Courage Loses Inaugural Game 1-0

But much to the disappointment of the Courage and thousands of enthusiastic fans, the action on the field was less than explosive.

A crowd of 6,134 watched the Breakers dominate the majority of Saturday night's contest.

The Breakers ultimately hung on for a 1-0 victory.

In the 14th minute of the first half, Boston midfielder Maren Meinert, one of two German nationals playing for the Breakers, scored Boston's first-ever goal, taking a pass from 20 yards out on the right wing from teammate Keri Raygor and putting it by Courage goalkeeper Bente Nordby.

After squandering several scoring opportunities, the Courage's best chance to tie came in the 90th minute when a shot by forward Silvana Burtini clanged off the right post.

There was a scramble for possession in front of the net before Boston finally cleared the ball.

"There were some offensive opportunities with our team, but it's a matter of finishing," Carolina coach Marcia McDermott said.

"The first game is not going to be anybody's best game."

In addition to being the regular season opener for both teams, the game served as a homecoming for many former North Carolina players.

Returning to Chapel Hill for the Breaker squad were Kristine Lilly (1989- '92), Raygor ('91-'94), Tracy Ducar ('91-'95) and Robin Confer ('94-'97).

Meanwhile, the Courage sideline was lined with nine former Tar Heels, including McDermott, Carolina assistant coach Susan Ellis, 2000 NCAA Final Four MVP Meredith Florance and U.S. National Team Captain Carla Overbeck.

Overbeck, who played four undefeated seasons at North Carolina, found herself in an unusual position after the loss.

"It's very frustrating," Overbeck said. "I don't like to lose."

But Breaker midfielder Lilly, who played with Overbeck in 1989 and helped UNC win four NCAA titles from 1989-1992, pointed out that Overbeck wasn't the only former Tar Heel with a winning past.

"We all had a winning streak, and it all had to end (for someone)," said Lilly.

She credited the Breaker victory with a strong opening effort and bit of luck.

"The last 10 minutes, they were down on our end, and in the first half we dominated," Lilly said.

"We held on, and the post was on our side."

Despite the loss, Overbeck remained enthusiastic regarding both her return to Chapel Hill and the beginning of the brand-new league.

"As a professional athlete, it doesn't get any better than this," she said. "Although if we had won, it would've been better."

Carolina's franchise -- owned by TimeWarner Cable -- was originally supposed to be in Orlando, but when the deal fell through, the team ended up in Chapel Hill.

"It's always good to come back," she said. "It's just exciting to get the league on the way. It's a good area for soccer."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.