Month: March 2025

Cardinal Blinded by the Golden Flashes 77-75; Raynaud’s Final Double-Double

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Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) takes aim at the basket against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sun Mar 23, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (21-14) were unable to control the Kent State Golden Flashes (24-11) 77-75, and ended their run in the 2025 National Invitation Tournament.

Stanford took the lead early in the contest on a three by Oziyah Sellers. That three point advantage turned out to be their largest of the entire game. Kent State also posted their largest lead (13) of the game in the first half.

The Golden Flashes used a 12-0 run to get their double-digit lead, the Cardinal had an 11-0 run to try to stay close by halftime.. Kent State shot 46% from the field in the initial 20-minute stanza, while Stanford was held to 40%. Both squads shot approximately 39% from beyond the arc.

The Cardinal managed to trim their deficit to single figures (9) by halftime, 43-34 and actively made another run at the lead in the second half. There were three lead changes and one tie before recess.

Jaylen Blakes led the Cardinal in scoring (10) at the midway point of the tourney battle. Jalen Sullinger topped the Golden Flashes with 20 points.

Oziyah Sellers started the second half as he did in the first, with an immediate basket. His layup cut the margin to seven, and the Maples’ faithful were getting excited. Less than five minutes into the final half, Stanford had regained the lead on a left-handed hook by Raynaud The second half produced four more lead changes and an additional tie.

The home team unknowingly was in a prime position to have an upper hand in advancing in the NIT. During the scuffle on the Farm, the #1 seeded San Francisco Dons were losing on the top of the peninsula. That loss put the second ranked Cardinal as the top seed, and guaranteed another home game at Maples. That was contingent on taking care of the task at hand, beating their opponent from Ohio.

Try as they would, with multiple comeback attempts, the Golden Flashes were able to sustain their advantage and knock down the mighty Maples tree and end the home court heroics of the Cardinal. When the final buzzer sounded, after 40 minutes of intense basketball action, Stanford’s season came to an abrupt halt, while Kent State would advance to the third round.

The Golden Flashes won by two, 77-75, and ended two great careers who proudly wore the Cardinal uniform. Although Jaylen Blakes only played one year on the Farm, he cherished his brief time at the university. He finished his last game with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Maxime Raynaud ended his career high on multiple historic lists, including double-doubles, in which he appropriately did on his final game in the pavilion (22 points and 10 rebounds) and blocked 4 shots for good measure

Chisom Okpara offered 13 points and 5 rebounds, while the heir-apparent, Oziyah Sellers delivered 11 points and 6 rebounds. Two players who should have larger roles in 2025-26.

Returning walk-on, Jalen Sullinger led all players with 34 points, but he also added to his impressive stat line, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Teammate Delrecco Gilespe also produced his own double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds), and VonCameron Davis chipped in 12 points.

The Cardinal will begin their offseason, gearing up for 25-26, while Kent State will be heading to Chicago to take on Loyola – Chicago in Third Round NIT action next week. Gametime will be announce at a later date

Giants Fall Short in Sacramento, Drop Exhibition to River Cats 4-3

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Sunset over the Tower Bridge in Sacramento during the late innings of the Giants vs River Cats matchup. (Photo: Jeremiah Salmonson)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The San Francisco Giants visited Sacramento on Sunday evening, playing as the home team at Sutter Health Park. The Giants faced off against the River Cats at 5:05 PM PST in the upgraded venue that will soon host the Sacramento A’s regular-season games beginning March 31st. However, the River Cats came away with a 4-3 victory over the Giants in West Sacramento.

The Giants started scoring early, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jung Hoo Lee doubled home Heliot Ramos with a line drive to right-center field, and later Luis Matos reached base on a throwing error, allowing Lee to score.

The Giants’ offense struck again in the second inning, extending their advantage to 3-0 when Christian Koss doubled in Casey Schmitt. Unfortunately, this marked the end of their scoring for the night, as the River Cats took control from that point forward.

In the fourth inning, the River Cats began chipping away at the deficit as Logan Porter doubled home Hunter Bishop, cutting the Giants’ lead to 3-1.

Giants starter Landen Roupp turned in a strong performance, pitching five innings while allowing just one hit, one earned run, and one walk, with eight strikeouts. Roupp remains in contention for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Time will tell if he or Birdsong gets the nod for Manager Bob Melvin. 

In contrast, Hayden Birdsong, competing with Roupp for the rotation spot, struggled significantly. Birdsong entered in the sixth inning but was pulled after recording just one out, allowing three hits, two walks, and three earned runs. The River Cats took advantage, scoring three runs in the inning to pull ahead 4-3.

Kai-Wei Teng and Justin Garza combined to pitch the remaining 3 1/3 innings for the Giants, holding the River Cats scoreless. Despite their efforts in the ninth, the Giants’ offense couldn’t produce additional runs, and the game ended in a 4-3 loss. 

After a strong spring, the Giants are feeling good as they return to San Francisco on Sunday night. They have two official spring training games remaining before Opening Day on March 27th against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Key Performers:
Heliot Ramos had a strong showing, going 2-2 with a double and a walk.
Landen Roupp delivered five innings of one-run baseball with eight strikeouts.

Up Next: The Giants return to San Francisco for their first game at Oracle Park this season, hosting the Detroit Tigers in Spring Training action at 6:45 PM PST.

Barracuda blasts Condors 6-3, sweep weekend series

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San Jose Barracuda forwards Anthony Vincent (#76) and Ethan Cardwell sandwiched forward Walker Duehr’s (#55) second goal of the game in a 6-3 win over the Bakersfield Condors at Tech CU Arena on Sunday MAR 23, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda scored three special team goals in a 6-3 route of the Bakersfield Condors on Sunday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose swept the weekend home-and-home series and has won three games in a row. Bakersfield has lost three games in a row. The Barracuda moved up to fifth place in the Pacific Division one point ahead of the Calgary Wranglers with 72 points.

San Jose (32-21-4-4-72 points) drew first blood late in the first period on the man advantage. Andrew Poturalski fed a pass back up to the point over to Jack Thompson. The Cuda defenseman waited before whipping a wrist shot past Condor’s goalie Olivier Rodrigue for his third goal of the season at the 17:13 mark.

The AHL’s number one power play has scored a power play goal in nine straight games that tied a franchise record.

Bakersfield (26-25-6-3-61 points) registered 14 shots in the opening frame but could not get a puck past Cuda goalie Gabriel Carriere who looked sharped throughout the period. Carriere robbed Darren Brady with a glove save out of midair with Brady attempting to score into an open net with 35 second remaining in the period.

San Jose doubled its lead 25 seconds to start the second power with its second power play goal of the contest. Poturalski found Rem Pitlick down low in the slot. Pitlick laid a backhand pass over to Danil Gushchin who buried a shot past Rodrigue to the far side for his 25th goal of the season. Gushchin has scored a goal in four straight games.

Walker Duehr scored the first of his two goals to give the Cuda its third unanswered goal of the game just over three minutes later. Ethan Cardwell’s shot deflected off of Cam Dineen. Duehr collected the puck, spun around and fired a shot that beat Rodrigue to the short side for his 15th goal of the season at the 13:50 mark of the period.

Bakersfield responded 25 seconds later to get on the scoreboard. Darren Brady’s shot from the left slot was cleaned up by Ethan Keppan for his first in a Condors uniform and second of the season at the 14:15 mark.

Duehr extended San Jose’s back to a three-goal lead with his second goal of the game while the Cuda were on the penalty kill to start the third period. Duehr intercepted a pass by Kyle Mayhew a the blueline that led to a breakaway. Duehr beat Rodrigue with a backhander for a short-handed goal, his 16th goal of the season. San Jose has scored nine short-handed goals this season.

Pavol Regenda put the game away with 10th goal of the season at the 5:42 mark. Jimmy Schuldt sent an outlet pass out Regenda who skated in and beat Rodrigue with a wrist shot below the arm to the far side of the net.

Matthew Savoie scored his 17th goal of the season just past the halfway mark of the final frame. Savoie beat Carriere with a forehand to backhand move in front of the crease after taking a cross-ice pass from Drake Caggiula at the 10:16 mark.

San Jose regained its four-goal advantage Schuldt joined the scoring party. Thomas Bordeleau drove toward the net but fanned on his shot attempt. The Cuda captain pinched in from the point and beat Rodrigue top-shelf for his sixth goal of the season at the 13:53 mark.

Dineen completed the scoring with a power play goal with four seconds left in the game. Dineen’s shot from got through a sea of traffic in front of the crease for his eighth goal of the season.

Carriere (7-5-2-2) finished the game stopping 33 of the 36 shots to earn his seventh victory of the season. Rodrigue (18-14-6-1) made 38 saves on 44 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 2-for-5 on the power play. Bakersfield went 1-for-5.

Bakersfield has given up 10 short-handed goals on the season.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Duehr (2G, 0A) 2) Poturalski (0G, 2A) 3 Regenda (1G, 0A).

UP NEXT: San Jose concludes its season series with the San Diego Gulls on Wednesday 3/26 at Pechanga Arena of San Diego.

Headline Sports podcast Charlie O Sun Mar 23, 2025: Rays McClanahan leaves with arm injury; Guardians Bibee signs 5 yr $48 million deal; plus more MLB news

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Cleveland Guardians starter Tanner Bibee delivers to the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning during the Grapefruit League action at Goodyear AZ on Mon Mar 17, 2025. Bibee signed a five year $48 million deal on Sat Mar 22, 2025 with the Guardians (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast Charlie O Sun Mar 23, 2025

#1 Tampa Bay Rays left handed pitcher Shane McClanahan suffered triceps tightness to his pitching arm. McClanahan will take imaging tests to get an idea how serious the injury is. McClanahan had Tommy John surgery and had not pitched in one game since August 2023. McClanahan pitched 2 1/3 inning giving up a hit and a walk, striking out three batters before having to leave.

#2  Cleveland Guardians right handed pitcher Tanner Bibee signed a five year deal on Saturday worth $48 million. Bibee will also pitch on opening day Thursday against the Kansas City Royals. Bibee went 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA last season.

#3  Arizona Diamondbacks closer Justin Martinez a right hander has signed a $18 million with five year contract. Martinez is competing for the closing job. The contract surpasses his one year MLB contract that was $772,200 and $335,7000 minor league salary.

#4 San Francisco Giants DH and outfielder Jerar Encarnacion suffered a fractured left hand during Friday’s spring training game attempting to make a ctach in the outfield. The Giants didn’t say how long that Encarnacion will be out. Encarnacion hit two home runs, 14 RBIs and a .302 batting average in spring training.

#5  Los Angeles Dodgers two way star Shohei Ohtani slugged his first home run of the 2025 season on Wednesday as the Dodgers would win the game against the Chicago Cubs 6-3 at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday. The home run did have to be reviewed as the ball deflect off a fan and fell onto the field.

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sharks At Long Last Beat Bruins 3-1; SJ gets key goal from Carlsson in third period

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San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky directs the players from behind the bench against the Boston Bruins in the third period on Sat Mar 22, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

It has been a very long time since the San Jose Sharks beat the Boston Bruins, in fact it has been 3,294 days ago. They broke that chain Saturday night winning the game 3-1 with the go ahead and winning goals scored in the third period. William Ecklund, Barclay Goodrow and Lucas Carlsson each scored a goal in a solid offensive effort.

Game recap: Although neither team was able to score in the opening period; it was the Sharks scoring the first goal of the game in the second period. San Jose’s William Ecklund scored assisted by Macklin Celebrini and Luca Cagnoni for the San Jose 1-0 lead. The Sharks held onto the slim lead as the time-clock began to wear down. The Bruins tied up this with a little over three minutes left in the period. At 16:50 Casey Mittlestadt scored assisted by Cole Koepke. This game had been a tight one from the opening face-off.

The 1-1 tie held deep into the third period. The Sharks had some great opportunities but Bruin goalie Joonas Korpisalo was just as stingy as San Jose’s Alexander Georgiev. Both goalies were doing a solid job but that was all to change in the late minutes of the third period.

San Jose would take back the lead and break the tie at 16:37. Lucas Carlsson scored assisted by Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini. Lucas Carlsson back after years and playing his first game as a Shark ending up scoring the winning goal. He was activated from the Barracuda for Saturday night’s game and what an incredible night he finished with finishing off the Bruins and handing them their fifth loss in a row.

The Sharks really took it to the Bruins in the final period. After taking back the lead, San Jose’s Barclay Goodrow slugged in his fifth goal of the season to solidify the win. He was assisted by William Ecklund and Lucas Carlsson who had a very busy night. The Sharks now improve their season record 19-42-9. This win has been a long time coming almost a decade ago.

Game notes: Saturday night the Sharks hosted the Bruins at the SAP Center. The Sharks continued to struggle losing on Thursday to the Hurricanes 3-1 as Carolina won their eighth game in a row while the Sharks took their fifth loss of their last 6 games and 32 of their last 40 games prior to Saturday night’s win.

They have struggled all season and had to contend with the loss of Marc-Edouard Vlasic who did not play with an upper body Issue. Vlasic was unable to take the ice Saturday night with a projected return date of March 27.

His absence didn’t affect the team’s defensive lineup as the Sharks held the Bruins to just one goal and unfortunately Vlasic has already missed 12 games due to injury this season. The Bruins have had a rough patch as well now having lost five games in a row and couldn’t turn this game around for a win over San Jose.

The Sharks have a 19-42-9 record this season and the Bruins have a 30-32-9 record with both teams taking up residence near or at the bottom of their respective divisions. The Sharks has been without Logan Couture for five months now and there still remains no timeline for his return. He remains a week to week with a lower body injury incurred during offseason training. This was to be be his 15th season with the Sharks.

This win came as a result of some solid play as well as solid decisions. San Jose played a well-rounded game Saturday night. It was William Ecklund, Barclay Woodrow and Lucas Carlsson who spear-headed the win but the entire team was playing as a unit. Goalie Alexander Georgiev had what may have been his best game this season. He was solid but for the one goal scored by Boston.

The Sharks will next take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at SAP this Thursday night with face-off scheduled for 7:30 PM.

Cooley and Kerfoot Strike Lightning Twice In 6-4 Utah HC Win Over Tampa Bay

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Utah Hockey Club’s Logan Cooley (92) scored a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sat Mar 22, 2025 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Here is Cooley getting congratulated by teammates after scoring against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Sun Mar 16, 2025. (Canadian Press via AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

SALT LAKE CITY–Utah forwards explode for six goals while notching the team’s seventh home win over the past 9 games in hard fought victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Utah Hockey Club played a rare early afternoon game at Delta Center on Saturday, hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning who have outscored every other team in the league except the Washington Capitals and boasts the highest plus/minus differential in the NHL.

Josh Doan struck first for the home team at 6:42 of the opening frame connecting at the goal crease on a perfect pass from Jack McBain from behind the net for his fifth goal of the season, with the second assist to Lawson Crouse.

With a little more than two minutes remaining in the period, Utah forward Nick Schmaltz fed Michael Kesselring the puck on a breakaway which was stopped by Lightning netminder Brandon Halverson, but Logan Cooley followed the play and punched the rebound into the back of the net for his 20th goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.

Shortly after the ensuing faceoff, Ian Cole was whistled for tripping against Nikita Kucherov, resulting in a power play goal for Brayden Point, his 33rd on the season, assisted by Jake Guentzel and Oliver Bjorkstrand.

At 5:22 of the second period, Tampa Bay forward Anthony Cirelli evened the score on a slap shot for his 24th goal of the season, assisted by Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov. 36 seconds later Utah would regain the lead when forward Kevin Stenlund one-timed a cross ice pass from John Marino to find Alexander Kerfoot in front of the net who knocked it in for his 9th goal of the season.

With 2:37 remaining in the period, Lightning forward Jake Guentzel tied things up once again, tipping in a pass from Nick Perbix for his 34th goal of the season, but 30 seconds later John Marino launched a shot from the blue line which Logan Cooley deflected into the net for his 21st of the season, putting Utah back on top 4-3 as the period closed.

Barely a minute into the third period, Clayton Keller was stopped at close range by Brandon Halverson, who immediately turned away a rebound attempt by Logan Cooley but was unable to stop Nick Schmaltz on a second rebound backhand shot for his 17th goal of the season and a 5-3 lead.

Less than two minutes later Brayen Point could cut the lead to one again with his second goal of the game, assisted by Ryan McDonagh and Jake Guentzel. Earlier in the season Utah struggled to maintain third period leads, but Karel Vejmelka, playing in his career high 13th consecutive game, held the Lightning offense scoreless the rest of the way, fending off a Tampa Bay power play with 2:09 remaining due to a too many men on the ice penalty.

With 57 seconds remaining, Alexander Kerfoot fired the puck into an empty net for his 2nd goal of the night and 10th of the season, giving Utah the 6-4 victory, their seventh at home over their past 9 contests.

In the locker room, Kerfoot talked about Utah’s recent success at home. “I think the crowd’s been unreal. I mean, third period there towards the end of the game—that’s a loud building that’s fun to play in. We’ve obviously placed an emphasis on being at home, I don’t think that our mindset has really changed, but we’ve just dug in here down the stretch and it’s a fun place to play. It feels like we’ve got momentum when we come home and when we’re playing in front of our fans. … I think that this was a great atmosphere for kids to come and watch the game and this is a new market, we’re trying to grow hockey here. SEG’s done an awesome job of growing the game in this community and to have a night like this where we get to bring in some youth hockey players and some kids during an early game on the weekend, it’s really fun and I hope that we can do that again in the future.”

In a game full of momentum swings, Logan Cooley talked about managing emotions. “It was kind of a crazy game, honestly. We were up two but then a goal gets called back, but you know, we just kept going at it and I thought we were playing the right way the whole third [period] there and then we got the outcome with a big two points.” With regard to his personal compete level, Cooley remarked, “I think just for me, I try to be the best version of myself each and every day and just try to get as good as I can to become the player I want to be. Obviously, it comes back to the team and trying to get into the playoffs. Eventually, I want to get a Cup and I think that’s the biggest drive for me right now. Being in Utah, it’s special in front of these fans. There’s no better feeling than coming to the rink every day and working together towards one goal here.”

Head coach André Tourigny was all smiles in the media room. “Really happy about the offense we created tonight, but even more proud of the way we defended the rush and the way we closed the middle of the ice. That was a really tough challenge, tough team to do that against them. Obviously for individual performance, I think Sergey [Mikhail Sergachev] was really good. Cooley and his line, they were something else. They were really, really good. I think it’s a huge character win. … Right from the start of the game, the focus, the execution, the urgency was elite. I think everybody was engaged. Everybody was connected. We’re really disciplined, and in the way we had to play against those guys. Great effort from the boys.” Comparing his club’s protecting the lead in the third period with difficulties earlier in the season, Tourigny said, “It’s day and night. I think that the mindset, the composure, the assertiveness, you cannot even compare. I think our team grew a lot, and I think we have way more maturity now.”

Utah will square off on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings before embarking upon a three game road trip to Tampa Bay, Florida, and Chicago. They will then return for one final homestand of five games before finishing out the regular season on the road.

Bucks Surge Late to Hand Kings 114-108 Defeat

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Jonas Valanciunas warms up prior to the Bucks game on Saturday night. Jonas had 18 points and seven rebounds in the game. (Photo: Jeremiah Salmonson)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento Kings returned to action Saturday night, hosting the Milwaukee Bucks at Golden 1 Center. The Kings entered the matchup amidst a tough homestand, coming off recent victories against the Grizzlies and Cavaliers and a loss to the Bulls on Thursday. Both teams were short-handed, with Damian Lillard unavailable for Milwaukee, and Sacramento missing Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk. Despite a strong start from Sacramento, the Bucks rallied late to secure a 114-108 victory.

The Kings opened the game playing stout defense, limiting the Bucks to just 17 points in the first quarter while scoring 25 points themselves. Sacramento struggled significantly from beyond the arc, shooting 1-10 from three, yet managed a respectable 42% from the field. The Bucks endured a dismal shooting quarter, converting only 29% of their shots and going scoreless from three-point range. Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with nine first-quarter points.

The Kings maintained their intensity into the second quarter, despite a Bucks surge that narrowed the margin to 43-42 with 4:41 remaining. Sacramento responded effectively, finishing the half strong and entering halftime with a 61-49 lead. The Kings outscored Milwaukee 36-32 in the quarter, led by Keon Ellis, who tallied 18 first-half points. For the Bucks, Brook Lopez matched Ellis’s first-half output with 18 points of his own.

The momentum shifted dramatically in the third quarter as Milwaukee surged back into contention. With a little over three minutes left in the quarter, the Bucks tied the game at 80. When the third-quarter dust settled, Milwaukee had outscored Sacramento 37-28, trimming the Kings’ lead to 89-86 heading into the fourth. Antetokounmpo was dominant, scoring 22 points in the quarter alone and shifting the momentum toward Milwaukee.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings faltered, unable to maintain their earlier success. Milwaukee outscored Sacramento 28-19, securing a 114-108 win. The Kings’ offense stagnated late, reverting to isolation basketball, a recurring issue. Sacramento struggled to make critical shots down the stretch, while Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points on 12-20 shooting, guiding the Bucks to victory.

After the game, Doug Christie addressed why Sacramento’s offense often becomes stagnant late. “I think many, many times, the defense blows the play up, and as the shot clock is going down, then you take your time,” Christie explained. “I think we have to explore early in the shot clock, and sometimes we’re not playing as fast as we need to, and then that allows them to press up. All of a sudden, it gets later in the shot clock, and now you become that [stagnant] without even knowing why it happened.” This recurring offensive inconsistency has plagued the Kings in late-game situations.

Keon Ellis echoed Christie’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for more ball movement. “Maybe it’s a thing of trying to get it to them [Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan] too much, too early,” Ellis said. “And I think probably we could move the ball a little bit more before we try to, you know, I would say, just go ISO ball.”

Playoff Picture: With the loss, the Kings fell to 35-35, remaining the ninth seed. They hold a slim 1.5-game advantage over the tenth-place Phoenix Suns and sit just 1.5 games ahead of the 11th-place Dallas Mavericks, dangerously close to dropping out of play-in contention entirely.

Key Performers: DeMar DeRozan led the Kings with 22 points on 8-18 shooting. Keon Ellis contributed 20 points and six assists on efficient 6-10 shooting.

Up Next: The Kings remain at home and will face the Boston Celtics on Monday at Golden 1 Center, with tip-off set for 7 PM PST.

NSWL action: Anderson and Lema score big for Bay FC in 2-0 shutout over Louisville

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Thrill of victory as Bay FC wins their home opener against Racing Louisville at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat Mar 22, 2025 (Bay FC X photo)

By William Espy

SAN JOSE–Bay FC hosted their home opener against Racing Louisville on Saturday night in front of a packed crowd at PayPal Park. The Bay Area’s newest soccer team was looking to build on their performance from their inaugural season, when they were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round following an own goal in extra time. Bay impressed big in their home opener match against the Racing with a 2-0 shutout.

Bay FC Starting XI: Silkowitz, Malonson, Dahlkemper, Anderson, Dydasco, Huff, Pickett, Bailey, Kundananji, Conti, Lema

Louisville Starting XI: Lund, Millet, Wright, Hase, Petersen, DeMelo, Borges, Sonis, Flint, Fischer, Sears

Kiki Pickett was shown a yellow card in just the second minute of the match. On the ensuing attack, Louisville had a solid scoring chance but it went just over the crossbar and landed on top of the net. Rachael Kundananji was taken down in a collision at midfield, but after a momentary delay got up and remained in the game.

Moments later, Bay FC got the first corner opportunity of the night, which Taylor Huff took. While nothing came of that chance, that wouldn’t be the case in the 12th minute when Huff stood over the ball for a free kick, the ball found its way to newly converted center back Joelle Anderson, who put the ball past Katie Lund into the back of the netting for a 1-0 Bay lead.

Kayla Fischer had Louisville’s strongest scoring chance to that point of the night in the 26th minute, but once again the shot went too high. In the 34th minute, Dorian Bailey tried to pick a corner on an ambitious shot that nearly went in but was just too high.

There was a long delay a few moments later, as Savannah DeMelo went down and had to be stretchered off the field. She was responsive and shook her teammates’ hands as she exited the field.

Bailey was shown a yellow card in the 45th minute. Late in stoppage time, Karlie Lema and Kundananji found themselves with only a single defender between them and the goal. Despite the easy play of getting the ball up to Kundananji, Lema showed outstanding levels of confidence for a rookie, firing off a rocket of a shot and extending Bay FC’s lead to 2-0. Not long later, Huff and Ary Borges collided, resulting in Huff being shown a yellow card.

At half-time, Bay led 2-0. Head coach Albertin Montoya opted not to make any changes heading into the second half, despite his team having three yellow cards already. Louisville waited until the 61st minute to make any changes, taking off Borges and Janine Sonis for Katie O’Kane and Sarah Weber. In the 63rd minute, Huff and Taylor Flint’s heads collided. Huff was fine, however Flint did get looked at by the trainer before remaining in the game.

Hannah Bebar came in during the 74th minute, making her NWSL debut, alongside Penelope Hocking, taking the place of Caroline Conti and Bailey. In the 90th minute, Huff nearly scored her first career goal as well, hitting the post.

Ultimately time would expire, and Bay FC would walk away with their first win of the season, 2-0.

Mississippi State’s Suffocating Defense Disrupts Cal Women In 59-46 Season-Ending Loss

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By Morris Phillips

After a first quarter teeming with missed shots, the Cal women unfortunately found additional competition for the attention of their ESPN television audience.

Needless to say, that wasn’t part of the gameplan.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State’s gameplan was on point with Bulldogs locked onto Cal’s shooters for the entirety of the game.

“We probably went through 15 games. That’s how detailed we were,” MSU’s coach Sam Purcell said. “The only thing I think we were missing is their social security numbers. We knew tendencies, which way they wanted to go. It was just really cool how my young women were dialed in and willing to accept the information, but then most importantly apply it.”

Attention to detail allowed Mississippi State to limit Cal to 25 percent shooting for the game including no made shots in the game’s first six minutes. With that success, MSU rolled to a 59-46 win, unceremoniously ending Cal’s season in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64.

Cal’s 25 percent shooting was a season-worst by a significant margin. Combined with 24 turnovers, the higher-seeded Bears offensive end of the floor was transformed into a pit of quicksand in which their postseason aspirations disappeared. After three quarters the Bears trailed 41-29 and weren’t able to get closer than a 12-point deficit at any point in the fourth.

“Their athleticism and their pressure forced us outside of our comfort zone, and we didn’t respond fast enough,” coach Charmin Smith said.

“In the second half, we were able to get Michelle in the mix a little bit, and that loosens things up for us. It was just too little, too late and definitely credit to Mississippi State.”

The Bears were one of eight NCAA qualifiers from the ACC, and along with Georgia Tech, the only ones to lose their initial NCAA Tournament game. The Bulldogs were the lowest-seeded of the 10 SEC qualifiers, but they showed greater poise early on and carried it for 40 minutes.

Michelle Onyiah led Cal with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Lulu Twidale added 13. Madina Okot and Eniya Russell each scored 14 points for the Bulldogs.

The Bears finished the season at 25-9, the best season they’ve enjoyed in six seasons with Smith at the helm. Cal loses four of its starters and will look to create a better balanced offensive attack with additional ball handlers for next year.

“Having Lulu, having the transfers come in, having the team — really special, obviously, 16-1 at home, beating Stanford twice, going to ACC, new conference,” Onyiah said. “Playing really well in the ACC. Going to new schools. Going to East Coast. Like all the adversity we have at Cal, like, we did really well. Being the No. 1 school in the nation. We did really well for what we do, honestly.”

With Cal faltering and MSU’s shooting just a tick better than Cal’s, the ESPN broadcast leaned heavily on Juju Watch. Juju Watkins, USC’s singular All-American didn’t sign many autographs after the Trojans zipped past UNC Greensboro in the day’s first game. Instead, she spoke in confidence with her mom then relocated conveniently behind the broadcasters at midcourt for a friendly conversation with Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Feel good television and poor Cal basketball found a mix.

Barracuda win 8-6, Poturalski hat trick

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San Jose Barracuda vs Bakersfield Condors on Saturday March 22nd at Dignity Health Arena (via Madison Montez)

By Madison Montez

BAKERSFIELD–After a failure to make the glove save by Aaron Dell, the Condors struck first, three minutes in. Connor Carrick scored his second of the season as the San Jose Barracuda defeated the Condors 8-6 at Dignity Health Arena.

The start of the first period was all Bakersfield, scoring three goals in the span of four minutes. Bakersfield is currently in eighth place in the standings of the Pacific Division, chasing a playoff spot.

San Jose cut into that lead when Braden Hache scored his second of the season and Walker Duehr scored his 14th of the season. Donavan Houle and Thomas Bordeleau registered the assists on both goals, recording two points in the first period alone.

San Jose didn’t back down without a fight. Guschin tied the game up in the second period scoring two goals in the span of 27 seconds. 52 seconds later, Ethan Cardwell gave San Jose their first lead of the game.

Two power-play goals and one regular goal by Andrew Poturalski in the third, gave San Jose the win.

Guschin was the standout player for the Barracuda, registering four points. two goals and two assists.

Aaron Dell was the starting goalie, making 33 saves on 39 shots. Carriere will get the start tomorrow.

Bakersfield is now on a one game winning streak. San Jose is now on a two game winning streak.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME:

  • 1. Andrew Poturalski, 3G 1A
  • 2. Danil Guschin, 2G 2A
  • 3. Cam Dineen, 2G 1A

The Barracuda will be back in action Sunday at 5pm against this same Condors team, at home at Tech CU Arena.