Women S Soccer

It was not just another weekend for Alden Shattuck.But then, this has not been just another season for Shattuck.He is in his sixth year as the men's soccer coach at Maryland. He is in his first as the women's coach.His tour of double duty was in evidence last weekend. On Friday, Shattuck traveled with his women to Chapel Hill, N.C. In search of their 10th national title in the last 12 years, the Tar Heels are the undisputed queens of collegiate women's soccer. They dismissed Maryland, 5-0.Shattuck returned with the women to College Park that night, then got right back on the road.

Viewing Tips At 5 p.m. on NBC Sports Network, the U.S. women's basketball team, whose stars include Baltimore native Angel McCoughtry, takes on the Czech Republic. Coverage of Track and Field's opening night runs in primetime on WBAL-TV starting at 8 p.m. Schedule 12:30 a.m. to 1:35 a.m. Whitewater/Table Tennis WBAL Midnight to 2:30 a.m. Thursday highlights Telemundo 1:35 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. Thursday primetime repeat WBAL 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. Boxing CNBC 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. Beach Volleyball NBCSN 5 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Women's Volleyball: BRA vs. CHN NBCSN 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. Beach Volleyball NBCSN 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Women's Soccer: Quarterfinal Game 1 NBCSN 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tennis Bravo 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Shooting NBCSN 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Gymnastics MSNBC 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Multiple Sports Telemundo 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Women's Soccer: Quarterfinal Game 2 NBCSN 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Track & Field WBAL 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Women's Water Polo: RUS vs. AUS MSNBC 10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Rowing WBAL 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Swimming WBAL 11:15 a.m. to Noon Archery NBCSN 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Women's Water Polo: ESP vs. HUN MSNBC Noon to 2 p.m. Beach Volleyball WBAL Noon to 1:45 p.m. Women's Soccer: Quarterfinal Game 3 NBCSN 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Equestrian MSNBC 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Table Tennis MSNBC 1:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. Shooting NBCSN 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Swimming...

"HUGE" IS THE only word to describe the impact of American women winning the Women's World Cup Soccer championship.I was born in 1940 and grew up female in the middle of this century. My generation was constantly told, "Women are not team players." We saw many women individually break through the glass ceiling, from Margaret Thatcher to Billie Jean King. But there was no cracking of the conventional wisdom that we could be divas but not trusted team members.That conventional wisdom, which exploded in front of our eyes by an incoming missile called the U.S. women's soccer team, should blast through some of the final barriers against women assuming more leadership roles.

Former Loyola soccer player Sarra Moller , now a Greyhounds assistant coach, has signed a contract to play for Kvarnsvedens IK, a professional women's soccer team in Sweden. Moller is the first Loyola women's soccer player to play professionally overseas. Moller concluded her college playing career in 2008 by earning All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference first-team honors for the fourth consecutive year. She was the conference's Defensive Player of the Year during her freshman and senior seasons.

Laurie Schwoy doesn't have time to worry about the tough times she's had over the past year or so. She plays soccer for the University of North Carolina and there's a national championship to win, an annual rite in Chapel Hill. Schwoy, probably the best women's player to come out of Baltimore, has missed the better part of two seasons with rare hamstring injuries, so she's eager to end her college career on a high note. The quest begins today when the No. 5 Tar Heels face North Carolina State at 1 p.m. and Maryland takes on third-ranked Clemson at 8 in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals in Durham, N.C. "Our season starts right now," Schwoy said emphatically.

Four years ago, the Women's World Cup electrified audiences nationwide, assuredly raising soccer's awareness. You had to be near-dead to not have known about Brandi Chastain's penalty kick (and, in resulting glee, jersey removal) that beat China for the United States before 90,185 in the Rose Bowl and millions more on television. On Saturday, the fourth Women's World Cup begins in Philadelphia, with the American team opening next Sunday in Washington. Originally to be played in China, this quadrennial pinnacle of women's soccer was shifted to this country because of the SARS outbreak.

Less than one year after graduating from the Naval Academy as the women's soccer program's all-time leader in goals and points, Stacy Finley died of viral meningitis Thursday in Brentwood, Calif. Finley, 22, had been home on leave for a week when, nine days ago, she developed a headache and nausea. She wasn't overly worried, said assistant Navy soccer coach Rob Blanck yesterday. "She thought she might have the flu, and her mom took her to the hospital on Saturday," Blanck said. "They gave her some antibiotics and told her she had viral meningitis.

Finally, the U.S. women's soccer team will find out how good it is.More than six years after it was formed, the U.S. team is now positioned to achieve the one goal that ever mattered: winning the inaugural world championship of women's soccer.Twelve nations have ventured to China to compete in the first Federation Internationale de Football Association World Championships of Women's Soccer. China opens play today against Norway in Canton's Tianhe Stadium.The United States, in Group B with Japan, Brazil and Sweden, begins play with the Swedes tomorrow in Punyu, China.

O. James Shuck, who became Anne Arundel Community College's women's soccer coach during the fall, will succeed Lacey Frazer as the school's women's lacrosse coach.Frazer resigned after one season to take assistant coaching positions in women's lacrosse and field hockey at Washington College, and to pursue graduate studies. She led the Pioneers to an undefeated regular-season Maryland JuCo championship, anda 4-2 showing in the state tournament.Seven of her players were selected for regional play, while six were chosen to the South region team in the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Association national tournament.

ATHENS, Ga. -- In what surely will be cast as a watershed event for women's team sports, the United States won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's soccer before what was announced as the largest crowd ever to see a women's athletic contest.The crowd of 76,481 that packed Georgia University's Sanford Stadium last night watched the Americans defeat China, 2-1, and complete a yearlong quest to re-establish themselves as the world's dominant women's soccer program."We trained all year for this," said midfielder Shannon MacMillan, who scored the first U.S. goal.

College field hockey Muracco, O'Donnell lead Terps over Northwestern, 7-2 The No. 1 Maryland field hockey team won the 2009 Wildcat Classic with a 7-2 victory over tournament host Northwestern. The Terps moved to 3-0 on the year. Nicole Muracco scored three goals for Maryland, and Brigitte Strother added two. Katie O'Donnell contributed a goal and two assists, and Ameliet Rischen had one goal and one assist. Emma Thomas, Colleen Gulick and Janessa Pope each added an assist. More colleges Three Navy women's soccer players earn weekly honors Three Midshipmen were recognized Monday by the Patriot League for their standout early-season performances.

BEIJING - A storied era in U.S. women's soccer ended when Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and other pioneers retired as Olympic champions after the Athens Games, but another promising era might have dawned yesterday on a soggy field at Workers' Stadium. The U.S. women won their third gold medal awarded for women's soccer in four Olympic tournaments by edging Brazil, 1-0, on midfielder Carli Lloyd's extra-time goal. The U.S. team had defeated Brazil in Athens, also in overtime, but this team has a different roster and is less famous than its predecessor.

Moves Auto racing NASCAR: Fined Martin Truex $10,000 and deducted 25 points from his Busch Series total for making obscene gesture during last week's race. Baseball BRANCH RICKEY AWARD: Denver Rotary Club gave honor for community service to Diamondbacks OF Luis Gonzalez for devoting more than 1,000 hours and generating more than $1 million in contributions for Arizona charities. CUBS: Recalled OF Ben Grieve from Triple-A Iowa. INDIANS: Announced P Arthur Rhodes has left team for remainder of season for personal reasons.

SEVERAL SOCCER wrinkles set apart a charity golf tournament that is to be played Monday at Turf Valley Resort and Conference Center. First, it is being run by the Washington Freedom, with a significant assist from a Columbia woman who is active in keeping that former pro women's soccer team - and dream - alive. More on her in a moment. This tournament is different, too, in that a few soccer celebrities will be in town, including the wife of Chicago Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciparra, better known in soccer circles as Mia Hamm, considered by many to be the greatest women's soccer player ever.

Less than one year after graduating from the Naval Academy as the women's soccer program's all-time leader in goals and points, Stacy Finley died of viral meningitis Thursday in Brentwood, Calif. Finley, 22, had been home on leave for a week when, nine days ago, she developed a headache and nausea. She wasn't overly worried, said assistant Navy soccer coach Rob Blanck yesterday. "She thought she might have the flu, and her mom took her to the hospital on Saturday," Blanck said. "They gave her some antibiotics and told her she had viral meningitis.

Two W-League games in 18 hours at Catonsville Community College this weekend will test the skill and stamina of the defending national women's league champion Maryland Pride.The tough scheduling pits the Pride against the Delaware Genies, from Wilmington, at 7 p.m. Saturday, and then, at 1 p.m. Sunday, vs. the New Jersey Wildcats.These will be the Pride's last two regular-season Baltimore-area games. Two more home games will be in Vienna, Va., a mutually frugal site for a match with Hampton Roads, and in Poolesville vs. Central Jersey.

Baltimore's Laurie Schwoy will be surrounded by familiar faces as the U.S. Under-20 women's national team competes in the annual Nordic Cup tournament in Denmark next week.Center midfielder Schwoy and seven others from North Carolina, where she'll be a sophomore this fall, fill half of coach Lauren Gregg's 16-player roster. Two are incoming Tar Heels freshmen.Five more U.S. teammates are from Notre Dame, the club Schwoy's long pass helped beat in overtime for the NCAA Division I national championship last fall.