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Wildcats Advance to Championship Game
Pichon Nets Two to Lead New Jersey Past Host Fury
OTTAWA, CA - Marinette Pichon continued her scoring hot streak with two goals as the New Jersey Wildcats advanced to the W-League Championship game with a 2-1 victory over the host Ottawa Fury in the semifinal round at Keith Harris Stadium. Pichon connected once in each half as the Wildcats built a two-goal lead before hanging on for the victory.
New Jersey will put their 17-game winning streak on the line when they face the Vancouver Whitecaps Women on Sunday at 5 p.m. in the W-League Championship game. The final will be televised live on Fox Sports World. Vancouver advanced to the championship game with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cobras in the opener of the semifinal doubleheader.
Pichon, who led the W-League in scoring this season with 21 goals and 49 points in 10 games, hit twice after racking up five goals last Sunday in a 6-5 victory over the Montreal Xtreme in the final of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Leah Robinson got the Fury on the board with a penalty kick late in the game while the Wildcats kept Ottawa's W-League MVP Kelly Parker in check holding her to just two shots with neither one of the dangerous variety.
The Wildcats started the game strong and held an 8-0 advantage in shots in the first half. Janine Willis provided the Wildcats with a great chance in the 13th minute, but her header off an Anne Makinen free kick was tipped over the crossbar from point-blank range by Ottawa keeper Leisha Alcia.
New Jersey broke open the scoring in the 35th minute when a wild sequence in the Ottawa box ended up with a penalty kick and a red card to Ottawa midfielder Diana Matheson. Kate Sands sent a corner kick into the box that bounced free to Kim Francis and her blast toward the left side of the goal from 15 yards was stopped by an acrobatic Alcia. The rebound fell to Pichon and she controlled the ball before hitting a shot that Matheson, who was Ottawa's best player over the first half hour, blocked with her right arm. Referee Carol Anne Chenerd sent Matheson off for deliberately stopping the ball from going into the goal with her arm and Pichon stepped up and lined the penalty kick into the lower right corner.
With the Fury down to 10 men, the Wildcats had an easier time keeping possession of the ball and did so for long periods of time. Pichon nearly scored again at the start of the second half when Manya Makoski played her in behind the defense just 3:40 in, but her shot was stuffed by Alcia, who was strong throughout for the Fury with eight saves. Ottawa's best chance of the second half came in the 54th minute when Erin Ramsey's header off a corner kick was cleared away from the goalmouth by Willis.
Pichon connected on the eventual game-winner in the 68th minute after getting on the tail end of another through pass from Makoski, who intercepted the ball in Ottawa's half of the field. Pichon held off a defender before cracking a left-footed shot into the right side of the goal past a diving Alcia.
With the two-goal lead, the Wildcats tried to keep the ball and put the game away but Ottawa made things interesting after a strong individual effort from Allison Kelly in the 83rd minute. The ball was played behind the Wildcats defense and Kelly beat Wildcats keeper Amanda Brown to the ball but her touch carried the ball toward the endline. As Willis slid to block the cross, the ball bounded off her right arm and wide of the goal. Robinson stepped up and lined the penalty kick into the lower left side of the goal to cut the lead to 2-1.
The victory was the second straight one-goal win for the Wildcats after they beat their first 15 opponents by two or more goals. The Wildcats will be making their debut in the W-League Championship game while Vancouver will be returning to the final after falling 5-1 to Boston in 2001 in their only other appearance.
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LINEUPS:
OTTAWA FURY: Leisha Alcia, Allison Kelly, Kat McShane, Erin Ramsay, Jenine Stangier (Robyn Gayle 76), Diana Matheson, Leah Robinson, Kelly Parker, Amy Vermeulen, Rhian Wilkinson, Aisha Alfa (Annie Hamel 53).
NEW JERSEY WILDCATS: Amanda Brown, Janine Willis, Beth McNamara, Kim Brandão, Rochelle Willis, Maura Gallagher (Tobin Heath 45), Anne Makinen, Kim Francis, Manya Makoski (Katie Ludwig 69), Kate Sands (Alli D'Amico 83), Marinette Pichon.
GOALS:
NJW – Pichon (PK) 35th minute
NJW – Pichon (Makoski) 68th minute
OTT – Robinson (PK) 83rd minute
SAVES:
OTT – Alcia 8; NJW – Brown 4
SHOTS:
OTT – 7, NJW – 12 | 
