Carolina netted three goals in 16 minutes of the second half Friday against the WUSA's best defensive club, grabbing a 3-2 victory over visiting Atlanta to cheer an Independence Day crowd of 6,411 at SAS Stadium.

Danielle Slaton notched her first points of the season, with a 48th-minute goal and an assist on Birgit Prinz's ninth goal of the campaign, as the Courage (5-6-3, 18 points) pulled into fourth place. Washington, which has played two fewer matches, also has 18 points, but Carolina won the season series, the first tiebreaker for standings ties.

Charmaine Hooper netted a pair of goals for first-place Atlanta (6-3-4, 20 points), her sixth and seventh of the season. The Beat share the top spot with Boston, which has played one more game than Atlanta has.

Slaton scored following a goalmouth scramble to tie the score, and Venus James fired Carolina ahead after intercepting a Sharolta Nonen back pass in the 53rd minute. Prinz tucked away Slaton's cross in the 64th for a 3-1 lead.

The Beat had surrendered just nine goals in its previous 12 matches.

Hooper tallied in the eighth and 74th minutes.

FRIDAY'S SUMMARY

July 4 at Cary, N.C.

Carolina 3 Atlanta 2. Goals: Slaton 48, James 53, Prinz (Slaton) 64; Hooper (Parlow, Bivens) 8, Hooper (Pohlers) 74.

Carolina — Scurry; Bivens, Nonen, N. Augustyniak (Gaston, 65), J. Augustyniak (Dieke, 65); Miller (Withers, 65), Serlenga; Parlow, Crumpton (Warren, 74); Pohlers, Hooper.

Atlanta — Luckenbill; Burt, Baxter, Fettig, Slaton (Overbeck, 69); Boyd, Roberts, O'Hanley (Borgman, 74), Lehn; James (Wallis, 69), Prinz.

Yellow card — Carolina: Prinz 70.

Referee — Sandra Hunt.

A — 6,411.

WUSA STANDINGS

Pl W-L-T Pts (GF-GA)
1. Atlanta 13 6-3-4 22 (26-12)
2. Boston 14 6-4-4 22 (22-23)
3. San Diego 13 5-3-5 20 (20-17)
4. Carolina 14 5-6-3 18 (24-25)
5. Washington 12 5-4-3 18 (22-19)
6. San Jose 14 5-7-2 17 (16-18)
7. New York 14 5-7-2 17 (24-33)
8. Philadelphia 12 3-6-3 12 (18-25)

THIS WEEK'S GAMES
Friday, July 4
Carolina 3 Atlanta 2

Saturday, July 5
San Jose at New York, 4 p.m. (PAX TV)
San Diego at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, July 2
San Jose 2 San Diego 2

Thursday, July 3
Boston 1 Washington 1

All times Eastern

LEADING SCORERS

G-A–Pts
1. Marinette Pichon (Philadelphia) 10-2–22
2. Maren Meinert (Boston) 8-5–21
5. Birgit Prinz (Carolina) 9-3–21
4. Danielle Fotopoulos (Carolina) 7-6–20
Mia Hamm (Washington) 7-6–20
Charmaine Hooper (Atlanta) 7-6–20
7. Maribel Dominguez (Atlanta) 7-4–18
8. Julie Fleeting (San Diego) 7-3–17
9. Dagny Mellgren (Boston) 7-2–16
10. Pretinha (San Jose) 5-4–14
Abby Wambach (Washington) 5-4–14
12. Tiffeny Milbrett (New York) 4-5–13
13. Christie Welsh (New York) 6-0–12
14. Melanie Hoffmann (Philadelphia) 3-5–11
15. Jacqui Little (Washington) 2-6–10
Cindy Parlow (Atlanta) 3-4–10
Sissi (San Jose) 3-4–10
18. Krista Davey (New York) 3-2–8
Julie Foudy (San Jose) 3-2–8
Christine Latham (San Diego) 3-2–8
Conny Pohlers (Atlanta) 2-4–8
Homare Sawa (Atlanta) 3-2–8
23. Venus James (Carolina) 3-1–7
Emily Janss (New York) 3-1–7
Lindsay Stoecker (Washington) 3-1–7
Margaret Tietjen (New York) 1-5–7
Aly Wagner (San Diego) 2-3–7
28. Kylie Bivens (Atlanta) 1-3–6
Shannon Boxx (New York) 0-6–6
Abby Crumpton (Atlanta) 2-2–6
Angela Hucles (Boston) 1-4–6
Katia (San Jose) 2-2–6
Joanne Peters (New York) 2-2–6
Stacey Tullock (Philadelphia) 1-4–6
Zhang Ouying (San Diego) 1-4–6
36. Brandi Chastain (San Jose) 1-3–5
Kelly Golebiowski (Washington) 2-1–5
Unni Lehn (Carolina) 0-5–5
Shannon MacMillan (San Diego) 1-3–5
Anita Rapp (New York) 1-3–5
41. Danielle Borgman (Carolina) 2-0–4
Nel Fettig (Carolina) 1-2–4
Monica Gonzalez (Boston) 1-2–4
Steffi Jones (Washington) 1-2–4
Tammy Pearman (New York) 1-2–4
Allie Sullivan (San Diego) 1-2–4

Goals
1. Marinette Pichon (Philadelphia) 10
2. Birgit Prinz (Carolina) 9
3. Maren Meinert (Boston) 8
4. Maribel Dominguez (Atlanta) 7
Julie Fleeting (San Diego) 7
Danielle Fotopoulos (Carolina) 7
Mia Hamm (Washington) 7
Charmaine Hooper (Atlanta) 7
Dagny Mellgren (Boston) 7
10, Christie Welsh (New York) 6

Assists
1. Shannon Boxx (New York) 6
Danielle Fotopoulos (Carolina) 6
Mia Hamm (Washington) 6
Charmaine Hooper (Atlanta) 6
Jacqui Little (Washington) 6
6. Unni Lehn (Carolina) 5
Maren Meinert (Boston) 5
Tiffeny Milbrett (New York) 5
Jen Tietjen (New York) 5
10. Maribel Dominguez (Atlanta) 4
Angela Hucles (Boston) 4
Cindy Parlow (Atlanta) 4
Pretinha (San Jose) 4
Sissi (San Jose) 4
Stacey Tullock (Philadelphia) 4
Abby Wambach (Washington) 4
Zhang Ouying (San Diego) 4