By Scott French, Senior Editor

LATE GOALS: Late strikes were decisive in all three WUSA matches, with Boston beating San Jose on Dagny Mellgren's 83rd-minute goal, Philadelphia tying Carolina on Danielle Fotopoulos' 84th-minute tally, and San Diego tying Atlanta on Julie Foudy's 84th-minute penalty kick.

The Breakers, whose 13-game home unbeaten streak ended a week earlier, used their favorite connection — Mellgren from Maren Meinert — to climb to third place with a 1-0 home victory over a dominant San Jose side. Mellgren has scored from Meinert feeds in four of the past five games. This one was rather odd.

Meinert sent a long ball from the Boston half over the CyberRays' backline and toward the box, fueling a footrace between Mellgren and, charging from her box, San Jose goalkeeper LaKeysia Beene. They got to the ball about the same time, but Mellgren swerved to the right and Beene instinctively followed.

Neither touched the ball, which bounced past Beene, leaving Mellgren an empty net.

''If it was a yard farther from [Mellgren], I probably would have gotten it,'' Beene said. ''I probably should have stayed on my line at that point in the match.''

Mellgren and Meinert have scored 12 of the Breakers' 14 goals, six apiece.

WHISTLE WORKS?: San Diego stretched its unbeaten streak to seven games — all but the opener — with a 1-1 tie against visiting Atlanta, which cried foul after Foudy's late PK.

Sandra Hunt pointed to the spot after Hooper, who scored a nifty fifth-minute goal, and Fleeting fell to the ground in the Beat box on a corner kick. Spirit coach Omid Namazi thought it was clearly a penalty, and Fleeting agreed. ''I was watching for the ball,'' she said, ''and [Hooper] knocked me over by backing up.''

Ridiculous, said Hooper.

''Let me just say that was the most piece-of-s*** call I have ever, ever seen,'' she said. ''It should not have been a PK. We were both going for the ball, we both fell. Now why did I not get the kick as opposed to her getting the PK?''

Said Atlanta coach Tom Stone: ''If I think it was a joke, I'm told to say, 'I have to watch the video.' So: 'I have to watch the video.' It's unfortunate that two players fall down, and the next thing you know, we're tied, 1-1. …

''I hope that it was a foul. It's going to make for a bad Monday if I see on tape that it wasn't.''

BASEMENT BATTLE: Fotopoulos' fifth goal of the season left the battle for last place on even terms, a 2-2 draw leaving Carolina and Philadelphia with 1-5-1 records.

The Charge got two more goals from 2002 WUSA MVP Marinette Pichon, but twice it surrendered leads, with Fotopoulos' rebound of Unni Lehn's shot arriving shortly after Pichon forged a 2-1 advantage.

Philadelphia surrendered leads four times in its 5-4 loss to New York on May 3.

TIGHT RACE: The top five teams are separated by four points, but first-place Washington (5-1-1, 16 points) — off from WUSA wars this week — has played only seven matches, fewer than the other contenders. Atlanta (4-1-3) has 15 points, Boston (4-3-2) has 14, San Diego (3-1-4) has 13, and San Jose (4-4-0) has 12.

HOMECOMING: Abby Wambach scored a goal Saturday in her return to Rochester, where she grew up, as Washington and New York tied, 2-2, in an exhibition before 7,664 at Frontier Field.

It also was a homecoming match for Wambach's Freedom teammate Casey Zimny, who played 90 minutes, and marked the Washington debut of Canadian goalkeeper Nicci Wright.

Mia Hamm assisted on both Freedom goals, by Wambach in the 22nd minute and Lori Lindsey in the 33rd. Shannon Boxx converted an early penalty kick and Christie Welsh scored in the 77th minute for San Diego.

ATTENDANCE WATCH: Boston drew more fans to Nickerson Field on Saturday than had attended the first two games this season at Boston University's stadium — combined.

Some 8,168 witnessed the win over San Jose, more than the total of the Breakers' two smallest home crowds in history: 3,823 on April 26 against Philadelphia, 3,518 last week against Atlanta.

Philadelphia (4,180) drew its smallest crowd ever against Carolina. San Diego's attendance against Atlanta (4,972) was the second-worst in team history,

WUSA SUMMARIES WEEK 9: Late, decisive goals

May 31 at Boston
BOSTON (4-3-2, 14 points) 1 SAN JOSE (4-4-0, 12 points) 0.
Goal: Mellgren (Meinert) 83.
Att.: 8,168.

May 31 at Villanova, Pa.
PHILADELPHIA (1-5-1, 4 points) 2 CAROLINA (1-5-1, 4 points) 2.
Goals: Pichon (Hoffmann, Fair) 13, Pichon (Tullock) 76; Prinz (Overbeck, Baxter) 44, Fotopoulos (Lehn, Prinz) 84.
Att.: 4,180.

May 31 at San Diego
SAN DIEGO (3-1-4, 13 points) 1 ATLANTA (4-1-3, 15 points) 1.
Goals: Foudy pen. 84; Hooper (Sawa, Nonen) 5.
Red card: Atlanta: N. Augustyniak 92+.
Att.: 4,972.