SANDY — Based on the postgame mood, you wouldn’t have guessed the Utah Royals had just lost their 10th game of the season.

The NWSL’s last-place squad reached the midpoint of its season with a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Reign in its 13th game of the year Saturday at America First Field.

The home team was outmatched from wire-to-wire against the top-five team from Washington, giving up goals in the sixth, 16th, 66th and 91st minutes.

For a brief moment near the end of the first half, it looked like a comeback could be underway when Bianca St-Georges scored her third goal of the season for Utah, but it wasn’t to be.

The goal, which moved St-Georges into a tie with Brecken Mozingo for the team lead in goals, was the only one in the cards for the Royals on Saturday, despite leading the visiting team 14-10 in total shots.

The Royals enter the midseason break on an eight-game winless streak and a four-game losing streak, with the next league fixture not until Aug. 3. But still, a sense of optimism and belief remained with players and coach during press conference comments.

Perhaps it’s because the break gives the team time to recover from a brutal start to the season that featured two season-ending injuries and take another step in building “from the bottom out,” as head coach Jimmy Coenraets described it.

“Make sure you kind of just detach from the game and you get some time by yourself,” Coenraets said of his advice to players heading into the break. “I just want everyone to come back in the best possible headspace.”

The real reason for the optimism, however, is likely because Utah is approaching this season as one piece of a much larger puzzle. Coenraets said that since the Miller family took over team ownership in April, he has felt supported in building a foundation for what he called “a sustainable future.”

“Ever since the change, there was one clear message, and that’s, ‘Let’s build a foundation, and let’s build upon the foundation that we are building the next six months,'” Coenraets said. “We want to be competitive as much as we can, but we also want to make sure that by being competitive, we’re actually building for the future and not giving up the future to just get results.”

Utah will play a pair of friendlies against the San Diego Wave to break up the month-long break and several Royals will continue playing games with their respective national teams, including Ally Sentnor and Mandy McGlynn with the USWNT and Janni Thomsen joining Denmark for the UEFA Women’s Euro tournament.

Former Kansas State athletics director Steve Miller, who helped sow the seeds for a historic turnaround in Wildcats football, died on June 15 at his home in Portland, Oregon at the age of 81, according to a K-State news release.

Miller spent nine years at K-State — five as head track and field coach (1981-86), one as associate AD and director of the Mike Ahearn Scholarship Fund (1987-88) and the last three as athletics director. But he was best known for the Nov. 30, 1988, hiring of Bill Snyder as Wildcats’ football coach, which led to the resurrection of a program once described by Sports Illustrated as “Futility U.”

A celebration of life for Miller has been planned for 3 p.m. PT on July 7 at the Ritz Carlton in Portland.

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Miller, a true K-Stater who led our department during some of the most critical times in our history,” K-State athletics director Gene Taylor said in a statement. “Obviously his hiring of coach Snyder is well documented, but he also was a longtime figure in the track and field world and was a leader in that space for decades.

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“From the first time I met Steve he became a trusted friend and over the last few years provided me great guidance and advice from his vast experience in the sports industry. He will truly be missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

While credited with bringing future hall of famer Snyder to Manhattan as a first-time college head coach, Miller was a decorated coach in his own right. In 2005, he was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

His 23-year career in track included 21 as head coach at Bloom Township High School (1965-76), Cal Poly (1976-81) and K-State. After leaving Manhattan, he served as an administrator with Nike, the Professional Bowlers Association and Agassi Graf Holding, and as a faculty member at the University of Oregon.

In addition to Snyder, Miller hired Dana Altman as men’s basketball coach in April of 1990.

Miller was born in Chicago on Sept. 9, 1943, and competed in track and football at Bradley University before a brief stint in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. He is survived by his wife Suzanne, daughter Claudine and son Christopher.

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.

KARACHI: Pakistan secured a spot in the semifinals of the 2025 Asian Volleyball Nations Cup after a hard-fought victory against Indonesia in the quarterfinals. 

After dropping the first set, Pakistan staged a strong comeback, winning three consecutive sets to seal the match 3-1. The final scores were 20-25, 25-21, 25-20, and 25-17.

Despite Indonesia’s early dominance in the opening set, Pakistan took control of the match with a resilient performance. Indonesia led in attack points with 56 compared to Pakistan’s 50, but Pakistan’s defence proved decisive, registering 16 block points against Indonesia’s 7.

Statistically, Pakistan’s efficiency proved decisive. Despite trailing in total attack points, they committed only 10 attack faults to Indonesia’s 21. Pakistan also held an edge in serve points (6-3) and benefited from 23 opponent errors. 

The team’s ability to minimise mistakes while maximising defensive plays underscored their tactical improvement as the match progressed.

Murad Jahan, Pakistan’s captain, was the top scorer with 20 points, including 17 from attacks, two from blocks, and one from serves. Usman Faryad Ali contributed 16 points, while Fahad Raza and Murad Khan added nine and eight points, respectively. Pakistan’s strong blocking and efficient play at critical moments turned the tide in their favour.

Indonesia’s Rivan and Doni were the standout performers for their team, scoring 22 and 11 points, but their efforts were not enough to overcome Pakistan’s defensive discipline and balanced attack.

South Africa’s Under-20 men’s water polo team clinched a narrow victory over New Zealand on Friday morning at the 2025 U20 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

Team SA edges New Zealand in nail-biting water polo match

The match, a classification game for final rankings, ended in a dramatic penalty shootout after regular play concluded in a tie.

The clash between South Africa and New Zealand was closely contested from start to finish. Both teams were evenly matched through all four quarters, with each side scoring 3 goals in the first, 4 in the second, 3 in the third, and another 3 in the fourth.

This brought the total score to 15-15 at the end of regular time.

As per tournament rules, the game progressed to a penalty shootout, referred to as PSO (Penalty Shoot-Out), when teams are tied and no extra time (ET) is played.

South Africa emerged victorious with a final shootout score of 3-2, bringing the overall score to 16-15.

South Africa’s squad featured a lineup of young talent, including goalkeeper Nathan Jacob, aged 19, and key drivers like Connor Flinn, David Johnson, and Karabo Mamaregane.

The team demonstrated strategic play and resilience throughout the match.

New Zealand’s team was equally competitive, with players such as Zach Martin (goalkeeper), Cole Phillips (centre/back), and Ashwyn Keshvara (wing) making notable contributions.

What happens next?

This win was part of a series of classification matches determining the final rankings of teams not progressing to the medal rounds. The tournament, hosted at the SP Mladost Pool in Zagreb from 14 to 21 June 2025, features national teams from across five continents, including powerhouses like Hungary, the USA, and Australia.

South Africa’s performance in this match positions them for a favourable ranking placement within the final classification. The team now prepares for its next match scheduled for the final day of the competition, which will determine their exact ranking between 13th and 20th place depending on outcomes across other games.

The 2025 U20 Water Polo World Championships are organised by World Aquatics and the Croatian Water Polo Federation. Held at the SP Mladost pool in Zagreb, the venue is known for hosting top-tier water polo events.

A total of 20 national teams are participating in this year’s competition, representing regions including Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania.

The championships serve as a development platform for future professional and Olympic-level athletes, providing exposure to international competition and showcasing emerging talent.

EUGENE, Ore. – On Friday, June 20 at Hayward Field, High Point University Track and Field student-athlete Camerin Williams participated in the men’s 800m race at the USA Track and Field U20 Championships.
 
In his first competition at the Championships, Williams qualified for the 800m finals after clocking a 1:50.59 in the prelims on Thursday afternoon. Competing against the top U20’s in the country, he gave it everything he had on Friday and walked away as the men’s 800m champion. His 1:46.81 time broke the HPU program record and now sits second all-time in Big South history.
 
Emily Romano also competed at the Championships and placed seventh in the women’s pole vault, clearing 4.00m on Thursday afternoon.
 
UP NEXT:

A select group of athletes will travel back to Eugene, Oregon for the USA Track & Field Championships on July 31 through August 5.
 

#GoHPU x #DefendTheTeam

Defending champions Qatar battled past a resilient Vietnam with a 3-2 victory to book a place in the semi-finals of the AVC Volleyball Nations Cup in Manama, Bahrain. After dropping a tense first set 29-31, the top seeds hit back with 25-21 and 25-15 wins. Vietnam refused to fold, leveling the match 2-2 with a 25-22 fourth set, but Qatar held firm in the decider, clinching it 15-12.

Qatar will meet Pakistan in the semis, in a rematch of last year’s final, where Qatar emerged victorious to clinch the title. Pakistan, who also topped their group, continued their impressive form by defeating Indonesia 3-1 in their quarter-final. After losing the opening set 20-25, Pakistan bounced back strongly to seal the win by taking the next three sets 25-21, 25-20 and 25-17. Hosts Bahrain will meet South Korea in the other semi-final. Bahrain swept Chinese Taipei 3-0, while South Korea advanced with a 3-1 win over Australia. Classification matches for 5th–8th places take place today, with the final set for Tuesday.