Kristine Lilly set up Dagney Mellgren for goals in the 25th and 44th minutes as the Breakers (6W-9L-3D, 21 points) pulled within two points of a playoff berth before a capacity crowd. The match had been sold out for a month, partly because of the arrival of the Freedom’s Mia Hamm, whose future husband, Nomar Garciaparra, would hit a home run in a 4-3 Red Sox win over the Chicago White Sox in a game played simultaneously just down Commonwealth Avenue at Fenway Park. [Read more…] about July 29, 2001 – Boston Breakers 2:1 Washington Freedom, WUSA game at Nickerson Field (Att.: 11,681)
Nomar Garciaparra
May 5, 2001 – Boston Breakers’ home-opener, largest stand-alone crowd for women’s club game
Spectators for the Boston Breakers’ home-opener at Nickerson Field included Mayor Menino, the Boston Red Sox’ Nomar Garciaparra and Lou Merloni, former New England Patriot John Hannah, plus Olympian Joan Benoit Samuelson. Homare Sawa scored past Tracy Ducar (Lawrence/North Andover) in the 62nd minute for the Atlanta Beat, which would go on to play in the WUSA final before a 21,078 crowd at Foxboro Stadium Aug. 25, 2001. The Breakers finished in sixth place in their first two seasons, then won the 2003 regular-season title under coach Pia Sundhage before the league folded.