Fast and Furious Match at Kezar Stadium
June 4, 2006

Nighthawks Keeper Erica Holland

San Francisco, CA - On a day when fans began arriving early to see the Nighthawks play the eighth-ranked women’s club team in the world, celebrate birthdays, and talk about the upcoming men’s World Cup, the California Storm of Sacramento (WPSL, Western Division 4-0-1 took it to the San Francisco Nighthawks (WPSL, Western Division 2-4-1) in a fast and furious match at Kezar Stadium.

For much of the first half the teams were evenly matched, though the Storm took a 2-0 lead into the break. The first goal was due to a rare mistake by keeper Erica Holland who lost her footing on a goal kick and failed to clear it properly leaving an open net for an easy tap in for Chelsea Hunt.

Shortly after Holland got one back by making a brilliant save on a PK following a penalty in the box. The second goal was well placed header by Jessica Wilcox off a corner kick in the 43rd minute.

The second half started out promising for the Hawks when in the 49th minute Nora Tomlinson crossed a ball to the head of Shannon Strong who found the gap for the Hawks first goal of the day.

The Storm struck again when Annii Magliulo, a long time Nighthawk forward, now of the Storm, took a pass from Sissi in the 63rd minute to go up 3-1.

The Hawks battled hard and found net in the 76th minute when Katie Burrows slotted one in from close range, pulling the Nighthawks to within a goal, at 3-2.

The tempo continued to increase in the late minutes with Holland keeping the Hawks alive by smothering a flurry of shots and the Nighthawks threatening the Storm backline.

With the Hawks pushing an extra player forward, the relentless Storm were able to capitalize by putting in their fourth goal in the 78th minute by ex-hawk Tracy Hamm, and added a final goal in the 92nd minute from MVP of the game Storm's Catherine Walker for the 2-5 victory.

The next WPSL game for the Nighthawks will be Saturday, June 10th, against FC Sacramento Pride. Kick-off is at 1:00 pm at Kezar Stadium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $1 for youth. Purchase tickets at the gate.

The WPSL is the top rated women’s soccer league in the U.S. and the second ranked women’s league in the world. For more information about the Women's Premier Soccer League, visit their official website at www.wpsl.info. For more information about the San Francsico Nighthawks, visit their official website at www.sfnighthawks.com