The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 58

THE BOSTON GLOBE MONDAY, JUNE 21, 19991 Women's World Cup A walte with the Matildas Ghana battles Aussies to a tie TT By Allen Lessels GLOBE STAFF FOXBOROUGH It took the Australian team 74 minutes GLOBE STAFF PHOTO JIM DAVIS The fans at Foxboro Stadium were eager to get into the game. A y-L They ke pt UjP seat for Ghana By Rupen Fofaria GLOBE CORRESPONDENT GLOBE STAFF PHOTO JIM DAVIS Ghana's Regina Ansah (center) and Australia's Joanne Peters collide as Julie Murray surges forward. of ganging up on Ghanaian goalkeeper Memunatu Sulemana to finally open the scoring in yesterday's first World Cup game at Foxboro Stadium. It took Ghana about 80 seconds to tie it That's the way their match ended, 1-1, much to the dismay of the Matildas of Australia and the delight of the Black Queens of Ghana. Most expect China and Sweden to advance in the tournament from the group of teams that includes China, Sweden, Australia, and Ghana.

But Australia, preparing to host next year's Olympics and looking to make its mark in soccer, has other ideas. Those plans suffered a setback yesterday. That the Australians had far better scoring chances and that Ghana was a player down for most of the game after midfielder Barikisu Tet-tey-Quao was ejected for tackling from behind in the 26th minute -didn't make the Matildas feel any better about the outcome. "Of course we are disappointed with the result," said Australian coach Greg Brown. "We were playing against their 10 men.

And we created enough chances to win three games. We created chances, but we didn't put them away." Sulemana had much to do with that She had 11 saves in the game, many of them outstanding. Still, when Australian captain Julie Murray broke away from a pack just over midfield and won a footrace in on the keeper for a goal in the 74th minute, Ghana was in trouble. Not for long. At the other end, Vivian Mensah ran a nice give and go with Patience Sackey, and when she got the ball back, she blasted a shot at Australian keeper Tracey Wheeler.

Wheeler got a hand on that one. But the ball bounced away from her, and Nana Gyamfua, a substitute for about 12 minutes at that point, pounced and put it in the net, thrilling the loud and lively Ghanaian followers in the crowd. "You can say we're lucky, but that's how we do it," said Ghanaian coach Emmanuel Afranie of having a sub score the decisive goal. "She comes in in the 'second half and scores goals." Wheeler, who got the starting nod in net over Belinda Kitching, made the first stop and caught a flash of Gyamfua approaching but could do little about it "I could see the white shirt coming out of the corner of my eye, and I was hoping someone was racing with her as well," Wheeler said. "She still ended up with quite an angle to score the goal, and she finished well." Which was part of Australia's problem.

The Matildas had chances aplenty and had trouble putting them away. Australia had five corner kicks to Ghana's none. Australia had 26 total shots to Ghana's 13. The Matildas headed shots over the net and wide of the net Of those 26 shots, eight went over the net. In the closing minutes, each team had a great chance to score.

First, Ghana was awarded a direct kick from about 30 yards out. Elizabeth Baidu shot, and the ball Ghana's national soccer team, which later became the Black Stars. "We want them to know we have not forgotten home," Babar said. "We play the traditional beats and do the traditional chants and dances so they know we are here for The Ghanaians say aren't surprised such large numbers came to support the team. After the team qualified, members from every Ghanaian association from each state contacted each other and began plans to meet in Foxborough.

"I knew we would do this," Boateng said. "This is what we do back home for soccer matches. I knew we would do it here, too." As the beats from sections 216 and 217 waft across the field, they are met by similar rhythms coming from across the stadium. Two professors and their students from the Berkeley School of Music are providing drum beats, too. Remo, a drum company that sells mini Women's World Cup rines, sponsored the group's trip to play for all of the teams.

But the group may be a bit biased. "I just came back from Ghana with a few of my students," said Joe Galeota, one of the professors. "I can see them dancing to some of our beats, and I feel like I'm back in Africa." Watching the Ghanaian fans dancing and screaming, it is evident that the Women's World Cup isn't just about a soccer match. "These are our ambassadors," Babar said. "We feel proud that they represent us.

So we want to support them and support our home." FOXBOROUGH There are more than 100 languages spoken in Ghana, but the best form of communication for the couple of hundred fans who showed up to cheer their country on at Foxboro Stadium yesterday was drumming and dancing. The fans, who packed sections 216 and 217, had hopped on about 10 buses from almost every state on the Eastern Seaboard and convened in Foxborough. They were clad in da-shikis and yellow shirts that read "Ghana Black Queens, USA '99" and armed with iron bells called ganko-gui and West African barrel drums. By far the most conspicous of the 1 14,873 in attendance, they chanted and roared, jumped up and down, and danced anything to show support for their countrywomen. "We come to show our queens that they have friends in this country," said Richard Boateng, part of a large group of Ghanaians from Worcester, others coming from New York, Chicago, Maryland, Washington, and New Jersey.

"We come to cheer them to victory." The man in the corner, wearing the Women's World Cup hat and "Black Queens" T-shirt, is the highest religous leader of the Ghanaian community in the United States. And two rows behind him is a rare fan who is seated rather than jumping up and down or dancing. That's the National Counselor of the Ghanaian Association of New York. Next to her, hidden in the corner of the back row, stands Ahamed Ba-bar. The athlete nicknamed "Iron Man" played goalie for the Academi- hit just under the crossbar bounced around near the goal moutfci before the Australians could clear itiij Then Murray had the ball dowmii low in the Ghana end, made a and came toward Sulemana.

TheH keeper came out and held her ground for the save. nO "In World Cup matches, you gen-tii erally struggle to get chances," Mur-m ray said. "We were in front of the goal on numerous occasions." ii The Australians move on to ai huge match with Sweden Wednes day night at Jack Kent Cooke Stadi-' um in Washington. Ghana plays same night against China in land, Ore. "People did not even think we' could play this type of game," saicP 3 Afranie.

"To me, this was good Ghana and Africa." ia With or without yesterday's tie" the Australians said, they needed to beat Sweden. "We came away with 1 Murray said. "We're not going to shf back and think that it's the end 6f our World Cup. We've beaten Swe- den, we've beaten China, we're not overly concerned about it. Well re lax tonight and analyze very briefly what happened in this game.

We Australia vs. Ghana: The equalizer After falling behind in the 74th minute, Ghana struck back quickly to tie the game. GYAMFUA Tg Nana Gyamfua gets the rebound and scores into the open net I WHEELER Vt Mensah' shot from 15 yards out is blocked by goalie Tracey Wheeler. SACKEY As'' fl Vivian Mensah passes MENSAH to Patience Sackey, won't mull over it for two days. We'll who returns it to Mensah.

get set on what we have to against Sweden." GLOBE STAFF GRAPHIC AUSTRALIA 1, GHANA 1 They minded their nets with authority Faxkora Stadtaa 1 -1 First half-No scoring. Second half-A, Julie Murray 1, 74th minute; Nana Gyamfua 1, 76th. Goalies-G, Memunafu Sulemana; Tracey Wheeler. Attendance: 14.873. By Michael Smith GLOBE CORRESPONDENT Ghana: Sulemana; Patience Sackey.

Rita Ye-boah, Regina Ansah, Elizabeth Baidu, Mavis Dgat-man (Sheila Okai, 32d; Gyamfua, 65th), Barikisu Tettey-Quao, Alberta Sackey, Vivian Mensah, Ad)oa Bayor (Lydia Ankrah, 79th), Genevive Clottey. Australia: Wheeler; Bridgette Starr, Sarah Cooper, Traci Bartjett, Cheryl Salisbury, Murray, Angela lannotta (Lisa Casagrande, 59th), Sharon Black, Joanne Peters (Kelly GoleDwwslu, 89th). Ad-son Forman, Dianne Alagjch. Cautions: Ansah (4th). Veboah (11th).

A. Sackey (15th), Tettey-Quao (26th), Clottey (80th); A. BartJett (92d). Referees: Karl Seitz (US), Ann Wenche Kleven (NOR), Song Ok Ri (PRK), Fatou Gave (SEN). IK.

But the Australian captain would put one away midway through the second half. Murray dribbled past a group of defenders and into the box, and Sulemana came out to meet her. The keeper dove at Murray's feet to stop the shot, but Murray was able to tap the ball with her right foot just past her afternoon nemesis for the lead. "This was my first time in the WWC, so I wanted to perform as best I could to help my teammates," said Sulemana, who received hup and high fives from her appreciative teammates. "That goal was lucky.

I tried as best I could. Next time IH try to save that goal" After Nana Gyamfua tied the game with a goal a minute later, the 21-year-old Sulemana made a gorgeous save as time expired. Murray had gained possession on the side of the goal. She quickly gathered herself and fired a shot from the right side, but Sulemana stoned Murray to preserve the tie in extra time. "She's young," Ghanaian coach Emmanuel Afranie said of his keeper.

"As the competition progresses, shell get better. You haven't seen the best of her yet" For the other teams in the Women's World Cup, that's got to be a frightening thought FOXBOROUGH In the ninth minute of yesterday's Women's World Cup match between Australia and Ghana at Foxboro Stadium, Australia's Julie Murray and Ghana's Memunatu Sulemana collided in midair when the Ghanaian goalkeeper leaped to stop the Australian forward's attempt at a header. It's fair to say that Murray's contact with Sulemana should have gotten the former a caution, but fortunately for her, the officials did not issue her a yellow card. Instead, the collision was the beginning of one of the game's most entertaining subplots. Australia and Ghana battled to a 1-1 tie in the first match of the tournament for both teams.

As for the aforementioned battle within the battle at Foxboro, you can score that one a draw, too. Sulemana was brilliant, saving 11 of Australia's 13 shots. But Murray landed a blow of her own when she beat the netminder for a goal in the 74th minute and a 1-0 lead. Sarah Cooper's shot in the 14th minute hit the crossbar. Tm pretty happy with my performance, GLOBE STAFF PHOTO JIM DAVIS The Australian bench could do little to stop Ghanaian goalie Memunatu Sulemana.

tit Unhappy feet Australia kept Ghana's defense and goalkeeper Memunatu Sulemana busy, outshooting the Black Queens, 26-13, but came away with a 1-1 tie. A look at how the Aussies' 25 misfires went awry: Saved 11 I High 9 Wide right V. 3 Hit crossbar 1 Wide left lit except I think it's not the perfecjt way to start the World Cup," said Murray. "She's pretty competent in goal But we had numerous opportunities, and we just didn't make our chances." Murray had a golden opportunity at a goal in the 39th minute, but as they did all afternoon, Sulemana's fellow Black Queens came to her rescue when the Matildas threatened. Murray, 29 and playing in her second WWC, broke toward the goal but was cut off by Ghana's Patience Sackey, who inadvertently kicked Murray in the gut Moments into the second half, Murray charged again, only to be denied when Sulemana came out and kicked the ball away.

"I probably should have put it away, but I didn't," said Murray. Globe staff chart The defending champions are happy just holding to form of what is happening now," said "You can't think of what is happening far away." Norway had the Russians tied up and buried 6 feet under yesterday, got sloppy for: 20 seconds, and ended up having to bring in another midfielder and play kill the clock. So' r-the Americans can have the hype and thei' headlines and all the talk about leaving a leg- acy for females still unborn. The Norwegians, are happy to be outside and overlooked. "We are absolutely fine," Medalen was 'i saying.

"We don't need any more attention.L If we do well, well get it later and then well deserve ft." The Norwegians struggled to qualify this time. The Germans beat them. The Dutch tied them. They had to go down to their final group match to clinch. TheyVe been riddled with injuries Olympic captain Gro Espe-seth is out for the tournament, and Ann Kristin Aarones, the leading scorer in the 1995 Cup, didn't play yesterday.

Russian coach Yuri Bystritski said the Americans are the better team, and the Norwegians won't argue. "They are a big favorite," conceded Hogmo. "And much should happen if they dont reach the final" So the Norwegians didn't mind that most of th 40,000 empty seats yesterday were HON SOCCER Continued from Page Dl The Americans will either be in the Rose Bowl next month or they won't be. The Norwegians have other things to worry about especially after yesterday. They were facing a Russian team that had never played a Cup match, and for most of the day they had them bunkered down as if the Russians were defending the Kremlin.

The stats were laughably lopsided 15 shots on goal to 2, 12 corner kicks to 1. And yet with a dozen minutes to go, the Norwegians were trying to protect a 2-1 lead and nail down 3 pointa? that everybody, including taking Dad out to dinner or watching Payne Stewart win the Open or bronzing at the beach. They're not ready for a full house yet "We have OK attention," Marianne Petter-sen said. "It suits us very welL" The Norwegians have plenty on their plate before the Yanks are even on the horizon. They want to get a return ticket to Olympus, which they can pick up by beating the Canadians in Washington Wednesday.

TheyVe got a date with their Swedish neighbors in San Jose in the quarters and a nasty semifinal with the Chinese back here. So the Americans might as well be in another solar sjptem. "In every top sport, you must thjnk the Russians, had already conceded them. "We have 19 chances and score two goals," Riise said, shaking her head in disgust "It was more exciting than it has to be. We have some work to do before we get any further." They may be the holders, but this isn't close to the same team that stunned the Americans in 1995, then humiliated them with a post game conga line.

Only five of those players are still around. So the Norwegians wont quibble if you merely label them "one oF the favorites this time. "We are building up a new team," Hogmo said. "We are an outejler.".