W-League

Vancouver needs 4-2 edge in penalty kicks to take title from Wildcats.

OTTAWA, Canada (Sunday, August 8, 2004) -- Two of the top three scoring teams from the regular season met in the W-League championship game yesterday, but neither could score. After playing 120 minutes -- including 30 minutes of sudden death -- the Vancouver Whitecaps took the title 4-2 in a penalty-kicks tiebreaker at Keith Harris Stadium.

Vancouver made all four penalty kicks. Anne Makinen and Marinette Pichon opened the shootout with misses for New Jersey, Makinen shooting wide left and Pichon high. The Whitecaps' Martina Franko and Andrea Neil followed the failures and put the Whitecaps in the driver's seat 2-0 by converting.

Though Wildcats Tasha St. Louis and Manya Makoski were successful wit their PKs, but Kara Lang made the third Vancouver try and goalkeeper Erin McLeod sealed her team's first crown with her successful spot kick.

Although Vancouver, which was third with 57 goals while going 13-0-1 to win the Western Conference, maintained an advantage in possession and applied more offensive pressure throughout the game, it was New Jersey which produced the best scoring chances.

Despite tight marking by Vancouver defender Randee Hermus, French international and W-League goal-scoring champion Marinette Pichon had two good chances, one in each half for New Jersey which led the league with 76 goals while going 14-0 to place first in the Northeast Division.

Pichon, who led the W-League with 21 regular-season goals, received the ball at the top of the box in the 22nd minute and just missed wide with an 18-yarder. In the 54th minute, midfielder Anne Makinen, a Finland international, picked off a pass from the Vancouver defense, beat a defender and ripped a 25-yarder that bent just wide of the left post.

In the 71st minute, Makinen charged up the left side and slipped the ball into the box to Pichon who turned in front of Hermus and ripped a 14-yard shot that McLeod turned away.

In the 112th minute, it was Vancouver with the best chance when striker Amber Allen slipped behind the Wildcats defense, chested down a pass 10 yards out, but could not beat keeper Amanda Brown.

In the third-place match, Amy Vermeulen put away a great pass from Rhian Wilkinson in the 11th minute to lift the Ottawa Fury past the Chicago Cobras 1-0. Fury goalkeeper Leisha Alica earned her 11th shutout of the W-League season.