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Alexander

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LOS ANGELES — Call it the $9.55 million goal.

Or call it Denis Bouanga picking up the mantle that had been left behind by Carlos Vela, a torch unofficially being passed a few days after LAFC’s first icon officially retired, picked up by the team’s current star.

And perhaps Bouanga’s extra-time goal Saturday night, a blast that deflected off the leg of Club América’s Miguel Vazquez and past goalkeeper Luis Malagon in the 115th minute of play, should go down as the most important goal to date in the history of the eight-year-old club. Yes, maybe even more important than Gareth Bale’s tying goal in extra time of the 2022 MLS Cup final, which set up a shootout that produced the club’s first league title.

There are now three, to date, massive victories atop a history that has been remarkably consistent since the club’s first game in 2018, including two Supporters’ Shields for best regular season record.

There is the 2022 MLS Cup victory over Philadelphia, the 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City last September to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and Sunday’s 2-1 victory over one of Mexico’s most famous and successful clubs that put LAFC into the 32-team field for the FIFA Club World Cup. That not only overcame what had been a stumbling block, following losses in CONCACAF Champions League finals to Tigres in 2020 and León in 2023, but it put LAFC in there with the big boys.

As in, globally big.

No, coach Steve Cherundolo isn’t obsessing yet about Chelsea, the first Club World Cup opponent June 16 in Atlanta. (And yes, FIFA, I know the schedule has been set, but wouldn’t it make sense – and dollars as well – to shift at least one of LAFC’s pool play games to the Rose Bowl?)

First things first.

“Our next opponent is Kansas City (June 8), so that’s where my head is,” Cherundolo said. “I haven’t really thought about the Club World Cup and our opponents … We will be prepared, as prepared as we possibly can be. And we will come up with a plan that can work. But I don’t think there’s any secret in this room to say, for us to beat those teams, we need to play perfectly. We needed to play near perfectly tonight. We didn’t, but I think we played pretty close and that’s why we won.”

But there is a much larger picture here, one that not only affects LAFC but Major League Soccer as a whole. Cherundolo has talked about it before: The economic imbalance between teams in other countries and other leagues that can spend freely and those in MLS who are restricted by not only a tightly wound salary cap but by arcane salary mechanisms and categories of spending that restrict what a team can do to improve itself from year to year, or limit a club’s ability to create roster depth to complement its designated players.

“Everybody in this room knows or is familiar with the best example of being a successful team, winning and then trying to turn around the next season, down the street in this city,” he said, speaking of the difficulties experienced by the Galaxy a season after winning the championship. “That’s really hard to do.

“But I think you can see LAFC’s success over the past four years now has been very consistent, although we have had less tools to work with. And part of the decision making is letting players like Ilie Sanchez go, but being very good at being prepared for what else is out there …  with your roster building, your scouting management, your negotiating but also then essentially then your coaching staff getting players on board, and trying to find players that fit our model, but also tweaking the model a little bit to fit players.”

It would be one thing for a team to deal with MLS’ restrictions if everyone else it plays against operates under the same rules. Given that  MLS teams face Liga MX clubs and other teams from the CONCACAF region that have no such restrictions, it’s like operating with one hand tied behind your back. You can succeed for a time, but eventually it catches up with you.

“We are, I think, maximizing the dollars we get to spend,” Cherundolo said. “We maximize and stretch every single dollar to try to compete with the best in our region, and now to compete with the best in the world.

“But – it is not always going to work like that. You do need to stay competitive financially as well. You can look at the EPL. If you look at the European leagues, it’s no secret why they are the best teams in the world. And so there is an element where we cannot just close our eyes and say, oh, now we’re there, and let’s stop investing. It needs to be continued to push forward financially.”

Consider that the coach made many of those same observations after the 2023 home and home with León in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, in which LAFC lost the first leg 1-0 in Mexico and the second leg 2-1 at home. The irony, of course, is that Sunday’s play-in match took place after León was bounced from the Club World Cup because of a violation of ownership rules. The same group also owns Pachuca, which also had qualified.

This was a hurry-up call. Leon and Pachuca appealed the ruling, which was made in March, and the decision to reject their appeal wasn’t finalized by the Court of Arbitration for Sport until May 6. The LAFC-Club América play-in wasn’t officially announced until May 16.

“We felt like because León was the team that is no longer part of it, and we were the runners up in the Champions League, that we should get that spot or at least the opportunity to fight for that spot, right?” defender Aaron Long said. “So we’re super happy that they gave us the opportunity to play a great team. And again, to come out on top is is amazing.”

So is this the biggest victory in LAFC history?

“I don’t know if it’s the most important, but it’s definitely it’s definitely one of them,” Long said. “Probably top three. The MLS Cup is probably up there as well. But yeah, I mean to represent this club on a global stage, and for our ownership that has poured so much into this club and our staff and our general manager (John Thorrington) and how much they put into the club year after year and fight for trophies, fight for titles, to now represent us on the world stage is unbelievable.

“And it’s all that we wanted.”

jalexander@scng.com

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Women’s Track and Field Look to Continue Success as a Squad this Winter

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December 6, 2025

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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. –  The Hartford Women’s Track and Field team look to build off of a strong season in the spring as the team moves into the indoor portion of the schedule. Last year, the team found success both indoors and outdoors with strong placements in marquee meets such as 2nd in the Conference of New England (CNE) Championships, 12th and tied for 14th in the NCAA DIII Championships, and 17th and 25th in the NEICAAA All-New England Championships.

New Year, Similar Squad

With Head Coach Connor Green returning for his third year and the team only graduating two seniors a year ago, Hartford will be running out a whole host of familiar faces this season. 31 out of the 48 Hawks will be back for Coach Green with eight entering into their senior season. Amongst the group of notable returners is Lauren Duffy (Southington, Conn.) who is coming off of a standout freshman campaign last season. Duffy finished with seven top ten finishes last season with two top three finishes at The Reggie Open. 

“Our team expectations are to just stay consistent, disciplined, and work on the little things a lot. Like being in the weight room, getting consistent miles in, and also hurdle mobility, injury prevention stuff, just to stay healthy throughout the season.” Duffy said.

 

Another key returner for the Hawks is junior Leslie Samuel (Montauk, N.Y.) who is coming off a season in which she was named to the USTFCCCA All-Region Team.

“I am mostly excited to get back into it. I didn’t compete last year, so I am excited to get back to where I am, and make it to nationals hopefully.” Samuel said.

 

A third key returner for the Hawks is Tommie Barker (Canton, Conn.). Barker last season was nominated to the CNE All-Conference Third Team for her/their performance in both hammer throw and shotput.

“I have high expectations for this year, given it’s my senior year. I’m hoping to keep improving and PR consistently at almost every meet. My main goal is to make it to all New Englands this year, and I think it’s very doable! I’m super excited for indoor and even more so for outdoor! Between lifting and practicing consistently for the past few months, I think we’re all at our best going into this season. Practice makes progress, and we’ve had a lot of time to make some amazing progress!” Barker said. 

Season Outlook:

The Hawks will begin their season at the Yale invitational on Dec. 6th. Following that event they will take on the Wesleyan University Invitational on Jan. 24th. They will also compete in the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University on Jan. 31st. The Hawks will close out the indoor track and field season at the NCAA Division III New England Championships in Boston at the New England at the Track of New Balance

For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.

 





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Nebraska volleyball vs. Long Island live updates, stats and highlights

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December 6, 2025

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Updated Dec. 5, 2025, 7:40 p.m. CT

Nebraska volleyball (30-0) begins the road to Kansas City Friday with the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA tournament. The Huskers play host for the Regional and take on the Long Island Sharks (20-8) for the opening round.

The match commences after San Diego takes Kansas State at 4:30 p.m. CT. The winner of each match advances to the second, which is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.

Nebraska comes in with its first perfect regular season in 25 years along with its third consecutive Big Ten title. The Huskers also enter the tournament with the top offense and defense in the nation, standing with a .352 hitting percentage and holding opponents to a .125. 





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Commodore Track & Field Schedule Revealed – Vanderbilt University Athletics – Official Athletics Website

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December 6, 2025

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Director of Vanderbilt cross country and track and field Althea Thomas released the program’s 2025–26 schedule, which features four home and 11 away meets.

The Commodores kick off the new season at home with the Commodore Winter Challenge on Saturday at the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center. Two more indoor home meets, the Vanderbilt Invitational and Music City Challenge, will be Jan. 16–17 and Feb. 13–14, respectively.

The SEC Indoor Championships will be Feb. 26–28 in College Station, Texas. The top 16 qualifiers in each event will compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 13–14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Vandy will travel to several away events during the indoor and outdoor seasons, including several repeat events like Florida Relays, Mt. SAC Relays and others and new additions, such as the Hampton Inn River City Relays and 44 Farms Team Invitational.

The Dores will close out their outdoor regular season in Nashville with the Music City Challenge on May 1–2 at the Vanderbilt Outdoor Track.

Vanderbilt will head south to Auburn, Alabama, for the SEC Outdoor Championships on May 14–16. The NCAA East First Round will be May 27–30 in Lexington, Kentucky, and the NCAA Outdoor Championships will be June 10–13 in Eugene, Oregon.

The program’s full schedule is available at vucommodores.com. Fans can follow Vanderbilt track and field on Facebook, Instagram and X at @VandyXCTrack.

2025-26 Vanderbilt Track & Field Schedule
Dec. 6 Winter Commodore Challenge in Nashville
Jan. 9–10 Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational in Louisville, Ky.
Jan. 16-17 Vanderbilt Invitational in Nashville
Jan. 30–31 Bob Pollock Invitational in Clemson, S.C.
Jan. 31 John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston
Feb. 13–14 Music City Challenge in Nashville
Feb. 26-28 SEC Indoor Championships in College Station, Texas
March 13–14 NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
March 19–20 Hampton Inn River City Relays in Jacksonville, Fla.
March 26–27 Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C.
April 3–4 Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla.
April 9–11 44 Farms Team Invitational in College Station, Texas
April 10 Crimson Tide Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
April 15–18 Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.
April 16–18 Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif.
April 25–26 LSU Alumni Invitational in Baton Rouge, La.
May 1–2 Music City Challenge in Nashville
May 14–16 SEC Outdoor Championships in Auburn, Ala.
May 27–30 NCAA East First Round in Lexington, Ky.
June 10–13 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
June 18–21 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
July TBD USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
Aug. 5–9 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Ore.





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Gameday

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December 6, 2025

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Track & Field Beings Indoor Season at Vanderbilt’s Winter Commodore Challenge

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December 6, 2025

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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s track and field team begins its 2025-26 season at Vanderbilt’s Commodore Winter Challenge, Saturday, at the David Williams II Recreation & Wellness Center in Nashville.

The meet is Austin Peay’s first of five in the indoor campaign’s regular season and also the first of three times the Govs will travel to the Music City ahead of the spring’s outdoor season.

Led by third-year head coach Asha Gibson-Smith, the Governors return 21 athletes including Taylin Segree who was a four-time ASUN Freshman of the Week and qualified for the USATF U20 Championships last season.

Gibson-Smith also welcomed six veteran newcomers in transfers Holly Harding (Lindenwood), Mallory Hodge (Eastern Kentucky), Laure Marie Kidakula (Georgia State), Mariah Mitchem (Coker University), Raven Payne (Bellarmine), and Zoe Spann-McDonald (West Virginia State). The Govs’ newcomer class features a quartet of freshmen, with Emily Bey, Molly Brown, China Giaimo, and Te’Onja Hinds set to begin their collegiate careers at Vanderbilt’s meet.

Saturday’s events begin in the field at 8:30 a.m. with Marcia Dejesus, Giaimo, and Emma Tucker competing in the weight throw. At the same time, Ja’Kyah Montgomery will be competing in the high jump. APSU concludes the day at 3:55 p.m. with Taylah Upshaw competing in the 1,000-meter.

Saturday’s meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Lyman on the call. Live results are available at the link atop this article.

Up Next

Austin Peay returns to action in mid-January when it returns to Nashville to the Vanderbilt Invitational, Jan. 16-17, at the David Williams II Recreation & Wellness Center

Austin Peay Competition List

Weight Throw (8:30 a.m.) – Marcia Dejesus, China Giaimo, Emma Tucker

High Jump (8:30 a.m.) – Ja’Kyah Montgomery

Pole Vault (10 a.m.) – Myra Eriksson

Long Jump (11:30 a.m.) – Denim Goddard, Madelyn Kocik

60m Hurdles Prelims (12 p.m.) – Molly Brown, Nevaeh Schmeling, Zoe Spann-McDonald

Shot Put (12:30 p.m.) – Marcia Dejesus, China Giaimo, Emma Tucker

Triple Jump (2:30 p.m.) – Denim Goddard, Madelyn Kocik, Ja’Kyah Montgomery

300m (2:35 p.m.) – Isis Banks, Alijanae Cole, Seven Pettus

600m (3:15 p.m.) – Alexis Arnett, Mia McGee, Taylin Segree

1000m (3:55 p.m.) – Taylah Upshaw

Follow the Govs on Socials

For news and updates throughout the 2025-26 track & field season, follow the Governors on X and Instagram (@GovsXCTF) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com



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Tharayil Competes in Heptathlon to Kick Off Men’s Indoor Track and Field Season

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December 6, 2025

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Men’s Track and Field | 12/5/2025 6:55:00 PM

Findlay, Ohio – First-place finishes in shot put and 1,000 meter helped senior Justin Tharayil grab third-place in the heptathlon with 3,900 points at the 2025 Oiler Opener and Multi, hosted by Findlay University. He finished behind Camden St.John of Findlay and first-place Nick Farfoglia of conference foe Wittenberg, who had 4,556 points.

Tharayil posted first-place finishes in shot put (10.89m), and 1000 meter (3:02.56), and took second in high jump (1.80m). His high jump and shot put marks make it a career-best for the senior. He also had a 3.10m mark in pole vault to help solidify his third-place ranking. His 3,900 points is a career-best in the heptathlon.

Scored Events

  • 60m – 7.91 (4th)

  • Long Jump – 5.86m (3rd)

  • Shot Put – 10.89m (1st)

  • High Jump – 1.80m (T-2nd)

  • 60m Hurdles – 9.84 (3rd)

  • Pole Vault – 3.10m (3rd)

  • 1000m – 3:02.56 (1st)

Up Next for the Big Red

Denison travels to Springfield, Ohio to compete in the Tiger Opener hosted by Wittenberg University tomorrow Saturday, December 6.



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