VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (June 21, 2008)--Second-half goals from Chi Chi Nweke and Kim McMullen erased a 1-0 halftime lead and gave the Hampton Roads Piranhas a 2-1 win over the West Virginia Illusion at Virginia Wesleyan College Saturday night. Megan Mischler had a goal for the Illusion.
Melissa Bigg had five shots, Mischler four, and Marisa Kanela four to lead the Illusion (1-8-0); Kim Francis and Wendy Kotwas Waddell had four to lead the Piranhas (3-4-0).
The game didn’t take long to get interesting; Laura Beeman hit the crossbar less than a minute in for the Piranhas.
The Illusion’s first good chance of the game came in the 18th minute, when Marisa Kanela’s strike from 22 yards was handled by Piranhas goalkeeper Victoria Johnson.
Piranhas forward Joy Nsubuga got a good look from the right side of the box at the half-hour mark, but her shot was partially deflected into Andrea Kaminski’s waiting hands.
But it was the Illusion that opened scoring for the first time all season. Greer Barnes played a through ball to a streaking Megan Mischler, who buried the chance in the 37th minute for her first goal of the season.
Melissa Bigg nearly doubled the lead five minutes later off of a pass from Sydney Metheny, but was denied by a sprawling save from Johnson.
For the first time all season, the Illusion kept a clean sheet in the first half and held a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal at the interval.
After the Piranhas opened the half with the lion’s share of possession, the Illusion got two good looks off of the counter-attack but could not capitalize, as Mischler missed one shot and had a cross blocked.
Hampton Roads capitalized in the 60th minute; after a scrum at the top of the box, second-half substitute Chi Chi Nweke broke through. Her first shot was blocked, but she took a sliding pass back from Wendy Kotwas Waddell and found the net from inside the six-yard box.
The Piranhas took the lead in the 66th minute when Kim Francis’ free kick from the left side towards a group of open players at the far post was headed home by Kim McMullen.
Bigg nearly tied the game when her shot from the left wing rocketed off the bar in the 74th minute and again when she shot wide in the 78th minute off of a delicate chip from Michelle Molinari.
The Illusion will again visit the state of Virginia next weekend to battle the Richmond Kickers Destiny on Saturday, June 28. Kick-off is at 7:00 p.m.
