ALO ALTO, Calif. - She would have preferred an afternoon spent yawning and brushing cobwebs out of her eyes. The kind of afternoon Briana Scurry gets more often than not while keeping goal for the US women's soccer team.
''I'd rather have had an incredibly boring game,'' the former University of Massachusetts star said, after she had blanked Brazil for her third shutout of the World Cup tournament yesterday afternoon and helped put her teammates into Saturday's final against China.
But the Brazilians, who like keeping their hosts company, wouldn't hear of it. Scurry had oddly-nicknamed visitors banging on her door all day yesterday - Pretinha, Cidinha, Nene twice in a row, then Cidinha and Pretinha again.
If Scurry had known they were coming, she might have served punch and cookies. But then, she usually only had one hand available. ''I'm just glad we were able to hold the fort,'' said Scurry, after she'd made half a dozen saves and been named MVP of the match. ''It was a bit dangerous at times, but we held it. I had to do my job, and I'm glad I could do it. My parents finally got to watch me in a World Cup game. I was happy I could do 'em proud.''
There have been times during her six years on the line when Scurry wondered whether she was earning her keep. Most days, the US could play with a life-sized Austin Powers cutout between the posts and not have to worry. But not now. Not when the Yanks are sweating for goals. Not when yielding even one can send them home for the summer.
After the Brazilians gave them a gift in the fifth minute yesterday, it seemed as if Scurry might be able to catch up on her light reading. But when no more goals came and the Pretinhas and Nenes came to call, Scurry was a one-woman highlight film.
She came charging out to thwart Pretinha. She pushed Nene's blast over the crossbar then, outstretched, palmed another Nene bid away. ''I thought it was by me,'' Scurry said. ''That would have been 1-1 and downhill from there.''
Finally, after her mates had gone ahead, 2-0, 10 minutes from time, Scurry swatted Pretinha again, just for emphasis. ''Thank God she's on our team,'' Mia Hamm said. ''That's what I kept saying to her.''
Scurry has been there for 94 matches and 52 shutouts. These days, though, she's more there than others. ''I said all along that Bri could be the world's best keeper and she's proven that she's the best in this Cup,'' said coach Tony DiCicco. ''We needed her against Germany. We needed her today. And we'll need her in the final.''
