First-place Atlanta grabbed its third successive victory Wednesday night and San Diego got a goal and assist from Julie Fleeting to top flailing Washington and move into third place in the WUSA standings.

The Beat (9-3-4, 31 points) opened a six-point cushion on second-place Boston (7-4-4, 25 points) with a 1-0 win at last-place Philadelphia (3-9-4, 13 points).

Washington, the best team in the WUSA the first third of the season, failed to win for the seventh time in eight matches, falling to .500 with the 2-1 loss at San Diego.

The Spirit (6-4-6, 24 points) pulled a point ahead of New York with the victory, and the Freedom (6-6-3, 21 points) dropped to fifth.

Wednesday's highlights:

Atlanta 1 Philadelphia 0: Conny Pohlers scored her fourth goal of the season and the Beat notched its seventh shutout of the season to ensure its third successive winning campaign.

The Charge, despite forward Marinette Pichon returning to the lineup, lost its third successive game and extended its winless streak to six matches before 6,587 at Villanova Stadium.

Philadelphia was eliminated from contention for the regular-season title with the defeat.

Pohlers tallied in the 31st minute after Homare Sawa's through ball found Cindy Parlow and Charge goalkeeper Hope Solo, making her first start in 10 matches, came off her line to sweep the ball from Parlow's feet. It fell in a scramble to Pohlers, who fired past defender Jen Tietjen-Prozzo, who was manning the net.

Briana Scurry made six saves to earn her sixth shutout of the season, 19th of her WUSA career and fourth against the Charge.

San Diego 2 Washington 1: Fleeting and Christine Latham scored goals and rookie goalkeeper Jenni Branam offered a save-of-the-year candidate in the 89th minute to secure the Spirit's victory before 6,733 at Torero Stadium, San Diego's biggest home crowd in history.

Latham scored her fourth goal in four games, a mesmerizing 22-yard blast that dipped, hit the bottom of the crossbar and caromed into the goal to give the Spirit a 23rd-minute lead.

The goal came from a Branam goal kick that was flicked on by Julie Fleeting. Latham volleyed the ball off one big bounce.

Fleeting netted her eighth goal of the campaign 12 minutes later, after Freedom keeper Siri Mullinix got over Latham to slap away Daniela's cross from the right. Fleeting, following up the play, headed the ball back off Mullinix's shoulder, and it ricocheted past Skylar Little at the left post.

Washington defender Sandra Minnert scored her first WUSA goal following a poor Daniela clearance in the 78th minute, a first-time 30-yard blast that deflected off Joy Fawcett en route to the net.

The Freedom nearly tied the score near the end, when substitute Meredith Beard smashed a dipping shot from just beyond the right corner of the Spirit's box. A horizontal Branam got her hand to the ball, knocking it just over the crossbar.

Washington outshot the Spirit, 15-10, and put seven shots on goal, but it managed very few chances and played with little offensive intensity. Defender Jen Grubb and midfielder Lindsay Stoecker had strong matches for the Freedom.

San Diego defender Kim Pickup left the field in 27th minute and again in the 39th, the second time for good, after suffering an accelerated heartbeat, a condition she's lived with throughout her playing career. She is scheduled to see a cardiologist about the condition.

WEDNESDAY'S SUMMARIES

July 16 at Villanova, Pa.

Philadelphia 0 Atlanta 1. Goal: Pohlers 31.

Philadelphia — Solo; Kruze, McVeigh, Tietjen-Prozzo, Benson; Makinen; Fair, Tullock, Misaki (Burt, 75); Hoffmann, Pichon.

Atlanta — Scurry; Bivens, Nonen, N. Augustyniak, J. Augustyniak; Serlenga, Warren (Withers, 61); Parlow, Sawa; Pohlers (Dominguez, 70), Hooper.

Yellow card — Atlanta: Bivens 51.

Referee — Jennifer Bennett.

A– 6,587.

July 16 at San Diego

San Diego 2 Washington 1. Goals: Latham (Fleeting, Branam) 23, Fleeting (Daniela) 35; Minnert 78.

San Diego — Branam; Pickup (Fair, 40), Fawcett, Krzykowski; Foudy, Daniela; Connors, Wagner, Zhang (Sullivan, 77); Latham, Fleeting.

Washington — Mullinix; S. Little (Beard, 57), Moore, Grubb, Minnert; Stoecker, Jones (Zimny, 66); J. Little, Lindsey (Hamm, 33), Golebiowski; Wambach.

Yellow cards — San Diego: Fair 45, Latham 85; Washington: S. Little 35.

Referee — David Simon.

A — 6,733.

WUSA STANDINGS

Pl W-L-T Pts (GF-GA)
1. Atlanta 16 9-3-4 31 (31-13)
2. Boston 15 7-4-4 25 (25-24)
3. San Diego 16 6-4-6 24 (23-21)
4. New York 16 7-7-2 23 (28-35)
5. Washington 15 6-6-3 21 (28-25)
6. Carolina 15 5-7-3 18 (25-27)
7. San Jose 15 5-8-2 17 (17-20)
8. Philadelphia 16 3-9-4 13 (22-34)

THIS WEEK'S GAMES
Wednesday, July 16
Philadelphia 0 Atlanta 1
San Diego 2 Washington 1

Saturday, July 19
Atlanta at Boston, 4 p.m. (PAX TV)
New York at Washington, 6:30 p.m.
San Diego at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Sunday, July 20
Philadelphia at San Jose, 6 p.m.

All times Eastern

LEADING SCORERS

G-A–Pts
1. Maren Meinert (Boston) 8-6–22
Dagny Mellgren (Boston) 10-2–22
Marinette Pichon (Philadelphia) 10-2–22
4. Mia Hamm (Washington) 7-7–21
Charmaine Hooper (Atlanta) 7-7–21
Birgit Prinz (Carolina) 9-3–21
7. Julie Fleeting (San Diego) 8-4–20
Danielle Fotopoulos (Carolina) 7-6–20
9. Maribel Dominguez (Atlanta) 7-4–18
Abby Wambach (Washington) 7-4–18
11. Pretinha (San Jose) 5-5–15
12. Melanie Hoffmann (Philadelphia) 4-5–13
Tiffeny Milbrett (New York) 4-5–13
Conny Pohlers (Atlanta) 4-5–13
15. Christine Latham (San Diego) 5-2–12
Christie Welsh (New York) 6-0–12
17. Cindy Parlow (Atlanta) 3-4–10
Sissi (San Jose) 3-4–10
Stacey Tullock (Philadelphia) 3-4–10
20. Jacqui Little (Washington) 2-5–9
Lindsay Stoecker (Washington) 4-1–9
22. Abby Crumpton (Atlanta) 3-2–8
Krista Davey (New York) 3-2–8
Julie Foudy (San Jose) 3-2–8
Homare Sawa (Atlanta) 3-2–8
26. Shannon Boxx (New York) 0-7–7
Venus James (Carolina) 3-1–7
Emily Janss (New York) 3-1–7
Anita Rapp (New York) 2-3–7
Margaret Tietjen (New York) 1-5–7
Aly Wagner (San Diego) 2-3–7
32. Kelly Golebiowski (Washington) 2-2–6
Angela Hucles (Boston) 1-4–6
Katia (San Jose) 2-2–6
Joanne Peters (New York) 2-2–6
Zhang Ouying (San Diego) 1-4–6
37. Justi Baumgardt (New York) 1-3–5
Erin Baxter (Carolina) 2-1–5
Kylie Bivens (Atlanta) 1-3–5
Brandi Chastain (San Jose) 1-3–5
Unni Lehn (Carolina) 0-5–5
Lori Lindsey (Washington) 2-1–5
Shannon MacMillan (San Diego) 1-3–5
Jaclyn Raveia (New York) 2-1–5
Cheryl Salisbury (New York) 2-1–5
Allie Sullivan (San Diego) 1-3–5
Tisha Venturini-Hoch (San Jose) 2-1–5
48. Danielle Borgman (Carolina) 2-0–4
Nel Fettig (Carolina) 1-2–4
Monica Gonzalez (Boston) 1-2–4
Steffi Jones (Washington) 1-2–4
Jena Kluegel (Boston) 0-4–4
Mary-Frances Monroe (Philadelphia) 1-2–4
Tammy Pearman (New York) 1-2–4
Keri Sanchez (San Jose) 1-2–4
Nikki Serlenga (Atlanta) 1-2–4

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

Assists
1. Shannon Boxx (New York) 7
Mia Hamm (Washington) 7
Charmaine Hooper (Atlanta) 7
4. Danielle Fotopoulos (Carolina) 6
Maren Meinert (Boston) 6
6. Melanie Hoffman (Philadelphia) 5
Unni Lehn (Carolina) 5
Jacqui Little (Washington) 5
Tiffeny Milbrett (New York) 5
Pretinha (San Jose) 5
Margaret Tietjen (New York) 5