Category: Uncategorized

Meyers hat trick help Eagles take down Barracuda 5-2

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Barracuda forward Justin Bailey jams home a puck past Colorado goalie Justus Annunen at Tech CU Arena on Friday NOV 17, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Ben Meyers scored early and scored late for his first hat trick of the season as the Colorado Eagles defeated the San Jose Barracuda 5-2 on Friday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose is 2-3 in its past five games and have not won back-to-back game this season. Colorado is 3-2 in its past five games.

Colorado (7-5-3-0) drew first blood early in the first period. A turnover inside the ‘Cuda zone led to an odd man rush for the Eagles. Riley Tufte slid a pass over to Ben Meyers who tapped home the puck into an open net for his second goal of the season at the 3:07 mark.

The Eagles doubled its lead on the power play near the halfway mark of the opening frame. A failed clearing attempt by Ethan Cardwell led to Oskar Olausson’s backhander that deflected off ‘Cuda goalie Georgi Romanov up into the air and into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season at the 8:01 mark.

San Jose (3-6-3-0) cut Colorado’s lead in half on the man advantage late in the period. A shot from the point by Henry Thrun bounced off Eagles goalie Justus Annunen that laid right in front of the crease. After a mad scramble in front of the net, Justin Bailey poked the puck into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season at the 17:14 mark.

Colorado regained its two-goal lead 25 seconds to start the second period on a power play that carried over from the first period. Meyers scored his second goal of the game when he beat Romanov to the short side with a one-timer from the right slot. Corey Schueneman set up Meyers third goal of the season with a rink wide pass.

The Barracuda made it a one-goal game near the halfway mark of the third period. Brett Kemp won a battle along the boards before centering a feed to Ozzy Wiesblatt who got Annunen to go down before beating him with a wrist shot to the glove side for his second goal of the season at the 7:31 mark.

Nick Cicek thought he had evened the score at the 16:13 mark when he beat Annunen with a one-timer from the right point, but the goal was waived off when Nathan Todd was called for goalie interference.

San Jose pulled Romanov with 2:10 remaining in the third period but Meyers spoiled the comeback with when he completed his hat trick to ice the game for the Eagles at the 19:05 mark.

Former Barracuda defenseman Keaton Middleton completed the scoring with an empty net goal with one second remaining for his first goal of the season.

Annunen finished the game stopping 26 of the 28 shots he faced to earn the victory. Romanov made 22 saves on 25 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-6 on the power play. Colorado was 2-for-3.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Meyers 2) Tufte 3) Bailey.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Colorado conclude their two-game series on Saturday 11/18 at 6:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Sacramento Manhandles Lakers – Win Fourth In a Row 125-110; Kings beat LA despite LeBron’s triple double in the Southland

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) arms raised and forward Harrison Barnes (40) during a time out as the Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wed Nov 15, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (6-4) had an amazing first quarter en route to a 125-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers (6-6). They handed the Lakers their first home loss of the season as they outplayed them through the first three quarters. This is the first of a six game road trip for Sacramento and a very positive way to start it.

Game recap: The Kings got a great start in the opening quarter scoring 32 points in nine minutes. With less than two minutes left in the first quarter Sacramento had a 37-19 lead. Both Domantas Sabonis and Kevin Huerter had ten points apiece in the quarter. The Kings made six shots from downtown and were looking to continue to control the pace of this game going into the second quarter with a 38-25 lead.

After leading by as much as 20 points in the opening quarter, the Lakers erased that lead pulling to within eight points in the early minutes of the second quarter. Fast break points favored the Kings so far in this game and at 8:59 Sacramento held a 46-35 lead. With 0.1 left on the clocks the second quarter Fox hit a 27-foot jumper and the Kings took a 72-59 lead into the locker room.

Fox already had a 21 point game with Sabonis coming in with 19 points. So far in this game the Kings were dominating the glass. Sacramento finished the half with ten shots from downtown.

Sacramento finished the third quarter with an amazing 16 shots from downtown with Kevin Huerter responsible for six of them. He was having another solid game as the Kings continued to dictate the pace of this game going into the fourth quarter with a 104-80 lead.

The Kings were leading the Lakers in points from the field, shots from downtown, rebounds and only had ten turnovers through three quarters. The 24 point Sacramento lead was the largest they had in the game so far.

The Lakers got a fast start in the fourth quarter scoring six unanswered points. The Kings called a hasty time-out needing to get their offense back on track. It was a horrible start in the final quarter for Sacramento. They let their 24 point lead dwindle to 16. After missing numerous shots to start the quarter the Kings offense started to heat up again although they were committing too many turnovers with five in the quarter.

Both teams were shooting at 50% and the Sacramento offense began to struggle with five minutes left in the game. The 24 point lead that the Kings took into the fourth quarter had been cut in half with the Lakers trailing by a dozen. Sacramento was able to pull it together enough to win this game. This was the Laker’s first home loss of the season.

LeBron James gave his team an outside chance to win this game in the fourth quarter finishing with 28 points. D’Angelo Russell also had 28 points for Los Angeles. The Lakers did have 23 turnovers which hurt them.

Sabonis had the high for the Kings with 29 points and 16 rebounds. Fox and Huerter had 28 points apiece. Harrison Barnes chipped in double digits with 13.

Game notes: Wednesday night the Kings traveled to Los Angeles taking on the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings had embarked on a six game road trip that started Wednesday night. The Kings came off a win over the Cavaliers Monday night 132-120 that saw the long-awaited return of Fox.

Fox did not disappoint and finished with 28 points. Sacramento had four starters with 20 plus points in that game and they extended their winning streak to three games. Huerter had a terrific night with 20 points and going 6 of 9 from downtown against Cleveland. Keegan Murray and Sabonis also had an outstanding game last Monday.

The Kings sure started this road trip on a positive note with the win Wednesday night. They will be looking to extend their four game winning streak Friday night taking on the San Antonio Spurs with a scheduled 4:30 PM tipoff.

Sharks Lose 5-3 to Panthers In Their Return Home

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin (left) celebrates scoring against Florida Panthers goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) in the third period at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Nov 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, November 14th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

San Jose, CA – At the SAP Center it’s the San Jose Sharks who are looking for a third win on the season against the Florida Panthers who are 9-4-1 and second in the Atlantic division. The Sharks lost their last game against the Ducks 4-1, but San Jose had their eyes set on last year’s Eastern Conference champions but couldn’t seal the deal in a two goal 5-3 loss.

Tomas Hertl leads the Sharks with 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) entering tonight’s game alongside William Eklund, the offense looks to shake things up against a defense who isn’t afraid to get physical. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood was pivotal in the Sharks only wins this season, but if the Sharks want any traction, Blackwood can’t be the only defensive presence out there on the ice. 

 The first period was a tale of two parts. The first part was a combination of sloppy play and bad rotation on defense where Ryan Lomberg scored the first goal of the game unassisted. 1-0 Panthers. The Sharks this season are notoriously bad when the opponent scores first (0-9).

The Sharks got the tying goal three minutes after the Florida goal and it was from the Sharks Mike Hoffman, his first of the season (assisted by Jan Rutta and Ryan Carpenter) making it 1-1. The Sharks strengthened up the defense to keep it tied at the end of the period and a sense of optimism was held over the SAP Center. 

The goalies were the highlight for the majority of the second period, both goalies showing out as they controlled the momentum. That changed when a roughing call to Givani Smith led to a power play goal by Panthers points leader Sam Reinhart, who scored his 12th goal of the season so far, assisted by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Matthew Tkachuk 2-1 Panthers.

Smith even with the penalty still upheld his role as an enforcer, because his style of play started to frustrate the Panthers. Smith wasn’t the only guy throwing his body around, the Sharks physicality was clearly something to highlight in this period. As the period came to a close a tripping call with 18 seconds left on Panthers center Nick Cousins gave San Jose an advantage going into the third. 

Sharks third period had high hopes. Tomas Hertl scored on a powerplay goal from a beautiful pass by Zetterlund to make it 2-2. Right after that Luke Kunin scored on a rebound with a backhand shot and now it was 3-2 San Jose and the SAP Center was electric. “We Want Tacos!” chants started to circulate as the fans didn’t just want the win, they wanted free tacos, but that would come with a price.

Carter Verhaeghe on a power play hit a diving goal that tied things up and special teams was something that Coach Quinn stressed for his Sharks players, “a focus before the game” he said, but it would end up being a thing that kept them away from victory.

Kevin Stenlund put the Panthers back on top with a redirect on Balinskis shot that went five hole on Blackwood and now it was 4-3. 38 seconds later Sam Bennett appeared to close the game out for Florida, but Coach Quinn successfully challenged the play for offside and it was no goal, still 4-3. With 2:30 left in the game Quinn emptied his net, but the strategy would fail as Barkov scored into an empty net and it was a 5-3 to end the game. 

The Sharks lose another game, but the beauty of the NHL is there’s always a game around the corner and for the Sharks that game comes after one day’s rest. San Jose will be back in the Shark Tank to face the St. Louis Blues, a team that Coach Quinn credits for “having good forwards”. Last time the Sharks were in the Tank they had a two game win streak, but now it’s back to fighting from underneath and trying to find out what works and what doesn’t for this team. 

49ers completely dominate Jaguars in 34-3 route

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The San Francisco 49ers defense celebrates one of their four takeaways over the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank ST on Sunday NOV 12, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers).

by Marko Ukalovic

It was an emphatic way to snap a three-game losing streak.

The San Francisco 49ers destroyed the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 34-3 blowout victory on Sunday afternoon at EverBank Stadium.

San Francisco snapped its longest losing streak of the season with the win. Jacksonville fell back down to earth as it had its four-game winning streak also came to end.

The 49ers set the tone from the get-go as they forced back-to-back three and outs the ended with sacking quarterback Trevor Lawrence twice. The ferocious defense held Jaguars to 11 yards in first quarter.

Brock Purdy threw 13-yard touchdown reception after scrambling out to his left and threw the ball over a sea of traffic in the endzone to Brandon Aiyuk to complete a four play 57-yard drive in just 2:05 on San Francisco’s opening drive.

Newly acquired defensive end Chase Young sacked and stripped Lawerence of the ball early in the second quarter. Nick Bosa, who was also in on the play, recovered the ball. San Francisco traded for Young at the deadline for a compensatory third-round pick to the Washington Commanders.

San Francisco opened the second half when Purdy connected with tight end George Kittle 66-yard touchdown reception. Kittle beat Devin Lloyd on a in route. It was the longest touchdown of Purdy’s career.

The 49ers defense made Lawrence’s life hell in the second half as the shutdown the Jaguars offense. Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Lawrence on a 3rd and 1 on Jacksonville’s first possession of the first half.

Ambry Thomas stripped Christian Krik at the 6-yard line, picked up the ball and ran down the right sideline for what appeared to be a 92-yard touchdown return. But there was an illegal substitution called on San Francisco when players ran onto the field during the play.

San Francisco’s defense finished with five sacks and four takeaways, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries after being humbled the past three games during the losing streak.

Deebo Samuel, back from his injury he suffered on October 15th against the Cleveland Browns, put the game away late in the third quarter when he ran an end around for 23 yards for his second rushing touchdown of the season.

Purdy found a wide-open Kyle Juszczyk for 22-yard touchdown reception with 12:40 left in the fourth quarter for his third touchdown of the game. The second-year quarterback out of Iowa St. finished 19 of 26 for 296 yards to go along with his three scores and no interceptions.

The only drama late in the game was if running back Christian McCaffery would break the all-time record for consecutive games with a touchdown. It didn’t happen as his last attempt was an incomplete pass on 4th and Goal with 2:56 left in the fourth quarter. McCaffery rushed for 95 yards on 16 carried and had six receptions for 47 yards.

Kittle led all receivers with three catches for 116 yards. Aiyuk chipped in three catches for 55 yards. Samuel had four catches for 30 yards.

Lawrence was 17 of 29 for 185 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Kirk led the Jaguars in receiving with six catches for 104 yards. Travis Etienne Jr chipped in with 35 yards on nine carries.

GAME NOTES: Both teams were 4-for-12 on third down conversions.

UP NEXT: San Francisco returns home to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday 11/19 at 1:05pm at Levi’s Stadium.

Martinez runs wild in Beavers’ 62-17 rout of Stanford

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Damien Marttinez put on a show for Oregon State Saturday, rushing for 146 yards and a career-best four touchdowns for the No. 12 Beavers, as they trounced Stanford 62-17 at Corvallis, Ore.

Martinez was the Pac-12 freshman offensive player of the year in 2022. He passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, doing most of his damage in the first half as Oregon State (8-2 overall, 5-2 Pac-12) kept its conference championship game hopes alive while winning its ninth straight home game.

The Cardinal (3-7 overall, 2-6 Pac-12) had troubler keeping up with Oregon State’s high-powered attack as they trailed 34-10 at halftime.

Martinez set the tone, but there were others who had a big day for the Beavers. Quarterback DJ Ulagalelei completed 12 of 19 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, and Andrew Chatfield Jr. had two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception.

Martinez scored his first touchdown with 9:52 left in the first quarter. Four minutes later, Martinez ran in from 59 yards out. With 623 seconds to go in the quarter, Ashton Daniels put the Cardinal on the board with a 7-yard touchdown run, cutting OSU’s lead to 14-7.

A minute and 26 seconds into the second quarter, Martinez’s 15-yard touchdown run put the Beavers up 21-7, and OSU added another score two minutes later on a 40-yard scoring pass from Ulagalelei to Jermaine Terry II.

Stanford’s Joshua Karty kicked a 28-ya5-yard run, rd field goal with 3:04 left In the second quarter, cutting the OSU lead to 28-10. But Martinez scored his fourth touchdown, a 5-yard run with 15 seconds left in the half, to give the Beavers a 24-point lead at the intermission.

Oregon State proceeded to outscore the Cardinal 28-7 in the second half. With 1:30 left in the third quarter, Stanford scored one last time when Daniels threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Elic Ayomanor.

Daniels completed 10 of 16 passes for 200 yards, one touchdown, an interception and he was sacked three times. Daniels was also the Cardinal’s leading ground gainer with 37 yards on nine carries. Ayomanor caught three passes for 122 yards.

Oregon State racked up 29 first downs and 598 yards in total offense.

Stanford returns home for the 126th renewal of the Big Game against California next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Barracuda flip script against Wranglers in 4-1 win to end losing skid

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Jose Barracuda players celebrate their 4-1 win over the Calgary Wranglers at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Sunday NOV 5, 2023. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Mark Ukalovic

Dustin Wolf is human after all.

It was a game of firsts as the San Jose Barracuda defeated the Calgary 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

San Jose snapped its six-game losing streak while earning its first road win of the season. Calgary suffered its first regulation loss of the season and first loss at home.

Wolf, who was 12-0 against the Barracuda in his career, had his first defeat against the Sharks organization as he also had a win against the Sharks last season when he was on the Calgary Flames.

San Jose (2-4-3) drew first blood early in the first period with a four-on-four goal. Henry Thrun was credited with his first career goal. The rookie defenseman’s pass intended for Cole Cassels went off the skate of a Wranglers defenseman at the 6:50 mark. It was the first time the Barracuda have had a lead in the Saddledome since last season.

Calgary (6-1-1) despite outshooting San Jose 9-6 in the opening 20 minutes, weren’t able to capitalize on their power play opportunities when Brandon Coe went off for a double-minor for high sticking at the 6:33 mark.

The Wranglers once again dominated the shot clock in the second period (12-6) but the combo of the ‘Cuda defense and goalie Gregori Romanov kept the home team off the scoreboard in the middle frame. Romanov made a sprawling save on a point-blank chance by Adam Klapka at the 7:51 mark.

San Jose doubled its lead to start the third period with an even strength goal. Jacob Peterson found Danil Gushchin in the neutral zone. Gushchin skated in and beat Wolf top-shelf with a wrist shot for his team-leading fourth goal of the season at th 1:02 mark.

The Barracuda scored its third unanswered goal 58 seconds later. A Ozzy Weisblatt threw a shot toward the middle that was blocked. Tanner Kaspick picked up the loose puck and wired a wrist shot past Wolf for his second goal of the season.

Calgary spoiled Romanov’s first shutout bid when Mitch McClain scored his second goal of the season at the 18:04 mark.

Radim Simek completed the scoring with an empty net goal, his second goal of the season with 23 seconds left.

Romanov (2-0-2) finished with 34 saves on 35 shots to earn his second victory of the season. Wolf (5-1-0) made 14 saves on 17 shots in suffering his first lost of the season.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for 3 on the power play. Calgary was 0-for-6.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Romanov 2) Thrun 3) Kaspick.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host the Charlote Checkers for a two-game series on Friday 11/10 at Tech CU Arena.

Wolf is stellar for Wranglers in 1-0 shutout win over Barracuda

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Calgary Wranglers forward Matt Coronato congratulates goalie Dustin Wolf on his team’s 1-0 victory over the San Jose Barracuda at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday NOV 3, 2023. (Calgary Wranglers)

by Marko Ukalovic

Dustin Wolf stopped all 27 shots he faced as he needed was one goal to preserve a Calgary Wranglers 1-0 shutout victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Friday afternoon at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Calgary have won five games in a row and remain unbeaten in regulation. San Jose has dropped six games in a row.

Matt Coronato broke the seal early in the first period with a do-it-yourself goal for Calgary (6-0-1-0). Coronato intercepted a clearing attempt by Henry Thrun at center ice. He skated inside the ‘Cuda zone before firing in a wrist shot past ‘Cuda goalie Magnus Chrona for his first goal of the season at the 4:07 mark of the first period. Rory Kerins was credited with the only assist on the play.

A spirited fight between Scott Sabourin and Alex Gallant at the 10:14 mark was the highlight of the opening 20 minutes. Calgary out shot San Jose 11-6 at the first intermission. Wolf stoned Thomas Bordeleau on a breakaway in the period.

San Jose (1-4-3-0) struggled on the power play despite having three opportunities, including a full two-minute five on three advantage to start the middle frame. Wolf and the Wranglers penalty kill held down the fort to keep the Barracuda off the scoreboard.

Calgary survived a late rush from San Jose late in the third period when they pulled Chrona for an extra attacker in the final minute of regulation.

Wolf (5-0-0) recorded his first shutout of the season, his eighth of his AHL career, and second against San Jose. Chrona (0-3-1), who had his strongest game of the young season, made 34 saves on 35 shots in suffering the tough luck loss.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-5 on the power play. Calgary was 0-for-4.

Wolf remained undefeated against San Jose as he improved his record to 12-0.

Chrona was called up by the San Jose Sharks after the game and will serve as the backup to Makenzie Blackwood in Saturday’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the SAP Center.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Calgary conclude their two-games series on Sunday at 11:00am at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Bengals dominate in 31-17 win over reeling 49ers

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow and Andrei Iosivas celebrate a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday OCT 29, 2023. (Cincinnati Bengals)

by Marko Ukalovic

The sky is not falling in Santa Clara…yet.

Joe Burrow threw for three touchdowns and the Cincinnati Bengals defense created three turnovers in the second half en route to a 31-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco has lost three straight games after beginning the season 5-0. Cincinnati has won three in a row after starting the season 1-3.

It was a long day for the 49ers defense as for the second straight week it was outplayed by the opposing team’s defense. Burrow was 21 of 23 for 170 yards with two touchdowns in the first half. It was the first time he had thrown multiple touchdowns in a first half this season.

Burrow connected with Tyler Boyd for his first touchdown, a seven-yard reception on a fade route to the right side, on its first possession to complete a 10 play 85-yard drive.

San Francisco answered back on its second possession. Running back Christian McCaffery barreled his way in for a two-yard rushing touchdown to complete an eight play 75-yard drive. The big play on the drive was a 31-yard reception by Brandon Aiyuk from Brock Purdy.

McCaffery has a scored a touchdown in 17 consecutive games which tied Lenny Moore, who achieved the same feat from 1963-64 with the Baltimore Colts, for the all-time NFL record.

The Bengals responded with a six play 58-yard scoring drive. Burrow found Andrei Iosivas for a two-yard touchdown reception to give Cincinnati a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Cincinnati had a golden opportunity to go up double-digits just before halftime. However, Celine Ferrell stripped the ball from Irv Smith Jr. after he caught the ball on a screen pass. Isaiah Oliver recovered the ball at the five-yard line with 38 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Purdy used his legs as he was the 49ers leading rusher in first half with 43 yards four carries. Run CMC only had 31 yards on six carries, 16 of those came on the last place of the first half.

Cincinnati opened the second half with a 56-yard field goal from Evan McPherson on a 3:51 drive to go up 17-10. Then both defenses forced punts as they settled in during the third quarter.

It was a nightmare final 15:04 for Purdy as he committed three turnovers, two INT’s and one fumble, that allowed Cincinnati to take control of the game in the fourth quarter. Purdy tried a flip pass intended for Elijah Mithcell at the Bengals four-yard line, but Germaine Pratt deflected the ball to himself for an interception with four seconds left in the third quarter.

The Niners defense held their ground and gave the ball back to Purdy as they forced a three and out on Burrow’s offense. However, Purdy gave the ball back immediately on the next play when his pass over the middle intended for Aiyuk was intercepted by Logan Wilson who returned it to the San Francisco 17-yard line.

Burrow made the 49ers pay on the next play with his third touchdown when he connected with Ja’Marr Chase for a 17-yard touchdown reception to give Cincinnati a 24-10 lead. Chase led the Bengals in receiving with 10 catches for 100 yards.

“He made some bad picks there at the end,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan regarding his quarterback’s five interceptions in his last three games. “I thought he was one of the reasons we were in the game today. Some of those throws he made out there were unbelievable. The mistake in the red zone, missing the handoff was the biggest part. And then once you do that, you can’t throw it or you’re going to get the penalty, but worse that he got the pick.”

San Francisco answered back on its next drive when Purdy found McCaffery in the middle of the endzone for a four-yard touchdown reception to cut the lead down to seven.

The 49ers defense could not get the ball back as Burrows led a methodical 10 play 78-yard scoring drive down the field that ate up 5:18. Running back Joe Mixon pranced into the endzone on a five-yard rushing touchdown to ice the game for Cincinnati.

Burrow finished 28 of 32 for 283 yards to go along with his three TD’s and no interceptions. Mixon led all rushers with 87 yards on 16 carries. Tee Higgins chipped in five catches for 69 yards.

Purdy went led the 49ers in rushing with 57 yards on all scrambles out of the pocket. Tight end George Kittle led the 49ers in receiving, as he has a big fourth quarter, with nine catches for 149 yards. McCaffery chipped in with 54 yards on the ground to go along with six catches for 64 yards.

San Francisco heads into the bye week with things to shore up on both sides of the ball.

“I’ll talk to them more tomorrow. But my message was we’ve got to take that. I mean, we didn’t play well. That team beat us straight up. We talked about tackling better, having less penalties. I think we only had five, but in comparison to them, I think it was one. We had some ones in some crucial situations that gave first downs. My bottom line to them was we’ve got to get better in every aspect. The things that disappointed me today were some of the fundamentals of just throwing and catching, tackling and some of those penalties that cost us,” Shanahan said.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 5-for-9 on third down conversions. Cincinnati went 3-for-8.

UP NEXT: San Francisco is on their bye week. They return back to action on Sunday 11/12 on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars at 10:00am at TIAA Bank Field.

Sporting KC outlasts Earthquakes in penalty shootout, advance to play St. Louis

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sporting Kansas City forward Dániel Sallói celebrates with goalie Tim Melia after beating the San Jose Earthquakes in a shootout victory at Children’s Mercy Park on Wednesday OCT 25. 2023. (Sporting Kansas City)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Blue Hell continued to be a house of horrors for the San Jose Earthquakes.

Dániel Sallói kicked the winning goal in the shootout to give Sporting Kansas City a Wild Card win after winning the shootout 4-2 after both teams went scoreless for 90 minutes on Wednesday evening at Children’s Mercy Park.

Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia improved to 5-0 in penalty kick shootouts as his team will face St. Louis City SC in the best of three first round of the Western Conference playoffs. San Jose went home disappointed after making the playoffs for the first time in three years.

Johnny Russell opened the shootout with a goal. Cristian Espinoza then telegraphed his shot that Melia made a diving save on. Just as Alan Pulido gave the ‘Quakes life when his awkward shot was saved by an outstretched goalkeeper Daniel, captain Jackson Yueill killed any chance for a San Jose win when he overshot the ball high over the net.

Jack Skahan and Carlos Akapo scored for San Jose, but it was not enough as Sallói’s heroics in the fifth round sent the crowd of 17,437 into a frenzied celebration. The Earthquakes suffered a similar fate three years ago on the very same pitch the last time they were in the playoffs that also ended in a shootout loss.

“I thought our intensity was amazing, including our energy, our togetherness, and our work rate. I thought we got into the game eventually, and even in the second half we created good chances and with a few fresh legs coming in. I thought they did great. I thought we were unlucky at the end not to nick a last pass getting into the box. Getting just a different play that I think could have changed the game and put us in the win column in regulation. I am proud of the guys and the staff, and in our approach and our mentality going into the game,” ‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez said.

Russell was a thorn in San Jose’s side all match long with multiple scoring chances. His best chance came off a free kick in the 79th minute when his shot hit the right post. He also sailed a free kick six feet wide left from just outside the box in the 72nd minute.

Sporting KC had San Jose on its heels for the majority of the first half as they possessed the ball in the ‘Quakes zone only to have San Jose’s defense clear the ball out of the danger once it got inside the 18-yard box.

Gonzalez instilled some fresh legs in the second half in attempt to turn the tide of the momentum in his team’s favor. Forward Cade Cowell made the most of his substitution in the 57th minute when replaced Matthew Hoppe.

Cowell had the Earthquakes best scoring opportunity in the 66th minute with a long run past multiple Sporting KC defenders. However, his shot attempt into the middle of the box was blocked by a Sporting KC fullback and cleared out of danger.

Sporting KC had a golden opportunity late in the match to keep the game from going to a shootout. Sallói’s point-blank attempt in the 90th minute from 3-yards out was stoned away by a sliding Daniel after Sallói sneaked in unmarked past the ‘Quakes defense.

Daniel collected three saves and the Quakes’ defense blocked an additional four shots to keep the score deadlocked after 90 minutes despite Sporting Kansas City amassing 18 total shots.

Despite the early exit from the playoffs, it was a successful season under Gonzalez in his first year as the team’s manager. The club had a nine-point improvement from last season when it finished dead last in the Western Conference with just 35 points.

“We gave validation to all the work that we put into the season on and off the field. Trying to make our fans and families admire the way we act and play. We fought and kept building enough points to get into the playoffs. We came here on a mission and with motivation,” Gonzalez said.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with four corner kicks. Sporting KC had eight.

The Earthquakes’ defense earned their first postseason shutout in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs since Nov. 4, 2012, when San Jose defeated the LA Galaxy on the road, 1-0, in the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals. Victor Bernardez scored the lone goal in the 94th minute to give the Quakes the victory.

San Jose’s all-time playoff record goes to 12-13-2 and 4-10-1 on the road, with an even 40 goals scored and 40 conceded. The Quakes’ postseason record against SKC drops to 2-2-1 with eight goals for and eight against.

Phoenix Suns start season with win over Warriors 108-104 in SF

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) takes the ball up the floor against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Oct 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors hosted the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center Tuesday night to open the 2023-2024 season. The Warriors lost their home opener by four points to the Suns 108-104. Both teams remade their roster over the off-season. The Suns acquired Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards and Jusef Nurkic from the Portland Trailblazers.

Former Warrior Kevin Durant came over to the Suns late last year in a deal with the Brooklyn Nets. The Warriors traded away Jordan Poole in a trade for the veteran point guard Chris Paul. The Warriors added Dario Saric and Corey Joseph.

Each team was missing a key player. The Warriors Draymond Green did not play due to an ankle injury, and the Suns’ Bradley Beal was out due to an injury. 

Each team wanted to open the season with a win. Like the Warriors, the Suns were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs last season. The opener could be a preview of the teams meeting later in the playoffs. Round one went to the Suns as they could grind out a win.

The Suns grabbed an early advantage in the first period. The Suns led 24-12 when the Warriors went on a 16-3 run. The teams ended up tied 28-28 after the first 12 minutes. The Suns dominated the second period. They outscored the Warriors by 15 points to finish the first half leading 61-46. The Warriors continued their bad habit of committing too many fouls.

The Suns had 15 shots from the free-throw line and made 12. The Suns shot 49% from the floor, the Warriors 31%. It looked like it might be a long night for the Warriors.

Things changed in the third quarter. The Warriors outscored the Suns 40-19 to finish the quarter leading 86-80. In the quarter, the Suns sent the Warriors to the free-throw line. Phoenix continued to turn the ball over, and the Warriors put points on the board due to their miscues.

The Warriors handled the ball better for the first three periods. However, teams have to play 48 minutes of basketball. Teams have no trouble overcoming a six-point deficit with 12 minutes to play. Jonathan Kuninga opened the fourth quarter with a bucket to up the lead to 88-80.

The Suns answered with an 11-0 run to lead 91-88. Neither team would wilt. Phoenix led by four 103-99 until guard Stephen Curry connected on a three to make it a two-point deficit. Phoenix connected on a three, but Curry’s three made it 106-104.

30 seconds remained to play. Phoenix worked the clock and scored with ten seconds left. The Warriors needed a four-point play. They were hoping to get the ball to Curry for the final shot. The Suns did not let that happen. Phoenix wins the opener 108-104.

Game Notes: Steve Kerr was disappointed with the Warriors loss. There were some bright spots for Golden State. Chris Paul scored 14 points, had six rebounds, and nine assists. Kuminga scored 12 points and had six rebounds. The one negative was Kuminga’s five fouls. Curry had 27 points.

Curry made four threes in 14 tries. Curry also committed five fouls and had to sit longer on the bench. Dario Saric scored seven, had seven rebounds, and played well on defense. Klay Thompson made three threes in 11 tries. 

The Warriors, unfortunately for them, turned the ball over five times in the fourth quarter. The Warriors defense had 11 steals and blocked six shots. 

The Suns had five players in double-figures. Devin Booker led the Suns with 32 points. Kevin Durant had a double-double with 18 points and ten rebounds. Jusef Nurkic had 14 points and 14 boards. Eric Gordon had ten points. Gordon made a key three late in the fourth quarter. Josh Okogie was the third Sun player with a double-double. The Warriors had no answer for Okogie. Okogie knocked down 17 points and had 15 rebounds. 

The Warriors start a three-game road trip with a game against the Sacramento Kings on Friday night at the Golden One Arena. The game will start at 7 pm.