Women’s World Cup Finals:
Germany 2, Sweden 1 (Championship, OT);
USA 3, Canada 1 (Third Place)
Germany staked their claim to being the new No. 1 in the world in women’s soccer, though Sweden gave them a far stiffer challenge than many expected.
Don’t worry too much about the U.S., though. The veterans — Hamm, Foudy, Lilly, Fawcett — will have a last hurrah at next summer’s Olympics, but it was the youngsters who really shone in the finale — Abby Wambaugh, Cat Reddick, Shannon Boxx, Christie Pierce — those are the names you’ll be hearing in the next World Cup.
Next stop: The Cotton Bowl. The U.S. Women will play only their fifth game ever in Texas — on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 3pm, against Mexico, which should provide a raucous crowd in Dallas; get tickets through the Dallas Burn or Ticketmaster. Before that, the U.S. has a game against Italy this coming Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Kansas City (7pm, ESPN).
The UT Women swept Baylor and Texas Tech last weekend (4-0 and 7-0) and travel to suddenly resurgent Missouri and Iowa State this week, before ending the regular season with three home games against nationally ranked Big 12 rivals — Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas A&M (Oct. 24, 26, 31).
Group play in the European Championships ended Saturday, with England, Italy, and Germany among those booking spots in the finals, and Spain and Holland, among others, consigned to head-to-head playoffs in November. See results, schedules, and other (semi)daily updates, in Soccer Watch Online.
This article appears in October 17 • 2003.