ERTZ’S HEADER GIVES USWNT 30 IN A ROW
With less than five
H A RRISON , N.J. minutes to play and the United States facing the prospect of a tie against a rapidly improving Spain, Christen Press took a free kick from the wing and hoped Julie Ertz would go get it.
An in-stride Ertz slammed a header into the net in the 87th minute and the World Cup champions extended their unbeaten streak to 30 games with a 1-0 in the SheBelieves Cup on Sunday at a sold-out Red Bull Arena.
“Julie is always a priority on set pieces,” Press said after the United States won its seventh straight game in 2020 in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. “I feel like if you give her a ball, she can compete for it. It doesn’t matter who she is playing against. She is just world class.”
Press sent a crossing pass from the left flank on a free kick and goalkeeper Sandra Panos never had a chance to stop it despite getting a hand on the shot by the midfielder.
U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made three saves in her second shutout of the tournament. She blanked England 2-0 on Wednesday.
The win gave the United States six points and put it in position to win the four-team tournament with a tie against winless Japan on Wednesday in Frisco, Texas.
DU routs CC to earn third seed. The University of Denver hockey team defeated Colorado College 5-1 on Saturday night at Magness Arena to secure the third seed in this week’s NCHC playoffs.
The sixth-ranked Pioneers will host Nebraska-Omaha on Friday, Saturday and, if necessary, Sunday in a best-of-three quarterfinal series.
CC took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Nick Halloran, but it was all DU after that. Emilio Pettersen, Michael Davies, Ryan Barrow, Hank Crone and Cole Guttman all scored for the Pioneers.
Rangers’ Calhoun suffers broken jaw. RIZ.» Texas Rangers
SURPRISE , A outfielder Willie Calhoun has a broken jaw after being hit in the mouth by a fastball.
The left-handed hitting Calhoun crumbled after being struck in the face by a fastball from Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Julio Urias in the first inning of a spring training game.
Calhoun fell on his back, put his hands over his face and was eventually carried off on a cart. The Rangers said he was taken to a hospital and had a CT scan, which revealed a fracture of his jaw. He’s expected to be re-examined Monday.
A fourth-round pick by the Dodgers in 2015, Calhoun was acquired by Texas in a trade for Yu Darvish in 2017 and established himself in the Rangers’ lineup last year. The 25-year-old set career bests with 21 homers, a .269 average and an .848 OPS in 83 games.
Kenin reigns in Lyon Open.
NCE» Australian Open champion LYON , FR A Sofia Kenin overcame strong opposition from Anna-Lena Friedsam to win the Lyon Open final 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 for the American’s fifth career title.
The top-seeded Kenin, who is ranked fifth and who won her first major earlier this year, dropped her serve three times but broke the unseeded Friedsam on five occasions.
World Cup GS canceled by weather.
A tight, three-way KVITFJELL , NORW A Y fight for the men’s World Cup overall title was ensured when a super-G race was canceled due to the weather conditions.
Just two races — and a maximum 200 points to be won — remain in an early finish to the season next weekend in Slovenia. The scheduled March 18-22 finals meeting in northern Italy was cancelled Friday due to the spreading coronavirus.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde leaves his native Norway with a 54-point lead over Alexis Pinturault of France, and 161 over his teammate Henrik Kristoffersen.
The women’s World Cup had a blank weekend due to poor snow conditions in Ofterschwang, Germany, and also has one more meeting.