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 Event Spotlight:Week in Review Monday, May 6, 2002
By Greg Wiley
Philadelphia Charge Correspondent Jennifer Tietjen, Marinette Pichon and Mandy Clemens all scored goals to lift the Philadelphia Charge to a 4-2 win over the Boston Breakers in the club's 2002 home opener at Villanova Stadium Saturday night. Pichon also had an assist for Philadelphia, which improved its record to 3-0-0 and keeps the club in a tie for first place in the WUSA with the Carolina Courage. Kelly Smith, Liu Ailing and Jenny Benson all added assists for the Charge, who have now outscored their opponents 8-3 this season. For the game, the Charge outshot Boston 25 to 11. Melissa Moore made only one save to improve her record to 3-0. She now has a 1.00 goals-against average this season. Maren Meinert and Kristine Lilly both scored for Boston, which fell to 1-2-1 this season. Lilly also earned an assist for the Breakers. Upcoming Opponent After opening their home schedule last weekend against the Boston Breakers, the Philadelphia Charge return to Villanova Stadium to battle Mia Hamm and the Washington Freedom. The Charge won two of the three games last season versus the Freedom by a combined score of 5-2. However, the Charge did lose their lone game at Villanova Stadium to Washington, 2-1, on June 3 in front of a sell-out crowd of 11,800. This is the first of three encounters between these two clubs this season. They will meet again on June 8 in Philadelphia and then wrap up the season series on July 14 in Washington. Charge midfielder Liu Ailing leads her team in scoring against Washington. Last year, the former Chinese national team member had two goals and an assist for five points versus the Freedom. For Washington, a trio of stars are tied for the lead in points against Philadelphia, as Jennifer Grubb, Hamm and Pretinha all have two points apiece versus the Charge. Grubb and Pretinha have scored the only two goals Philadelphia has allowed against the Freedom, while Hamm has registered assists on each tally. WUSA STANDINGS - May 6, 2002
Note: 3 pts for a win, 1 pt for a tie WUSA LEADERS
Charge Points Leaders
Pichon Leaving for France after Recording First WUSA Goal Charge starting forward Marinette Pichon will be leaving the Charge for the second time this season due to French national team duty. Pichon will be leaving Sunday May 5 for a World Cup qualifier against Norway and will be returning prior to the club's May 11 game against Washington at Villanova Stadium. Pichon scored her first goal of the season and had an assist for the Charge on Saturday earning three points. Home Openers The Charge won their second straight home opener on Saturday, downing the Boston Breakers, 4-2. Last season Philly beat the Cyberrays, 3-2, on its way to a 5-3-2 mark at Villanova Stadium. Dating back to last season, the Charge are 2-0-1 in their last three as the host and 5-1-2 in their last eight. The club's lone loss over that span came to the Breakers on July 19. Zhao Out 3 Weeks Midfielder Zhao Lihong will miss at least three weeks of action due to a stress reaction in her left foot. Zhao suffered the injury late in the first half of Philly's game against the New York Power on April 27, but finished the game anyway. Zhao had a goal in the first contest of the year for the Charge and was a solid contributor in the midfielder. She missed Philadelphia's 4-2 win over Boston and will most likely also be out for the next two encounters. Smith Has 3-game Point-Scoring Streak Kelly Smith has recorded a point in each of the three games the Charge have played this season. She scored goals in the first two contests and then had an assist in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Boston Breakers. Ailing Records First Point Liu Ailing, the Charge's leading scorer from last season, finally recorded her first point of the season on Saturday. The Chinese midfielder tallied an assist on Marinette Pichon's first goal of the season. Ailing now has 10 goals and three assists for her career for a team-leading 23 points all-time. Moore and Moore Wins Charge GK Melissa Moore earned her third win of the year on Saturday, improving her career record to 8-3-1 all-time.
Charging out of the Gate After a very successful April, the Charge continue to play well here in May. The team is 3-0 this season, again showing early season success. Last year, the Charge got off to a 2-0-1 start through three games and stood at 4-1-2 after their initial seven tilts. Charge on TV The Charge will have a total of 16 games televised in the 2002 season. Four of the club's games will be aired nationally on PAX-TV, while 12 others will be aired between Comcast SportsNet and CN8, the Comcast Network. This is the second straight year that the Charge have been broadcast on CN8 and Comcast SportsNet. Last season, a total of nine games were aired locally between the two networks, with this season's total increasing by three. Upcoming Promotions
Doll courtesy of Got Milk? Get Your Tickets Now! The Philadelphia Charge are slated to play 11 games at Villanova Stadium this season, which is one more than the club's inaugural campaign. To order your season tickets, Fan/Family Packs, group tickets and/or birthday party packages call the Charge ticket office at 215-467-GOAL. You can also order single game tickets by calling Ticketmaster at 215-336-2000 or 856-338-9000 or 302-984-2000. For all the latest news, notes, stats and features log on to PhiladelphiaCharge.com. |
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