Courage Score First Win in WUSA Inaugural SeasonThe Carolina Courage earned their first victory of the season with a scintillating come-from- behind 4-3 win over the San Diego Spirit at home on Saturday in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) league.Carla Overbeck and Hege Riise may be the big names for the Courage, but it was Danielle Fotopoulos who provided the firepower Saturday, scoring two second-half goals, with her first in the 70th minute to give Carolina a 3-2 lead and the game-winner in the 84th minute. "Carolina has shown that type of character all season long, they just haven't gotten the results," said Spirit captain Julie Foudy, "It was not surprising. We knew that they would be a formidable opponent despite their record." Shannon MacMillan continued to be the big gun for the Spirit, scoring her third and fourth goals of the season with a combination of speed and finesse. One score came in the 45th minute to put the Spirit ahead 2-1 and her second-half goal in the 80th minute brought San Diego back to a 3-3 tie. The score could have been even higher. Both Jaime Pagliarulo of the Spirit and Bente Nordby of the Courage made excellent saves in a game that featured 34 shots, including 21 on goal. Shannon Boxx scored in the first half, as did Silvana Burtini of the Courage. Meredith Florance put the ball in the net for Courage in the second half, her first goal of the season. Carolina's first win gives them a 1-1-4 record with four points, while the Spirit, with their second loss fall to 1-2-3 with five points. |
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