22
SPORTS / WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
WORLD CUP (CONTINUED FROM 19)
they must be forced to turn them up to counter the loud fan noise.
STANDINGS
Good thing the "free giveaway" for this tilt was a package of earplugs.
Team Matches played Win Draw Loss Goals for Goals against Points
Slovenia 1 1 0 0 1 0 3
USA 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
England 1 0 1 0 1 1 1
Algeria 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
The opening ceremony had everything you wanted: uniqueness, a fantastic recognition of African history and...R. Kelly? Seriously, the fans got rock-concert loud for the entrance of R. Kelly. Not sure the Bafana Bafana faithful completely understand the guy's criminal history.
I kept the earplugs in my jacket, but I was glad I didn't throw them away when the game prepared for kickoff. This place made Allen Fieldhouse sound like an early-morning English classroom. I popped in my earplugs and realized that it was still loud. It was a five-minute feeling I've experienced in single-second increments only one time before: when I accidentally left my stereo speakers turned up on full.
more than a bathroom break— it was a brief escape from the noise vacuum.
There wasn't much brilliant soccer in the first half, and you could tell that South Africa was the lesser team. No matter. The crowd had to pull this team to the second round, and they clearly understand that. I took out my earplugs early in the half to better experience the game. Halftime was
Ten minutes into the second half, South Africa collectively went bonkers.
Siphiwe Tshabalala, a name that will adorn South Africa's sports page tomorrow, launched a strike into the corner of the net. The underdog Bafana Bafana were on top. For the next 24 minutes, Soccer City was a party with no music other than the blaring vuvuzel occasionally creating a beat. The dancing was contagious: I found myself doing a vuvuzel-like Tomahawk chant and providing the "CHARGE" note on that whole "CHARGE" chant.
The game would end in a tie, a disappointment for the better Mexico and a "Well. OK!" for South Africa.
But Mexico's Rafa Marquez became unmarked on a cross and turned off the music with an equalizing goal.
I am looking forward to tomorrow's — or today's, depending on when you read this — U.S.-England match. If I can get emotionally involved in a South Africa-Mexico game, I hope I don't go overboard and punch an Englishman tomorrow night. Any result would be fantastic, but I still want
to the Yanks to play aggressive and try to nab three points.
I'm expecting the vuvuzela buzz to be my alarm clock tomorrow, but I've realized that I need to embrace the noise instead of frown upon it.
Maybe I'll be up buzzing too, even though my vuvuzela skills are lacking.
I'll work on it.
BOB BRADLEY, USA COACH
"It's an exciting start to the World Cup for us. They don't come much bigger than England, so it's a real special one. It's great for the fans and exciting for the players too. We're well aware of the history of the two teams at the World Cup, especially 1950, but times have moved on since then. We look at it as a big challenge and one that we're thrilled to have. I think that England and ourselves are favorites to qualify from the group, even though Algeria and Slovenia both came through great situations to get to the World Cup: Algeria with a historic win in Sudan, Slovenia beating Russia in the European play-offs."
www.fifa.com
LPGA
Kerr wins rain-delayed State Farm Classic
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The flu didn't get to Cristie Kerr during the week. The weather didn't get to her over the weekend. And none of her competitors could stop her from collecting a second LPGA State Farm Classic championship Monday.
"It's pretty amazing," Kerr said. "An amazing, long week."
Kerr held off late challenges by Anna Nordqvist and Na Yeon Choi at the rain-delayed tournament, shooting a 3-under 69 in the final round at Panther Creek Country Club to secure the first LPGA Tour victory by an American since Michelle Wie won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in November.
Kerr, who also won the title in 2004, finished at 22-under 266,a
shot ahead of Nordqvist and Choi.
Kerr led after third-round play was completed Sunday morning and would have been the champ if the fourth round had been washed out. But with more than half the round completed when heavy rains and lightning rolled in Sunday, tour officials decided to try to finish the tournament Monday.
Kerr never wavered. After Saturday's delay, she made six more birdies to finish with a 63. Monday, she birdied three holes before an inconsequential bogey on 18.
Kerr said the stormy conditions Sunday helped her.
"It was actually to my advantage that they called play last evening, because I was just exhausted," she said. "I didn't sleep well at all on Saturday night, just up coughing the whole night."
Kerr came down with flu-like symptoms early in the week and then weathered two storm postponements that left birdie putts on the course to post rounds of 67-67-63-69. She missed the green and bogied 18 on Monday, but with a two-shot lead over Nordqvist and Choi, her two-putt was good for the victory.