Plauderecke » The win restored some shine to a Vancouver team

VANCOUVER - The timing was right for the Vancouver Whitecaps to play the best team in the league. Sebastian Fernandez scored a pretty goal on a booming shot from about 30 yards out as the Whitecaps beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 in Major League Soccer play Saturday night. The win restored some shine to a Vancouver team that had looked tarnished in their last two games, including a loss that ended a franchise record eight-game undefeated streak. The Whitecaps also snapped a two-game scoreless streak. "Any game you play against Seattle is always tough," said Vancouver coach Carl Robinson. "The game came at the right time. "We havent performed to our level (the last two games). We havent been bad but I dont think weve been good. We got back to work this week and refocused on certain things." Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said Vancouver was the hungrier team. "Hats off to them," he said. "I thought they played with a lot of passion because of the (past) results that they had and we didnt really match that completely until the second half. "We were around but we didnt put shots accurately enough on goal. This is a bump in the road. That is all it is." The Sounders played without several of their best players, including leading goal scorers Clint Dempsey (returning from the World Cup) and Obafemi Martins (injury). Seattle also was missing midfielders Osvaldo Alonso and Gonzalo Pineda who both were suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Schmid refused to use the missing players as an excuse. "We had enough quality on the field to get a result and to play," he said. Vancouver midfielder Gershon Koffie said the Whitecaps still had to beat a good team. "We dont really think about the players that are missing," he said. "We were all about the three points. "We got it." The Whitecaps controlled most of the first half against their Cascadia rivals. They managed to keep possession of the ball and passed with authority. In the second half they buckled down defensively when Seattle began to press. "The second half was about rolling the sleeves up, grit and desire and heart," said Robinson. There was a large contingent of Seattle fans among the loud, flag-waving sellout crowd of 22,500 at B.C. Place Stadium. Fernandez scored in the 12th minute when he took a pass from Pedro Morales and launched a rocket that sailed past the outstretched fingers of Sounders keeper Stefan Frei. "Pedro gave a good ball to me," said Fernandez, who scored for the third time this season. "I turned with the ball and there was space. "It was a good opportunity. I just tried to shoot." Morales was a thorn in the Sounders side all night. In the 19th minute he lofted a free kick from a sharp angle that landed in the box. The ball sat tantalizing for a few seconds but was cleared before a Whitecap could touch it. In extra time of the first half, Morales struck a curling shot that Frei stopped. "If he doesnt perform, we dont play well," said Robinson. "He went into areas and got the ball. "His range of passing was excellent. He calmed it down, he slowed it down, he won free kicks." Morales said the win helped prove the young Whitecaps can keep pace with the best teams in the league. "It was extremely important," he said through an interpreter. "It was a chance to show our fans what we are capable of. "If we continue with this attitude we will keep growing as a team." The loss snapped a three-game win streak for Seattle, who came into the game unbeaten in five matches. Seattle continues to lead the MLS standings with 35 points from a 11-3-3 record. Vancouver and Seattle tied in the teams previous meeting in May. The Whitecaps remain fifth in the Western Conference but climbed to within a point of fourth-place Colorado. Vancouver has 25 points from a 6-3-7 record. One of the games prettiest plays came in the 33rd minute when defender Steven Beitashour sent a perfect cross to a charging Erik Hurtado, but the forward sent the shot high and wide. The Sounders found their legs in the second half. Midfielder Lamar Neagle came close in the 52nd minute, firing a shot that drifted just wide of the Vancouver net. Seattles Tristan Bowen, a second-half substitution, banged a shot in the 60th minute that took a dangerous bounce before being gobbled up by Whitecaps keeper David Ousted. Notes: Morales wore the captains armband with Jay DeMerit out with an ankle injury. … Beitashour returned to the Whitecaps lineup for the first time since May 10 after playing for Iran at the World Cup. … Vancouver midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says the birth of his daughter Scarlet has "completely changed" his life. … The Whitecaps play at home next Saturday against Chivas USA, travel to Toronto for a game July 16, then play in Salt Lake July 19. Yeezy Shoes Online Cheap . 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Yeezy Boost Online Sale . -- Gary Harris gave No.MILWAUKEE -- This was one sweet homecoming for Elgin Cook. The rest of the Oregon Ducks made themselves at home, too. Backed by a vocal group of family and friends, Cook scored a career-high 23 points to power the seventh-seeded Ducks to an 87-68 victory over No. 10 seed BYU in the NCAA tournament on Thursday. "Elgin Cook had a great game," Oregon coach Dana Altman said. "He finished everything down low." Joseph Young had 19 points for the Ducks (24-9), who had to stage a big comeback to beat the Cougars 100-96 in overtime in December. There was no comeback needed this time, with Oregon turning away every BYU charge in the second half. Torontos Richard Amardi had five points off the bench for the Ducks, and tied Cook with a game-high eight rebounds. Led by Cook, a Milwaukee native who starred at nearby Hamilton High School, the Ducks advanced to a third-round game against No. 2 seed Wisconsin on Saturday. The Badgers, playing just 80 miles from their Madison campus, beat American 75-35 in the days first game at the Bradley Center. "Its definitely special to me confidence-wise, but overall it means nothing," Cook said. "Were not satisfied, we havent won anything yet." Tyler Haws scored 19 points for BYU (23-12), which returned to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence. Matt Carlino and Eric Mika had 15 points apiece. Carlino got the start in place of sophomore guard Kyle Collinsworth, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the West Coast Conference tournament final against Gonzaga. The 6-foot-6 Collinsworth averaged 14 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists, and the Cougars clearly missed his playmaking abilities against the pressing Ducks. "Kyle, hes a guy that you cant replace," Haws said. "He brings so much to our team. But, even with him out, I thought we had chances to win this game. We cut it to three. I thought we had momentum. The guys stepped up." Carlino was 4 for 16 from the field, but he made a couple of big 3-pointers to help BYU close to 56-53 with 12:01 left. But Johnathan Loyd set up Cook for a three-point play on the other end, sparking an 11-2 run. "I just wanted to stay aggressive, get some defensive stops and rebound the ball," Cook saiid.dddddddddddd The Ducks then put away the Cougars with a 15-2 spurt that made it 86-61 with 3:29 to go. Cook started the surge with a layup and Jalil Abdul-Bassit finished it off with two free throws. "We just had to tell everybody to relax. We knew they were going to make a run," Oregon guard Jason Calliste said. "Just weather the storm, just get back to our principles, be aggressive." Oregon is making a second straight NCAA tournament appearance for only the third time in school history. It reached the Sweet 16 a year ago, when the 12th-seeded Ducks beat Oklahoma State and Saint Louis before losing to eventual champion Louisville in the Midwest Regional semifinals. Cook, the son of former NBA All-Star Alvin Robertson, was a JUCO player a year ago, but he stepped up repeatedly in his first March Madness experience. The reserve forward was 8 for 9 from the field and 7 for 10 at the free-throw line. "He was fired up right at the selection show. He saw it was in Milwaukee," Loyd said. "Hes been hyped up ever since then. I expected him to play inspired basketball. He has a homecoming, playing in front of friends and family. He was inspired." Wearing bright fluorescent yellow uniforms with green and yellow socks and shoes, Oregon used its superior athleticism to pick apart BYUs defence for much of the first half. Young made two free throws, Mike Moser and Dominic Artis each had a slick layup, and Calliste made two more free throws to help the Ducks open a 39-24 lead with 3:07 left. But Callistes free throws were the last points of the half for Oregon, which had two turnovers and missed a couple of jumpers as BYU went on a 7-0 run to make it an eight-point deficit at halftime. BYU shot 28 per cent (9 for 32) from the field in the first half and 33 per cent for the game. The Cougars were outscored 36-14 in the paint. Calliste added 14 points as Oregons reserves outscored their counterparts 49-10. The Ducks controlled the boards 37-32 after they were outrebounded by the Cougars in their December victory. "Our guys were just overwhelmed at times as far as being able to control their penetration," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "They just keep coming at you. I think thats what hurt us." ' ' '