SOCCER Fluke goal lifts U.S. past New Zealand

Jovan Kirovski's attempted pass was deflected by a defender into the goal.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- It was a good start.
That, essentially, is how United States coach Bruce Arena summed up his team's 2-1 victory Sunday against New Zealand in the final tune-up before the FIFA Confederations Cup.
With some key parts missing from the 23-man team Arena will take to France this week, Jovan Kirovski scored an unusual game-winning goal on a deflected crossing pass in the 65th minute and the U.S. team got a chance to get acquainted on the field.
"Winning is never secondary," said Arena, who coached five national championship teams at Virginia between 1989-94. "I think it's a good habit to get into. Was it the bottom line today? No, but when we step on the field, we want to win games."
The way the Americans did it, even he admitted, was "a bit of a fluke."
Ball deflected into goal
Kirovski saw Taylor Twellman at the far post when he tried to hit him with a crossing pass from about 22 yards out. Instead, the ball deflected off a defender, changed its trajectory and went in over the reach of goalkeeper Michael Utting.
"Just one of those freak goals, but it doesn't make me look any good, does it?" Utting said, agreeing that the deflection caught him more than a little off guard.
"That was a ball that goes in one out of a thousand times," Arena said.
The United States dominated play after retaking the lead, getting several more good scoring chances and leaving second-half goalkeeper Joe Cannon virtually untested.
And they did it with three of their best players -- Landon Donovan, Clint Mathis and Tim Howard -- unavailable after Arena released them and five others to play with their Major League Soccer teams. The team leaves Wednesday for France.
"It was a good exercise for us," Arena said. "It gave me an opportunity to see some players that I haven't seen in a while and some that I have never seen play."
Almost scored again
Kirovski almost added another goal in the 79th minute, but his diving header off a feed from Eddie Lewis was just wide right. Moments later, second-half substitution Cory Gibbs' shot hit the left post as almost all the play came in the New Zealand end.
Utting said the game unfolded typically for New Zealand, which also is heading to the Confederations Cup, opening against Japan on June 18.
The Americans are 5-1-1 this year.
After being turned away on three close-in shots after just eight minutes, the United States took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute on a spectacular play by Chris Klein, who outran Utting to the ball near the right post and made a sliding kick to the left.