Parlow frets over missed scoring chances

By SCOTT PITONIAK

Gannett News Service

THESSALONIKI, Greece — There were a few shots Cindy Parlow wishes she could have back.

Like the one that Australian goalkeeper Cassandra Kell snared at the 17-minute mark.

Or the one Parlow launched a wee bit to the right of goal on a pass from Mia Hamm 40 minutes into Tuesday’s game.

Or the one off the great turn Parlow made in the 88th minute that sailed over the crossbar.

Any one of those goes in and the United States comes away with a 2-1 Olympic victory instead of a 1-1 tie.

"That’s the way it is in this game," said Parlow, a native of Memphis, Tenn. "Sometimes the soccer gods smile on you and sometimes they ignore you."

Parlow, a former North Carolina All-American, started in place of Abby Wambach, who was serving a one-game yellow-card suspension. Parlow gave the team some quality minutes at forward.

"I was excited to be out there again," she said. "It’s always special to start."

Parlow, 26, is a veteran player. She was the youngest member of the U.S. gold-medal winning team in 1996 and also played on the team that won silver at the 2000 Games.

"Each experience is different, and although the core of these three teams has been the same, each team has a different personality," she said. "In 1996, it seemed so easy, even though it wasn’t. We had some great players at their peak. In 2000, it was such a terrible feeling to lose it in sudden death. And this year has been tough because I believe the competition is getting so much better around the world. But I think this team has the talent to make a run at the gold."

Parlow, who has four goals and two assists this year, hopes to aid that quest with some quality minutes off the bench the rest of the way. Wambach will be back in the lineup Friday night in a quarterfinal match vs. Japan.