Last Saturday, the Women's United Soccer Association drew 34,148 fans for its inaugural game between Mia Hamm's Washington Freedom and Brandi Chastain's Bay Area Cyber Rays. Yesterday at Ohiri Field, the Harvard women's soccer team served as the final tune-up for the Boston Breakers, one of six WUSA teams waiting for their turn in the spotlight this weekend.
The Breakers defeated Harvard, 1-0, to close out its exhibition schedule. They also blew out Boston College 5-0 immediately before taking on the Crimson.
"We had a pretty good day," said Harvard Coach Tim Wheaton. "There was just nothing to lose today. We just had some fun and tested ourselves against some of the best players in the world. As women's soccer players and supporters of the game, we couldn't be more excited that the Breakers exist to play."
Harvard fielded most of its regular players and its soon-to-be-departing seniors. The Breakers-who mostly sat U.S. National Team members Kristine Lilly and Kate Sobrero-got the majority of scoring chances on the day, yet still managed to put just one of them into the net.
"We did everything we had to do-just run around, work hard and put them under some pressure," Wheaton said. "We had a couple of chances, we dodged a bunch of bullets, but that's the way it is."
Plays such as one where sophomore forward Joey Yenne maneuvered craftily through two Breaker defenders deep in the box drew the respect of the Breaker bench.
"[Harvard] looked good," said Lilly, whose 225 caps and 87 goals scored rank first and third, respectively, on the U.S. National Team's all-time charts. "It's great to play these college teams. It gives them something to shoot for, and it helps us to play these games instead of just playing against each other."
The Breakers will open their schedule on Saturday at the Carolina Courage. All of the team's games will be broadcast live on ATT3-Channel Three on local cable. CNNSI and TNT, which televised the league opener, will continue to broadcast games on national television throughout the season.
Read more in Sports
Softball Falls Short Against No. 23 UMassRecommended Articles
-
Senior Anne Browning Leaves Goal for Seat in BoatFor the past three years, Anne Browning has played a dual role in Harvard athletics. The Adams House senior has
-
Larson and Zotter Invited to WUSAHarvard Athletics already has a diverse representation in professional sports to be proud of, with active alumni in the NHL,
-
Zotter Chosen by New York in WUSA DraftFormer Crimson women's soccer captain Beth Zotter '00, whose clutch goal-scoring helped propel Harvard to a No. 7 national ranking
-
WUSA Teams Miss Out on Drafting LarsonYesterday, the inaugural draft of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) came to a bittersweet conclusion for Harvard women's soccer.
-
Westfall's Plans Put On HoldThe casual sports fan likely shrugged off the recent news that the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) has decided to
-
W. Soccer Upsets BC, Takes BeanpotEverybody knows that exhibition games don’t count in the standings, but the Harvard women’s soccer team still feels pretty good