Tag: Sports Radio Service

Raiders Rally in Fourth Quarter Falls Short Losing to Steelers 23-18

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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III (19) runs for a touchdown during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Raiders attempted comeback in the fourth quarter fell short losing to the Steelers 23-18 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Las Vegas had a scoreless second and third quarter which spelled the difference in this game.

The Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) welcomed the Pittsburg Steelers (1-1) to Allegiant Stadium in a Sunday Night Football clash. Last week the Raiders were blitzed by the Buffalo Bills 38-10. The Steelers got past the Cleveland Browns winning the game in the fourth quarter 26-22.

The Raiders were first up on the scoreboard but that would be all that Las Vegas could manage going into the fourth quarter. In the opening quarter Jimmy Garoppolo found Davante Adams for 32 yards, the touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

It all went downhill from there. The Steelers also had one touchdown in the first quarter to tie up the game and it was a huge play, a 72 yard pass from Kenny Pickett to Calvin Austin.

Neither team could break the tie until 8:33 in the second quarter. The flow of this game was about to change. Pittsburg would kick two field goals in the quarter. Kicker Chris Boswell made a 43 yard field goal mid-way through the quarter and a 42- yard kick to end the first half. The Steelers took a 13-7 lead into the locker room after two quarters.

As the third quarter got underway the Raiders were still very much in this game. They were one touchdown away from taking the lead. The Steelers kicker Chris Boswell kicked a third field goal at 9:28 for 57 yards.

Pittsburg took a 16-7 lead but the Raiders were still within striking distance. With 3:56 left in the third quarter the game really took a turn when the Steelers scored their second touchdown of the game. With Pittsburg now leading by the score of 23-7, the Raiders had one quarter left to try to turn this game around.

The fourth quarter was a rough one for Jimmy Garoppolo getting sacked a couple of times but putting together a great drive that culminated in a one yard pass to Davante Adams for the touchdown. The Raiders made a two point conversion and it was a one score game 23-15 with 5:41 left on the game clock.

The Raiders held tight and sent the Steeler offense off the field three and out with 4:35 to go in the game. Las Vegas drove down to the Steeler eight yard line with 2.35 left in the game in a real nail-biter. The Raiders could not score the touchdown and had to settle for the field goal a 26 yard Daniel Carlson kick cutting the Steeler lead to 23-18.

Had the Raiders scored the touchdown, they could have tied up this game. There was 2:22 on the clock remaining and the Raiders had to go three and out. Las Vegas could not hold the Steelers and with one time out left and two minutes left in the game it was all but over.

The Steelers ended this game with their third interception of the evening with 12 seconds on the clock. The Raiders came so close in this game but it was the lack of offense in the second and third quarters that really hurt them.

Jimmy Garoppolo had a great second half finishing with 324 passing yards but also had three interceptions. The Raiders had 69 rushing yards, 62 of them from Josh Jacobs. Davante Adams had 13 catches for 172 yards.

Next Sunday Oct 1st the Raiders will travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers. San Diego will come into this game on a high after beating the Minnesota Vikings keeping them winless. Charger quarterback Justin Herbert had a banner day throwing for 405 yards. Kickoff for next weeks game is scheduled for 1:05 PM.

Giants Fall to Dodgers in Tenth 3-2; SF Drops 5 Games Back in NL Wild Card

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San Francisco Giants’ LaMonte Wade Jr., right, celebrates with Tyler Fitzgerald after they both scored off of a home run hit by Wade Jr. during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium on Sun Sep 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Despite having the bases loaded numerous times the San Francisco Giants were unable to get past the Los Angeles Dodgers losing in ten innings 3-2 Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers were first up on the scoreboard in the second inning. J.D. Martinez doubled followed by James Outman who wasted no time knocking the first pitch out of the park for a 2-0 lead.

San Francisco would tie up the game in the fifth inning. Fitzgerald came to the plate and singled to center. Next up LaMonte Wade Jr. homered to center and this game was all tied up 2-2. It was a brand new ball game.

The deadlock would continue into the eighth inning. Both defenses had really stepped up and there was not a whole lot of offensive action from either team.

In the ninth inning the Giants were on the verge of breaking this tie. They had the bases loaded with Heliot Ramos on third, Marco Luciano on second and LaMonte Wade Jr. was intentionally walked.

San Francisco had a huge opportunity to put some runs up on the board and break the tie. Dodgers pitcher Evan Phillips got out of the inning striking out Mitch Haniger giving Los Angeles the chance for a walk off. A Freeman ground out, a Muncy line out and a Martinez strike out sent this game into extra innings.

In the tenth inning the Giants once again loaded the bases with Estrada, Pederson and Haniger on base and Patrick Bailey at the plate. San Francisco did not want to come away empty a second time.

In a horrible twist of fate the Dodgers pulled off a double play and this game went into the bottom of the tenth. You can only toy with the Dodgers for so long before it bites you in the rear. With Amed Rosario on third base, Chris Taylor singled and that was ball game.

The Giants unable to turn loaded base situations into runs was their downfall in this game. They had every opportunity to win the game but just couldn’t pull it off. Although not mathematically out of a Wild Card it does now look pretty grim.

Giants post game notes: Sunday afternoon the San Francisco Giants (77-79) took on the Los Angeles Dodgers (96-59) in game four of their four game series. The Dodgers won the first game of the series 7-2 as well as the third game in a shutout 7-0.

San Francisco won game two 5-1 and are looking to even this series in game four. The Giants are running out of time with only seven games left and still sitting in sixth place for a Wild Card. They will need a lot of help to get into that third spot and they can’t give up anymore games. Making things worse for the Giants every team that is vying for the Wild Card spots won today. The Phillies, Marlins, Cubs, Reds, and Diamondbacks all winners.

Monday night the Giants will begin a three game series at Oracle Park with the San Diego Padres. On the mound for San Francisco will be Logan Webb. He has a 10-13 win/loss record with a 3.35 ERA. The Giants offense will face the Padres Blake Snell with a 14-9 win/loss record and a 2.33 ERA. Juan Soto leads the Padres in home runs with 33, and his batting average is .282 with 105 RBIs.

The Giants have a good one in Wilmer Flores who is having a great season with 22 home runs and a .281 batting average. Thairo Estrada is another offensive weapon for San Francisco with a .274 ERA. First pitch on Monday is scheduled for 6:45 PM.

Sharks open preseason by dominating Vegas 5-2

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Sharks X. The Sharks celebrate their preseason victory over Vegas on September 24, 2023.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The preseason could not have gotten off to a better start for the Sharks as they walloped their Pacific Division rivals Vegas by a final of 5-2

Kaapo Kahkonen got the start with Magnus Chrona backing him up while Vegas had Jiri Patera in between the pipes with Jesper Vikman playing backup.

The first period for the Sharks was filled with power plays and goals as they drew three penalties and scored four goals.

The goal scoring was kicked off by Henry Thrun who’s looking to build off of his eight game stint in the NHL last season. Following that up would be Thomas Hertl who capitalized off of a beautiful tic-tac-toe play involving Mike Hoffman and Thrun. Less than a minute later journeyman Nathan Todd scored off a fortunate bounce out front making it 3-0. All three goals came before the ten minute mark had even passed.

Late in the first Ivan Barbashev got one back off a backhand right in the slot that beat Kahkonen top shelf. Thrun was not done showing off his skills as another seeing eye shot from the youngster found its way in giving him two goals and an assist in the period.

At the end of the first the shots were tied at ten apiece.

The second was a little more back and forth as the teams exchanged chances. Once again the Sharks found the board on a pass by Alexander Barabonv that found a seam through the slot. The recipient of the pass Kyle Burroughs shelved it over Patera making it 5-1.

Toward the end of the second Daniil Chayka flung one on the net that tipped in off Brett Howden cutting the Sharks lead to three.

The shot totals at the end of the second were 21-18 in favor of Vegas.

Starting out the third for Vegas was Jesper Vikman in goal.

As far as final periods go this one ended up being rather uneventful as the San Jose looked a little more sluggish. Starting out the third for Vegas was Jesper Vikman in goal.

Early on the Sharks ended up in penalty trouble as Barabonov took a holding penalty but Vegas could not capitalize.

The Sharks were able to hold on for the win 5-2 with Kahkonen making 32 saves.

The three stars of the game were 1st: Henry Thrun 2nd: Thomas Hertl 3rd: Kyle Burroughs

San Jose’s next preseason game will be against the Ducks on Tuesday at home at 7 p.m.

Aces Beat Wings In Impresssive Opening Semi-Final Round 97-83

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Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson (22) passes to guard Jackie Young (0) defending the Dallas Wings forward Natasha Howard (6) and guard Arike Ogunbowale (24) in first half action of the WNBA semifinals at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas on Sun Sep 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

A’Ja Wilson and company took it to the Dallas Wings in the opening round of the semi-finals. Wilson finished with 34 points and eight rebounds in the 97-83 win in game 1. Kelsey Plum had a terrific game with 25 points and five rebounds.

Sunday afternoon the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (1-0) continued on their path to a back-to-back title. The Dallas Wings (0-1) stand between them and a trip to the finals. The Wings are the only team to defeat not only the Aces but also the Liberty and Connecticut in the regular season. They are a dangerous team.

In the previous game in this semi-final round, the New York Liberty were upset by the Connecticut Sun 78-63. In this game the Wings faced not only the Most Valuable Defensive Player of the year in A’Ja Wilson but also Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Kelsey Plum. It was a daunting task for Dallas.

Game 1 recap: The Aces did not have the greatest rhythm to start the game and with 2:03 left in the first quarter gave up the lead. Las Vegas had led by as much as six points but turnovers led to a 17-16 Dallas lead. As the quarter came to an end the Aces had taken back the lead by the slimmest of margins 20-19. Both teams were turning over the ball way too much which did not bode well for either of them. Wilson finished the quarter with ten points.

As this game wore on it became evident that this would be no easy task for Las Vegas despite the Wings season record. They would have to be on their A-game against this red hot team. Kelsey Plum had a slow start but got it going in the second quarter. In 2 1/2 minutes time she scored ten points going on a “Plum Run”.

The Aces held on winning the second quarter 29-26 taking a 49-45 halftime lead into the locker room. If the first half was any indication, the Aces would have to take it up a notch in the second half. This infamously second half team would have to live up to that. The Wings were proving to be a very tough opponent through the first two quarters.

As the third quarter got underway we saw an Ace team that was living up to their reputation taking a ten point lead mid-way through the quarter. Las Vegas smothered the Wings in the quarter winning it 26-12 taking a 75-57 lead.

After being down by 20 points, the Wings pulled to within 11 points but Las Vegas ran it back up to a 17 point lead with 6:52 left in the game. The Aces were on a mission and they were playing like it leading 83-66.

Las Vegas had four starters in double digits with A’Ja Wilson leading the way with 32 points. Las Vegas finished off this game in Ace style 97-83. They had ten shots from beyond the arc and four starters in double digits. Besides Wilson and Plum, Jackie Young finished with 19 points and ten rebounds. Chelsea Young had 13 points .

Game two of this semi-final round will be played on Tuesday in Las Vegas at Michelob ULTRA Arena with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Tigers end A’s home season with 2-0 shutout; Detroit sends out 3 pitchers to silence A’s hitting

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez throws to an Oakland Athletics batter during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on the last A’s home game on Sun Sep 24, 2023 (AP News photo)

Detroit (73-83). 002 000 000. – 2. 11. 0
Oakland (48-108). 000 000 000 – 0. 7. 1

Time: 2:34

Attendance: 13,102

Sunday, September 24, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND—Well, that did it. The Oakland Athletics wrapped up their home season with 2-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers in a contest riddled with missed opportunities.

JP Sears, who had struggled through a 5-12, 4.52 season, also struggled again this afternoon. He faced 23 batters over five innings, throwing them 97 pitches 58 of them strikes. He allowed two runs, both of them earned but not entirely his fault. He struck out seven and walked two before being relieved in the sixth by Adrián Martínez, who threw 2+ scoreless innings. Sears took the loss and went home with a record of 5-13, 4.49.

Martínez held the Tigers in check for 2+ frames before yielding to Kyle Muller with Jake Rogers on first with a bloop single to center. Muller managed to keep the Tigers off the board in the eighth, with a little help from a great throw by Rooker to nab Zach McKinstry trying to advance from first to third. McKinstry had gotten on base when Noda made a fine grab and throw of his attempted sacrifice to force Rogers out at second. Zach Neal hurled a scoreless ninth..

Opposing Sears in this battle of southpaws, was Eduardo Rodríguez, (11-9, 3.57 at game time), who did a fine job in his seven innings of work. He shut the Athletics out on five hits, four walks, and a wild pitch.He threw an even 100 pitches; 61 counted as strikes, chalking up five Ks.

Jason Foley followed him and was pulled in favor of Alex Lange after allowing a two out single to Rooker. Langer fanned the pinch hitting Seth Brown to end the inning and then stayed on to close out the game. Rodríguez earned the win, his 12th against nine losses and brought his ERA down to 3.40. Langer earned the save, his 25th.

Miguel Cabrera was in Detroit’s starting line up as the designated hitter. He closed out his Coliseum career by going 0 for 4 with a walk but drew loud applause after his last at bat, at which he struck out

Esteury Ruíz, leading off instead of batting in his recent number nine slot in order to improve his chances of breaking the record of stolen bases by an American League rookie (66) made two attempts in the bottom of the first.

He was successful in pilfering second but was out by a mile when he tried to steal third. That brought his total to 64. Ruíz’s leadoff double in the fourth gave him another chance to steal. He took advantage of it as the lead runner in a double steal that he and Gelof pulled off, catcher Jake Robinson’s throwing straight through to second.

That gave the A’s two runners in scoring position with none out. They blew that opportunity. when Ruíz was thrown out at home on Rooker’s grounder to third and Díaz bounced into an inning ending double play. It was a case of The Curse of the Leadoff Double being compounded by The Curse of the Double Steal and The Curse of the Double Play.

Another base running error conspired with The Curse of the Leadoff Double one inning later. Shea Langeliers laced the fatidic two bagger and then tried to advance to third on Ryan Noda’s hard ground ball to short. He. was not successful. The A’s went on to load the bases and leave three more runners on base.

Sears was the victim of some poor fielding in the top or the third that teamed up with a couple of Tiger hits to give the visitors the 2-0 lead they would hold for the rest of the game. Parker Meadows banged a double off the Budweiser ad beneath the 362 foot marker in left field. Matt Vierling followed with a walk.

Andy Ibáñez lifted a pop fly to short right. Zack Gelof attempted an over the shoulder catch but couldn’t keep the ball in his glove; it was scored as. single. Spencer Torkelson’s fly to right fell in for a single, driving in the two runners, and Torkelson took second on Rooker’s errant throw to the infield. Sears bore down, and second base is where Torkelson was stranded. Sears, Martínez, Muller, and Neal shut the Tigers down from there on.

The A’s will travel on Minneapolis and Anaheim for the half a dozen games remaining in their schedule. Paul Blackman (4-6, 4,11) will face the Twins on Tuesday at 4:40 Pacific Time. The Twins will go against Kenta Maeda (6-7, 4.28).

MLB podcast with Augie Mesenburg: Astros could be a force if they can just clinch a playoff spot; Braves add Morton to IL; plus more news

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Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker is hoping to lead the Astros into the post season, in the Wild Card the Astros are in third place and are 1.5 back in the AL West. (AP file photo)

On the MLB The Show podcast with Augie:

#1 Augie, the Houston Astros just holding onto the third position in the AL Wild Card and they are 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the AL West. If the Astros get into post season they will be as tough as anyone in the American League playoffs.

#2 One thing the Atlanta Braves have to be concerned about is their pitching rotation which added Charlie Morton to the 15 IL today. Morton is suffering from a right sprain finger and can’t pitch NL Division Series. Morton (14-12 ERA 3.64) how much will he be missed for the beginning of the post season?

#3 Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts set an Major League record for the most RBIs for a leadoff hitter in a season with 105. Betts hit an eighth inning double on Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants pitcher Ross Stripling to score Dodgers Austin Barnes and David Peralta.

#4 The Los Angeles Angels had already shut down Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon now they have officially ended outfielder Mike Trout’s 2023 season as the injuries pile on the Angels. Trout who returned Aug 22after fracturing a hamate bone but was still in discomfort and returned to the 30 day IL. It was announced by the Angles Trout would be out for the rest of the season on Sunday.

#5 After the Pittsburgh Pirates took two out of three games from the Chicago Cubs in a previous series the Pirates came right and and rallied for nine runs against the Cincinnati Reds to come back and win 13-12. The Reds who have been suffering all season had their bullpen meltdown as the Pirates came back with nine runs to win it. The last time the Pirates came back to win scoring nine runs was way back in 1882.

Augie Mesenburg is a podcast contributor at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Huskies Destroy California Bears 59-35

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Cal Bears wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter (3) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Huskies in first half action at Huskies Stadium in Seattle on Sat Sep 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Eight Washington touchdowns handed the California Bears a 59-32 beat-down.

Saturday evening the California Bears (2-2) traveled up north to take on the Washington Huskies (4-0) and were handily defeated at Huskies Stadium in Seattle. The Bears tried to establish the run while Washington stopped the Cal run.

The #8 Huskies gave the Bears a run for their money. They had great offense and defense and Cal needed to pull out all the stops to have any chance against this power house.

In the blink of an eye the Huskies had taken a 14-0 lead. What is even crazier, the Huskies had not even made a single offensive play. The first touchdown came as a result of an interception. At 12:37 in the first quarter Edefuan Ulofoshio picked a Ben Finley pass taking it 45 yards for the first touchdown of the game and Washington led early 7-0.

Minutes later Washington’s Rome Odunze returned a punt for 83 yards and a second Huskie touchdown and a 14-0 lead. Cal saw some great play from the Huskies defense and special teams in the opening quarter but still had not seen the Washington offense.

When it had started to look like an empty first quarter for California, quarterback Ben Finley drove downfield connecting with Jeremiah Hunter for seven yards and Cal was on the scoreboard. Cal kicker Michael Luckhurst missed the extra point but the Bears had come away with a good drive.

Washington answered scoring another touchdown as Cal finally got to see their offense. Michael Penix Jr. found Ja’Lynn Polk for eight yards and their third touchdown taking a 21-6 lead. The Huskies had scored defensively, offensively and on special team in a well-rounded first quarter.

Washington finished off the quarter with a Grady Gross kick for 41 yards extending their lead 24-6. It had been a banner quarter for the Huskies and a play from behind quarter for Cal. The Huskies defense had given Cal all sorts of problem intercepting the ball twice in the first quarter.

In the second quarter Washington continued to run right through the Cal defense in the air and on the ground. In the early minutes of the quarter, Dillon Johnson rushed for three yards and another touchdown for the Huskies.

With a 31-6 lead Washington was running away with this game. Cal’s attempts to run the ball were denied by the Huskies forcing third down passing plays that came dangerously close to even more interceptions.

Bears quarterback Ben Finley continued to throw the ball and he put together another nice drive at 9:00 finding Taj Davis for 24 yards and Cal’s second touchdown of the game. The two-point conversion attempt failed and the Bears were looking at a 31-12 deficit. Too make things even more fun, the skies opened up and rain began to fall.

At 7:27 Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. made a rare mistake throwing an interception and Cal had the ball in Husky territory on the 37 yard line. The great play that California had made was erased when Washington intercepted the ball on the very next play. This was their third pick of the game.

Washington finished off the first half with not one but two more touchdown. At 4:08 Penix Jr. connected with Ja’Lynn Polk for a second time in this game, a 24 yard pass. With 44 seconds left on the clock Penix Jr. again found an open Rome Odunze for 35 yards and his second touch down of the game. The Huskies took a 45-12 lead into the locker room. California had been competitive in this game but it was the turnovers that left them in the dust.

Despite an extensive injury history which includes ACL and shoulder issues, Michael Penix Jr. continues to excel every time he takes the field. Both the offense and defense of Washington were making life pretty miserable for the Bears.

Both teams would score a single touchdown in the third quarter. Penix Jr. would tack on another 16 yards finding Rome Odunze in the end zone. Despite the 52-12 Husky lead, the Bears continued to fight scoring a rushing touchdown with 1:49 left on the clock. Going into the final quarter the Huskies led 52-19.

Cal would score early in the fourth quarter via a 20 yard pass from Sam Jackson V to Trond Grizzell. The extra point failed and the Bears had some issues with their kicking game. Washington extended their 52-25 lead when Sam Adams II rushed for nine yards and the Huskies had scored their eighth touchdown of the game leading 59-25.

You have to give the Bears a lot of credit fighting to the end scoring the final touchdown of the game. Ashton Stredick rushed for three yards in that last score. The final was 59-32. It sure would have been a much closer game had it not been for those turnovers.

Next Saturday the Bears will take on Arizona State at California Memorial Stadium Berkeley. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM.

Earthquakes battle to frustrating tie against Nashville 1-1

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Photo courtesy of San Jose Earthquakes.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- After their loss against Portland San Jose looked for a bounce back against Nashville but was only able to force a draw 1-1.

Getting the start in goal for San Jose was Daniel while for Nashville Elliot Panicco was in-between the pipes. San Jose started in a 4-3-3 with Nashville countering in a 4-2-3-1.

After a quick chance for San Jose in the first half from Ebobisse things remained pretty quiet between the two teams. Both Nashville and SJ only totaled seven shots with only two on target.

There was two yellows given in the first with one against Cristian Espinoza and the other against Anibal Godov.

The second half ended up being an immensely different ballgame as San Jose completely dominated. In the second half alone the Earthquakes fired off 18 shots with four of them landing on target.

One of those shots on target went in from an unlikely player as Matthew Hoppe scored his second goal in as many matches. The goal come off of a pass from Carlos Akapo that streaked across the box and found Hoppe wide open to drive the ball home.

That goal came at the 74th minute and the pressure did not stop as they looked to break the tie.

At one point the Quakes had a flurry of chances as Monteiro was robbed off a header then Hoppe on the rebound had his shot blocked. The ball then bounced back out to Jackson Yueill who fired it off of the post. The chances didn’t stop there as Espinoza fired one on goal forcing Panicco to make another save.

With the crowd nearly on its feet a goal seemed inevitable as Hoppe came running in on a loose ball. Hoppe then proceeded to poke the ball in between Panicco’s legs but the ball rolled on the goal line and off the post.

Nashville continued to be on it’s heels for the rest of the half but San Jose could not deliver the killing blow ending the game in a tie at 1-1.

“I think with the few games we have left we know where we are on the table and we know that we need to maximize the points,” midfielder Jackson Yueill said after the match.

With the tie San Jose is now in eighth in the West with 41 points.

San Jose’s next match will be on Saturday against Minnesota on the road at 5:30 p.m.

Roots Playoff Hopes Still Intact As Oakland Draws 2-2 With Monterey Bay FC

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Final score of the Oakland Roots vs. Monterey Bay FC match at UC Hayward East Bay on Sat Sep 23, 2023 (@oaklandrootssc photo)

Saturday, September 23rd, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Hayward, CA – This week the Oakland Roots raised over 2 million dollars from over 3,200 new investors setting the American sports record for crowdfunding effort. Billie Joe Armstrong the lead singer of Green Day became an owner as well, but with all this big hype for Oakland, they still had a game this week and tonight was against Monterey Bay FC. Oakland currently sits in 7th place in the West just one point clear of the playoff line. 

The game started with Monterey Bay getting on the board in the opening three minutes with Alex Dixon scoring one past Paul Blanchette after receiving an assist from Sam Gleadle and knocking the shot the center of the goal off his left foot, 1-0 Monterey Bay.

The Roots looked to respond in minute 28, but the attack was foiled by Monterey’s defense. Oakland would end up getting the equalizer in the 44th minute when a cross from Bryan Tamacas was capitalized on by Daniel Barbir and shot from close range to even the game at 1-1, this would take us to the end of the 1st half and it was enough for Oakland to see they might have a chance to earn three points. 

The second half on a chilly night in Hayward, California was seemingly the most important 45 minutes for the Roots at this point in the season. If Oakland was able to get the win here, they’d find themselves right at the front door of the playoffs.

The tie was broken when a deep pass beat the Roots defensive back line and with a great one touch, Sean Okoli took it himself and scored it himself, 2-1 Monterey Bay FC. It seemed like Oakland wouldn’t come back and get the equalizing goal, but in the 90th minute Neveal Hackshaw did exactly that for the Roots.

It was Hackshaw’s first goal in a Roots jersey and it couldn’t have been at a more perfect time. After three minutes in stoppage time the ref blew the closing whistle and this game ended in a 2-2 draw with the Roots at this point two points below the playoff line.

The next game for Oakland will be a home game Saturday, September 30th against San Antonio and with four games left the playoff race is in Oakland’s hands if they can run the table riding the momentum of this draw.

Cardinal Suffers Wounds from Wildcats’ Attack; Lose Close Pac 12 Battle 21-20 on the Farm

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Arizona Wildcats tight end Tanner McLachlan (84) goes airborne over Stanford safety Alaka i Gilman at Stanford Stadium on Sat Sep 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12)  could not attain their first conference win and/or home victory with a 21-20 defeat at the paws of the Arizona Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) on a nice evening in the Bay.

The Cardinal got themselves on the scoreboard first, (10:35) early in the initial quarter, on a 35-yard field goal by Josh Karty.  He kept his consecutive FG streak alive at 26, without a miss.  Stanford was up 3-0, with plenty of time left in the period.

Unfortunately for the Cardinal and Karty, as the whistle blew to end the first 15 minutes of play, his streak (26) ended on a 51-yard attempt wide right of the uprights.  After one, Stanford retained their three point lead, 3-0 SU.

Early in the second block of play, Arizona got themselves in the scoring column.  Junior quarterback Jayden de Laura tossed a 36-yard TD pass to redshirt senior TE Tanner McLachlan, giving the desert cats the temporary lead, 7-3.

Arizona held that advantage for more than eight minutes; however, Stanford eventually had an answer for their feline guests.  The Cardinal performed a jet sweep with WR Bryce Farrell taking the ball into the end zone for a two yard touchdown.  Stanford back on top, 10-7.

The Cardinal took that three point margin into the locker room at intermission.  It also seemed they had the momentum after the 30-minute Pacific 12 battle.  However, there would be at least 30 more minutes to contest.

The second half did not produce immediate action, but with nearly six minutes left in the third, the Wildcats scratched their mark.  Jayden de Laura scored an uncontested seven yard TD on a QB keeper misdirection play.

Stanford got in on the action with less than two minutes left in the 3/4 mark of the contest.  Freshman RB Sedrick Irvin maneuvered around the defensive line after nearly being stymied at the line of scrimmage, made his way into pay dirt for a one yard TD.  Cardinal back in the lead, 17-14.

That was the advantage they took into the last stanza.  The Cardinal managed to have the lead (3) after every quarter, thus far in the game.  Will that be the case after four?

The Final chapter started off inauspiciously for the Cardinal; as the previously consistent FG kicker missed another 51-yard attempt wide right.  Karty went from 26 in a row without a miss, to two consecutive misses from the same distance.  The off target attempt did not affect the score adversely for the home team.  They still led by three (17-14) with more than ten minutes left in regulation time.  They have to hope those two missed field goals (six points) don’t come back to haunt them after 60 minutes of conference action.

Unfortunately, four minutes later, the Wildcats clawed their way back into the lead when graduate senior running back DJ Williams rushed into the end zone for a two yard TD.  Now the frisky guests are back on top by four, 21-17 AZ.

Karty somewhat redeemed himself with a little more than three minutes left in the game.  He avoided the “Hat Trick” of missed field goals by successfully booting one from 46 yards away.  This feat by his foot, brought the Cardinal within one of the Wildcats, 21-20.  The attempt of an onside kick did not work, and Stanford had no other choice but to try and force a turnover.

That did not come to fruition, as Arizona converted a first down and kneeled keeping possession of the ball until the scoreboard clock hit zeros and the final whistle was sounded.  The Wildcats scaled the Tree and took a one point victory into their visiting locker room.  21-20, Arizona.

Stanford will stay on the Farm and face the high flying Oregon Ducks next Saturday, September 30 (3:30 pm PDT).  Arizona heads back to the desert (Tucson) to host the Washington Huskies on the same date (7 pm Local Time).

Note:  Joshua Karty’s impressive FG streak ended at the end of the first quarter; however, he was 2-4 on the night and brought them within one point of a tie.

Cardinal QB Ashton Daniels threw for 202 yards, with 0 TD’s.  RB Sedrick Irvin and WR Bryce Farrell each scored touchdowns.