By NoontimeSports.co,
In case you did not know, Noontime Sports recently launched a brand new Twitter handle — @NoonSportsBlog – which will be promote the blog various article, videos and podcasts.
Feel free to follow for various updates and news, but also, make sure you track our creator Matt Noonan @NoontimeSports.
By NoontimeSports.com
According to a few reports on Wednesday afternoon – Fenway Park, which is slated to celebrate its 100th season – will host an exhibition soccer match on July 25, which will feature Liverpool facing off against Roma.
For more information on this particular match – CLICK HERE.
By NoontimeSports.com
Looking for a Massachusetts high school lacrosse site that’ll have coverage of every boy’s game this season? Well, you’re in luck!
BostonLax.net – a site that’s destined to revolutionize the sport and coverage – officially made its way onto the world wide web on Tuesday, Mar. 27, and will feature a variety of game stories, features, blogs, podcasts, videos and much more.
The site’s staff recently provided Noontime Sports with an introduction video, so fans can get excited and revved up about the upcoming coverage.
Photo Credit: SportsLogos.net
By Ryan Lanigan
The New England Revolution are coming off one of their worst seasons in club history, and are looking to get back to the top of the league.
After replacing longtime head coach Steve Nicol with former player Jay Heaps, the Revs, and GM Michael Burns have begun the process to enhance their unit, as well as numerous personnel decisions.
New England has the third overall pick in the MLS draft, which is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 12, and here’s a few names that the Revolution might consider targeting.
Andrew Wenger, Defender/Midfielder, Duke (22 games, 17 goals, 8 assists): Wenger would be an ideal pick for the Revs. Some say that New England is lacking a number one striker and needs more scoring. On the other side, there are those that notice the weak defensive line. A.J. Soares needs a strong partner in the middle and Wenger would be that fit. He has solid size, (6’0, 185) and good versatility. Also, he scored 17 goals this year in his first season playing forward. If Wenger falls to the Revs, they should take it to solidify their defensive line.
Billy Schuler, Forward/Midfielder, North Carolina (25 Games, 16 goals, 5 assists): Schuler is a fellow nominee with Wenger for the Hermann Trophy, soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman. Schuler is a great finisher and can do so with either foot. He has decent speed and has some a good soccer IQ. It might not count as an attribute, but Schuler has been known to be in the right place at the right time and can finish those opportunities. He could make an impact right away for the Revs with Milton Caraglio and Rajko Lekic out of the picture.
*AUTHORS NOTE: Schuler has decided to sign on with Sweden’s Hammarby.
Matt Hedges, Defender, North Carolina (26 games, 6 goals, 1 assist): If the Revs decide to go with a defender, which I think they will, they may choose to go with Schuler’s Tar Heels teammate, Matt Hedges, who is going to be considered the best defender in the entire draft. He will bring something to the back line that they didn’t see last season: size. He’s 6’4 and can help control and defend against set pieces. Some say he won’t go until the second round, but others think he’s a top 10 pick.
Enzo Martinez, Midfielder, North Carolina (26 Games, 9 goals, 11 assists): What was something that was lacking from the Revolution in 2011? A young playmaker. There was Benny Feilhaber and Shalrie Joseph in the middle, but there wasn’t much that came from the outside. The most intriguing part of Martinez’s game is his speed and ability to adapt. Two years ago, Martinez was the scoring star for the Tar Heels. This past year, he was able to change his style of play and become the playmaker for the College Cup Champions. All in all, he’d certainly be a great asset for New England.
Kelyn Rowe, Midfielder, UCLA (24 games, 6 goals, 10 assists): Kelyn Rowe is a very, very talented midfielder. Like I previously stated, the Revs need a playmaker coming out of the middle. Also, he’s fast, can use both feet, and has experience on the National Team, too. He’s a pure talent that the Revs could use in their lineup.
Casey Townsend, Forward, Maryland (21 games, 17 goals, 2 assists): The senior forward becomes more enticing now that Schuler has decided to go Sweden. He doesn’t have the best size, but he’s very quick and has been known to be able to create his own chances. He will come to the MLS ready to make an immediate impact on many teams. It might be a reach to take Townsend with the third overall pick, but with trade rumors flying around, it might be a good deal to trade the pick down to snag Townsend, and possibly a future draft pick, too.
Second Round Options
Calum Mallace, Midfielder, Marquette (16 games, 3 goals, 6 assists): Mallace could be a solid second round pick for the Revolution. He fits Heaps’ idea of “two-way players,” and could fill the Scottish void left by Nicol.
Other Potential Second Rounders:
*Andy Rose, Midfielder, UCLA
*Kevan George, Defense/Midfield, Central Florida
*Hunter Jumper, Defense, Virginia
Photo Credit: Pointstreak.comBy Steve Kendall
By Steve Kendall
CAMBRIDGE, MA – With a three-week break staring her in the face, Boston goalie Molly Schaus wanted to make sure she had a good weekend.
Mission accomplished.
One day after a 37-save performance, Schaus topped it with a 47-save effort to lead the Boston Blades to a 5-2 win over the Brampton Hockey Club in a Canadian Women’s Hockey League game Sunday afternoon at Harvard University’s Bright Arena.
With the two-game weekend sweep of Brampton, the Blades improved to (8-2) and increased its second place lead in the process. Boston could be in a first-place tie with Montreal by Sunday night, as the Stars face Alberta.
“This was a really important weekend for us,” Schaus said. “We knew we needed to play well and get a couple wins heading into the break.”
Kelli Stack, who had two goals in Saturday’s win, had a hat trick on Sunday, scoring Boston’s first, fourth, and fifth goals, to give her 11 on the season. Kate Buessler added three assists while Erika Lawler and Gigi Marvin had two helpers each, while Lindsay Berman and Jessica Koizumi each netted their first goals of the season for the Blades.
Jayna Hefford and Ashley Riggs scored for Brampton.
“It was important to get two wins against a real good team,” Stack said. “I think our depth, [four lines versus 13 skaters for Brampton] was a big difference. We were fresh. Plus, Molly played great in both games.”
The scoring came fast and furious once the puck dropped. After scoring in the first minute on Saturday, Stack again got the Blades going early, scoring just 25 seconds into the game. Two minutes later, Berman made it 2-0 with assists going to Bray Ketchum and Marvin. Almost two minutes later, Brampton got on the board when Riggs found the back of the net.
Despite being outshot 23-11 in the second period, the Blades extended their lead with a pair of goals from Koizumi and Stack to take a 4-1 lead into the third period.
Brampton fired 16 more shots at Schaus in the third period, and pulled to within 4-2 on Hefford’s goal with 11:37 to play. However, Stack answered three minutes later, capping her hat trick off a nice feed from Lawler.
“We are real happy with this weekend – we beat a good team twice,” Scahus said. “Hopefully we can carry this over after the break.”
Boston is off until January 7, when it travels to Burlington, Ontario to open a two-game series with the Barracudas.
Photo Credit: Pointstreak.com
By Steve Kendall
CAMBRIDGE, MA – It was not pretty at times, but it was a win.
Kelli Stack scored a pair of goals to lead the Boston Blades to a 3-1 win over the Brampton Hockey Club in Canadian Women’s Hockey League action at Harvard University’s Bright Arena Saturday afternoon.
The Blades (7-2) stayed pace with the Montreal Stars (8-1), remaining two points behind the CWHL leaders. Boston will host Brampton (4-3-2) Sunday at noon at Bright Arena.
Stack started the scoring just 1:03 into the game, converting a feed from Erika Lawler. She also closed the scoring with an unassisted goal at the 8:19 mark of the third, giving Boston a 3-1 lead. Jaclyn Hawkins scored Boston’s other goal, which broke a 1-1 tie five minutes into the second period.
Courtney Barchard scored the lone goal for Brampton.
Stack and Lawler are tied for the team lead with 11 points, and Stack leads the team with 8 goals. Lawler’s assist was her team-leading 9th of the season.
In addition to Stack’s outstanding performance, the Blades also needed superb play for goalie Molly Schaus, who turned away 37 Brampton shots – including 15 in both the first and third periods. It was a typical strong game for Schaus, who improved to 6-2 with a league-leading 2.22 goals against average and .898 save percentage with the win.
Here's the Boston Red Sox version of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer!" (Photo Credit: Pop Crunch)
By NoontimeSports.com
On Thursday, the Boston Red Sox unveiled their most recent holiday e-card to season ticket holders and fans.
The e-card is based off the song, “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer,” but instead of the typical lyrics, the song was spiced up with some Red Sox images and Bostonian lingo.
CLICK HERE, and get ready to sing along, friends!
By NoontimeSports.com
Let the hype for “Tebow Mania” continue, especially in Boston. The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos will face-off against one another on Sunday, and you can certainly bet it’ll be must-watch television.
However, in the meantime, let’s kick-start our countdown to kick-off with our first of many Tim Tebow videos. Here’s comedian Bill Cosby talking about his trip to Colorado in 2012, as well as why he likes the Broncos gunslinger.
Tony Stewart capped off an exciting NASCAR season with a championship win on Sunday!
By Brian Willwerth
Admit it. When the Chase began, you had no expectations for Tony Stewart. Heck, he even said so himself. Here’s a guy who didn’t even qualify for NASCAR’s playoff until the last possible moment at Richmond.
And yet, here he is, just over three months later, celebrating his third Cup title. He also won it all on 2002 and 2005.
Stewart won his fifth race of the Chase Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It capped off an epic playoff battle with Carl Edwards, who finished second. The only way “Smoke” could win the title is to win the finale. That’s just what he did. Edwards and Stewart ended up tied in points. But the tiebreaker goes to the driver who won the most races. Stewart won five – all of them in the Chase. Edwards won only one. It was the closest Chase since NASCAR began the playoff system back in 2004.
Stewart became the first owner/driver to win the title since Alan Kulwicki did it in 1992. Stewart is co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing.
Edwards has nothing to hang his head about. Over the last 10 races, his average finish was 4.9. He was the points leader for much of the Chase. But it wasn’t good enough to hold off the fast-charging Stewart, who tore his way through the field.
Among NASCAR fanatics, this will go down as a historic victory. If Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the sport’s most popular driver, you can make the argument that Smoke is easily #2. Go to any racetrack, (and I’ve been to many) and you’ll see just as many red #14’s in the stands as green #88’s.
Jimmie Johnson, who was vying for his 6th consecutive title, never got close to achieving that goal. He finished 6th in the Chase, 99 points back. Dale Jr., another driver who qualified for the Chase at the last minute, came in 7th.
It’s been an amazing year of racing. See you in February at the granddaddy of them all: the Daytona 500.
By Brian Willwerth
There is just one race left – one race to determine the 2011 NASCAR champion. And if you’re looking for drama, boy do we have it. A mere three-points heading into next weekend’s finale at Homestead separates Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart, which again should make for an exciting finish, right?
More on the championship battle in a moment, but first – a look back at Sunday’s race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Kasey Kahne – the favorite driver of yours truly – finally took the checkered flag in the #4 car. It was his first win in his last 81 races. You have to go all the way back to ‘09 at Atlanta to find the last time Kahne celebrated in Victory Lane. He is not in the Chase for the Championship, yet only Stewart and Edwards have been better than Kahne over the past nine races. Kahne will be joining Hendrick Motorsports next season.
Edwards and Stewart finished second and third at Phoenix, which sets up a tremendous finale. This is the closest any two drivers have been heading into the final race, since the Chase format began in ‘04. Even if neither driver is contention for the win at Homestead, expect ESPN’s cameras to be focused on these two guys the entire way. Every car passed means a critical point earned in the standings.
It’s going to be fun.
