PORTLAND, Oregon (July 10, 2005) – U.S. forward Tiffeny Milbrett scored her historic 100th career goal as the U.S. Women’s National Team was never threatened in a dominating 7-0 win over Ukraine on a cool Northwest afternoon at Merlo Field on the campus of the University of Portland. Christie Welsh and Kristine Lilly (who also had two assists) scored in the first half and Danielle Fotopoulos (two goals), Aly Wagner and Heather O’Reilly added goals in the second, but it was Milbrett’s dramatic score that sent the fans home happy.

After firing six previous shots, each one bringing the crowd to its feet, the former University of Portland star scored a classic in the 57th minute after she ran onto a perfect over-the-top pass from Wagner. With Ukrainian goalkeeper Veronika Shulha caught out of the net, Milbrett deftly lifted the ball over her and into the goal from just outside the penalty area as the crowd erupted.

“Our focus wasn’t on Tiffeny, our focus was on winning the game and continuing to grow as a new team,” said U.S. head coach Greg Ryan. “I think attitude was good for her too, so that she could settle down and play the game. In the end, though, that kind of goal with that kind of quality was incredible.”

With the goal, which came in her 201st career appearance, Milbrett joins Mia Hamm (158), Elisabetta Vignotto (107), Carolina Morace (105), Michelle Akers (105) and Kristine Lilly (103) as the only players in the history of international soccer to score 100 goals for their country.

The win moved the USA to 6-0-0 on the year on the sixth anniversary date of the historic 1999 Women’s World Cup Final and marked the USA’s seventh consecutive shutout. No team has found the net against the Americans in 2005 as the team ran their shutout streak to seven games dating back to Dec. 8, 2004.

While tough into the tackle, Ukraine did not have the athleticism to run with the U.S., which kept the pressure in the attacking half all match long. The USA started in a 3-4-3 formation with Lilly, Welsh and Milbrett up top and peppered the Ukrainian goal with 15 shots in the first half, but could not break through until 31 minutes into the match.

The first goal came when Wagner threaded a pass behind the Ukrainian defense to the charging Welsh, who found herself in a scrum with Shulha and sliding defender Inesa Titova. The ball spilled out the right side of the penalty area, and with Shulha late in untangling herself from Titova, Welsh had time run the ball down and bend her seven-yard shot into the net from a sharp angle. Welsh has now scored in all six games the USA has played this year and has seven goals total. She also upped her career total to 20, becoming the 14th player in U.S. history to score 20 or more goals.

The second goal came when Welsh received the ball on the right side of the penalty area in the 36th minute. She cut inside, but was cut down by a defender. As she was falling, the ball bounced off her toe and rolled right to Lilly, who lined up her deadly left foot and smacked a whistling shot just inside the right post from 18 yards out for her 103rd career goal.

After a somewhat sluggish performance in the first half as the U.S. played down to the pace of the Ukrainians, the American women played with more urgency after the break and it paid off with five goals.

Wagner (who also hit the crossbar twice in the match) scored to make it 3-0, courtesy of Lilly, who received the ball at the top of the Ukrainian penalty area courtesy a poor Ukrainian back pass. Lilly whirled and then darted past Titova in the left side of the box before chipping a short cross into the middle. Wagner beat Shulha to the ball and struck a short, bouncing volley past the flying goalkeeper and into the net from five yards out.

The fourth goal came off a beautiful long ball from Shannon Boxx as she dropped her pass right into the path of Lilly, who was running hard at the restraining line. The ball bounced before Lilly back-heeled it into the middle to a wide-open Fotopoulos, who drove her shot through the legs of Shulha from 13 yards out.

Milbrett scored the fifth goal, making history on the field where she enjoyed so much success as a college player, but the USA was not done. Fotopoulos added her second off a scramble that came from a free kick. The ball was lofted into the penalty area from the left flank and spun off the foot of a Ukrainian defender before the 5-foot-11 forward pounded her left-footed volley into the net from close range. The two goals upped Fotopoulos’ career total to 14 (five of which have come against Ukraine), but they were her first scores since she tallied on January 12, 2002, in a 7-0 rout of Mexico.

Heather O’Reilly added the seventh and final score after coming on for Milbrett in the 77th minute. The 20-year-old chased down a long ball from Kate Markgraf near the left side of the penalty area, cut back against the grain to lose a defender, and smacked her right-footed shot into the left corner. It was O’Reilly’s fifth career goal and first since her historic overtime score against Germany in the 2004 Olympic semifinal match.

The match marked the first-ever caps for two players, as defender Tina Frimpong, a Vancouver, Washington product, came on in the 55th minute and midfielder Carli Lloyd entered the match in the 64th. Goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart, making her second-ever start in the nets for the USA, earned her second career shutout, but was not forced to make a save.

Five players on the U.S. roster – Barnhart, Lindsay Tarpley, O’Reilly, Lori Chalupny and Lloyd – will leave for Europe next week with the U.S. Under-21 Women’s National Team to compete in the 15th Annual Nordic Cup in Sweden. The USA will be going for its seventh consecutive Nordic Cup title.

The U.S. women will finish their three-game summer schedule on July 24, taking on Iceland at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff for that match is 2 p.m. PT. It will also be broadcast live on ESPN2. Tickets for both matches are on sale at all local area Ticketmaster outlets and at ussoccer.com.

USA: 1-Nicole Barnhart; 2-Heather Mitts (23-Tina Frimpong, 55), 4-Cat Reddick, 15-Kate Markgraf; 3-Lorrie Fair (5-Lindsay Tarpley, 55), 7-Shannon Boxx (11-Angela Hucles, 64), 10-Aly Wagner (22-Carli Lloyd, 64), 13-Kristine Lilly (C), 17-Lori Chalupny; 19-Christie Welsh (6-Danielle Fotopoulos, 36), 16-Tiffeny Milbrett (9-Heather O'Reilly, 77).

Subs Not Used: 18-Hope Solo.

Head Coach: Greg Ryan.

UKR: 1-Veronika Shulha, 2-Oksana Rezvin (C), 3-Maryna Masalska, 5-Natalya Zhdanova (4-Viktoriya Bazhan, 52), 13-Ganna Mozolsa, 14-Olena Golovko, 15-Inesa Titova, 16-Natalya Sukhorukova, 6-Lyudmyla Pekur, 9-Vira Dyatel, 11-Galyna Mykhaylenko.

Subs Not Used: 7-Ganna Zhukova, 10-Iryna Saprykina, 12-Anzhela Chernobay, 19-Olena Grytsyk.

Head Coach: Volodymyr Kulayev.

Referee: Jennifer Bennett (USA)

Asst. Referees: Sharon Wheeler (USA), Kim Oberle (USA)

4th Official: Pam Davis (USA)

“I was really pleased, especially with our second half performance. I thought the first half we tried to play good soccer but didn’t have the urgency to put the game away.”

“I don’t think any of us were thinking that she would chip the ‘keeper, that is something that just comes to her and that is what great goal-scorers are all about. They see that one one-hundredth of a chance and put it in the back of the net. We’re thinking she’s going to settle the ball and find somebody to play to and then she chips the ‘keeper. If you’re going to score goal No. 100…I mean, what a quality way to make it happen.”

“I don’t really evaluate them on their first game. They get out their and are nervous and excited initially and then the next time they come out they get a little more comfortable and play more relaxed. I thought Tina (Frimpong) played very well. I told her to go forward on every play and just have fun. This was a great first game for her and Carli (Lloyd) as well. It’s a long process for young players and it’s always good to get the first game behind them.”

“It’s unbelievable. I’ve been thinking that if I get it, no big deal, but it was…What a good tribute for (former Portland head coach Clive Charles).

“I had a lot of extra desire today. I think that’s the difference on the goal I scored. I finally stopped thinking about it and just played. Early on, every other attempt I was thinking about 100 and that kind of had me forcing it, but the last one I was in the moment and let my body do what my brain told me to do. It’s nice to get the monkey off the back and move forward.”

“I think everyone is really thriving under him and that’s the beauty of a National Team is that there is a 40-player pool to choose from and when you bring it down to 18 everyone can really play. That is the thing I most wanted, everyone is dangerous and deserves to be here.”

“Age is important, but at the same time, it’s really how effective you are and how your body is holding up. I train better and smarter now more than ever and I feel even better sometimes than I did in my twenties.”

“More than anything it was a kind gesture that they wanted me to get the goal. I was putting so much pressure on myself, but to know that they were there for me was great.”

“I think for the past two games it has been in the back of all our minds. We love Tiff and are so happy to have her back.”

“We started out with lots of intensity and I had lots of chances but we got a bit lulled to sleep as the half progressed. We had a good halftime talk and came back out with a renewed intensity and were able to finish on some quality opportunities.”

“You can let it effect playing good soccer, but I told her before the game that I was going to pass her the ball for the 100th goal. In the second half I made a conscious effort to play it over to the top to her. It was a great way to get her 100th goal. It was a fantastic finish.”