Aly Wagner celebrates her goal with Julie Fleeting by doing the limbo. (Credit: Getty Images) Email photo to friend

SAN DIEGO (June 29, 2003) -- The San Diego Spirit came back from adverse conditions to record a huge 2-1 win over the San Jose CyberRays in a wild match that featured six yellow cards and two red cards. Sissi scored on a direct free kick in the 6th minute after Spirit defender Joy Fawcett had been ejected from the match for a foul on Keri Sanchez just outside the Spirit penalty area. Aly Wagner tied the game on a similar free kick in stoppage time of the first half after CyberRays forward Pretinha had been ejected, and Scottish international Julie Fleeting added the winning goal in the 52nd minute.

The Spirit moved to 5-3-4 on the season (19 points) and into sole possession of third place in the WUSA, just three points out of first, while the C-Rays dropped to 5-7-1 (16 points). It was the second time this season that the Spirit has come from a goal down to defeat San Jose. The mayhem began in just the fifth minute when Sanchez popped free at the top of the penalty area off a Pretinha pass. Fawcett got tangled with Sanchez and wrapped an arm around her as they both tumbled to the ground. To the Spirit's dismay, referee Arnold Baldeaux pulled a red card from his pocket and ejected Fawcett for the first time in her soccer career, ruling that she was the last defender.

The CyberRays immediately took advantage as the Brazilian free kick skipped her shot past the defensive wall and into the lower left corner from 20 yards out. Playing a woman down, the Spirit actually had more of the play for the remainder of the first half. Christine Latham had a great chance in the 40th minute as Allie Sullivan slipped a pass behind the CyberRays defense on one of the few times the Spirit beat the offside trap, but the ball rolled a little too far in front of the Canadian international and her sliding shot rolled just wide of the left post.

Wagner's tying goal came after a wild sequence in which Thori Bryan was whistled for coming over the back of Julie Fleeting on a header. Pretinha stood in front of the ball to delay the free kick and Baldeaux pulled out a yellow card, Pretinha's second of the match after she received one in the 23rd minute for undercutting Kim Pickup on a header, then a red, sending the Brazilian to the locker room. On the ensuing free kick, the ball was cleared and then came back into a pack of players at the top of the penalty area, where Fleeting was fouled. Wagner then smacked her shot just under the crossbar into the upper left corner for her second goal of the season to tie the game.

The teams played 10 v. 10 in second half, with the CyberRays controlling most of the game, but it was Fleeting's 7th goal of the season that proved to be the difference. The goal came off a corner kick that was cleared out to Spirit defender Lisa Krzykowski, who chipped a long ball back into the attacking third. Latham flicked a header over Bryan and Fleeting beat Katie Antongiovanni to the ball, stretching to poke it past LaKeysia Beene from 17 yards out.

The CyberRays had more of the possession after the Fleeting goal as the Spirit hung onto the lead with some tough defense and some great goalkeeping from rookie Jenni Branam, who made seven saves and nine catch/punches in just her third start of the season and first ever at home. In the 65th minute Brazilian Katia skidded a shot just past the left post from 20 and one minute later Sanchez hit a dangerous shot after a nifty move in the penalty box, but it flew right at Branam. In the 79th minute, a great volley from Michelle French was snagged by Branam, and the Spirit goalkeeper did well to deny Brandi Chastain in the 83rd, diving to her right to snare the shot. Chastain, who moved to forward in search of a tying goal, also had a header that struck the side netting just two minutes into the half.

The Spirit had several chances to get another goal at the end of the match, but Sullivan missed two chances from stiff angles, with Beene making a great kick save on one, and Shauna Rohbock also had a chance from a bad angle, but shot behind the goal. Defender Kim Pickup stepped up to play a stellar match in the middle after Fawcett's ejection while midfielder Kerry Connors also did very well after moving to the back when the Spirit went a woman down. The Spirit and CyberRays meet again on Wednesday in San Jose at Spartan Stadium as both Fawcett and Pretinha will sit out their one-game suspensions for the red cards.

MATCH SUMMARY
San Jose 1 0= 1

San Diego 1 1= 2

SJ - Sissi 2 (Unassisted) 6th minute.
SD - Aly Wagner 2 (Unassisted) 47+
SD - Julie Fleeting 7 (Latham 2, Krzykowski 1) 52.

SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS - LaKeysia Beene, Katie Antongiovanni (Tisha Venturini-Hoch, 58), Thori Bryan (Diane Alagich, 81), Amanda Cromwell, Brandi Chastain, Michelle French, Sissi (Kelly Lindsey, 75), Keri Sanchez, Betsy Barr, Pretinha (Ejection 46+), Katia Barnes (Katia, 37).

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Katia 2, Sanchez 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Sanchez 2); FOULS: 16 (Sanchez 3); OFFSIDE: 6; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: (Beene 4); Catch/Punches: (Beene 3); CAUTIONS: (Pretinha, 23; Pretinha 46+; Sanchez 53); EJECTIONS: Pretinha 46+.

SAN DIEGO SPIRIT - Jenni Branam, Joy Fawcett, Kim Pickup, Lisa Krzykowski, Kerry Connors, Julie Foudy, Aly Wagner, Zhang Ouying (Jen Nielsen, 66), Susan Bush (Allie Sullivan, 34), Christine Latham (Ronnie Fair, 80), Julie Fleeting (Shauna Rohbock, 88).

TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (Sullivan 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Fleeting 2, Sullivan 2); FOULS: 16 (Connors 3, Rohbock 3); OFFSIDE: 8; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: (Branam 7); Catch/Punches: (Branam 9); CAUTIONS (Wagner, 31; Latham 41; Connors, 60); EJECTIONS: (Fawcett, 5).

Referee: Arnold Baldeaux
Referee's Assistants: George Gansner, Sharon Wheeler
4th Official: Bryan Elliot
Attendance: 6,220; Temperature: Hot, clear - 71 degrees.

QUOTES
Spirit Head Coach Omid Namazi on goalkeeper Jenni Branam:
"She played well and we expected that. She is a quality goalkeeper and between her and Pagliarulo they give us a great tandem."

Namazi on Julie Fleeting:
"Julie has been great for us all season. She can get behind and defense and be dangerous like she was today."

Namazi on the win:
"We did enough to win the game and I am very proud because of how the way we overcame the adverse events."

Namazi on playing San Jose on Wednesday:
"It is going to be a tough game with the Joy out. Our team has some fight in us and I am hoping that team responds the same way on Wednesday as we did today."

Joy Fawcett on her ejection:
"I was stunned when he (the referee) pulled the card. There was nothing dirty or flagrant about the play. I don't know what he saw; it must have been a foul. I have never gotten a red card before, but I am just bummed that I have to miss the next game."

Spirit forward Julie Fleeting on the game:
"We played 10 against 11 for most of the first half, it was a very tiring game. The team showed a lot of character and possibly what type of team that we are."

Spirit midfielder Aly Wagner on the game:
"We fought back from the adversity. Everyone battled and you could not even tell that we had only 10 players on the field. This win was huge for us."

CyberRays coach Ian Sawyers on playing with a player advantage in the first half:
Our problem was when we went a man up, we didn’t possess the ball very well, which is unusual for us. We panicked and tried to score again too quickly. It cost us in the end.

NOTES
· San Diego is two games over the .500 mark for the second time in team history.
· San Diego recorded the second consecutive win over SJ this season, winning the season series.
· San Diego has a two-game home winning streak.
· San Diego has gotten to its fifth win the fastest in franchise history (12 games).
· Fawcett's red card was the first of her WUSA career. She joins Mercy Akide, Shannon Boxx and Lori Lindsey as the only Spirit players to ever be ejected of a game. The last SD ejection was 7/14/02 (Boxx v. SJ).
· Game's attendance of 6,220 was the largest crowd this season and fourth-largest all time.
· Match set the Spirit team record for most yellow cards combined, 6, in a game.
· Goalkeeper Jenni Branam earned her first career win and is 1-1-1 on the season.
· San Diego is 13-0-0 when leading at the 75th minute mark.