Soccer

Greater Laurel United Soccer Club is offering a reduced fee of $47.50 for girls born between August 1997 and July 2001. The fee covers 10 weeks of soccer. Registration deadline for reduced fee is June 30. Register online at http://www.eteamz.com/greaterlaurelunitedsoccerclub.

Now that Major League Soccer has its first openly gay player , the league is launching a new effort to tackle anti-gay attitudes and encourage inclusion in its ranks. Through a partnership with the You Can Play Project, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting LGBT discrimination in sports, the MLS and MLS Players Union hope to build on existing anti-discrimination efforts to offer greater support for gay players and fans. "The diversity found in our League has always been a point of pride for us," MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement released today.

The Sun reports that Towson University Athletic Director Mike Waddell is recommending the elimination of the baseball and soccer programs ("Baseball, men's soccer target of cuts," Oct. 3). By cutting baseball and soccer, Mr. Waddell would save about $800,000. Clearly, the label "bean counter" should be placed on Mr. Waddell. The label allows Mr. Waddell to ignore logic, courage, tradition, integrity, and wisdom as factors in the decision. I am proud to say that I played soccer for another athletic director at Towson by the name of Dr. Donald "Doc" Minnegan.

The Casey Cares Foundation, http://www.caseycares.org , which provides uplifting and ongoing programs to critically ill children and their families, will host a Soccer Camp for a Cause June 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. U.S. National Team Soccer Player Sergio Flores will host a two-hour soccer camp with all proceeds benefiting Casey Cares. The camp includes training and refreshments with the evening culminating in a kids versus parents game. The registration fee is $30 and participants can register at http://www.sergiossoccertraining.com .

A week into the new school year, Broadneck center midfielder Emily Lord is loving her senior gig. She's quick to say it's completely different. She's finished with her classes at 10:30 a.m. every day. In her third year on varsity, she is a captain for the No. 6 Bruins. And she's learning a new position after playing her first two years at forward. It has been a lot to take in, and Lord is excited and primed for a banner year. Lord showed a fine ability to distribute the ball last season - finishing with eight assists to go with three goals - and she'll have the chance to set up teammates even more this fall with the ball at her feet more in the middle.

Archbishop Spalding goalkeeper Cassidy Babin, a second-team All-Metro selection last year, has made a commitment to play soccer at Massachusetts. In her second season starting this fall, Babin is 6-3-3 with five shutouts, 54 saves and seven goals allowed for the No. 4 Cavaliers.

Annapolis Area Christian School is seeking a varsity boys' soccer a a junior varsity girls' volleyball coach for the 2012 fall season.  The soccer position is part time with the possibility of becoming a full-time teacher-coach position depending on the academic openings at the school this spring.  Playing and coaching experience are required. The volleyball position is part time with coaching experience preferred. Interested applicants should send a resume to Director of Athletics Jim Domoracki at  jdomoracki@aacsonline.org .

Bays under-19 team earns 2-1 win in 2nd round of nationals The Baltimore Bays under-19 team used goals by J.J. Raley and Gary Weisbaum in the final four minutes to top Pike Indy Burn from Indiana, 2-1, on Thursday in the second round of the U.S. Youth National Soccer championship at Lancaster, Mass. The Bays will advance to Sunday's national championship game with a win or a tie against the Colorado Rush today. The Bays under-15 team earned a 1-1 tie with Blast FC from Ohio and will qualify for the championship game with a victory over South Charlotte Gold from North Carolina today.

Tre Pulliam and Michael Sauers combined for three goals and an assist in No. 2 Archbishop Curley's 3-0 victory over visiting Archbishop Spalding. It was the second time in two days the Friars (11-2) have beaten the Cavaliers (5-10) by three goals or more. Curley goalie Jake Ossie had three saves. Football Wilde Lake 35, Long Reach 8: Malik Jackson had four catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns to lead the visiting Wildecats (4-3) past the Lightning (1-6). Wilde Lake scored 21 points in the second quarter to pull away.

The senior forward, hindered by injuries for most of the season, played her first full game in Friday's Class 4A East regional semifinal against Severna Park, scoring twice to lead the No. 4 Wildcats to a 2-1 overtime win. Okoko, a first-team All-Metro player last year, has six goals in limited time as she has had to overcome a severe ankle sprain and a pulled hamstring. Against the Falcons, who were ranked No. 2 at the time, she gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the second half and scored the game-winner with four minutes left in the first overtime.

The Greater Laurel United Soccer Club's (GLUSC) spring season ended on June 9; 346 boys and girls ages 3-18 took part in the program. All of this could not have been possible without the help from our dedicated volunteers. We would like to thank the following: U6: Eric Gans, Gary Aldred, Nulty Lynch, Irina Kemnitz, Jeremy Newkirk, Kisme Williams, Jared Scott, Mesmin Germain; U8 boys: Jose Chirino, Michael Feldtmose, Marlon James, Joseph Bailor, David Kirabo, Antonio Portillo, Dan Van Der Have; U8 girls: Beverly Gebhardt, Darius Helton, Dion Johnson, Jorge Martinez; U10 boys: Jaime Blanco, John Camarano, Tim Graninger, Eric Booth, Chris Kerrigan; U10 girls: Dan Beck, Peter DeMik, Dan Bowlds, Danny Ives, Chris Lockett, Jorge Martinez, Diego Rua; U12 boys: Jose Chirino, Carlos Jimenez, Sean Tran, Diego Rua; U11 girls: Erin Justice, Karen Frederick, Michael Hicks; U12 girls: Anthony Green; U14 boys: Terry Butler, Nelson Kofie; U14 girls: Joe Berry, Dave Durnbaugh; and high school boys: Beverly Gebhardt.

Et cetera Breakers blank Spirit, 2-0, in NWSL The Washington Spirit wrapped up a three-game road swing with a 3-0 loss to the host Boston Breakers on Saturday night in front of an announced 1,246 fans at a cold and rainy Dilboy Stadium in Somerville, Mass. From the opening of the match, Boston was on the offensive, dominating possession and generating more opportunities than the Spirit. U.S. international player Heather O'Reilly broke the deadlock in the 38th minute, receiving a deft flick-on from Lianne Sanderson and firing past Chantel Jones , who started her second straight game for the Spirit (1-4-3)

Maryland City 3-4 coed : Orange Cheetahs vs. Blue Team. Cameron Smith shined in goal for two quarters. Taylor Harley and Kyle Sargent excelled on offense. 5-6 coed: Black Fire vs. Green Cheetahs. Ronoldo Miranda and Zion Hameed led the Black Fire offense and Faizaan Pettitt the defense. The Cheetahs' Joseph Hummer played excellent in goal and Jordin Rollins and Jaden led the defense. Greater United Laurel Soccer Club U6 co-ed: Newkirk's Kickers 6 (Fred Agyeman, Jabril DeVaughn)

Severn has named Albert Oni as its new girls soccer coach, replacing longtime coach Adam Ritchie. Oni has coaching experience at many levels, and he was most recently the head coach of the Chesapeake Charge in the Women's Premier Soccer League and an assistant coach for the women's program at Towson University. Starting in 2002, Oni spent eight seasons as head coach at Mercy, earning The Baltimore Sun's  All-Metro Coach of the Year award in his final season in 2009 after leading the Magic to a 12-5-3 record and a trip to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship game.

Et cetera Spirit's 2-0 loss to Thorns is first shutout Christine Sinclair scored in the 41st minute and Alex Morgan added a late goal as the Portland Thorns defeated the visiting Washington Spirit, 2-0, in a National Women's Soccer League match before an announced 12,474 at Jeld-Wen Field. The Spirit (1-3-3), which scored four times at Seattle on Thursday, suffered its first shutout. Chantel Jones made her first start in goal for Washington, replacing Ashlyn Harris (sore knee)

Annapolis Area Christian School is looking for a varsity swimming coach and a girls varsity soccer coach for the next school year. For information, contact athletic director Jim Domoracki, jdomoracki@aacsonline.org or 410-519-5300 x3150.  

The Greater Laurel United Soccer Club, an all-volunteer organization, is currently registering players online for the spring soccer season, which begins late March/early April. Those who register by Nov. 5 pay only $60. The league is for players ages 4-18, and offers single-gender teams. Players play at least half of each game. Teams practice once or twice weekly, and games are on Saturday, with occasional Sundays and weeknight evenings. Practices and games are on fields in the greater Laurel area.

Maggie Morrison, Archbishop Spalding, soccer The first-team All-Metro forward began this season in the same fashion as she ended last year's: scoring timely goals. With the No. 1-ranked Cavaliers opening their campaign at the Zionsville Invitational in Indiana last weekend, Morrison scored three goals in a 4-1 opening win against Ohio's Northview on Friday night and followed that performance with a one-goal, one-assist effort in a 2-1 win over Fenwick, also from Ohio, on Saturday afternoon.

Men's soccer Former pro Woodward dies of cancer at 64 Former soccer player and coach Dennis "Otis" Woodward died of cancer Thursday morning. He was 64. Woodward was born in Highlandtown and lived there until his family moved to Perry Hall. He graduated from Poly in 1966, and worked for the City of Baltimore for nearly 45 years as a municipal employee. Woodward played amateur soccer for St. Elizabeth's, St. Gerard's, Dnipro, Tom's Produce and Casa Bianca from 1967 to 1977.

If Towson University is so strapped for funds that President Maravene Loeschke needs to disband her baseball and soccer programs, how can she afford to spend so much on the deluge of TV advertisements that are on the air daily? No other college in the University System of Maryland does this. The Towson enrollment is growing considerably. Why these expenditures at this time? Wally Knapp, Ellicott City Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts