Frenchwoman Marinette Pichon scored two goals and earned a penalty kick for a third as the visiting Philadelphia Charge topped the Carolina Courage, 3-1, on Saturday in a showdown between the WUSA's top two clubs. Englishwoman Kelly Smith grabbed a share of the league's scoring leadership with a goal and an assist as the Charge improved to 5-1-0 (15 points) and opened a four-point advantage over the previously unbeaten Courage (3-1-2, 11 points). Atlanta won its second in a row, edging visiting Boston, 1-0, and New York's fast start proved too much for visiting San Diego to overcome in a 2-1 decision. In Saturday's WUSA action: Philadelphia 3 Carolina 1: Smith's 71st-minute penalty kick, her fourth goal of the season, broke a 1-1 tie, and Pichon's second tally of the afternoon 11 minutes later iced the victory for the Charge before 5,281 at SAS Stadium. Pichon gave Philly a 29th-minute lead, heading home a rebound after Smith's shot was deflected off the crossbar by Carolina goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill. Danielle Slaton pulled the Courage even in the 54th minute from a Hege Riise cross, and Danielle Fotopoulos nearly got another three minutes later. Charge goalkeeper Melissa Moore stopped Fotopoulos' point-blank shot. Smith's winner was created when Slaton fouled Pichon in the penalty area after clearing a dangerous ball. It was the second Philadelphia gamewinner this season from a PK earned when the French striker was fouled. Pichon beat Luckenbill from the top of the box in the 82nd minute to extend the advantage, and Carolina's hopes to recover were hindered when defender Staci Wilson was ejected a minute later upon receiving her second yellow card. Smith pulled even with Boston's Maren Meinert, both with four goals and three assists, atop the list of WUSA scorers. New York 2 San Diego 1: Tiffeny Milbrett set up Emily Janss and Linda Ormen for early goals and the Power halted a five-game winless streak with their first home victory of the season before 4,689 at Mitchel Athletic Complex. Janss finished a Milbrett cross from the right in the second minute and Ormen beat onrushing San Diego goalkeeper Jaime Pagliarulo to a Milbrett long ball in the 19th minute as New York (2-4-1, 7 points) dominated play early. Janss' goal was her third this season; Ormen's, her second. The Power might have doubled its advantage, but Milbrett struck the crossbar in the eighth minute and Anita Rapp hit the right post a minute later. The Spirit (2-3-2, 8 points), 6-1 winners over New York in San Diego five weeks earlier, halved the deficit on Shannon MacMillan's third goal of the season, a 17-yard blast two minutes into the second half. Shannon Boxx nearly tied the score in the 90th minute, but her header clanged off the crossbar. Atlanta 1 Boston 0: Cindy Parlow struck early for the second week in a row as the Beat (3-3-1, 10 points) extended its unbeaten streak to three games with a victory over the Breakers (2-3-2, 8 points) before 4,917 at Herndon Stadium. The triumph elevated the Beat, in the cellar most of the young season, to third place in the WUSA. Parlow, whose ninth-minute goal started Atlanta on a 2-1 win at San Jose last week, headed home a Nikki Serlenga free kick in the 10th minute, and Briana Scurry made crucial second-half saves to earn the shutout. Atlanta's Marci Miller, a 72nd-minute substitute, was red-carded in the 82nd minute after taking down Breakers playmaker Bettina Wiegmann from behind. SATURDAY'S SUMMARIES May 25 at Uniondale, N.Y. New York 2 San Diego 1. Goals: Janss (Milbrett) 2, Ormen (Milbrett, Whalen) 19; MacMillan (Lindsey) 47. New York — Webber; Pearman, Pearce, Whelchel, Whalen; Fair (McIntosh, 46), Janss (Davey, 86), Lalor (Stauffer, 46; Tracy, 90), Rapp, Ormen; Milbrett. San Diego — Pagliarulo; Fawcett, Tanaka, Fan, Sauer; Boxx, Foudy, Kester (Lindsey, 46); MacMillan, Tietjen (Rohbock, 89), Zhang. Yellow cards — New York: Whelchel 57; San Diego: Boxx 74. Referee — Faith Rossi. A — 4,689. May 25 at Cary, N.C. Carolina 1 Philadelphia 3. Goals: Slaton (Riise, Fettig) 56; Pichon (Smith) 29, Smith pen. 71, Pichon (Fair) 82. Carolina — Luckenbill; Burt, Baxter, Wilson, Slaton; Fettig (Barnes, 75), Roberts, Riise; Yankowski (Overbeck, 66), Fotopoulos, Lehn (James, 86). Philadelphia — Moore; Mitts, Iverson, Tietjen, Benson; Fair, Connors (Zhao, 64), Liu, Smith (Martin, 79); Clemens (Monroe, 54), Pichon. Yellow cards — Carolina: Wilson 77, 83; Philadelphia: Iverson 68, Mitts 85. Red card — Wilson 83. Referee — Kari Seitz. A — 5,281. May 25 at Atlanta Atlanta 1 Boston 0. Goals: Parlow (Serlenga) 10. Atlanta — Scurry; N. Augustyniak, Nonen, Cromwell, J. Augustyniak; Bivens, Serlenga; Wang (Miller, 72), Sawa; Parlow (Sun, 78), Hooper. Boston — LeBlanc; Kluegel, McCann, Sobrero, Aldama (Kemp, 76); Hucles (Borisjuk, 61), Lilly, Wiegmann, Dacey; Meinert, Mellgren. Yellow cards — Atlanta: Hooper 54, Bivens 75; Boston: Dacey 45. Red card — Atlanta: Miller 82. Referee — Sandra Hunt. A — 4,917. WUSA STANDINGS 1. Philadelphia 5-1-0, 15 points; 2. Carolina 3-1-2, 11; 3. Atlanta 3-3-1, 10; 4. San Diego 2-3-2, 8; 5. Boston 2-3-2, 8; 6. San Jose 2-3-1, 7; 7. Washington 2-3-1, 7; 8. New York 2-4-1, 7. Sunday's game
Washington at San Jose, 7 p.m. (PDT)