Sept. 14, 2002 – Boston Breakers 1:0 Washington Freedom, Michelle Akers Testimonial, Nickerson Field (Att.: 10,279)

Kristine Lilly’s 63^rd-minute goal off a feed from ex-UConn star Alexa Borisjuk extended the Boston Breakers’ home unbeaten streak. The Breakers (6-8-7, 25 points) finished in sixth place for the second successive season, but became the first WUSA team with an unbeaten (5-0-5) home mark.

The Breakers were awaiting the arrival of coach Pia Sundhage, former Harvard coach Jape Shattuck guiding the team on an interim basis in place of Jay Hoffman, who had been fired.

Akers retired before the launch of the WUSA but was a founding member of the league. Akers, whose last competitive game had been with the U.S. national team before the 2000 Olympics, played the first half against the Freedom. Akers scored the first goal in U.S. Women’s National Team history in 1985, played for the 1991, ’95 and ’99 Women’s World Cup teams and the ’96 Olympic team. Akers totaled 105 international goals, second on the U.S. list behind the Freedom’s Mia Hamm when she retired.

“If not for her and the other founding players, this league would not be possible,” Breakers general manager Joe Cummings said. “This is an opportunity to honor someone who was there at the start. She is the one that all the players look up to.”

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