The
Lady Longhorns are in uncharted territory now – with their first-ever NCAA tournament wins last weekend, UT is into the Sweet 16 of the national championship and off to Oregon to meet the
University of Portland Friday night (9pm CDT; live coverage online at
www.texassports.com). It's the Horns' second trip to Portland this year; the Pilots beat them 3-1 on Sept. 20, with star forward and Canadian national team player
Christine Sinclair scoring twice. UT is 0-5 all-time against the Pilots. Random notes: Portland won the national championship two years ago, right here in Austin, with Sinclair, then a sophomore, being named player of the year on seve ral lists.
Kelly Wilson had two goals and an assist last weekend, as the Horns beat North Texas 3-0 and West Virginia 2-1, and now leads UT in every offensive stat – both single-season and career – except career goals, which belongs to fellow senior
Kelly McDonald. Big 12 champ
Texas A&M was knocked out by Illinois last weekend in College Station, 2-1; other upset victims around the country included second seed Penn St. and third seed Virginia. Top seed North Carolina swept their first two games, 6-0, 6-0 (no, that's not a tennis score).
D.C. United are the Major League Soccer champions for the fourth time, after holding off the Kansas City Wizards, 3-2, despite playing the last half-hour a man down following a red card for an intentional hand ball in the box. Fifteen-year-old Freddy Adu becomes the youngest player ever to win a major pro championship in any American sport.
Want to see the next generation of the U.S. national team playing right here in Austin? The U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Boys Thanksgiving Interregional (rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?) takes place Thanksgiving weekend, featuring 18 elite teams from around the country, including the U-15 national team and two top squads from the U-14 National Pool. It's at the Northeast Metro Park, east of Pflugerville. More details next week, or see "Soccer Watch Online" or www.usyouthsoccer.org for more info.
