Kerry Connors and Marinette Pichon scored goals four minutes apart and the Philadelphia Charge vaulted back into the WUSA lead with a 2-0 triumph Saturday afternoon over visiting Carolina, sweeping the season series and halting the Courage's league-record five-game winning streak. New York was eliminated from the WUSA playoff race later Saturday after falling to visiting San Diego, 1-0, and Atlanta's 3-1 win over visiting Boston. In the day's big game, Connors finished a Zhao Lihong through ball with a blast into the ceiling of the goal in the 21st minute and Pichon headed home a flicked-on throw-in from Jen Tietjen in 25th as the Charge (10-1-4, 34 points) took charge early before 6,946 at Villanova Stadium. Erica Iverson tied up Carolina forward Danielle Fotopoulos and Philadelphia, switching from its customary 4-5-1 alignment to a 3-5-2, also got an outstanding performance from Tietjen at sweeper to pull a point ahead of the Courage (10-3-3, 33 points). The Charge has six games remaining; Carolina has five to play. Both squads were missing critical players. Philadelphia defenders Heather Mitts and Jenny Benson and midfielder Lorrie Fair, and Carolina midfielders Tiffany Roberts, Hege Riise and Unni Lehn are in Minnesota for Sunday's U.S.-Norway friendly. (Mitts, who sustained a minor hip injury, will not be available.) The Courage also was without rookie defender Danielle Slaton, sidelined with a knee injury. It was the first time this season Carolina, the WUSA's highest-scoring team, had been shutout, and three league-record streaks — Birgit Prinz's five-game goalscoring spree and Prinz's and Fotopoulos' nine-game point streaks — were halted in the process. The loss was the Courage's first on the road this season and extended Philly's home unbeaten streak to a record 11 games. Carolina's only losses this season are to the Charge, which earned 3-1 decisions in Cary, N.C., on May 25 and June 19. Philadelphia tied the CyberRays' record by extending its unbeaten streak to 10 games. Pichon hit the right post when a fumble by Carolina goalkeeper Kristen Luckenbill left her an open net in the ninth minute, and she volleyed a nice cross from Mary-Frances Monroe over the crossbar from 3 yards with three minutes to play. Prinz also hit the woodwork, her free kick from outside the box in the 74th minute caroming off Pichon — in Philly's wall — and onto the right post. Prinz's move from midfield to the front line in the Courage's 4-4-2, made about 30 minutes into the match, enabled Carolina to put more pressure on the Charge back line. Iverson and Tietjen, in particular, made certain it meant little. Connors' strike, from the left of the goal, about 9 yards from the end line, resulted from a run behind the Courage back line. Zhao's ball from the middle split several defenders, and Connors — whose only other goal this season also came against Carolina — hit it first time over Luckenbill. Pichon netted her league-leading 13th goal four minutes later. A long Tietjen throw-in from the left was inadvertently nodded on to the far post, where Pichon had slipped behind defenders Staci Wilson and Brooke O'Hanley. Luckenbill got a hand to Pichon's header but couldn't keep it from the net. Philadelphia will have the opportunity to extend its lead next week with games Wednesday (July 24) at home against last-place New York and Saturday (July 27) at sixth-place Boston. Carolina plays at Atlanta, one of three teams battling for the final two playoff berths, on Saturday. In Saturday's other WUSA action: San Diego 1 New York 0: Scottish newcomer Julie Fleeting's goal in the 90th minute lifted the Spirit (4-8-4, 16 points) past its host in a battle between the WUSA's worst clubs before 4,002 at Michel Athletic Complex. The Power (2-13-1, 7 points) dropped its ninth successive game and set a WUSA record for losses in a season. The defeat eliminated New York from playoff contention: Its maximum point total is 22; three teams have surpassed that figure and a fourth (and possibly a fifth) will with the result of Sunday's San Jose-Washington clash. Fleeting, who last week had an assist in her WUSA debut and a goal in her home debut, fired into an empty net from close range after New York goalkeeper Saskia Webber and defender Ronnie Fair collided as the three went for a cross from Jen Mascaro. It was the first road win of the season for San Diego, which was without U.S. national teamers Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy and Shannon MacMillan. Shannon Boxx served a red-card suspension and missed her first Spirit game after playing in the first 36. New York was without forward Tiffeny Milbrett. Atlanta 3 Boston 1: Homare Sawa scored for the third successive game as the Beat (8-7-1, 25 points) earned three critical points in the race for the final two playoff berths with a victory before 6,114 at Herndon Stadium. Charmaine Hooper volleyed home a rebound, her eighth goal of the season, after Emily Burt's header ricocheted off the crossbar to break a 1-1 tie in the 66th minute, and Nikki Serlenga curled a free kick to the upper-right corner in the closing minutes. Atlanta has a three-point advantage on San Jose and Washington (both 6-5-4, 22 points), which meet in San Jose on Sunday afternoon. Kristine Lilly, denied to the U.S. national team to play in Atlanta, scored her seventh goal of the season from a Maren Meinert corner kick, tying the score late in the first half. SATURDAY'S SUMMARIES July 20 at Villanova, Pa. Philadelphia 2 Carolina 0. Goals: Connors (Zhao) 21, Pichon (Tietjen) 25. Philadelphia — Moore; Tietjen, Alfiler (Liu, 69), Iverson; McDowell, Tullock, Monroe; Zhao, Connors; Clemens (Koleski, 74), Pichon. Carolina — Luckenbill; Burt, Fettig, Wilson, O'Hanley; Baxter, Anderson, James (Grose, 64), Prinz; Fotopoulos, Barnes (N. Roberts, 85). Yellow cards — Philadelphia: Clemens 48; Carolina: Anderson 69. Referee — Mark Arblaster. A — 6,946. July 20 at Atlanta Atlanta 3 Boston 1. Goals: Sawa (J. Augustyniak, Serlenga) 27, Hooper (Burt, Bivens) 66, Serlenga 89; Lilly (Meinert) 40. Atlanta — Wilson; J. Augustyniak, Krzykowski (Bivens, 40), Nonen, N. Augustyniak; Serlenga, Miller (Cromwell, 79), Sawa, Burt (Cagle, 70); Hooper, Sun (Remy, 90). Boston — Ducar; Kamholz, Gonzalez, McCann, Aldama (Borisjuk, 85); Sanchez (Kemp, 82), Dacey (Gulbrandsen, 74), Lilly, Wiegmann; Meinert, Mellgren. Yellow cards — Atlanta: Cagle 82; Boston: Aldama 55, Gonzalez 78, McCann 88. Referee — Arnold Baldeaux. A — 6,114. July 20 at Uniondale, N.Y. New York 0 San Diego 1. Goals: Fleeting (Mascaro) 90. New York — Webber; Pearce, Raveia, Whelchel, Fair; McIntosh, Baumgardt-Yamada (Davey, 53), Stauffer, Lalor (Tracy, 88); Janss (Mustonen, 76), Pearman. San Diego — Smolak; Pickup, Sauer, Tanaka, Kraus; Omagbemi, Tietjen, Lindsey; Zhang (Mascaro, 43), Fleeting, Kester (Akide, 65). Yellow cards — New York: Mustonen 90. Referee — Sandra Hunt. A — 4,002. STANDINGS 1. Philadelphia 10-1-4, 34 points; 2. Carolina 10-3-3, 33; 3. Atlanta 8-7-1, 25; 4. San Jose 6-5-4, 22; 5. Washington 6-5-4, 22; 6. Boston 4-8-5, 17; 7. San Diego 4-8-4, 16; 8. New York 2-13-1, 7. SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 21
United States vs. Norway at Blaine, Minn., noon CDT Washington at San Jose, 3 p.m. PDT
LEADING SCORERS
(G-A–Pts)
1. Marinette Pichon (Philadelphia) 13-1–27
2. Maren Meinert (Boston) 7-12–26
3. Tiffeny Milbrett (New York) 8-8–24
4. Katia (San Jose) 11-1–23
Kristine Lilly (Boston) 7-9–23
6. Dagny Mellgren (Boston) 10-2–22
Danielle Fotopoulos (Carolina) 8-6–22
8. Birgit Prinz (Carolina) 8-5–21
Hege Riise (Carolina) 5-11–21
10. Abby Wambach (Washington) 7-5–19
11. Charmaine Hooper (Atlanta) 8-1–17
12. Shannon MacMillan (San Diego) 5-6–16
13. Homare Sawa (Atlanta) 4-5–13
14. Zhang Ouying (San Diego) 5-2–12
15. Emily Janss (New York) 5-1–11
Julie Foudy (San Diego) 4-3–11
Kelly Smith (Philadelphia) 4-3–11
18. Cindy Parlow (Atlanta) 4-2–10
Nikki Serlenga (Atlanta) 2-6–10
20. Mia Hamm (Washington) 4-1–9
Tisha Venturini-Hoch (San Jose) 4-1–9
Brandi Chastain (San Jose) 3-3–9
Lori Lindsey (San Diego) 2-5–9
Bettina Wiegmann (Boston) 1-7–9
Sissi (San Jose) 0-9–9