North Carolina State University Athletics
Hooper Nets Game-Winner To Lift Beat Over Freedom
4/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
April 27, 2002
Charmaine Hooper, a former star for the women's soccer program, netted her first goal of the season for the Atlanta Beat in a 1-0 win over the Washington Freedom in WUSA action on Saturday.
With the win, Atlanta moved to 1-2 on the season.
Nearing the end of stoppage time, Atlanta mounted an attack for one final push at the Washington goal. Collecting a cross from the right side, Atlanta's Homare Sawa sent a pass up towards the goal, where Hooper was running to win the ball against Washington's Carrie Moore.
"I didn't know it was going to go over the defender's head, and I just happened to have been there," Hooper said.
Hooper was there all right. She tapped the ball into the net as Mullinix dove to recover.
"I think the keeper may have misinterpreted the bounce, thinking it was going to bounce up to her. That was my only chance to get to it before it came up," Hooper said of her game-winner.
Hooper was also relieved to finally crack the win column and begin to climb out of the WUSA's basement.
"A tie would have been better than a loss, but I think we really needed that win in order to move forward and do better," she said. "We needed to get out of the rut we were in, and lose this game or tie this game we would just be digging ourselves out of a hole for the rest of the season."
