Women’s roundup: Naptime for Wycinsky after leading Zephyr to 4-0 rout of Acceleration.

PHOENIX (Thursday, July 23, 1998) -- There was no way Missy Wycinsky was going to miss the Braddock Road Zephyr’s final tournament. So after finishing a game at the elite adidas Summer League in Portland, Ore., around midnight Wednesday, she hopped a plane to Phoenix to join her McLean, Va., club team for Thursday’s 8 a.m. women’s under-20 semifinal at the United States Youth Soccer National Championships at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex.

Wycinsky, a third-team All-American at William & Mary, made her presence known early despite getting only a couple of hours sleep. After a tense opening 20-plus minutes where neither team could establish an edge, but both sides had chances, Wycinsky came off the bench started the sequence that led to Carrie Moore’s goal in the 25th minute.

From that moment it was Zephyr dominance in a 4-0 triumph over Cincinnati’s Team Acceleration and a Saturday 8 a.m. (PT) date in the championship match.

Wycinsky is one of three original Zephyrs -- the team was known as the Astros until four years ago -- that began as under-8s. Since, the team has won 12 Virginia States Cups, including the last 11, and captured six Region I crowns, with an unprecedented four straight from their U-12 to U-15 seasons.

"I’ve grown up playing with all these girls. I would consider many of these girls some of my best friends in the world," said Wycinsky, who also assisted Lea Shreve’s tally in the 44tyh minute. "It’s just a fun team. Playing with this team and winning with this team is worth it. I would have come even if we came in fourth place, but now I’m pretty sure we’re going to win on Saturday. We’ve got a lot of heart on this team and that’s what makes it worth it."

Wycinsky and Zephyr defender Emily Janss changed from their adidas uniforms at the Portland airport and did not shower until 3:30 a.m. at their Phoenix hotel. They got to sleep at 4:30 and had to rise two hours later.

"I got on the plane all grungy and then I got gum all over my butt. I sat on a piece of gum on the plane," said Wycinsky. "I finally got there, I was so dirty. Ugh! I finally got in the shower . . . I was working (in Thursday’s match) on pure adrenaline."

In the 25th minute, Wycinsky, a striker, took control of the ball on the right flank in the defensive end. She carried and then sent a centering pass that Moore stepped over. The ball carried to Katie Tracy 20 at the top left of the penalty area. Tracy quickly returned the ball to Moore, who had cut into the right side of the box and she found the near corner from eight yards.

"We just played it around them. They didn’t have a chance," said Moore. "I don’t think they even touched it from midfield in. We just worked it around them. I don’t know where (my mark) was. She got lost somewhere and she didn’t even pick me up."

Moore’s dummy over Wycinsky’s pass was just as important as her finish. "It was a lot of extra effort on Carrie’s part," said Tracy, her teammate at W & M. "She was calling for it the whole way and I knew I was going to give it back to her cause she had made a run from about midfield. I knew she was there the whole time and I had no doubt what I was going to do with it. Four or five girls touched the ball before we put it in the net and it was just a question of extra effort on Carrie’s part."

After that, Team Acceleration did not produce a dangerous chance on goal. "We struggled at the beginning and it was neck and neck," said Tracy. "I don’t think anybody was possessing the ball very much. When we got one, it opened it up and we could possess the ball a little more."

The Zephyr took complete control moments before intermission when Wycinsky took a ball from Tatum Crawford deep into the right corner and patiently waited for Shreve to break free. When she did, Wycinski played her ball for Shreve to net from five yards.

Kim Newell took a pass from Christy Yacono at the top right of the box and blasted a shot that scraped the left post for a 3-0 lead in the 82d minute. Two minutes later, Liz Botta finished the scoring after taking a feed from Shreve.

"We did what we needed to do," said Wycinsky. "Now we’re going to take naps."

Under-20 women

Lineups: Team Acceleration - Christy Hoffman, Liz Singer, Christie Reinshagen (Megan Trau, 60), Stacy Sollman, Amy Rodeheffer, Janice Mentrup, Kathryn Wilson (Tracy Staft, 73), Beth Weschler (Lauren Clark, 27), Claire Kohake, Michelle Burke, Amy Reinshagen. Braddock Road - Christy Yacono, Tatum Crawford, Lea Shreve (Elizabeth Burgess, 86), Elizabeth Botta, Blair Smith, Jennifer Keefe, Carrie Moore, Leslie Lamb (Missy Wycinsky, 24), Kathleen Tracy, Alison Wolff.

Scoring: Braddock Road - Moore (Tracy) 25, BraddockRoad - Shreve (Wycinsky) 44; Braddock Road - Newell (Yacono) 82; Braddock Road - Botta (Shreve) 84.

Under-19 girls

Tamara Westinghouse drilled home a 16-yard shot in the 11th minute and Karine Inoue added an insurance tally in the 70th to give the West Coast Shamrocks of Mission Vijeo, Calif., to a 2-0 victory over J.B. Marine of St. Louis.

Shamrocks goalkeeper Riki-Ann Serins stopped a Marine penalty kick shortly after Westinghouse’s goal. "Riki-Ann’s save gave our defense the confidence they needed," said Shamrocks coach Bobby Bruch. "The defense really did a superb job."

Lineups: West Coast Shamrocks - Jennifer Moore (Am Aylor, 43, Jennifer Moore, 67), Megan MacLeod, Patra Glavin (Jennifer Brick, 27), Tamara Westinghouse, Megan Orach, Ann Giallonardo, Riki-Ann Serrins, Stacy Dillard (Karine Inoue, 20), Andrea Sievers, Stacy Roberts, Stephanie Rigamat (Lisa Casey, 39). J.B. Marine - Rebecca Feldman, Erin Waller (Amy Timmerman, 29, Erin Waller, 45, Nikki Thole, 66) Amy Henkhaus (Amy Timmerman, 63), Krista Odenwald (Jennifer Eickmeier, 41, Odenwald, 45, Eickmeir, 76), Stefanie Kraay, Erin Grimsley (Nikki Thole, 36) Kasey Truman (Kelly Noonan, 36), Kristin Boeker, Barrett Berzon (Kelly Noonan, 74), Kelly Kram, Susan Kraeger.

Scoring: West Coast - Westinghouse 11; West Coast - Inoue (Rigamat).

Gary Davidson is the managing editor of SoccerTimes. He can be e-mailed at info@soccertimes.com.