Siri Mullinix

Washington goalkeeper Siri Mullinix stopped two penalty kicks to help the Freedom advance to the Founders Cup for the second straight season with a 3-1 shootout win over the top-seeded Boston Breakers on Saturday in front of 9,070. The fourth-seeded Freedom earned a return to the Women's United Soccer Assn. title game after the teams played to a 0-0 overtime tie. Washington will face today's San Diego-Atlanta winner in the championship game next Sunday at San Diego.

Washington goalkeeper Siri Mullinix stopped two penalty kicks to help the Freedom advance to the Founders Cup for the second straight season with a 3-1 shootout win over the top-seeded Boston Breakers on Saturday in front of 9,070. The fourth-seeded Freedom earned a return to the Women's United Soccer Assn. title game after the teams played to a 0-0 overtime tie. Washington will face today's San Diego-Atlanta winner in the championship game next Sunday at San Diego.

The No. 1 team in the world officially has a new No. 1 goalkeeper. Siri Mullinix made five saves for her 10th shutout and Tiffeny Milbrett scored in the 44th minute Monday night as the U.S. women's soccer team won its fifth title of the year, beating Brazil, 1-0, in the championship game of the Gold Cup. After the game, Coach April Heinrichs said what has become obvious: Mullinix has surpassed injured World Cup hero Briana Scurry as the team's top goalkeeper.

Only 14 months ago, Briana Scurry made the most memorable save of her career, flinging herself to her left at the Rose Bowl to turn away a shot by China's Liu Ying, earning the U.S. a world championship. Now, she watches from the bench. Scurry, an Olympic gold medalist in 1996 and a veteran of 103 international games, has yielded her starting position on the U.S. women's soccer team to Siri Mullinix. Mullinix, 22, from Greensboro, N.C.

Only 14 months ago, Briana Scurry made the most memorable save of her career, flinging herself to her left at the Rose Bowl to turn away a shot by China's Liu Ying, earning the U.S. a world championship. Now, she watches from the bench. Scurry, an Olympic gold medalist in 1996 and a veteran of 103 international games, has yielded her starting position on the U.S. women's soccer team to Siri Mullinix. Mullinix, 22, from Greensboro, N.C.

World Cup '99 veterans Michelle Akers, Carla Overbeck and Briana Scurry were recalled to the U.S. women's team Friday for a five-game tour of Germany and Norway. Coach April Heinrichs selected 20 players for what promises to be the toughest test of the year before the 2000 Olympics in Sydney for the defending gold medalists. The American team will leave Wednesday for Germany, where it will play in a four-nation tournament celebrating the 100th anniversary of the German soccer federation (DFB).

Once again, the margin of victory was a penalty kick. Only this time, China got the better of the United States. The U.S. women lost, 1-0, Wednesday on Chinese captain Sun Wen's spot kick with five minutes left in the teams' first match since the United States won the World Cup final on a penalty shootout last summer. "China is always good and it always seems to come down to the last minutes with them," U.S. captain Julie Foudy said.

Mia Hamm stole the ball from the fingertips of goalie Han Wenxia just outside the penalty area and scored with five minutes remaining to give the United States a 1-1 tie with China in the DFB Jubilee soccer tournament Wednesday in Gattingen, Germany. Hamm, international soccer's all-time leading scorer, chased down a long clearance from her own goalkeeper, Siri Mullinix. Han came out to grab the ball and reached down but hesitated when she realized she was beyond the area.

There were a few surprises Wednesday when U.S. women's national team Coach April Heinrichs named her 18-player roster for this month's CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, which also serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. The biggest surprise was the inclusion of Heather O'Reilly, a 17-year-old high school senior from East Brunswick, N.J., and one of the stars on the U.S. team that won the inaugural FIFA Under-19 Women's World Championship in Canada this summer.

Pardon April Heinrichs for getting carried away. After all, it isn't every coach who can name as experienced and formidable a roster for the 2000 Summer Olympics as Heinrichs did Thursday. The 18 players she selected for the U.S. women's Olympic soccer team include: * 15 of the 20 players who won the FIFA Women's World Cup last summer, including all 11 starters from the championship-game victory over China at the Rose Bowl.

The No. 1 team in the world officially has a new No. 1 goalkeeper. Siri Mullinix made five saves for her 10th shutout and Tiffeny Milbrett scored in the 44th minute Monday night as the U.S. women's soccer team won its fifth title of the year, beating Brazil, 1-0, in the championship game of the Gold Cup. After the game, Coach April Heinrichs said what has become obvious: Mullinix has surpassed injured World Cup hero Briana Scurry as the team's top goalkeeper.

Tiffeny Milbrett, Christie Pearce, Kate Sobrero, Siri Mullinix, Michelle French, Lorrie Fair and Nikki Serlenga, all members of the U.S. Olympic soccer team, were chosen for the U.S. women's national team. The team will travel to China to play the Chinese national team Jan. 11 and Jan. 14. The remainder of the 18-member team is made up of five collegiate players and six players who were high picks in the Women's United Soccer Assn. player draft.

Danielle Fotopoulos had two goals and three assists Saturday, leading Carolina to a 5-2 victory over host Washington in front of 21,859 for its first win of the season. Washington (4-1-1), which suffered its first loss, played without goalkeeper Siri Mullinix and forwards Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach, who were helping the U.S. national team to a 6-0 victory over England at Birmingham, Ala., where Hamm contributed a goal and an assist.