Both of Katie Barnes' goals this season have come against the Charge. (Credit: Getty Images) Email photo to friend

SAN JOSE, Calif. (July 20 2003) – The San Jose CyberRays kept their playoff hopes alive Sunday, pulling off a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the Philadelphia Charge at Spartan Stadium.

The game was played in muggy, 91-degree heat that sapped both squads.

The CyberRays, 6-8-2 with 20 standings points, remain in seventh place in the WUSA and just four points out of playoff position with five games to go. This game was only the seventh in the team’s three-year history in which captain Brandi Chastain, who has a left quadriceps strain, had failed to start, and only the second time they had won without her in the lineup.

Philadelphia, now 3-10-4 with 13 standings points, entered the game on a three-game losing streak and six games since its last victory, 2-0 over the San Diego Spirit on June 14.

Philadelphia turned its first corner kick opportunity into a goal in the fourth minute. CyberRays defender Dianne Alagich managed to clear the kick on a header, but Philadelphia forward Melanie Hoffmann collected the ball just beyond the 18-yard box and found the upper left corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead.

The goal was Hoffmann’s fifth of the season and first since July 9, when she got Philadelphia’s first goal in a 4-2 loss to the Washington Freedom. It also was the first Philadelphia goal in three matches this season against the CyberRays.

Katia got her third goal of the season in the 41st minute to pull the CyberRays into a tie when she took a pass from Keri Sanchez about 40 yards from the goal, beat one defender and goalkeeper Hope Solo to reach the end line and then slid a shot from the right to the far post.

Katie Barnes put the CyberRays in the lead in the 61st minute with a 10-yard shot to the far post. Barnes was outside the left post when midfielder Sissi slid a pass across to her that she one-touched for the score. A Barnes goal in the season-opening game April 5 against Philadelphia beat the Charge 1-0, and it was her only other goal this season.

POST-GAME QUOTES

CyberRays coach Ian Sawyers: ``I don’t think this was our best game, but it definitely was one of our grittiest. It was a game of high stakes, and we didn’t play our best game, but we found a way to win.’’

Philadelphia coach Mark Krikorian: ``I thought we didn’t have as much energy as we needed. It’s been a rough stretch for us (five games in the last 20 days, three on the road), and at times I thought we played a bit foolishly. We were too eager to use the long ball, which meant we were doing a lot of chasing, and we had heavy legs in the second half.’’

Katie Barnes (both her goals this season have been against Philly): ``I don’t know what it is about Philadelphia, but I always seem to play halfway decent against them. I saw the ball on the right side and that it was coming to me, and I was ready for it.’’

Katia (on her goal): ``I saw the goalkeeper on the ground, so I didn’t shoot it my first opportunity. After I got around her, it was easy to put it in.’’

San Jose CyberRays 2, Carolina Courage 0

1 2 F

Philadelphia 1 0 1

San Jose 1 1 2

Scoring Summary:

PHI--Hoffmann 5 (unassisted) 4

SJC--Katia 3 (Sanchez 4, Venturini-Hoch 2) 41

SJC--Barnes 2 (Sissi 5, Bell 1) 61

PHILADELPHIA CHARGE--Hope Solo, Jenny Benson, Rachel Kruze, Mary McVeigh, Jennifer Tietjen-Prozzo, Emily Burt (Beth McNamara 74), Lorrie Fair, Erin Misaki (Darci Borski 74), Stacey Tullock, Melanie Hoffmann, Marinette Pichon.

TOTAL SHOTS: 7 (3 tied with 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 1 (Hoffmann 1); FOULS: 4 (4 tied with 1); OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: Solo 2; CAUTIONS: None; EJECTIONS: None.

SAN JOSE CYBERRAYS--LaKeysia Beene, Dianne Alagich, Thori Bryan, Amanda Cromwell (Kelly Lindsey 16), Michelle French, Betsy Barr, Sissi, Keri Sanchez, Tisha Venturini-Hoch (Ann Cook 89), Katie Barnes (Katie Antongiovanni 76), Katia (Christina Bell 56).

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Sissi 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (4 tied with 1); FOULS: 7 (Alagich 2, Katia 2); OFFSIDE: 5; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: None; CAUTIONS: None; EJECTIONS: None.

Referee: Jesse Johnson

Referee's Assistants: Fabio Tovar, Dinesh Singh

4th Official: Colin Arblaster.

Attendance: 5,243.

Temperature: 91 and Sunny.