U.S. Defends Its Title in U.S. Women’s Cup, 3-0

The bare facts of Sunday afternoon’s international soccer game here are easy to report.

In front of a crowd of 9,147 at the University of Richmond Stadium, the United States defeated Brazil, 3-0, to win the U.S. Women’s Cup tournament for the fifth consecutive year.

The U.S. goals were scored by Joy Fawcett in the 32nd minute, Michelle Akers in the 43rd and Debbie Keller in the 74th. Brandi Chastain assisted on the first and third goals and Mia Hamm’s free kick set up the second.

But the real story of the game was the recently reorganized defense. In fact, this tournament as a whole has been a tribute to the U.S. back line, which has not conceded a goal in six consecutive games.

Coach Tony DiCicco, fearing that his three-woman defensive alignment was being stretched a little thin, switched to a four-woman back line, with Fawcett, of Huntington Beach, wide right, Christie Pearce wide left and a central duo of Carla Overbeck and Kate Sobrero.

Those four, plus goalkeeper Briana Scurry, were given the task of keeping the Brazilians at bay Sunday. That they were able to shut out the high-powered South Americans, indicates that DiCicco’s new defense works.

“The Brazilians are not an easy team to play,” DiCicco said after the game. “They’re very talented, they have great speed up top (in the forward line) and great individual flair. And they know how to play the game at their pace.”

“They’re a team that beat us last time [1-0 in Sao Paulo in December], so I certainly wanted to beat them here at home.

Much of the credit belongs to veterans Fawcett and Overbeck, two of seven players in the U.S. starting lineup to have won both world and Olympic championships. Between them, they have played 252 games for the U.S. But Pearce, a relative newcomer from Monmouth College with only 36 appearances, and Sobrero, a virtual rookie from Notre Dame with only 12 international games, more than held their own.

And the Brazilians, who started out with Roseli and Pretinha as their strikers and then brought on the even-faster Maicon when Roseli injured her left knee in the 19th minute, were a handful.

“You have to respect their speed,” Overbeck said. “They kind of lull you into a slow, possession game, and then all of a sudden they spring one of their forwards [with a pass] over the top of your defense and you’re caught.”

Fawcett, who scored on a header off a Chastain header after a Hamm corner kick, was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

In the opening game of the doubleheader, Russia defeated Mexico, 5-1, to finish third.