Republic FC newcomer has hat trick in USL win over Indy Eleven
Sacramento Republic FC found itself down two goals in the first 15 minutes of Tuesday’s 4-2 U.S. Open Cup loss to the Colorado Rapids. That made starting fast an emphasis Saturday night against Indy Eleven at Heart Health Park.
“We wanted to start the game on the front foot and be aggressive from the first minute,” manager Mark Briggs said.
The result: two goals from standout forward Russell Cicerone in the first eight minutes en route to a 3-1 victory over Indy, continuing Sacramento’s best start in franchise history. The Republic remains the only unbeaten club among the 24 in the USL at 6-0-3 after earning three more points to sit with 21 atop the Western Conference standings.
Cicerone scored all three of Republic FC’s goals, giving him his second career hat trick as a professional. His first came while playing for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in August of 2021. This marked Sacramento’s first hat trick since March 2019.
“Scoring goals in football is extremely hard to do,” Cicerone said. “Three in one game is a special accomplishment, but it’s a team accomplishment. How hard the guys work to get themselves in situation to put the defense under pressure, it’s a team effort. I was just glad I was able to capitalize.”
Former punter sues SDSU, says college damaged his reputation
SAN DIEGO — Former star football punter Matt Araiza has filed a claim against San Diego State University, alleging that someone tied to the school made statements that damaged his reputation.
The university has returned the claim, citing reasons including insufficient evidence.
Araiza is one of three former Aztec players accused of sexually assaulting a then 17-year-old girl at an October 2021 house party near the campus. All three accused men deny the allegations and say any contact with the teen was consensual. Araiza was 21 years old at the time.
The District Attorney’s Office announced in December it would not file criminal charges, and told the woman, who had since turned 18, that they could not prove anyone knew she was underage or could have been too intoxicated to give consent.
According to an audio recording of that conversation obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune and other media, the prosecutor told the woman that after viewing short video clips of the woman engaged in sex acts on the night in question, her office “absolutely” could not prove that any forcible sexual assault occurred.
Araiza, who’d been seen leaving the party, was not in any of the videos.
— Teri Figueroa, The San Diego Union-Tribune
Morant flashes gun again, suspended
NBA superstar Ja Morant was suspended by the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday after he flashed a gun on social media again.
Morant, 23, had been suspended by the team and the NBA in March after he showed off a gun while filming himself in a Denver-area nightclub.
That suspension included a public reconciliation process, in which Morant spent two days in a counseling program in Florida and then sat down for an apology interview with ESPN’s Jalen Rose.
But on Saturday night, one of Morant’s friends hopped on Instagram Live while riding in a car with Morant in the driver’s seat. The man then panned over to Morant, who appeared to be holding a gun in his left hand.
— Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News