Courage Completes Drastic Turnaround

Danielle Fotopoulos scored one goal and set up another as the Carolina Courage completed its turnaround season, holding off Mia Hamm and the Washington Freedom for a 3-2 victory in the WUSA championship game Saturday.

The Courage, which also won the regular-season title, denied Hamm another milestone.

The all-time leading international scorer in women’s soccer already had World Cup and Olympic championships on her resume. Hamm came up short in the 2-year-old league she helped found, despite a brilliant goal in the 64th minute.

Carolina and Washington tied for last place in the eight-team WUSA’s inaugural season.

Fotopoulos actually scored twice, deflecting a shot into her own net for Washington’s first goal. She redeemed herself in the 53rd, scoring off a rebound to break a 1-1 tie.

Carolina scored again five minutes later to go ahead, 3-1, taking advantage of a mistake by Washington captain Jennifer Grubb. When Grubb cleared the ball lazily in front of her own goal, Birgit Prinz took it away and scored on a breakaway against Washington goalkeeper Siri Mullinix.

Prinz was named the game’s MVP.

Hamm, who sat out nearly half the season after knee surgery, stuck with her role as a reserve. She entered at the start of the second half, drawing cheers from the announced crowd of 15,321 every time she touched the ball.

Hamm’s goal brought the Freedom within 3-2. Defended by Staci Burt, Hamm cut suddenly to her right and unleashed a right-footed shot from about 15 yards that curled into the top corner of the net.

Carolina goalie Kristin Luckenbill made a great save when Bai Jie got loose in front of the goal in the 67th minute. Hamm had several other chances to score, the best coming in the 82nd minute when a close shot from a bad angle was swatted away by Luckenbill.