Second Goal

The groundwork for yesterday's 10-7 Centennial victory over Glenelg in boys lacrosse was laid over the past two seasons. After being beaten by Glenelg last season for the county title because of a 5-3 regular-season loss to the Gladiators, and after being eliminated from the playoffs by Glenelg in the regional final two years ago, the Eagles wanted some revenge. "This is the game we always think about because we want to get them back," said senior Scott Fry, who scored two third-quarter goals at Glenelg during a three-goal Centennial run that opened the second half and broke a 4-4 halftime tie. No. 12-ranked Centennial (7-1 overall, 5-0 league)

Even with the sun in his eyes, Will Couch's split-second decision turned out to be the right one. The junior attackman's overtime goal, off a pass from All-Metro teammate Randall Cooper, glanced off St. Mary's keeper Peter Stewart and into the net, lifting No. 9 Friends to last night's 9-8 victory over No. 10 St. Mary's in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference game at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field. "It was a great pass from Randall - right to my stick. I think it hit off the goalie, but I couldn't tell with the sun in my eyes," said Couch of his only goal.

There was no question how badly Park wanted yesterday's game with visiting John Carroll. The Bruins simply kept coming at their opponent. They played with an aggressiveness that let them stay in control for long stretches. That intensity also helped Park overcome losing a two-goal lead in the final minute of regulation and pull out a 6-5 victory in double overtime over No. 13 John Carroll in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference game. Jake Cornblath scored the game-winning goal with 1:52 left in the second overtime.

PASADENA, Calif. - The rain was turned off for the Rose Bowl, just as it always is. It hasn't rained on the game - or the accompanying parade - in 50 years. Thus the 91st Rose Bowl woke up in sunshine, after a week of record rains, as No. 6 Texas squared off against No. 13 Michigan for the first time in the schools' long and glorious histories. And the game didn't disappoint, as Texas sophomore quarterback Vince Young and Michigan freshman quarterback Chad Henne had a Rose Bowl game for the ages that the Longhorns won, 38-37, as time expired.

ST. LOUIS - Two-time defending champions aren't supposed to be treated like this. With coach Tim Wittman ejected nine seconds into the third quarter for arguing with referees Brian Hall and Ali Saheli, the Blast held on to win, 8-7, in overtime over the St. Louis Steamers last night. Wittman ended up protesting too much after Steamers goalie Brett Phillips came off his line and sent the Blast's Billy Nelson into the boards. Assistant coach Max Thompson filled in. "I would do the same thing again," said Wittman.

River Hill's Matt Stara, who has a phenomenally long throw-in, twice stung Mount Hebron with it yesterday as the fourth-ranked Hawks defeated the No. 3 Vikings, 2-1, in Ellicott City. The Hawks (9-1, 7-1), who have won four Howard County titles and four state titles since the school opened in 1996, took a big step toward winning their fifth county title. They have two remaining league games, against Howard and Glenelg. Second-place Mount Hebron (10-1-1, 6-1-1) lost to River Hill for the sixth straight time.

Hammond began yesterday as the surprise leader in the Howard County boys soccer standings with a 3-0 league record that included a victory over No. 5 River Hill. The Bears were the only county team without either a loss or a tie. But No. 4 Mount Hebron defeated Hammond, 2-1, on Jordan Hoolachan's goal with 9:06 left in the game. Hoolachan tapped in a rebound after a deflection off diving Hammond goalkeeper David Griffith's hand. Vikings goalkeeper Ryan Kreh saved the game in the closing seconds by leaping to catch a header by sweeper Steve Basso.

The Loyola boys soccer team hadn't been behind at the half in a game all season. Yesterday, on the road against goal-happy Archbishop Curley, proved to be a bad time to start. The No. 2 Friars took an early advantage and showed an explosive ability to put a team away with three second-half goals that showcased a stunning 4-0 win over the No. 3 Dons in a key Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference game. Sophomore forward B.J. Quigley opened the scoring with a goal in the 14th minute and added two more goals in the second half to move the Friars to 10-2 overall and 6-0 in the league.

THESSALONIKI, Greece - The United States swept into the semifinals of the Olympic women's soccer tournament last night with a convincing 2-1 victory over Japan at Kaftanzoglio Stadium. Less convincing were the explanations given for the legitimate, but controversial, winning goal by Abby Wambach in the 59th minute. It came off a free kick by Mia Hamm, who sent the ball in from the left flank. The Japanese defenders moved forward on the kick to try to catch the Americans offside, and Kristine Lilly, Julie Foudy and Wambach all were caught by the maneuver.

With a sudden three-goal surge midway through the second half giving support to a stellar day on defense, the No. 1 St. Paul's girls lacrosse team got past two barriers yesterday in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship game. The Gators overcame a challenge from a determined Roland Park team, and with their 5-4 win, they came away with their first league championship. Starting the season ranked 14th in the metro area, St. Paul's (16-1-1) earned its keep at the top of the poll with 15 straight wins to close out the season - 10 coming against ranked opponents in the area's most demanding league.