BOSTON — Siri Mullinix put on the kind of performance in yesterday’s WUSA semifinal that could give her the edge in the battle to start for the United States later this year at the Women’s World Cup.
Mullinix saved half of the penalty kicks she faced, allowing Washington to upset the Boston Breakers 3-1 in a shootout and sending the Freedom to their second consecutive WUSA championship game. The teams battled for 105 scoreless minutes before 9,070 at Nickerson Field before Mullinix enabled the Freedom to win in Boston for the first time.
The Freedom will play the winner of today’s semifinal between Atlanta and San Diego next Sunday in Founders Cup III at San Diego’s Torero Stadium. The Freedom remained the only team in WUSA history to win a playoff game on the road. Last year the Freedom defeated the Philadelphia Charge 1-0 in the semifinals.
“I thought it played out exactly the way we kind of expected it to,” coach Jim Gabarra said.
Maybe not the penalty kick part. Mullinix, who is battling Atlanta’s Briana Scurry to start for the U.S. team in the Women’s World Cup, faced four penalty kicks and saved two.
Dangerous Breakers forward Maren Meinert, who announced her retirement after the game, was the first player Mullinix faced in the shootout. Meinert shanked her kick over the crossbar. Boston midfielder Kristine Lilly, a U.S. women’s team standout, came next and was foiled by Mullinix when she tried the left post and Mullinix dived to her right to make the save.
Breakers forward Dagny Mellgren, who tied for the league’s goal-scoring title with 14, beat Mullinix to the right corner to keep the Breakers within striking distance at 2-1. Defender Heather Aldama tried the left corner, but Mullinix guessed correctly again and ended the season for the first-place Breakers (10-4-7) by diving to her right and blocking the attempt.
“On Aldama’s, I just reacted and got a good step and a good hand to it,” Mullinix said. “I told our team to just make their penalty kicks.”
Reserve Jennifer Meier, Jacqui Little and star Mia Hamm converted their penalty kicks as the Freedom (9-8-4) became the first team in league history to appear in consecutive Founders Cups.
“From the first whistle to the last whistle, we did it as a team,” Hamm said. “Our defense was stellar today. You had players that were bruised and hurting and doing what they needed to do to get us a step closer.”
After signing postgame autographs, Hamm collapsed on the field from apparent heat exhaustion and dehydration. While she was on the ground, trainer Randy Rocha administered fluids and iced down the world’s all-time leading goal scorer.
After being helped into a golf cart and taken to the locker room, Hamm accompanied the Freedom back to their hotel.
Yesterday’s oppressive heat led to a rather lethargic first half. Neither team produced much in the way of scoring chances in the first 45 minutes. In the league’s three seasons, playoff games have been low-scoring affairs.
The Breakers nearly won at the end of regulation but failed to convert three good chances in the closing minutes. In the 85th, Breakers midfielder Angela Hucles, a former Virginia standout, one-timed a ball with her right foot at the top of the box that Mullinix got her right hand on and pushed over the bar.
In the 89th, Meinert sprung Mellgren into the box with a crafty through ball on which Mullinix made a sliding save from 10 yards out. In the 93rd and final minute of stoppage time, right-flank midfielder Jacqui Little, who was protecting the left post, cleared a Mellgren header off the line from Meinert’s corner kick.
“I told her, ’Way to keep your hands down,’” Mullinix said. “It would have been easy to raise your hands, but it hit her right in the chest. They were calling for a handball. She stood up, stood her line and let the ball hit her and makes the save off the line.”
Little connected with Wambach in the final minute of the second 7-minute overtime, crossing into the box off the right flank and finding Wambach running toward the near right post. Wambach headed the ball into the ground, and Breakers goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc parried away Wambach’s one-bouncer.
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