Weekend Wrap: MLS Conference Championships Set & College Scores

The New York Red Bulls’ surprisingly comfortable 3-0 upset triumph (4-1 on aggregate) over the MLS defending champion Houston Dynamo before more than 30,000 today in Texas means that we’re down to the final four in MLS. It’s only the second time in the franchise’s 13-year history they have reached the second round of the playoffs.

The speedy and increasingly impressive Dane Richards scored the first, drew the foul that led to Juan Pablo Angel’s second from a penalty kick and then assisted on John Wolyniec’s strike for the third goal (it was the first of the season for the former Galaxy striker).

“I feel sick to my stomach,” said Dynamo Coach Dominic Kinnear. “I think it’s the most lopsided 3-0 loss I’ve ever seen in my life. You have to score to win games, and that was very evident today. … Sometimes you make your own luck. They made a lot of luck, but we didn’t.”

New York hadn’t won on the road in the playoffs in eight years. Angel has 14 goals in his last 17 games and has scored in four straight.

So that means:
*At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, it’s the Columbus Crew against the Chicago Fire live on ESPN2 for the Eastern Conference Championship.

*At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, it’s Chivas USA vanquishers Real Salt Lake against NYRB live on Fox Soccer Channel for the Western Conference Championship. (BTW, the Red Bulls have never lost to Real Salt Lake).

The winners meet at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 23 in Carson for the championship.

Weekend College Scores
*Long Beach State lost 6-5 on penalty kicks to UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Tournament championship game Sunday at George Allen Field. The contest remained even at 1-1 after regulation and two scoreless overtime periods. Long Beach missed its eighth (!) PK to lose the game. The school now waits to see whether it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The selection show airs live at 5 p.m. on ESPNews.

*The Loyola Marymount women closed out the regular season with a 2-0 win over Saint Marys at Sullivan Field Saturday, securing a third-place finish in the West Coast Conference. LMU similarly finds out Monday if they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

*No. 9 USC finished third in the Pac-10 by beating Oregon State 1-0 today. The Trojans will stay glued to ESPNews Monday to find out their first-round NCAA Tournament opponent.

*The UC San Diego women beat Cal State Dominguez Hills 3-1 in the CCAA Championship Sunday, meaning the Toros’ post-season fate also rests with the NCAA committee, which will determine the six teams that qualify for the NCAA Tournament that starts next week.

*The Cal State Dominguez Hills men also lost the CCAA championship 6-5 on penalty kicks Sunday to Sonoma State. The No.4-ranked Toros are in the NCAA tournament though; they’ll find out who they play at 4 p.m. Monday.

*Leading scorer Maxwell Griffin scored his 10th of the season Saturday as No. 19 UCLA (9-4-6) beat No. 25 Cal Poly, 2-1. The Bruins, unbeaten in seven straight and 13 of its last 14 games, wraps up the season Saturday at San Diego State.

*The Cal State Northridge men were eliminated from post-season tournament contention with a 2-1 defeat Saturday to UC Irvine.

*Pepperdine beat San Francisco 3-0 Saturday to end their season at 9-9-2.

*The LMU men dropped a 2-1 decision to Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., Sunday to guarantee a second straight losing season.

Lastly, the U.S. women beat South Korea 1-0 Saturday in Tampa, Fla., before 4,263 on a Heather O’Reilly goal. Next: verses China Dec. 13 in Carson.

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About Nick Green

South Bay-based Los Angeles News Group soccer columnist and blogger Nick Green writes at the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer and craft beer at the Beer Goggles blog at www.insidesocal.com/beer. Cheers!