Graham Zusi has been a member of Maryland's two NCAA men's soccer championship teams in the past four years. The latest one was the sweetest.

Zusi's second-half goal gave second-seeded Maryland a 1-0 victory over 13th-seeded North Carolina in the NCAA College Cup championship game yesterday at Frisco, Texas.

Maryland (23-3-0) took the title in 2005 when Zusi was a freshman who contributed off the bench. This time, Zusi was one of the Terps' senior leaders.

In the semifinals, the attacking midfielder notched the game's only goal in extra time to beat St. John's. Then, on the season's biggest stage, Zusi came through again with the game's lone goal.

"Both were special in their own ways," Zusi said of his two national titles. "But I'm extra happy to be a part of this one."

Maryland beat North Carolina (15-8-1) for the third time in as many meetings this season in the first all-Atlantic Coast Conference final in the 50-year history of the NCAA men's soccer tournament.

Tar Heels defender Eddie Ababio blocked Jeremy Hall's first shot, but Zusi blasted the rebound into the left corner from 18 yards out past North Carolina goalkeeper Brooks Haggerty at 23:50.

GYMNASTICS

CHINESE RULE CUP

Cheng Fei won her second gold medal at the World Cup Final, capping a spectacular year for China's gymnasts.

Cheng, already a winner on vault, took the floor exercise title yesterday at Madrid, Spain, giving China five of the 10 gold medals at the two-day event. Feng Zhe, who wasn't even part of China's men's team at the Beijing Olympics, tied France's Yann Cucherat for the parallel bars title.

China dominated the Beijing Olympics, winning the men's and women's team golds, the men's all-around and six of the 10 event titles. The Chinese finished with a total of 14 medals.

It was more of the same in Madrid, even with the entire men's team from Beijing staying home. China finished with eight medals; no other country had more than three.

GOLF

SORENSTAM FINISHES 7TH

It ended with a birdie, a standing ovation and a seventh-place finish for Annika Sorenstam at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, leaving the Hall of Fame golfer with no regrets after the final stroke of her career.

The Swede shot a 1-under 71 yesterday at the Dubai Ladies Masters, finishing six shots behind winner Anja Monke after an 8-foot birdie at No. 18 drew a standing ovation from the packed gallery.

"I felt at peace. I really felt very content," she said. "I walked up to hit my third shot on the 18th, and I felt the breeze coming in, and it was just a really comfortable feeling."

Sorenstam is retiring to focus on family and business interests.

ELSEWHERE

Kenny Perry and Scott Hoch held off J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley to win the Merrill Lynch Shootout at Naples, Fla. Perry eagled No. 17 for the second day in a row, making a 15-foot putt that matched Weekley's 18-footer to keep him and Hoch up four with one hole to play in the scramble format. Perry and Hoch finished at 185; Holmes and Weekley finished second at 189. ... Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand completed back-to-back wins by taking the Cambodian Open, shooting a 6-under 66 on the final day to win by six strokes at Bangkok, Thailand. Thongchai finished at 24-under 264. ... South Africa's Tim Clark won the Australian Open (Sydney), scrambling for par from a greenside bunker to beat Australia's Mathew Goggin on the first hole of a playoff. Clark shot a 5-under 67 to match Goggin (69) at 9-under 270.

Sean Avery's days with the Dallas Stars are done. Although the combative forward was eligible to return from a six-game suspension yesterday, the Stars instead announced Avery will not rejoin the team — ever. Avery was suspended by commissioner Gary Bettman only hours after he made a crude remark about ex-girlfriends dating other hockey players. ... San Jose Sharks center Jeremy Roenick probably will be out for three weeks because of a shoulder problem that landed him on the injured list yesterday. Roenick was hurt in the first period of the Sharks' 2-0 victory over Anaheim on Thursday night, crashing against the boards on a hit by Brett Festerling.

Six more world records were set yesterday at the European short-course championships at Rijeka, Croatia, bringing the total to 16 at the four-day event. Amaury Leveaux set his fourth world record in Rijeka and fifth in nine days by winning a heat of the men's 50-meter butterfly in 22.18 seconds. Leveaux was also part of the French team that set a record in the 4x50 freestyle relay, first in 1 minute, 22.38 seconds in a heat, and later in 1:20.77 in the final. Stanislav Donets of Russia set a world record in men's 100 backstroke in 49.32; Mireira Belmonte Garcia of Spain did the same in the women's 400 individual medley in 4:25.06; and Federica Pellegrini of Italy in the women's 200 freestyle 1:51.85.

A 29-year-old Austin woman running in the Dallas White Rock Marathon collapsed yesterday and died, officials said. The cause of death for Erin Lahr remains under investigation, according to a spokeswoman for the Dallas County medical examiner's office.