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WUSA Week 19 Wrap

Breakers pip Beat at end for top spot

Posted: Tuesday August 12, 2003 11:40 AM

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By Ridge Mahoney, Soccer America By Scott French, Soccer America

Scott French is a senior editor at Soccer America magazine.

CHAMPIONS, PART 1: A pair of 1-0 wins, both the product of fine defense, superb goalkeeping by Karina LeBlanc and timely late goals, gave the Boston Breakers the WUSA's regular-season crown and No. 1 seed heading into this weekend's semifinals.

Dagny Mellgren's 79th-minute goal, from a Kristine Lilly feed, topped visiting Carolina on Wednesday, and Lilly's 75th-minute penalty kick beat San Jose on Sunday.

The Breakers won their 10th game, extending winning (three games) and unbeaten (nine games) streaks, and will make their playoff debut against Washington on Saturday at Nickerson Field.

SECOND BEST: Atlanta, which won the 2001 regular-season title but lost on penalty kicks in the Founders Cup, settled for second after a pair of 1-1 ties, at San Jose on Wednesday at home Sunday against New York, lengthened its winless streak to five games.

The Beat lost a goal against San Jose and missed a PK vs. New York. Maribel Dominguez's header didn't count because Sandra Hunt had whistled the first half dead after a defender made first contact with Kylie Bivens' free kick. Dominguez scored with the next touch.

Power goalkeeper Saskia Webber saved Charmaine Hooper's penalty kick at the end-of-first-half Sunday.

In the final 10 days, or three games, of the regular season, Atlanta earned two points while Boston captured nine. The Breakers finished with 37 points, the Beat with 34.

WE'RE NO. 3: San Diego's powerful attacking duo -- Scottish star Julie Fleeting and Canadian rookie Christine Latham -- keyed a 2-1 victory over Washington on Saturday to claim the No. 3 spot.

The Spirit tied with Washington with 31 points, but the win at Torero Stadium gave them the season series, two games to one. Washington finished fourth.

Latham set up Fleeting's second-minute opener, then headed home Aly Wagner's cross in the 58th minute to break a 1-1 tie. Fleeting's goal was her 11th of the season.

San Diego, making its first playoff appearance, plays Sunday at Atlanta.

ALL OVER: The playoff picture was finalized Wednesday, when Carolina lost (to Boston) and San Jose tied (with Atlanta), giving San Diego the final berth.

San Jose struggled to score all season and failed to make the playoffs for the second season in a row. Coach Ian Sawyers will seek an international goalscorer during the offseason, and he could end up with one of the world's best. San Jose hold the WUSA's negotiating rights with Swedish star Hanna Ljungberg.

Carolina, which started 0-4 and lost Hege Riise and Danielle Fotopoulos to torn knee ligaments, dropped three straight games leading to elimination. Rookie coach Jay Entlich's contract, which expires at the end of the month, will not be renewed, the team announced Monday.

GOODBYES: San Jose's Tisha Venturini-Hoch, Kelly Lindsey and Ann Cook, who are retiring, played their final games Sunday against Boston. CyberRays coach Ian Sawyers made certain all three saw action, taking Venturini-Hoch -- a former U.S. national team star -- off to a huge reception in the 86th minute.

''When you're out there on the field, the crowd is cheering and you're with your teammates, it's the greatest place in the world to be,'' said Venturini-Hoch. ''But it's time for me to move on. I will definitely miss it.''

SCORING TITLE: Washington's Mia Hamm won the scoring title, with 33 points, and also led the league in assists, with 11. She also led the WUSA in points-per-90 minutes (1.94), game-winning goals (4, tied with three others), hat tricks (one of five with 1), penalty kicks (4) and corner kicks (89).

Mellgren and Philadelphia's Marinette Pichon tied for top goalscorer, each with 14. Pichon scored two in the Charge's win Wednesday over Washington, her league-leading fifth multigoal game of the season.

Statistics could change as Elias Sports Bureau, the league's official statistician, pores over game tape.

HEALTHY, FINALLY: Philadelphia -- finally getting healthy after a nightmarish season with injuries -- closed the season with a three-game unbeaten streak.

One-sided wins last week over Atlanta (3-0) and Wednesday against Washington (2-0) were followed by a 1-1 tie in Saturday's finale at Carolina, a game the Charge would have won had Kelly Smith, converted her penalty kick seconds before the final whistle. Smith's shot struck the right post.

''I was thinking I was going to score and win the game for us,'' said Smith, who made just her third appearance since early May. ''But considering the season we have had, it wasn't meant to be. ... ''That just sums up our whole season right there.''

The Charge's consolation for finishing last in the first pick in next year's draft. The prime prize: University of North Carolina (and U.S. national team) defender Catherine Reddick.

WUSA SUMMARIES WEEK 19: Two goals, six points for Breakers

Aug. 6 at Boston

BOSTON (9-4-7, 34 points) 1 CAROLINA (7-10-3, 24 points) 0.

Goal: Mellgren (Lilly, Aldama) 79.

Att.: 6,587.

Aug. 6 at Villanova, Pa.

PHILADELPHIA (5-11-4, 19 points) 2 WASHINGTON (9-7-4, 31 points) 0.

Goals: Pichon (Scasna)20, Pichon (Scasna, McVeigh) 53.

Att.: 9,208.

Aug. 6 at San Jose

SAN JOSE (7-9-4, 25 points) 1 ATLANTA (9-4-7, 34 points) 1.

Goals: Katia (Chastain, French) 25; Hooper pen. 10.