Midfielder Julie Foudy scored her first career hat trick as the U.S. women's national team defeated Ukraine, 5-0, in sub-freezing temperatures at Bulldog Stadium on the campus of Fresno State
University Dec. 20. The match was the last of 1998 for the U.S. women before they head into residency training camp in Orlando, Fla., beginning on Jan. 4. The USA will engage in five months of
intense preparation for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup next summer. The game began with the thermometer at 36 degrees as snow dusted Fresno for the first time in 37 years. The Americans shook off
the cold and a scrappy Ukraine team to score twice in the first half and three times in the second. The USA opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Foudy sliced a pass through three defenders to
Shannon MacMillan on the left wing. MacMillan one- touched a pass to Tiffeny Milbrett in the middle of the penalty box and the U.S. forward collected the ball, then slid to knock it into the left
corner for her 47th international goal. Kristine Lilly came inches away from scoring a spectacular goal in the 27th minute, running onto a poorly headed clearance to hit a blistering side-volley
from 19 yards out that was pushed just clear of the goal with a fingertip save by Veronika Shulga, Ukraine's 17-year old goalkeeper. Foudy got her first goal a minute later when she took a pass
from defender Kate Sobrero, spun towards the net, side-stepped a defender with a nifty move and smacked a driven, fading shot off the right goal post from 23 yards out. Foudy added her second goal
in the 50th minute when she ran onto Lilly's cross from the right wing that sailed all the way over Shulga to the far post. Foudy tapped her volley into the net from one yard out. The 27-year old
Stanford product saved the best for last, completing the trick two minutes later when she took a pass from Tisha Venturini, once again pivoted toward goal, and cracked her shot straight into the upper
right corner from 19 yards out. "Scoring three goals is unheard of for me," said Foudy, who upped her international goal total to 27. "I got a great pass on the first goal and just cracked it.
There was a lot of space in the midfield and I turned and hit it well. Usually those shots hit the post and bounce out for me, but this one went in. I was more shocked than anyone else." Debbie
Keller added the final goal in the 72nd minute after 18-year old Susan Bush, playing in just her second game for the national team, set her up in front of the goal for a seven-yard shot into the left
corner. The win was the 22nd of the year for the USA, a team record, which finishes 1998 at 22-1-2. The one loss also tied the record for fewest losses in a year. U.S. coach Tony DiCicco was
pleased with his team's performance as the U.S. heads into the most important year in its history. "We played a solid match overall and dominated at both ends of the field," said DiCicco, whose
team out-shot Ukraine 21-2. "But we have much work to do in residency camp to prepare to meet our highest goal, and that's winning the 1999 World Cup. It was good to get a game to keep our veterans
sharp and I was pleased with our younger players in training this week, especially Susan Bush." The USA has now gone unbeaten on American soil in 44 straight matches, a team record. The American
women shut out 17 teams this year and recorded wins against world powers Germany, China and Norway, the other three seeded teams for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. U.S. star Mia Hamm did not
score against Ukraine, but sits at 101 career goals. 1999 should see her break the world scoring record held by the long-retired Elisabetta Vignotto of Italy, who scored 108 goals in a career that
spanned the 1970s. Italian Carolina Morace, with 105 career goals, is second on the all-time goal-scoring list, but is also retired. Hamm finishes 1998 with 20 goals in 21 matches. The USA's next
match is Jan. 30 against Portugal at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Kickoff is 2:00 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN. The USA will play the FIFA World Stars on Feb. 14,
1999, at Spartan Stadium in San Jose in conjunction with the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final Draw, which will be conducted at halftime of the game. An extensive 1999 schedule to prepare the USA for
the Women's World Cup will be announced in January.
Dec. 20 in Fresno, Calif. USA 5 Ukraine 0. Goals: Milbrett 20, Foudy 28, 50, 52, Keller 72.
USA -- Scurry, Overbeck, Sobrero,
Pearce, Fawcett, Chastain (Baumgardt, 53), Foudy (Whalen, 59), LIlly (Keller, 53), Milbrett (Venturini, 46), MacMIllan, Hamm (Bush, 65).
Ukraine -- Shulga, Mazurenko, Izhko, Rezvin,
Andryuschenko, Stasiouk (Chornaya, 63), Mischenko, Ivanova (Oznobikhina, 78), Pekur, Zinchenko, Frishko (Zhdanova, 65).
Referee: Kari Seitz (USA).
Att.: 5,392.
