FC GOLD PRIDE 3 - 4 WASHINGTON FREEDOM

WAMBACH SCORES AT LAST!


WEIMER GOAL AND AN ASSIST!

Striker Abby Wambach scored on a header in the 90th minute, giving the Washington Freedom a 4-3 win over FC Gold Pride at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara.

Wambach finished with two goals and one assist.

FC Gold Pride tied it 3-3 on goals by Tiffany Weimer in the 75th minute and substitute Christine Sinclair in the 83rd minute.

It was never a matter of if, it was always a matter of when. After failing to connect on her first 16 shots over the previous three Women's Professional Soccer games, Abby Wambach finally did what everyone expected her to do on Sunday - score a goal.

But Wambach didn't stop there. After heading in the game's first goal on a free kick from Cat Whitehill, Wambach put the period on the match by heading in another Whitehill free kick in stoppage time to give the Freedom its first WPS win, 4-3 over FC Gold Pride.

Lori Lindsay, assisted by Wambach, slipped a short range goal in the 51st minute followed by a goal by Ally Long assisted by Lori Lindsay in the 70th minute, her first of the season.

"Well, I'd rather win in un-dramatic fashion but we are glad that we got the result," said Freedom head coach Jim Gabarra.

"We've been playing well the first couple weeks of the season but we haven't got any bounces and we've given up some tough goals and not put our chances away so it was nice to do so today. Even though it was the last minute, I thought both teams played well attacking-wise, but we are very happy to get the first win."

FC Gold Pride had good play at times with Tiffany Weimer and Tina DiMartino combining well in midfield. Good combination resulted in the 1st goal as Weimer put a ball through to striker Tiffany Millbrett who lobbed the ball over the head of 6ft keeper Kati Jo Spicek who was starting her 1st match after replacing Briana Scurry.

Tiffany Weimer scored the first goal of her WPS career, assisted by the speedy Kandace Wilson, in the 75th minute. Christine Sinclair then followed that up with her first goal of the year, assisted by Rachel Buehler, in the 83rd minute.

“I thought it showed a lot of heart to come back after being down three to one,” said FC Gold Pride head Coach Albertin Montoya. “The positives are that we never give up on anything and I think there are very few teams that have that type of heart. Unfortunately, one of the world’s best goal scorers decided to get hot against us.”

Lineups:

FC Gold Pride: Barnhart; Wilson, Graczyk, Buehler, Robinson (Massengale, 78); Weimer, Yokers (Sinclair, 60), DiMartino, Osborne, Milbrett, Arakawa.

Washington: Spisak; Gilbeau, Whitehill, Sauerbrunn, Singer; DeDycker (De Vanna, 62), Lindsey, Sawa, Long, Wambach, Moros (Janss, 76).