Preview of game *** Saturday, May 31, 2003 - Atlanta Beat at San Diego Spirit - 6:00 p.m. (PT) - Cox 4, tape delayed to approx. 10:00 p.m. (PT). The last meeting between these two teams resulted in a 1-1 tie on May 10, 2003 at Herndon Stadium. San Diego's Julie Fleeting got the Spirit on the board first in the 67th minute; however, Atlanta's Maribel Dominguez tallied the equalizer in the 75th minute. Key Players to Watch: Atlanta's Dominguez (6g, 3a, 15 pts. - tied for 2nd among WUSA scoring leaders) registered her third assist of the season during the Beat's 3-1 victory over Boston on May 25. Dominguez is third in the WUSA in points per game with 2.14. Forward Charmaine Hooper (3g, 5a, 11 pts. - tied for 5th among WUSA scoring leaders) notched two goals and an assist versus Boston on May 25. In six meetings with the Spirit all-time, Hooper has recorded three goals for six points. Midfielder Homare Sawa (3g, 2a, 8 pts. - tied for 9th among WUSA scoring leaders) tallied a goal and an assist versus Boston on May 25. Sawa has had more success versus San Diego than any other Beat player, scoring three goals and two assists in seven matches (all-time). San Diego's Fleeting (4g, 1a, 9 pts. - 8th among WUSA scoring leaders) registered her first assist of the 2003 season on May 24 versus Carolina. Fleeting has recorded two goals in three matches all-time versus Atlanta. Midfielder Julie Foudy (1g, 1a, 3 pts.) notched the first goal in San Diego history at SAS Stadium with a converted penalty kick in the 45th minute on May 24. In seven matches versus the Beat (all-time), Foudy has notched a goal and an assist. Goalkeeper Jaime Pagliarulo (3-1-2, 1.00 GAA) won her 10th career WUSA match with San Diego's 2-1 victory over Carolina. "Pags" is unbeaten in her last five starts (3-0-2). Key Matchup: (Atlanta defender Sharolta Nonen versus San Diego forward Julie Fleeting) Fleeting has recorded a point in five consecutive games, including a goal versus the Beat on May 10, 2003. Nonen anchors the top rated defense in the WUSA, allowing 0.57 goals per game. Fleeting has registered two goals in three meeting versus the Beat and will be looking to add to her total. Nonen and the Atlanta defense have faced seven of the top 10 goal scorers in the WUSA and have held them to just two goals during the 2003 season. The "Inside Scoop": The series between these two teams in tied at 1-1-1 all-time at Torero Stadium. Atlanta has won two straight matches to move into second place in the WUSA standings. San Diego, unbeaten in its last five matches, is right on the Beat's heels, tied for third in the WUSA standings. Atlanta holds the WUSA's all-time best road record at 11-8-4 (.565). The Spirit is 8-8-8 (.500) all-time at Torero Stadium. They Said it: "Atlanta is probably the deepest team in the league and we have to play at our best to beat them. Anytime we play them it's going to be a battle, it was in the preseason and it was a few weeks ago in Atlanta in a game that easily could have gone either way. We have to try to match their physical play and if we do that, we might be able to get a good result." - San Diego Spirit Head Coach Omid Namazi on Atlanta. Referee: Sandra Hunt. Assistant Referees: Bryan Elliott, Kia Dehpanah. 4th Official: Raymundo Prisco. *** Note: Kia was the official who raised the offside flat to negate those two goals against Boston (the league box score listed the officials that were *supposed* to have been at that game, not who was there.)
Another sign: Shannon MacMillan's world-famous (and delicious) Lasagna recipe is featured in the Vons.com Spirit Player Cookbook that is going to be given to the first 4,000 at the game! http://www.sandiegospirit.com/364211.html *** I foresee lots of Beat defenders kicking the ball over the side line in their territory, leading to mucho Pick-Flips, leading to havoc in Brianna's Box! *** I wonder if Serlenga is going to be well enough to play, and, if not, how much that will affect the Beat midfield...
Several articles from CyberSoccerNews: From CyberSoccerNews: The Beat bring their weapons to bear against a strong defense Both teams looking to hang on the heels of the Freedom by Joseph Wanandi True Grit San Diego looking to prove new attitude can lead to playoffs by Jorge Palacios
It's so sad...every article, every week has to mention the fact that Mac is out and can SD contend for the championship without her? *sniff* Quit reminding me that she's out dangit! hehe This week is definitely the week to show it's possible. BIG game!
Spirit Look for More Progress This Week Another 'Spotlight On' article by Wyllie... *** With his defense playing solidly in front of a once again composed and confident Jaime Pagliarulo (1.00 GAA), Namazi is focusing most of his efforts on improving the Spirit’s fifth ranked offense. “It is easier to organize a defense than it is to have everybody on the same page going forward,” Namazi explained. “The bulk of our time in practice is spent on runs in the attacking third, on how to get crosses in, on how to get open and on finishing. We are second in the league in shots on goal, so it is just a matter of execution. That is going to come in time.” *** http://www.sandiegospirit.com/press_room/spotlight_on/364692.html
Spirit FInd a Way to Tie Atlanta, 1-1, with Late Foudy PK http://www.sandiegospirit.com/365780.html *** Foudy's PK Ties Beat http://www.wusa.com/press_room/365764.html *** Spirit survives test, streaks on, by Tod Leonard http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/uniontrib/sun/sports/news_1s1spirit.html
Power Stats These were in the Sunday U-T, but haven’t appeared yet on the Spirit web site. I am listing the rating first and then the name. ATLANTA 23 Dominguez 21 Scurry 18 Bivens 18 Hooper 17 Parlow 16 Sawa 11 Serlenga 10 N Augustinyak 09 Nonen 07 Gaston Substitutes 07 Crumpton 06 Miller 01 J Augustinyak 01 ???? (paper listed Allie Kemp?) 174 Total SAN DIEGO 30 Fleeting 25 Foudy 21 Pagliarulo 18 Pickup 16 Connors 13 Fawcett 13 Wagner 10 Sullivan 08 Daniela 06 Latham 04 Krzykowski Substitutes 06 Bush 06 Ouying 02 Nielsen 178 Total
Spirit rally to tie Beat; Second-half comeback leads to Foudy equalizer, by Marvin Peterson http://www.cybersoccernews.com/wusa/sandiego/030601sds-atl.shtml I had wondered why Christine was taken out so early...
Spirit Stay Tough Against Beat, by John Philip Wyllie http://sandiegospirit.com/press_room/spotlight_on/365822.html *** Fleeting is featured a lot in this article... I especially like these three paragraphs: *** “Different teams have different characteristics and (physical play) is one of Atlanta’s," Fleeting said. "It is just a part of soccer. I love it and that is why I play it. It is just part of the game and you take it as it comes.” She was more frustrated by San Diego’s squandered scoring opportunities. Her best came in the 35th minute when she had a good look at the goal from point blank range, but Atlanta’s all-world goalkeeper, Briana Scurry, read her mind and somehow managed to thwart her attempt. “I felt we created a lot of chances," said Fleeting. "We had so much possession in the second half. Luckily, we got a goal, but two would have been nice.”