Maggs Tietjen of the San Diego Spirit has one of the most powerful left-footed shots on the team. But due to a surplus of talented midfielders on the team, she never had a chance to use it in the first half of the 2001 season. This while her identical twin sister Jen racked up playing time and accolades for the Philadelphia Charge.

She finally got her chance against the Power, in a game in which all of the US National Team members and most of the internationals were away in tournaments. Though she's an attacking midfielder, she played defense in her first WUSA start. In her new role in the back, she immediately set up a Shannon MacMillan goal.

Spirit coach Carlos Juarez liked what he saw, enough that Maggs has played defense in every game since, starting the entire last half of the season while the Spirit, which had been stuck at the bottom of the table, made an impressive run at the playoffs.

The 5'9" Maggs is the second-highest scorer in history at UConn and knows how to find the back of the net if she gets the chance, even in her new role as a defender. What she is not used to is playing without her sister -- but that does give fans on both coasts the chance to watch at least one of the talented Tietjen twins every week.

Maggs' Stats (2001 WUSA season)

Margaret Tietjen battles with New York's Ann-Kristen Aarones in a game June 30, 2001.

Photo©2001 PHOTOSPORT.COM

Maggs' Personal Stats

Margaret Tietjen Gallery 

Exclusive Margaret Tietjen photos on PHOTOSPORT.COM

19 APR 1999

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