Women's World Cup

Who thought that the Women's World Cup would be more exciting then the Mens? The quarterfinals brought drama and excitment to the sport. Sweden won in dominate fashion over Australia, but that was the only predictable game. France ended up beating the English in a penalty kick shootout after England gave up a 1-0 lead in the 88th minute. The biggest upset of the tournament came with Japan beating the favorites and home country Germany, in overtime 1-0. These games brought a spark to the sport that the men lacked.


After these three exciting games, you couldn't believe Brazil(ranked 3rd in the world) and United States(ranked 1st in the world) were playing in a quarterfinal matchup. The stadium was electrifying, and you could see that this was going to be a thriller by the faces of the players coming out of the tunnel. USA came out strong and scored four minutes into the game, and this scoreline lasted most of the game. In the 65th minute, Brazil received a questionable penalty kick call, and the USA player received a red card. Ameircan goalkeeper Hope Solo saved the first penalty kick, but the referee made a questionable decision and called back the penalty saying Hope moved to soon. Brazil scored on the second chance, and the USA had to play with ten players the rest of the game. In overtime, Brazil's talented Marta scored her second goal two minutes in. It seemed as if the United Sates was going to lose on a terrible call. USA sub Megan Rapinoe served in a high arching ball that went over a defender and goalkeeper to meet Abby Wambachs head in the 122nd minute. The stadium errupted as if everybody turned into USA fans after they had to fight Brazil and the referees. USA went on to defeat Brazil in a penalty kick shootout which was well deserved.

Even with all this drama, it still is only the quarterfinals and each team has two more games before they can hold that trophy up. France vs USA and Sweden vs. Japan can be watched on ESPN Wednesday. For more information on USA women's soccer.

Wimbledon

Tennis has been different ever since Federer is not dominating the sport anymore, Nadal is always injured or not winning the tournament, Djokovic went on a long win streak through small tournaments, and Andy Murray is good but not great. The semi-finals starts Friday with Tsonga vs Djokovic and Nadal vs Murray. Unless Tsonga can win, it seems like another top ranked player will win Wimbledon. This Wimbledon has been boring on the Mens side besides Federer giving up a two set lead in the quarters against Tsonga, and Nadal is playing through injury.

The women played the semi- finals today and Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova will play for the womens title. Maria Sharapova has been waiting for this chance for awhile and she seems to finally enter into the spotlight by dominating in every performance so far. Kvitova has been strong throughout this year winning several tournaments, and she comes into the finals with some big wins. This match-up might be more exciting than watching the mens championship with the same people playing each other.

NBA Draft

The NBA draft starts tonight, Thursday June 23, with a lot of criticism. There is some talent coming out of this draft, but everybody is talking about the lack of stars. The Cavs with the number one pick, are looking to trade back to stock up more draft picks for the future. As fans, we are use to having Lebron James, Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin coming out of college. The two biggest names are Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams, whom are great players, but many analyst are questioning if they can become superstars. The mock drafts are showing these two guys followed by many foreign players in the lottery picks. The NBA draft usually brings an excitment to it, but with the lack of talent will it be a bust, or boom?

College Athletes Dealing with the Real World

The life of a college athlete is equivalent to a full-time job. You have the early morning workouts to the three hour practices. It is exhausting having this life on top of taking classes. People believe athletes get this special treatment, which is not true.

As an athlete, you might get an excused absence for traveling, but all work must be turned in at the same time as every other student. It is easy to talk about this subject as a college soccer player.

Senior year is coming around and, though the past three years has been eye opening, it is still time to look towards the real world and what I can do to help. Every athlete dreams of becoming a professional athlete, but college athletics teaches you more than just a sport.

The qualities you learn from being a college athlete is unmatched. It teaches you leadership, drive, passion, commitment and teamwork. With these attributes, you can achieve so much, as well as overcome so many obstacles. College athletes will leave school with unmatched qualities of life.

Heat - Bulls square off in NBA Finals

Game 1 of the NBA Finals kicks off tonight at 9 Eastern. A rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat look to take another finals series against the surging Dallas Mavericks. Both teams have fought hard to get to here. Dallas’ road went through Lakerland and a young, energetic Oklahoma City Thunder to get to the finals. Miami had to defeat the “Big Three” of the Celtics, before taking on MVP Derrick Rose and the No. 1 seed Chicago Bulls. Mavericks forward and resident star Dirk Nowitzki is enjoying one of the best single player performances in NBA playoff history. While in Miami, LeBron James and 2006 Finals MVP Dwyane Wade are continuing to connect and have yet to lose a playoff game at home. The series starts in Miami and is a best-of-seven series, with a 2-3-2 playoff format. Only four players from the 2006 finals remain on the teams’ rosters, two from each team. Nowitzki is looking for his first ring, as is LeBron and Chris Bosh. This looks to be a great finals series. Get your tickets at DCNTickets –Your Seat is Waiting!

Bulls look to Even the Series in South Beach

Tonight is Game 4 for the Eastern Conference Finals. The Miami Heat will look to take a 3-1 series lead against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. The Heat won game G 95-86 behind the large effort of big man Chris Bosh. Bosh put up 34 points, as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade added 22 and 17 respectively. Carlos Boozer of the Bulls finally showed up and showed why he was paid so much in the off-season. Boozer finished with 26 points and 17 rebounds. The Bulls are going to need swingman Luol Deng to step up and help alleviate the pressure on Boozer and MVP Derrick Rose if the Bulls are to even the series tonight in Miami at American Airlines Arena. The Bulls have rebounded the ball well against the Heat. Now they need to defend better. Look for LeBron James to try and take over in the early part of the game and secure the 3-1 series lead. Check out DCN Tickets for your spot at the game –Your Seat is Waiting.

Bulls Head to South Beach Looking to Bounce Back

On Wednesday night the Miami Heat pulled even with the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. The series is now tied one game apiece as it heads down to South Beach where Miami looks to defend its home floor. LeBron James led the way for the Heat, scoring 29 points, while Dwyane Wade added 24. After Game 2 LeBron said,

“The series has just started. … It's 1-1. We're excited that we were able to come here and get a win. But it's just started.”

Game 3 takes place Sunday at American Airlines Arena in Miami. Young, electrifying second-year player Taj Gibson played most of the fourth quarter over a struggling Carlos Boozer. Boozer has been the aim of many frustrated Bulls’ fans, as he hasn’t produced nearly the way he was paid or expected to. The Heat’s big men really stepped up and proved they could bang with the likes of Boozer, Gibson and Bulls’ starting center Joakim Noah. Game 3 looks to be exciting, and it will be interesting to see who will step up. To get your tickets, check out www.DCNTickets.com – Your Seat is Waiting!