Burnaby’s Sinclair leads Portland to national title

Canadian national team member helps cap undefeated

season with victory SOCCER COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Canadian Christine Sinclair scored two goals and Portland beat UCLA 4- 0 in the NCAA women’s soccer national championship game Sunday.

Angie Woznuk added a goal and two assists for the Pilots (240- 2), who won their second title in three years. Portland beat Santa Clara 2- 1 in the 2002 championship game.

This year, Portland became the only team other than North Carolina to finish an unbeaten season with a championship. The Tar Heels have won 10 of their 17 championships following undefeated seasons.

Sinclair, a member of the Canadian national team, set an NCAA single- season record with her first- half goals, giving her 39. Entering the game, the Burnaby native was tied SMU’s Lisa Cole, who had 37 goals in 1987.

The senior was already the NCAA tournament’s all- time goal scorer and finished her career with 25.

The Bruins ( 22- 2- 2), who outscored their first five tournament opponents 25-0, lost in the title game for the second straight year. They lost to Notre Dame on penalty kicks last year after playing to a 1- 1 tie.

UCLA, led by Canadian team striker Kara Lang of Oakville, Ont., had shut out 17 of its previous 19 NCAA tournament opponents, but Woznuk scored 92 seconds into the game, the Pilots’ fastest goal of the season.

With UCLA’s defence keying on Sinclair, Woznuk sneaked to an opening, took a feed from Megan Rapinoe and zipped a right-footed shot under UCLA goalkeeper Valerie Henderson.

Junior forward Elsa Hume of Victoria was also part of the victorious Portland squad.

Associated Press