Soccer Field

The collapse of a soccer goal on a Howard County practice field has led the state's highest court to reconsider more than 150 years of personal injury law, in a case that could significantly improve injured plaintiffs' chances of winning payouts. The case - which began when a crossbar crashed into then-20-year-old Kyle Coleman's face, crushing the bones around his eye - has drawn national attention, as Maryland's unusual legal standard meets its first judicial test in decades. Maryland is one of only four states, plus the District of Columbia, that bar injured people from winning lawsuits if they had any role in an accident - even if a jury finds the defendant in their suit deserved a much greater share of the blame.

Annapolis resident Mike Greenhill is one of those rare guys who, even after he turned 50, could effortlessly sprint up and down a soccer field like he did as a much younger man. Until one evening last year, the 53-year-old took this ability for granted. Now, as Greenhill prepares to return to the game after an 11-month hiatus, he's happy to be alive. For this, he thanks a young woman whom he calls "his angel. " Last April Stephanie Andrews, a 22-year-old Howard County firefighter and emergency medical technician from Sykesville, agreed to play a soccer game on her friends' co-ed team because it was short a few players.

Marriotts Ridge senior Ethan Bannar is a big burst of positive energy. It's reflected on the soccer field, where he has emerged as a starting forward for the defending Class 2A state champion Mustangs, bringing a combination of skill and a tireless work ethic. He uses that energy in the classroom, where he maintains a 3.38 grade-point average, and there's plenty left to play the tuba in the school's marching band. For Bannar, who would like to attend James Madison and study business, a typical day during his senior year starts early and ends late.

Memo to pro scouts watching Saturday's NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Los Angeles: As for Adam Yates, what you see is what you get. There's not much video of the strong-legged kicker from Sparks. Yates, 22, will strut his stuff in a game that features lesser-known prospects for April's NFL draft. He fits the bill, having kicked field goals for just two years - as a senior in both college and high school. Each time, he shined. In the fall, Yates helped South Carolina to a No. 8 national ranking after earning an athletic scholarship in his final season.

It was around 16 years ago that Dave Wisner decided he was too small to play football and instead signed up to play soccer.Earlier this month, Wisner, a North Carroll High School graduate, played in his final college soccer game for Liberty (Va.) University, a Baptist-affiliated college in Lynchburg.It was a 4-0 victory over Mars Hill (N.C.) College and marked the end of another fine season for the Division I school, which finished the season with a 12-2-2 record.It also marked the end of a very steady career for Wisner.

COLLEGE PARK -- Two-sport wannabes like Jermaine Lewis and the track and field program at Maryland will get a boost if plans to build a facility for the sport are realized.A six-lane track was a casualty in the renovation of Byrd Stadium, and for the last three springs the Terps' track and field teams have been bussed to practice at nearby Parkdale High School. Maryland athletic director Andy Geiger said that plans -- are proceeding for a project that would construct a track facility around the soccer field.

R enee Olsen was already late when she arrived at the Soccerdome in Jessup with her two young boys. The soccer game was under way, and she was still strapping on shinguards, pulling up socks and tying shoelaces. The difference? They were her shinguards, socks and soccer shoes. Olsen's boys were there to cheer on their 33-year-old mother. She's a real soccer mom. Likewise, Sandy Ranck has three soccer-playing sons, but she's the one on the field Friday nights for the Shooters.

When South River soccer standout Kari Cunard was younger, she traveled the world. For two-plus years starting when she was 8, she lived on a boat with her family and sailed the Mediterranean, also living in France for a couple of months. These days, the senior forward has found another home that is paying big dividends for the No. 9 Seahawks: right in front of an opponent's goal. Going into the week, Cunard, a team captain, has 12 goals and nine assists to help the team to a 8-1-1 record.

Of all the qualities that Oakland Mills senior Kevin Gibson has brought to the soccer field and basketball court throughout his fine high school career, one clearly stands above the rest. It's not all the goals he kept out of the Scorpions' net as a sweeper on the soccer team or the ones he scored. And it's not the points and rebounds he has piled up in his three years playing forward on the basketball team. More than anything, it's Gibson's ability to lead. "In Kevin, you could see that right away in just how he carried himself," Oakland Mills basketball coach Jon Browne said.

The lanky 16-year-old in a fluttering tank top tapped a red soccer ball every few strides as he streaked toward the goal. With a defender in pursuit, he set his feet and launched a shot that missed by a mile. But it was the chance that counted. For Mazen Abdulwahab, it's been a traumatic path from his native Iraq to this lush field in Northeast Baltimore, where he and eight other Iraqi boys were joyfully scrimmaging on a breezy June afternoon. Abducted by militants at age 13, he endured two weeks of captivity in Baghdad until his family scared up $20,000 in ransom.

It's easy to understand why Westminster senior guard Mackenzie Murray is savoring her time on the basketball court more than many others this season. In each of the past two seasons, Murray suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, requiring two surgeries (one to each knee) 13 months apart. Murray, also a standout forward on the Owls soccer team, spent 4 to 5 months in physical therapy after each procedure to be able to continue her athletic career. After finishing as one of Westminster's leading scorers on the soccer field this past fall, her third year on varsity, Murray is now doing whatever she can to help the basketball team to a winning season.

A future lacrosse goalie for Towson University gave No. 6 Severna Park all it could handle on the soccer field in Friday night's Class 4A state championship game at UMBC. Wootton's Matt Hoy had a goal and an assist in the first half, leading the Patriots to a title in their first trip to the finals with a 3-1 victory. Severna Park suffered just its second loss of the season and fell short in its bid to win a state championship for the first time since 2001. "Wootton is a very well-coached, organized team that has 11 technical players," said Severna Park's first-year coach Ryan Parisi.

Last Saturday was a real downer for me. I've had days where I had to watch back-to-back playoff games at the same venue, and others where I had to travel a moderate distance to cover two separate matchups, but Saturday marked the first time since I joined The Aegis that I've had to be at three different games which were being held at three different locations. There was the 1A boys soccer semifinal with Havre de Grace and Brunswick first, then the 3A North regional football semifinal between North Harford and Milford Mill, then the 3A boys soccer semifinal between North Harford and Urbana.

College soccer UVa. blanks Terps, 4-0, for ACC women's title The No. 9 Maryland women's soccer team's run toward the program's first Atlantic Coast Conference championship ended with a 4-0 loss to No. 7 Virginia in the conference title game Sunday in Cary, N.C. The Cavaliers (16-4-1) set the pace early and broke through in the 22nd minute when Gloria Douglas scored from the left side of the 18 past diving Terps redshirt freshman keeper Rachelle Beanlands . Virginia took a 2-0 lead in the 53rd minute when Morgan Brian took a cross from Danielle Colaprico and took a shot from inside the 18. That initial attempt was turned away by freshman defender Erika Nelson , but the rebound bounced right back to Brian, and she sent the ball into the right side of the net for the goal.

Old Mill senior Alli Cislo has never craved extra attention, but what she does on the soccer field leaves no choice. Opposing coaches spend hours planning to stop the All-Metro first-team forward. During school on the day of a game, her classmates routinely tell her they're expecting nothing less than a goal or two. The attention increases at game time, starting with the two defenders who are often assigned to mark her. And then Cislo gets the ball. The opposing coach cringes.

When twin brothers Jeremy and Michael DeGraffenreidt decided to pick musical instruments when they were younger, nobody close to them was surprised which ones they chose. Jeremy, brash and outgoing, wanted to bang on drums. Michael, laid back and analytical, was determined to master the saxophone. Their contrasting personalities can also be found at different ends of the soccer field at Loyola this season, making the No. 2 Dons a prime contender for this year's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship.

Memo to pro scouts watching Saturday's NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Los Angeles: As for Adam Yates, what you see is what you get. There's not much video of the strong-legged kicker from Sparks. Yates, 22, will strut his stuff in a game that features lesser-known prospects for April's NFL draft. He fits the bill, having kicked field goals for just two years - as a senior in both college and high school. Each time, he shined. In the fall, Yates helped South Carolina to a No. 8 national ranking after earning an athletic scholarship in his final season.

The collapse of a soccer goal on a Howard County practice field has led the state's highest court to reconsider more than 150 years of personal injury law, in a case that could significantly improve injured plaintiffs' chances of winning payouts. The case - which began when a crossbar crashed into then-20-year-old Kyle Coleman's face, crushing the bones around his eye - has drawn national attention, as Maryland's unusual legal standard meets its first judicial test in decades. Maryland is one of only four states, plus the District of Columbia, that bar injured people from winning lawsuits if they had any role in an accident - even if a jury finds the defendant in their suit deserved a much greater share of the blame.

A local donor advocacy group is hoping a handsome soccer star will convince Latinos to donate their organs. Donate Life Maryland is bringing DC United soccer player Andy Najar to Baltimore this weekend to speak about the need for Latinos to donate organs, tissue and corneas. More than 20,000 Latinos living in the U.S. are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, according to Donate Life Maryland.  About 18 Americans of all ethnicities die each day due to lack of organ donors.