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Ohio State and UCLA advance to Final Four in Volleyball

By
Steve Cheng
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Sanil Thomas stretches for a dig against UC Irvine; May 1, 2018. Photo by Steve Cheng / fi360 News

Los Angeles, CA – Two-time defending national champion Ohio State (25-5) survived a valiant challenge by UC Irvine (21-10) in a five set, seesaw thriller (25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 16-14) to advance to Thursday’s NCAA Semifinal to face top seed Long Beach State (May 3, 5pm PT at Pauley Pavilion).

The grueling, two hour twenty-five minute match saw 17 lead changes and 31 ties with just four total points (110-106) separating the two teams.

The decisive fifth set alone saw 10 ties and 6 lead changes as the teams traded blows in heart pounding action. Irvine held a 13-12 advantage until Ohio State surged ahead to force two match points.

On the second match point, leading 15-14, Ohio State’s Nicolas Szerszen’s drilled a cross-court shot that clipped the back sideline to launch a relieved Buckeyes squad into the Final Four.

“This was a really tight game,” Szerszen said. “It could’ve gone either way and we just made a couple good plays at the right moment.”

Szerszen along redshirt freshman Jake Hanes recorded 22 kills each. Sanil Thomas led the Buckeyes with 9 digs and 3 blocks, including a crucial block to set up the decisive match point.

For UC Irvine, there was no moral victory in nearly knocking off the two-time defending national champion, but they hope to use the experience to propel their program to new heights.

“We play the game to win and it’s great to be on this stage, but this feels like unfinished business,” said UC Irvine head coach David Kniffin. “Our mission as a program is to cultivate champions and win championships.”

For Ohio State, they’re one step closer to winning their third consecutive national championship.

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In the second quarterfinal game, tournament host #3 seed UCLA (25-7) shook off a sloppy start to eliminate Harvard (13-14) in four sets (23-25, 25-21, 25-11, 25-21).  Harvard was competing in the NCAA championship tournament for the first time in its program’s history.

The Crimson jumped out to an early one-set lead and was leading 16-15 in the second set before UCLA found its passing and attack game and pulled away.  Christian Hessenauer led the Bruins with 22 kills and 26 points.

Up next, the Bruins take on conference rival, #2 seed BYU, in the second semifinal game (Thursday 7:30pm, Pauley Pavilion).  UCLA is 1-2 against BYU this season, losing in four sets to BYU just 10 day ago in the MPFS Championship Final.

“We’re hoping that our best volleyball of the year is still ahead of us. We’re excited to be playing in the Final Four again,” said UCLA head coach John Speraw. “We’re really looking forward to Thursday night.”

LAFC wins at home with a Hollywood twist

By
Eric Ramos
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MLS 2018: Los Angeles at BANC OF CALIFORNIA Stadium in Los Angeles, Ca on April 29, 2018. Jevone Moore

Los Angeles, CA – After a six-match road trip to start the season, the Los Angeles Football Club finally came home to open play at the Banc of California Stadium.

The sellout-crowd of 22,000 went wild as Laurent Simon’s free kick got passed Seattle goalkeeper Stephen Frei in the final minute of extra time to give LAFC a 1-0 win over the Sounders on Sunday.

“When I saw everybody marked, I just decided to hit it as hard as I can,” Ciman said, “There was a lot of excitement and everybody felt it.”

Seattle was intent on being physical with LAFC’s front line. Carlos Vela was roughed up and finished the match with six fouls. However, the final foul proved costly as it resulted in the game-winning free kick.

“Maybe the game was not the most fun to watch, but in the end, we won,” Vela said.  “We played really hard from the back, and we scored in the last minute.”

It was a historic day for the Black and Gold as they won their first home game in club history. LAFC coach Bob Bradley said it’s nice not to inaugurate this wonderful place with 0-0.

“It’s amazing,” Bradley said. “All night long; not enough quality when we needed it and then Laurent steps up and nails one.”

LAFC is back in action Saturday, May 5 as they will host FC Dallas at 1 p.m.

 

Smith is back home in Corvallis leading the Oregon State Beavers Spring Football

By
Jevone Moore
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Oregon State Football Spring Game at Reser Stadium on Saturday April 28, 2018 in Corvallis, OR. (Photo by Ben Ludeman / fi360 News)

Corvallis, OR – This new era of Oregon State Beavers Football finished off Spring Ball with a intense scrimmage to allow one last look at the team at Reser Stadium.

New head coach Jonathan Smith a former Beaver star quarterback looking to bring back winning attitude.

“It’s great to be back home,” said Smith, when he was introduced to the public.

The quarterback battle will remain unresolved after an exciting spring. The three headed monster consisting of senior Jake Luton who is 6’7 towering over the line, then the transfer Jack Colletto and red shirt sophomore Conor Blount.

Each of them has different strengths that makes comparisons a little tuff. Blount has seemed to pick up the new pro style scheme that has been installed.

Looking at small sample you like the young gun who threw a touchdown early in 11/11 and connected a deep pass to a favorite target Timmy Hernandez.

True freshman from Dorsey High school (Los Angeles) Isaiah Smalls will have opportunity to make an impact at tight end in this system.

On the other side of the ball led by defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar showed flashes throughout the scrimmage portion.

Two most notable strengths was the pressure applied by front seven making the pocket breakdown. Then the secondary behind Justin Gardner who knocked down a few passes.

This Beavers team will start out their 2018 campaign on the road at the horseshoe verses their name sake OSU “Ohio State” on Saturday September 1, 2018.

Atlanta United Take Supporters’ Shield Lead Behind Miguel Almirón and Kevin Kratz

By
Matthew Haney
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MLS 2018: Montreal Impact at Atlanta United game action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, GA. (Photo by Drew Dinwiddie / fi360 News)
MLS 2018: Kevin Kratz celebrates after a free kick to the back of the net goal during the Montreal Impact at Atlanta United game action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, GA. (Photo by Drew Dinwiddie / fi360 News)

Atlanta, GA – Atlanta United beat Montreal Impact 4-1 behind braces from Miguel Almirón and Kevin Kratz before a sold-out crowd of 45,039 fans. Atlanta extended its unbeaten streak to 7 games and points total to 19 from 8 matches, leading the Supporters’ Shield race at least temporarily.

In the 74thminute, coach Tata Martino made what turned out to be a timely substitution, bringing on Kevin Kratz for Greg Garza. 3 minutes later, Kratz placed a golazo of a free kick from just outside the box, over the wall and into the top left corner, to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead. The goal marked Kratz’s first of the season.

“It felt pretty good, and I’m happy to help the team,” said Kratz. Atlanta ran away with the match from there.

As an encore, Kratz bettered his first golazo by placing a second free kick just inside the left post from 35 yards out, to finish off the Montreal Impact in the final minute of stoppage time. The goal capped off a wide open second half that Atlanta played at pace running at Montreal.

Atlanta’s pace and skill showed in the team’s third goal, in which Miguel Almirón sprinted through the center of midfield, before placing a pass to Josef Martinez who back-heeled the return for Almirón to slot into the bottom left corner. The goal marked his second of the match and sixth of the season, tying him with teammate Josef Martinez for the MLS lead.

The first half played out differently. Montreal kept a tight back line in a 4-4-2 in defense with the midfield playing deep. The Impact struck first in the thirteenth minute with a header Saphir Taïder shot left to right across Brad Guzan. Chris Duvall drove up the right flank before crossing the ball in for the assist.

Though Atlanta maintained 77% of the first-half possession, they were unable to break down the Montreal defense and the half ended 1-0 in favor of Montreal.

“The opponent really closed things down, so we just had to keep that same patience and work to keep trying to find a goal,” said Miguel Almirón.

Coach Tata Martino substituted Tito Villalba in for midfielder Jeff Larentowicz at halftime, Villalba’s first minutes returning from a leg injury.

The move added to the attack, allowed Villalba to play as the second striker alongside Martinez in the 3-5-2, and moved Ezequiel Barco back into the midfield to play with Almirón.

Barco described “when Tito came on, Tata asked me to move back a little bit to the same level as Miguel, and that way we could focus on controlling the midfield and be able to provide service to Julian, Josef, and Tito up top.”

Next, Montreal, currently ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, will look to improve in hosting the New England Revolution next Saturday, May 5th. That Saturday Atlanta travels to Chicago to face the Fire. Atlanta currently leads MLS in goals scored at 21 and goal differential at +12.

LA Sparks Announce 2018 Training Camp Roster

By
Jevone Moore
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Los Angeles Sparks at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Ca (Photo by Jevone Moore/Full Image 360)

LOS ANGELES SPARKS ANNOUNCE 2018 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

The three-time WNBA Champions open training camp this Sunday, April 29th

LOS ANGELES, CA –The Los Angeles Sparks today announced their training camp roster, one month ahead of their home opener against the Phoenix Mercury on May 27th at the Staples Center.

This year head coach Brian Agler, will have a few stars returning from last year. The 2017 Best WNBA Player ESPY Award Winner Candace Parker and 2017 AP Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard.

Candace Parker

The LA Sparks will take on the Chinese National Team at 2:00 PM PT on Saturday, May 12th in preseason action at the Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium on the campus of Pasadena City College in Pasadena, CA.

WNBA Defensive Player of the Year 2017 Alana Beard with her trophy at Staples Center in Los Angeles, Ca on September 12 2017. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Full Image 360)

Parker and Beard are joined by returning veterans Essence Carson, Sydney Wiese and Odyssey Sims. Executive Vice President and General Manager Penny Toler added to the core five during the offseason, signing two-time Championship guard Cappie Pondexter via free agency.

Joining them in training camp will be 2018 second-round pick Shakayla Thomas (Florida State) who is one of six rookies that will be entering their first WNBA training camp.  In addition to the rookies, veteran Misti Bass and Karlie Samuelson will be returning to the Sparks training camp after injury prevented her from possible making the team in 2017.

Please visit LASPARKS.com or call 1-844-GO-SPARKS to Purchase 2018 Season Tickets Today!

USC Men’s Golf earns first Pac-12 title since 2011

By
Carlos Gonzalez
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2018 PAC-12 Conference Men's Golf Championship at Rolling Hills Country Club in Rolling Hills, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360)

Rolling Hills, CA- The USC Trojans ended the first day of the Pac-12 Men’s Golf Championships in the lead and after the final day, the Trojans were a greedy bunch and held on to the lead to crown themselves as Pac-12 champions.

USC ended the tournament at 31 under par, 4 strokes ahead of the second place Colorado Buffaloes.

The Trojans were lead by the NCAA No. 2 ranked golfer,  Justin Suh. Suh had the lead at the end of each day during the tournament. He shot his worst round on Wednesday with a score of 71 and finished the tournament at 16 under par.

Colorado’s Yannik Paul made big strides to finish tied for 2nd. He shot 4 under par during his last round. Teammate Ross Macdonald also had a stellar performance during the final round and joined his teammate with the same score at 4 under par for the day and also finished tied for 2nd.

Arizona State entered the final day just 5 shots back behind USC for the lead but couldn’t close the gap. Sun Deval Koichiro Ishika began the day in 3rd place in the individual leaderboard. He had a modest final day at 2 under par and fell 3 spots back for a 6th place finish.

NCAA’s No.1 ranked golfer, Collin Morikawa had the best performance during the final round to earn him a top 10 finish. Morikawa had two consecutive rounds in the 70’s but a score of 66 at 5 under par for the day was good enough to earn him 7th in the individual leaderboard.

Arizona’s George Cunningham had one of the most consistent display of golf the entire tournament. Cunningham kept himself under par every round, playing along the nations top 2 players. Cunningham ended the final day with a score of 69 at 2 under par.

Norman Xiong, NCAA’s No.3 ranked golfer, was unable to pull off a late run to creep himself into a top 10 finish. Xiong finished in 12th in the individual leaderboard at 5 under par.

USC holds lead going into final day with ASU closing

By
Jevone Moore
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2018 PAC-12 Conference Men's Golf Champions at Rolling Hills Country Club in Rolling Hills, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore / Full Image 360)

Rolling Hills, CA – After three rounds of play the USC Trojans Men’s Golf team hold 54 hole lead at 27-under-par.

Arizona State made the biggest move on Tuesday leapfrogging few teams including then second place Stanford to be in second place. They trail USC by only 5 shots now verse 15 after 36 holes.

Koichiro Ishika at 9-under-par tied for 4th and Mason Anderson 5-under-par tied for 12th keeping Arizona State hopes alive for the final day.

Justin Suh of USC continues his individual dominance with a 6 shot lead,  16-under-par. Suh has been playing very consistent with 20 birdies to lead the field.

George Cunningham of Arizona has the best chance to push Suh on the final day. He will tee off first so if Cunningham can score earlier that may add a little pressure.

Cunningham playing partner from Cal Bears Collin Morikawa has been just short this week with 40 pars and only 11 birdies.

Morikawa still is tied for 12th but in the final round he could bring the best out to help Cunningham.

Some might look at the host team USC and say playing at home has it’s advantages but not the case this week. They have just had solid rounds from all six of their golfers.

This PAC-12 Men’s Golf Championships final round will be fun to watch.

USC holds lead after two rounds in 2018 men’s Pac-12 Championships behind No. 2 golfer in the nation

By
Carlos Gonzalez
-

Rolling Hills, CA – USC holds lead after two rounds in 2018 men’s Pac-12 Championships behind No. 2 golfer in the nation

Rolling Hills Estate- No. 2 college golfer in the country Justin Suh shot scores of 68 and 64 on Monday and is tied for 1st place individually in the first day of the 2018 Men’s Pac-12 Championships. USC stands alone at the top with a score of 23 under par in the team leaderboard.

The first day consisted of 36 holes for each golfer on a links style course at Rolling Hills Country Club.

Stanford entered the second half of the day in the lead but lost its lead to USC and finished the day in 2nd at 18 under par. The Cardinals were lead by Jeffrey Swegle. Swegle shot 67 and 65 after 2 rounds and is tied for 1st with Suh.

Cal Berkeley ended the first round tied for 2nd in the team leaderboard with USC but fell four spots back once the second round and first day of the tournament was over at 7 under par. No. 1 college golfer in the country, Collin Morikawa had a modest performance to keep Cal in the mix. Morikawa was tied for the lead in the individual leaderboard after the first round with a score of 67. He shot 71 in the second round and ended the day tied for 8th.

Norman Xiong, the No. 3 college golfer in the nation is tied for 18th after 2 rounds at 2 under par with scores of 71 and 69.

UCLA is currently in 7th place at even par after 2 rounds. Cole Madey leads the Bruins and is tied for 6th at 6 under par. He shot a score of 68 in his first two rounds.

Colorado is currently in 3rd after day 1 at 11 under par, followed Arizona at 9 under par. Arizona’s George Cunningham had an impressive performance and is in 3rd on in the individual leaderboard at 8 under par with scores of 67.

PSU Blue-White Game excites Nittany Nation

By
Jevone Moore
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Penn State Nittany Lions Blue-White Spring Football Game on Saturday April 21, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. (Photo by Austin Sullivan / fi360 news).

State College, PA – Back at one of the best atmosphere in college football at Beaver Stadium that was covered with Navy and White. The Blue team defeated the White team 21-10 behind returning starting quarterback Trace McSorley.

The fans and players got a some comedy relief in the second half. The teams were led out the tunnel for the second half by head coach James Franklin but wait that comedian  Keegan-Michael Key dressed up like coach. His on field interview with the keys for the second half were spot on.

“Most importantly we were able to get some great work in, in the stadium, in front of the crowd,” said Franklin, “We had a great environment and I can’t reinforce that enough how appreciative we are of the fans.”

McSorley in typical fashion led quarterback throwing for 107 yards on 10/14 passes with a touchdown in first quarter.

The more surprising stat is McSorley took over for soon to be Top 5 NFL pick Saquon Barkley being the leading rusher in the game with 41 yards on 6 carries.

Wide receiver Mac Hippenhammer surprised most coming over from the baseball team being that two sport athlete for the game. He led the team with 2 touchdowns with 4 catches for 41 yards.

“Yeah, that was part of the recruiting process for him(Mac),” said Franklin, “now once spring ball ends he will go back to doing baseball as well as his academic responsibilities.”

Inside linebacker Jason Vranic and true freshman outside linebacker Micah Parsons led their defensive teams with the most tackles in the Blue-White game.

“At Penn State we want to do everything the right way and we want to treat people in a first-class manor; our fans, our recruits, our current players, they are all of it,” said Franklin.

Next up Penn State will host  Appalachian State Mountaineers for their season opener on September 1, 2018.

 

 

Cristobal has Oregon fans Entertained in Spring game

By
Jevone Moore
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Oregon Duck Spring Football Game on Saturday April 21, 2018 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR. Oregon. (Photo by Ben Ludeman / fi360 news).

Eugene, Ore – Over the years the Oregon Ducks always have a one two punch to keep teams on their toes.

First year head coach Mario Cristobal had this Spring game full of fireworks from Team Thunder (Green Uniforms) who defeated Team Lightning (Yellow Uniforms) 41-7.

Normally in spring the defense has the advantage while the offensive works through the playbook.

PAC-12 teams better get ready because the Pistol will be armed and coming right at you all game.

Last year starting quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 126 yards completing 12/21 pass with a touchdown in the second quarter.

Running back C.J. Verdell lead all running backs with 44 yards, 2 touchdowns and long of 20 yards. Not the starter but with his power it will be hard to keep him off the field.

A few former Ducks Marcus Mariota, and Super Bowl Champion Legarrette Blunt  came back to watch what this new team has instore for upcoming season.

The Oregon Ducks will open this 2018 season with Bowling Green at home on September 1, 2018.

 

 

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