Ching's big night lifts Dynamo into first
Associated Press
Brian Ching had a goal and assist to help the Houston Dynamo beat visiting Real Salt Lake, 4-3, last night and move into first place in Major League Soccer's Western Conference.
Ching is a Kamehameha alum from Hale'iwa.
Houston has won three straight and is unbeaten in six games. The Dynamo ended Real Salt Lake's four-game unbeaten streak.
Kenny Deucher cut Houston's lead to 4-3 in the 80th minute with a goal from the right side of the box into the lower left net after receiving a pass from Robbie Findley.
Nate Jaqua gave Houston the 4-2 lead at the half after getting a pass from Ching on the left box and hitting a low shot into the right net in the 42nd minute.
The Dynamo (7-4-8, 29 points) took the lead in the 35th minute on a goal by Ricardo Clark. Off a throw-in, Clark took possession of the ball outside the upper right box and let a shot fly into the upper left net.
Real Salt Lake (7-7-6, 27 points) scored in the 3rd minute on a goal by Yura Movsisyan.
Houston tied the score in the 16th minute when Brian Mullan got a pass from Brad Davis, beat Nick Rimando one-on-one, and let a shot go into the upper left net from the left box.
Salt Lake took a 2-1 lead on a Javier Morales goal in the 25th minute, but Ching tied the score at 2 in the 29th minute on a left-footed shot from the right box.
TENNIS
DEL POTRO ROLLS INTO LEGG MASON FINAL
Juan Martin del Potro hasn't lost in more than a month, winning all three tournaments he's played since the start of July.
Viktor Troicki has never played in an ATP final, but he'll have a chance to end del Potro's 18-match winning streak today in the final of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington.
Del Potro earned a spot in the final with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Tommy Haas on Saturday. Troicki beat Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 6-2 later in the day to earn his first career finals berth on the ATP tour.
Troicki beat top-seeded Andy Roddick to get to the semifinal, but he should have an even tougher test against second-seeded del Potro.
DECHY TOPS MAURESMO, FACES PETROVA FOR TITLE
Nathalie Dechy reached her first final in four years with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 upset of fifth-seeded Amelie Mauresmo in a semifinal of the Western and Southern Financial Group Women's Open at Mason, Ohio.
Dechy will play in a final today for the first time since losing the championship match at the 2004 New Haven tournament. She will face second-seeded Nadia Petrova, who beat third-seeded Maria Kirilenko, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the other semifinal.