. I mean they scored three goals and created a lot of chances. They were deserving of three goals and of their standings in the league thus far. But we felt that we created some chances also, and unfortunately we didn't do what we had to do to put them away and to get the win today." ... Carolina came into the game with the stingiest defense in the WUSA, giving up just four goals in its first five games ... The three goals allowed were a season high ... The Courage's top offseason signing, Germany's Birgit Prinz will see her first action in the WUSA on Saturday ... Prinz, the German Player of the Year, arrived at the stadium minutes before the game started Saturday night ... After her flight from Europe, Prinz sat on the bench with her new Courage teammates for the first time ... Forward Danielle Fotopoulos' 31 shots rank second in the WUSA ... Fotopoulos also is second in the league in fouls committed with 18 ... Goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill continues to lead the WUSA in saves (44), but she fell to third in goals against average at 1.17.
NEW YORK POWER: Emily Janss and Linda Ormen each had a goal and Tiffeny Milbrett added two assists as the New York Power defeated the San Diego Spirit 2-1 May 25 at Mitchel Athletic Complex ... New York picked up its first home victory in 2002 ... With two assists against San Diego, Milbrett eclipsed her assist total from last year (3) and moved into sole position of third place in WUSA scoring with three goals and four assists for 10 points ... Her four assists are tied for the WUSA lead ... Milbrett, who went without a shot for the first time in her professional career in the 2-1 loss to Boston on May 18, took five shots against San Diego, including one that banged off the crossbar in the seventh minute ... New York's offense is the second-highest scoring attack in the WUSA, averaging 1.71 goals per game ... However, the Power defense is eighth in the WUSA, allowing 2.29 goals per contest ... Janss has taken five shots this season and placed all of them on goal--including three goals scored ... No other WUSA player who has taken more than two shots this season has put all of them on goal ... Janss' seven points (3g, 1a) are tied for eighth place in the WUSA scoring race ... Janss and teammate Krista Davey have been the most accurate shooters in league history. Over two seasons, Janss has placed 12 of 15 shots on goal (80%), including four goals. The only player with a higher percentage is Davey. The top five percentages (minimum: 10 shots):
1. Krista Davey New York 9-for-10 (90%)
2. Emily Janss New York 12-for-15 (80%)
3. Christina Bell San Jose 14-for-18 (78%)
4. Liu Ailing Philadelphia 35-for-51 (69%)
5. Tiffany Roberts Carolina 9-for-13 (69%)
PHILADELPHIA CHARGE: Philadelphia defeated the Carolina Courage 3-1 on May 25 in a battle for first place in the WUSA ... Marinette Pichon, this week's WUSA Player of the Week, notched her first career multiple goal match with two scores on Saturday ..."Well, a lot of teams are spending energy on stopping Kelly Smith. When they focus on Kelly, then someone else is open and we feel Pichon is quite capable of taking advantage of that. The other player, Lihong, when she's ready and fit, will also be able to do that and make us an even more multi-dimensional team." - Head Coach Mark Krikorian on Pichon's impact on the Charge offense ... Kelly Smith registered her third game-winning goal (which leads the WUSA) after converting a penalty kick in the 71st minute ... With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Smith is now tied for first among the leading scorers in the WUSA ... She also leads the league in points per game with 1.83 ... Philadelphia is currently ranked first in both offense (2.33 goals per game) and defense (1.00 goals per game) ... Philadelphia is one of two teams (Boston the other) that is undefeated at home ... The Charge is the only team to have not scored a goal in the first 15 minutes of action ... However, Philadelphia (along with Carolina) has not allowed a goal during the first 15 minutes ... The Charge leads the league in second-half scoring, averaging 1.50 goals during the final 45 minutes ... Philadelphia has a +8 goal differential with the next closest team at +1.
SAN DIEGO SPIRIT: The Spirit was unable to go over .500 for the eighth time in the club's history with a 2-1 loss at New York on Saturday ... "Unfortunately for us, a soccer game is 90 minutes long. We played a good last 60 minutes, but if you don't come to play a whole game in this league, you're going to lose. New York has good players. They needed this win and they went out and got it." - Head Coach Carlos Juarez on San Diego's loss to New York ... Shannon MacMillan recorded her third goal of the season in the loss ... MacMillan (3g, 2a, 8pts.) is now tied with teammate Zhang Ouying (3g, 2a, 8pts.) for eighth among the league's leading scorers ... MacMillan is fifth in the WUSA in points per game with 1.33 ... San Diego has used seven different starting lineups and six different forward line combinations this year ... Shannon Boxx started her 28th consecutive match ... The Spirit is now 0-4-4 in matches when having a chance to go over .500 ... The goal allowed by the Spirit 75 seconds into the match against the Power was the second fastest goal ever allowed by San Diego ... Carolina's Staci Burt scored less than a minute into the August 12, 2001 match at Torero Stadium last season ... San Diego is tied for second in team offense (1.71 goals per game) and fifth in team defense (1.57 goals per game) ... The Spirit leads the league in goals scored at home with eight.
SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS: San Jose defeated Washington 2-0 on Sunday evening to move the CyberRays into a third place tie with Atlanta in the WUSA standings ... Katia, ranked fourth in the league in scoring (4g, 1a, 9pts.), recorded both goals in the San Jose victory ... Katia, who is tied for the league lead in goals with four, leads the league in shots (35) and shots on goal (18) ... The two goals scored on Sunday were the most since the CyberRays 2-1 season-opening victory over Boston (April 13) ... LaKeysia Beene recorded three saves for her second shutout of the 2002 season ... Beene currently holds the all-time mark for clean sheets with 10 ... Sissi, who led the league in assists last season, is currently tied for the league lead in assists with four ... The CyberRays lead the league in shots (118) with 52.5 percent of those on goal (62) ... Of the 62 total shots on goal, the CyberRays have only converted 14.5 percent into goals (9) ... Thori Bryan extended her minutes played streak to 2,715 ... Bryan has played in every minute of every match (including the playoffs) for the CyberRays ... San Jose is currently ranked sixth in offense (1.29 goals per game) and second in defense (1.14 goals per game).
WASHINGTON FREEDOM: Washington remains winless in its last three matches after a 2-0 loss to San Jose on Sunday, May 26 ... Washington was shut out for only the second time this season ... Forward Abby Wambach was held without a point for the first time in her WUSA career ... Wambach (3g, 3a, 9pts.) is currently tied for fourth in WUSA scoring ... Wambach is also ranked fourth in the league in points per game (1.50) ... The league's longest goal-scoring streak (3) and second longest point scoring streak (5) came to end in Sunday's 2-0 loss as Wambach was held scoreless ... Despite taking 91 total shots this season (second in the WUSA), the Freedom is currently tied for seventh in team offense (1.14 goals per game) ... Washington will be looking to snap the league's longest road losing streak (2 games) ... German defender Steffi Jones will make her WUSA debut this weekend, bringing a strong pressence to the Freedom backline ... This weekend's match will be the second doubleheader with a team from Major League Soccer (New England Revolution vs. San Jose Earthquakes) that Washington has participated in (May 18 vs. Carolina - doubleheader with D.C. United)
Women's United Soccer Association Stories from May 27, 2002
- Pichon Named Player of the Week - Philadelphia Charge
- World Stars Ready to Make Debut - WUSA
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