[sanman]

The FC Gold Pride's sensational season came to a picture-perfect ending Sunday afternoon.
Before a near-sellout crowd of 5,228 at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward, the Gold Pride routed the Philadelphia Independence 4-0 in the Women's Professional Soccer championship match, completing a worst-to-first campaign.
Canadian Christine Sinclair scored twice, Marta had a goal and two assists, and defender Kandace Wilson pushed forward for her first goal of the season.
"Oh man," Wilson said. "We came out knowing we almost had a sellout and we had to put on a show for the crowd, and that's exactly what we did. We came out and played Pride soccer."
After finishing last in 2009, the Pride won the regular-season title by 17 points. Fittingly, four players who endured the Pride's also-ran season -- center back Rachel Buehler, Wilson, Sinclair and goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart -- delivered first-rate efforts.
"The season's gone by too fast," coach Albertin Montoya said. "In the offseason we put a special team together, and it showed. They've supported each other out there. It was a great win because they played beautiful soccer, and that's what I'm most proud of."
Sinclair scored the Pride's first goal in the 16th minute, capping a dizzying sequence in which goalkeeper Valerie Henderson, a former UCLA star from Orinda, was peppered with five shots. Marta fired twice at Henderson from point-blank range but was denied. Tiffeny Milbrett's follow shot was cleared off the goal line by Nikki Krzysik, then Camille Abily's blast was saved.Finally, Sinclair stuck it in the net.
"Oh my God, it was like a firing range," Sinclair said. "Val, their goalkeeper, made some great saves. ... I was just sort of doing what a forward's supposed to do, and it came right to me."
Sinclair broke Philly's back with an easy tap-in to make it 3-0 in the 53rd minute. Marta set it up by zooming past three defenders on the left and rolling a gentle pass across the goalmouth. Marta, who had a league-high 20 goals, and Sinclair, with a league-best nine assists, have formed an unbeatable partnership. A grinning Marta used one word to describe it -- "fantastic."
On Wilson's goal, Independence defender Allison Falk, a former Stanford star, had a chance to clear the ball but hesitated. Wilson seized on the mistake. After making a 50-yard run and scoring on a punishing shot in the 28th minute, an energized Wilson kept on running, eventually finding her parents on the far side of the grandstands.
"With these guys, they're so good, as a defender, you have to be on your toes at all times," Falk said. "You stop thinking for one second and they'll score on you."
Asked what his team needs to reach the next level, and Philadelphia coach Paul Riley quipped "Marta."
Philadelphia, which was outscored 13-2 in four matches with the Pride this season, came in a little leg-weary, playing its third game in seven days. The Independence made a cross-country flight after a 2-1 win Thursday over Boston in the WPS semifinals.
The Pride, on the other hand, hadn't played since its 4-1 thrashing of the Independence on Sept. 11 to close the regular season.
Riley said he expects the playoff format to be changed next year.
"I just think it's unfair to the players, to be perfectly honest with you," riley said. "But we probably could have been off a whole week, and they still would have beaten us."

[Glada Tartan]

Marta showed her class