Four different players had goals for Portland in a 4-0 victory over Denver in a first-round NCAA women’s soccer tournament match Friday at Merlo Field.
Dannielle Foxhoven, Sophie Schmidt, Taylor Brooke and Kendall Johnson all scored for the second-seeded Pilots, who won their 12th straight match.
Portland, which won NCAA titles in 2002 and 2005, is 19-1 this season.
The Pilots will play their second-round match Sunday against Washington, which defeated Ole Miss 1-0 earlier Friday.
n Kate Deines scored the only goal of the match and the Washington defense held Ole Miss to just five shots, leading the Huskies (12-5-4) to the first-round victory at Merlo Field.
In other NCAA matches:
n Mallory Fox’s goal with 16 minutes left in regulation gave Washington State a 1-0 first-round victory over Villanova at College Park, Md. The Cougars (14-5-2) advance to play Maryland on Sunday.
n Courtney Wetzel scored two goals and Oregon State defeated Ohio State 3-1 in the first round at Columbus, Ohio. The Beavers (13-7-1) will play a second-round game on Sunday against Florida.
Lysacek leads Skate America event
World champion Evan Lysacek easily won the short program at Skate America on Friday night at Lake Placid, N.Y., with a powerful performance.
Lysacek, dressed in black from head to toe and sporting a couple day’s growth of beard, scored 79.17 points to outdistance France’s Florent Amodio by 6½ points. American Brandon Mroz was third.
Skating to “Firebird,” Lysacek hit every element, although his triple axel was slightly under-rotated. His footwork was solid and his spins crisp.
China’s Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue won the pairs short program, and Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto took the dance compulsories.
GOLF: Tiger thinks his way around course
Tiger Woods had a stiff breeze at his back as he stood on the 13th tee, his hand resting on the cover of his driver as he contemplated how to navigate the 354 yards to the green.
With his brawn, Woods could hit driver close to the green, maybe onto the putting surface, for an easy birdie.
He chose to use his brain.
Woods pulled out the 3-iron and hit another ball down the middle of the fairway. It’s a shot the fans have been used to seeing over the first two days of the Australian Masters at Melbourne, Australia, where the world’s No. 1 player has opened with rounds of 66-68 to build a three-shot lead.
Such are the holes that make Woods enjoy a track like Kingston Heath, which had 7,059 yards is the shortest he has played all year.
“I think it’s great,” Woods said. “I’ve certainly always enjoyed playing golf courses where you have to think and plod your way along. As I said earlier, you don’t need a golf course of 7,500 yards for it to be difficult.”
n Justin Leonard shot an 8-under 64 in the second round of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., to surge to the top of the leaderboard in the final PGA Tour event of the season. Former world No. 1 David Duval missed the cut and will likely lose his full status on the tour.
n Jiyai Shin took a big step toward adding the LPGA Tour player of the year award to her top rookie trophy, shooting a 6-under 66 for a three-stroke lead in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational at Guadalajara, Mexico. Michelle Wie (66) and Paula Creamer (69) were tied for second. Ochoa was 4 under after a 69 on her home course.
PBA won’t make its Medford stop
The Professional Bowlers Association tour stop at Lava Lanes in Medford, Ore., has been canceled because of economic issues.
PBA commissioner Fred Schreyer says Lava Lanes is financially unable to host the Don and Paula Carter Mixed Doubles event Jan. 4-10.
Schreyer says the mixed doubles event will be moved to Brunswick Zone-Wheat Ridge in Wheat Ridge, Colo., Feb. 15-21, and replace the Gemini Championship.
Nadal, Djokovic meet in Paris semifinal
Rafael Nadal set up a semifinal matchup against Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.
Nadal played his best tennis of the week and ended Tsonga’s hopes of qualifying for the eight-man ATP World Tour Finals in London.
The third-seeded Djokovic made the semifinals of the tournament for the first time by defeating Robin Soderling 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
Larry Dixon takes Top Fuel points lead
Larry Dixon took a one-point lead over Tony Schumacher in the Top Fuel season standings, leading qualifying Friday in the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals at Pomona, Calif., to earn three bonus points.
Dixon had a pass at 3.801 seconds at 318.99 mph on the second of three days of qualifying. Schumacher entered the day with a two-point lead, but lost traction on his second qualifying run.
John Force (Funny Car), Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also topped their divisions.
Hays gets silver to open WC bobsled
Must be an Olympic year, because Todd Hays is flying down bobsled tracks again.
The 40-year-old Hays teamed with Steven Langton to win a silver medal in the opening two-man World Cup bobsled race of the season on a frigid Friday night on the 2002 Olympic track in Park City, Utah. Hays’ time over two runs was 1 minute, 37.19 seconds, only 0.11 seconds back of the Swiss team of Beat Hefti and Alex Baumann.
Steve Holcomb and Curt Tomasevicz were fourth in the men’s race, just behind bronze medalists Ivo Rueegg and Cedric Grand of Switzerland, while the U.S. put three women in the top nine spots of the women’s event.
