Cox wins clash of Beach powers
The latest matchup in one of Hampton Roads’ biggest field hockey rivalries lived up to the hype again as Cox prevailed in a come-from-behind 2-1 win over First Colonial on Thursday at the USA Field Hockey Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach.
Emme Schwartz tallied the game-winner in the third quarter for the top-ranked Falcons (2-0).
Cox’s Stevie Drum also scored, while Zella Bailey and Sophia Burch each added an assist.
Emily Tammaro put No. 3 First Colonial on the board first, scoring on a corner penalty within the first few minutes of play.
“Things were really frantic in the first three minutes,” Cox head coach Taylor Rountree said. “… We just needed time to settle down.”
Goaltender Abby Spear came up with a huge save on a First Colonial fast break to keep Cox ahead in the fourth quarter.
For years, the Falcons and Patriots have been a storied rivalry, but recently, Cox has had the upper hand,
winning the past five matchups between the teams. First Colonial last defeated Cox in the 2018 regular season, coming back from an early two-goal deficit in a 3-2 win.
With the season still young and teams still putting the
pieces together, Rountree was encouraged to see how her team responded in a close game.
“This was a great win for us. I can tell you First Colonial is a great team,” she said. “We have gone through a lot of big
things within our team with injuries and a lot of personal stuff going on, so some players that would normally play weren’t playing and we’re just trying to figure things out still. So this was good for us to figure it out.”
The NBA fined Meyers Leonard $50,000, the maximum allowed by league policy, and suspended him from using all Heat facilities and activities for one week in response to his use of an anti-Semitic term.
Commissioner Adam Silver, in announcing those sanctions Thursday, also said that he believes Leonard “is genuinely remorseful” for using the slur.
“Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society,” Silver said.
Leonard, who’s out for the rest of the season with an injury, will also be required by the league to participate in a cultural diversity program. He has already met with representatives from the Anti-Defamation League.
Pelicans G JJ Redick underwent a non-surgical procedure to relieve inflammation and soreness in his right heel and will be out at least a week.
Baseball: MLB outlined a litany of experimental rules it plans to implement at different minor league levels this season, including banning some forms of defensive shifts, more games governed by an electronic strike zone, a 15-second pitch clock, limiting pickoff moves and larger bases. The changes will be studied for potential adoption in the majors.
NFL: Former Pro Bowl RB Mark Ingram reached agreement on a one-year deal worth up to $3 million with the Texans, ESPN reported. Ingram, 31, was a healthy scracth for four of the Ravens’ final five games last season . ... The Bills have agreed to a fouryear contract extension with LB Matt Milano, 26, worth $44 million with $24 million guaranteed, ESPN reported . ... The Chiefs released starting OTs Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.
NHL: The Blues signed G Jordan Binnington to a six-year, $36 million extension. As a rookie in 201819, Binnington, 27, played a key role in the Blues winning the Stanley Cup. He’s 9-6-3 this season.
Tennis: Roger Federer failed to convert a match point before losing 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Qatar Open quarterfinals in Doha, his second match back on tour after a 13-month injury layoff. Federer, 39, was playing in his first tournament since the 2020 Australian Open following knee surgery.