Post by jenny123 on Jan 15, 2014 0:05:52 GMT -5
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Omar Cummings scored in the 58th minute to help lead the Colorado Rapids to a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Fire on Sunday night. The teams exchanged scoring chances for much of the game until Cummings found himself alone in the slot. Brian Mullan set up Cummings second goal of the year. Cummings has six goals in seven games in his career against Chicago. Last season, Cummings struggled to score goals as opponents double- and triple-teamed the Colorado forward. "It was like two defenders and a forward were always there," Cummings said of his three-goal campaign. "Id shift over to one side and one of them would shift over and it was difficult to get space." This year already seems to be one of better fortune. "Im not going to be too happy and go over the edge," Cummings said. "Its four games into the season and we have 30 more to go." Kamani Hill added a goal in added time at the end of the game Matt Pickens earned his second shutout of the year and his 23rd as a member of the Rapids (3-1-0). He trails only Joe Cannon (25) for the career franchise lead. "Im very happy with the results," Colorado coach Oscar Pareja. "This makes me more optimistic about the team." Pablo Tornaghi had a strong game in goal for the Fire (1-2-1). Tornaghi has given up four goals in three games. Dominic Oduro, who has scored the teams only goals this season, was denied three times by Pickens. "This was a tough one it was a little disappointing," Chicago coach Frank Klopas said. "I thought we had a couple of chances that we didnt make them pay." The road team has won only once in the last 15 games in the season series, and this is the only meeting between the teams this year. The game was scoreless at the break in a half that began when Pickens smothered a rocket shot from the slot by Marco Pappa in the second minute for Chicago. Tornaghi matched it with a diving stop of a shot by Tony Cascio in the 11th minute. Pappa set up Oduro for a breakaway attempt in the 37th minute. Pickens came well out of the crease to jump on Oduros shot. Pickens caught a shot that deflected off several players huddled in front of the net in the 42nd minute. "I think I just miss hit the ball," Oduro said. "I tried to get a shot off and didnt get good contact to it. I wish I had done something better." Added Pickens: "I didnt expect him to take a touch in and go. Id rather take balls that are 20 or 30 yards out than balls that are in the box." Colorado failed to convert on a penalty kick from short range after Jeff Larentowicz was fouled. But Martin Riveros free kick sailed well over the cross bar in the 55th minute. Three minutes later, Colorado had a 1-0 lead. Rivero dumped a pass deep into the Chicago zone. Mullan ran the ball down and fed Cummings in the slot, and Cummings sent a shot past Tornaghi. Pickens kept Chicago off the scoreboard in the 68th minute. Oduro peppered him with two hard shots 15 seconds apart that Pickens blocked with both hands. Shannon Sharpe Super Bowl Jersey ." Kampmann (19-5) is coming off a comeback submission win over Thiago Alves earlier this month while Ellenberger (27-5) stopped Diego Sanchez in February. In other news, the UFC is fleshing out the roster for a June 22 televised card in Atlantic City. Quentin Jammer Super Bowl Jersey . Batista left Saturdays start at Toronto after two innings with a minor muscle pull in his lower back. Batista warmed up to start the third, but had to be replaced by right-hander Jeremy Hefner. www.broncosnikejerseysshop.com/womens-jacob-tamme-super-bowl-jersey/ . JOHNS, N. Danny Trevathan Super Bowl Jersey . 1 and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in Fridays quarterfinal action at the $4. Steve Atwater Super Bowl Jersey . After sitting out the first half, Montero scored twice in a 3-minute span to lead the Sounders to their fifth consecutive victory, 2-0 over FC Dallas on Wednesday night. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- John Giannini kept calling timeouts as La Salles big lead kept slipping away, an 18-point halftime advantage wiped out by fourth-ranked Kansas States frantic comeback. The coachs message every time was simple: Keep playing defence. The Explorers finally answered his challenge. Jerrell Wright made three foul shots in the final 30 seconds, and the No. 13 seed from the Atlantic 10 buckled down on defence in the closing minutes, allowing the Explorers to polish off a 63-61 upset win Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. "Every timeout, every time we came in, he was riding us on defence," said Ramon Galloway, who finished with 19 points for La Salle. "We had a good margin, and they came back and actually took the lead. We had to stick together, dig down deep and get some stops." The Wildcats trailed 44-26 at halftime, but didnt make another field goal after Jordan Henriquezs layup with 4:54 remaining in the game. In fact, Kansas State only managed one more point -- a free throw by the 7-footer with 2:25 left on the clock -- the rest of the way. That gave the Explorers (22-9) the window they needed. Wright, who scored a game-high 21 points, made his first two clutch free throws to give La Salle a 62-61 lead with 30 seconds left. Henriquez missed in the paint at the other end, and then Wright made the first of two more foul shots with 9.6 seconds to go. The Wildcats (27-8) raced down court, looking for a tying basket, but guard Angel Rodriguez got hung up in the corner near the Kansas State bench. His off-balance shot over the corner of the backboard missed everything, deflating a partisan crowd that packed the Sprint Center. "They made the plays down the stretch and we didnt," said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber, who let his guys freelance on the final possession rather than calling a designed play. Weber said he tried to call a timeout with Rodriguez boxed in, but the referees didnt hear him with the crowd roaring. "I guess its my fault," he said. "I waited too long." Sam Mills was credited with shutting down Rodriguez on the games final possession. The junior guard also had 10 points for La Salle, which beat Boise State in one of the First Four games Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, caught a late plane to Kansas City and has now won two games in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1955. "Were not playing with house money. Thats not at all how wed every think," said Giannini, whose program hadnt even been to the NCAA tournament since 1992. "We want to win every game." The next one will come against No. 12 seed Mississippi, which knocked off fifth-seeded Wisconsin 57-46 earlier in the day in a suddenly shredded West Region. "We dont have a chance to be tired or sore," Galloway said. "Were ready for our chance." Henriquez and Shane Southwell scored 17 points each for Kansas State, which managed to climb back in the game in the second half by holding La Salle to 3-for-18 shooting after the break.dddddddddddd Senior guard Rodney McGruder, the Wildcats leading scorer, finished with 12 points. "Its the worst feeling in the world," he said. "Its the last time Ill play a game in the K-State uniform, and the last time Ill be on a team with some of the teammates I have now. It just hurts to go out the way we did." Giannini was worried his team would be weary after beating Boise State two days ago, so his guys hardly practiced Thursday. They made up for it by putting up extra shots before the game, remaining on the court when Kansas State headed to the locker room for final instructions. Evidently, they got into quite the rhythm. Galloway hit the first of his three first-half 3-pointers on La Salles opening possession, and he was followed in quick succession by Mills and Tyreek Duren, whose own shots from beyond the arc effectively silenced a crowd that came dressed mostly in purple and white. Weber kept calling timeouts to implore his team to settle down, but nothing seemed to stick. The Explorers pushed their lead to 35-16 late in the first half, and even when the Wildcats made back-to-back baskets -- and their subdued fans started to stir -- La Salles veteran backcourt was there to answer with a slicing layup or a fall-away jumper. La Salle shot 58 per cent and committed two turnovers in building a 44-26 halftime lead, while the Wildcats went 1 for 8 from beyond the arc and turned it over seven times. Everything turned in the second half. Those open 3-pointers the Explorers had been pouring in were replaced with brick shots and air balls, their weary legs starting to show. And those lousy passes and missed layups by Kansas State were replaced with crisp feeds for open looks around the basket. Henriquez, the Wildcats 7-footer, started to take advantage of a 6-inch advantage in the paint, scoring six points during their 20-5 run to open the half. When he checked out, bruising post player Thomas Gipson kept the pressure on, demoralizing the smaller Explorers. "As good as we were in the first half, Kansas State was that good in the second half," Giannini said. "They were terrific in the second half." Gipsons basket in the paint drew Kansas State within 56-55, and then a put-back by McGruder gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game with 7:10 remaining. Wrights two foul shots with just over 4 minutes left in the game knotted it 60-all, and Henriquezs free throw with 2:25 remaining gave Kansas State the lead. But McGruder missed a closely guarded jumper on the Wildcats next trip, and then rattled out a 3-pointer. The Explorers defence helped them finish off a memorable upset. "It came down to individual battles," Giannini said, "and our guys stepped up." ' ' '