Weekend Sports Roundup: Soccer Wins, Baseball Slumps, and Hydroplane Glory Edition
Shootout: If you were doing something Sunday morning other than watching the U.S. Women's World Cup quarterfinals game against Brazil, you missed one heck of a show. Just over a minute into the game, Brazil's Daiane bobbled her defensive objectives and sent the ball into her own team's net, which put the U.S. up 1-0.
The next goal scored was even more unfortunate. In the 65th minute, some aggressive play in the box led to a red card for U.S. defender Rachel Buehler and a penalty kick for Brazilian standout Marta. The whistle blew, Marta kicked, and former UW goalie Hope Solo made the incredible save. But wait, the ref declared that Solo had advanced from the goal line (even though replay made quite apparent that this was not the case), and citing the encroachment, allowed Marta a rekick, which resulted in a goal.
The game now at 1-1, we're headed to overtime. Brazil scored early, leaving the U.S. what should have been just 28 minutes to avoid elimination. But, Brazil decided to play dirty. Two separate players ate up the clock with "injuries," including Erika, who laid on the ground for nearly four minutes before being taken off on a stretcher only to hop off and rejoin the game as if nothing had happened. Such antics led to an additional three minutes of stoppage time. Turns out, the U.S. only needed two of those minutes, when Abby Wambach played a header off a brilliant cross from Megan Rapinoe. The game was down to penalty kicks, and Hope Solo came up with a crucial save against Daiane that was enough to propel the U.S. on to the semifinals and to send Brazil home.
Next Up: A semifinals meeting with France on Wednesday.
Slip 'n' Slide: What had been a stellar season for the Mariners so far has hit a bit of a snag as we head into the All-Star Break. The Ms have dropped five in a row, including Friday's 4-3 loss, Saturday's 9-3 blowout, and Sunday's 4-2 disappointment, all against the L.A. Angels. Offensively, the Ms were struggling, but the Angels were just teeing off on our strong pitching staff, sending eight home runs into the stands over the course of the weekend. When Michael Pineda, Felix Hernandez, and Brandon League head off to the All-Star Game this week, hopefully the rest of the team will find a way to get the second half of the season started with a win.
Next Up: An All-Star break.
Rematch: The Sounders paid a visit to Portland on Sunday, waving hello to their opponent's chainsaw-wielding fan base as they took the field. The last time these two Northwest rivals met back in May, the game ended in a draw. Would things be different this time around? Much like in the Women's World Cup game, the game got off to a tough start, as a Seattle own goal put the Timbers up 1-0. The Sounders tied it up early in the second half on a Freddy Montero free kick. Portland countered in the 69th minute with a well-executed Perlaza goal, but their lead was again erased by Montero about five minutes later. The deciding goal came in the 82nd minute, when Osvaldo Alonso scored on a penalty kick to put the Sounders up 3-2 for good.
Next Up: Saturday against the Colorado Rapids.
For the Record Books: Congratulations to Seattle citizen Dave Villwock, who became the winningest driver in the Air National Guard Hydroplane series with his victory over the weekend. His record-breaking win almost wasn't though. Read more about it from the Seattle Times here.
Cash Machine: Swin Cash is the one to watch, or watch out for in the case of her opponents. The forward, who normally plays outside for the Storm, moved inside during Saturday's matchup with the L.A. Sparks to fill a void created by injured big woman Lauren Jackson and foul-troubled teammate Camille Little. And Cash excelled in her adapted role, scoring a season-leading 26 points that helped lead the Storm to a 99-80 win over the Sparks.
Next Up: The Washington Mystics pay a visit to the Key Arena on Tuesday.
One Shot Short: One Washingtonian was an almost champion at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois over the weekend. Gig Harbor native Kyle Stanley put together four impressive rounds of golf (65, 67, 65, 66) only to fall just one shot shy of the top spot, which was claimed by Steve Stricker at 22 under. Still, with second place prize money in his pocket, Stanley can't be having too bad of a Monday.
