After scoring just once in the first 150 minutes of their first national championship, the North Texas Heat unloaded in the second half of the final, scoring four goals to down the host Springfield Sirens, 5-1, and claim the 1999 W-2 Championship in front of 3,282 disappointed fans at Fred Berte Stadium. “We’ve been finishing well all season — we’ve scored a lot of goals,” said North Texas coach Bryan Crabb, whose team led the league with 46 goals but managed none in a 1-0 shootout win over New York in the semifinals. “I think we were kind of unfortunate [against the Magic], but we worked on our finishing yesterday and today.” Tournament Most Valuable Player Nikki Tompkins scored the gamewinning goal 10 minutes into the second half, and assisted on three others to cap an incredible inaugural season for the Heat, which lost just two games. “Our fitness kicked in this game,” Tompkins said. “We’ve been working on fitness at least once a week and it paid off tonight.” New York, despite the absence of top scorer Jessica Reifer (away at the U.S. Soccer Festival), claimed third place with a 1-0 win over Hampton Roads, as keeper Alison Lineen earned her second shutout of the weekend.

W-2 PLAYOFFS

Semifinals

Aug. 6 in Springfield, Mass. North Texas 0 New York 0 (North Texas wins shootout, 2-1). North Texas — Podhrasky, Martin, Webb, Broome, Catchings, Kveton, Brown, Whitfield-Etchison (Snyder, 46), Javet-Barton, Blalack, Tompkins. New York — Lineen (Magnotta, 104), Westcott (White, 97), Sellner, Vargas, McAlister, Benson, E.McMahon, Canada, Galanek, Stansfield, Meeke. Springfield 4 Hampton Roads 3. Goals: Hurley 30, Spinelli (O’Shea) 35, Spinelli (O’Shea) 45, O’Shea (Karpinski) 54; Wolden (Holdsworth) 7, Nohl 47, Gillespie (Proost) 70. Springfield — Rettig, Boisvere (Broderick, 5; Petronis, 15), Fountain, Dorn, Matthews (Stone, 46), Karpinski, Moriarty, K.McMahon (Hurley, 26), Spinelli, Foley, O’Shea. Hampton Rds. — Manghi, Nohl, Ankerson, Moore, Holdsworth (Gillespie, 46), Echea, Wolden (Fenton, 57), Carr, Proost, Gurner, Cali. Att.: 2,217.

Third-Place Match

Aug. 8 in Springfield, Mass. New York 1 Hampton Roads 0. Goal: Meeke (Canada) 48. New York — Lineen, Westcott, Sellner, Varas, Benson, E.McMahon, Canada, Galanek, Stansfield (Magnotta, 90), White, Meeke. Hampton Rds. — Manghi, Nohl, Ankerson, Moore, Holdsworth, Echea, Gillespie, Wolden, Proost, Gurner (Fenton, 76), Cali. Att.: 3,282.

Championship

Aug. 8 in Springfield, Mass. Springfield 1 North Texas 5. Goals: O’Shea (pen.) 16; Blalack (Tompkins) 18, Tompkins (Brown) 56, Brown (Tompkins, Martin) 62, Javet-Barton 67, Brown (Tompkins, Blalack) 74. Springfield — Tassone, Fountain, Dorn, Matthews (Broderick, 30; Truoiolo, 66), Karpinski, Moriarty, Hurley, Spinelli (Petronis, 65), Foley (K.McMahon, 53), Stone, O’Shea. North Texas — Podhrasky, Martin, Webb, Broome, Catchings, Snyder, Kveton (Whitfield-Etchison, 53), Brown, Javet-Barton, Blalack, Tompkins. Att.: 3,282.

All-Tournament Team

Goalkeeper — Alison Lineen (New York). Defenders — Jessica Martin (North Texas), Lindsay Nohl (Hampton Roads), Margie Varas (New York). Midfielders — Kim Brown (North Texas), Janette Javet-Barton (North Texas), Carrie Proost (Hampton Roads), Marie Spinelli (Springfield). Forwards — Noelle Meeke (New York), Geraldine O’Shea (Springfield), Nikki Tompkins (North Texas). MVP: Nikki Tompkins (North Texas).