VICTORIA, BC – On a windy afternoon at Centennial Stadium in Victoria, Vancouver Whitecaps FC came away with a 1-0 victory in their annual friendly match against the University of Victoria Vikes. cheap nfl jerseys . The Vikes defended admirably for 90 minutes, led by a standout performance from goalkeeper Noah Pawlowski. However, continued pressure from Vancouver finally produced a goal in the dying seconds when Andre Lewis slotted home a fine cross from Omar Salgado. The Caps came out attacking from the get-go in front of 2,500 fans who braved the cold to watch the Blue and White come to town. The visitors had their first opportunity only three minutes into the match as Sam Adekugbe raced down the left flank and whipped a low cross into the box. Darren Mattocks got on the end of it, but could only manage to deflect it over the crossbar. Five minutes later the Blue and White were at it again. Russell Teibert got the ball on the left and lobbed in a ball to Hurtado who headed it towards net before it was cleared off the line. Teibert was the provider again on 14 minutes when he sent a cross to the back post. Sebastian Fernandez got a header on goal, but into the arms of Pawlowski. Seconds later, Nigel Reo-Coker darted through the middle and made a great pass to spring Mattocks on a breakaway before the Jamaicans low shot was well saved by Pawlowski. Looking for a first goal, Fernandez had a couple looks on net. First, on 24 minutes, the Uruguayan made a nice run before firing a strike at Pawloski. Then, on 31 minutes, Fernandez had a low shot from the top of the box that rolled wide of the net. Fernandez countryman had the next opportunity for the Caps, the best chance of the first half. After playing a ball to Mattocks, the Jamaican played a clever backheel to Nicolas Mezquida before his low shot was stopped by Pawlowski. Despite spending most of the first half in their own end, the Vikes had a chance of their own before the break. Craig Taylor hit a long shot that bounced just wide of David Ousteds net, leaving the teams level at 0-0 going into the second half. The ‘Caps made one change at halftime with goalkeeper Marco Carducci coming on to replace Ousted. The next 45 minutes saw Whitecaps FC turn up the pressure. Hurtado got things going on 48 minutes when he intercepted a pass, only to have his strike saved by Pawlowski. The ensuing corner kick was headed hard by Jay DeMerit, straight into the hands of the Vikes ‘keeper. Chances continued to come for the men wearing blue, with the ‘Caps speed on full display on 56 minutes. Mattocks got the ball on a quick counter and darted down the middle before finding Erik Hurtado cutting from the right. Hurtado then hit a shot inches wide of the far post. On 62 minutes, head coach Carl Robinson made nine changes to his lineup, with only Nigel Reo-Coker staying on among the outfield players. With a fresh group on the field, the Caps would not relent. Midfielder Bryce Alderson was a notable force for the new group. His cutting pass on 76 minutes sent Salgado into the box before Pawlowski made a kick save. Three minutes later, Alderson danced by his defender on the left edge of the box and sent in a dangerous cross that was cleared by the Vikes. As time ticked to the final whistle, the ‘Caps finally found the goal they were looking for. Salgado got the ball from Alderson on the left, teased his defender, then sent in a great cross to the back post which was promptly driven home by Lewis with only seconds remaining in the match. The late goal proved to be the winner for Whitecaps FC as they improve their record to 7W-1L-1D all-time against the Vikes. "Im glad it was a close game, because if wed scored early on maybe we would have taken our foot off the gas and I wanted a good tempo game, I wanted them to do the right things," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson after the match. "On another day we might have scored eight or 10 goals. Obviously we need to work on our finishing a little bit more, but Im very pleased with the way we played and built up." The Caps return to Vancouver to train over the course of the next week before departing for Portland, Oregon on Friday where they will take part in the Rose City Invitational tournament. wholesale nfl jerseys . -- Josh Smith saved his only 3-pointers for when the Detroit Pistons needed them most. nfl jerseys china .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan had ideal preparation for the playoffs at the Ford World Curling Championships with a pair of hard-fought wins over tenacious opponents Thursday. MILWAUKEE -- Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings had tried to dismiss Wednesday nights matchup against his former team as simply another game on the teams schedule. The closer it got to tipoff against the Milwaukee Bucks, the harder that became. "I was nervous in the beginning because Im not used to being on the other side," Jennings said. "There were a lot of emotions going on. The whole time I felt like it was just another game. But once it got closer to game time, my nerves were just going." Jennings struggled considerably in the first half, but finished with 17 points and 11 assists in helping the Pistons to a 105-98 win over the Bucks in his return to Milwaukee. "Once the second half started, I settled down and just played basketball," Jennings said. Andre Drummond had 24 points and 19 rebounds and the Pistons rode a strong second half to victory. Greg Monroe contributed 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons, who had five players score 15 or more points. "Going into the game, we were really concerned about matchups," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "We felt they were just too big and wed have to mix our defences up and hopefully outrebound those guys. We just could not physically overcome that size." Detroit hadnt had two players pull down at least 15 rebounds apiece since Feb. 10, 2005, when Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace accomplished the feat. "Were starting to jell, starting to find ourselves and an identity," Drummond said. "The first half was tough for us. We let the fatigue get to us a little bit." That led to a change of strategy in the second half. "We got it down low because we knew our jump shots werent really going to fall because our legs were tired. So we drove to the hoop and got the foul calls," Drummond said. Detroit shot 42 foul shots and Milwaukee had 22. Jennings spent four seasons with the Bucks after the team drafted him 10th overall in 2009 out of Oak Hill Academy. He joined the Pistons in July after a sign-and-trade deal that sent Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton to the Bucks. A restricted free-agent at the time, Jennings inked a three-year, $24 million deal with the Pistons. The sparse crowd at the BMO Harris Bradley Center booed loudly when Jennings was introduced before the game and each time he touched the ball early in the contest. Jennings missed all four of his shots from the field in the first quarter but had two early assists that led to dunks. jerseys from china. "The boos didnt hurt," Jennings said. "I still have a lot of fans here. At the end of the day, the fans supported us through the good and bad. It didnt bother me." Jennings didnt score until sinking a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:03 remaining in the second quarter. He finished 4 of 16 from the field. "We tried to get him a basket early to kind of settle him down a little bit," Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks said. "But he missed a couple shots that he normally makes." In the first meeting between the teams on Nov. 25 in Detroit, Jennings had 15 points and 13 assists, including four of six from 3-point range, in sparking Detroit to a 113-94 win. "Brandon handled himself like a professional," Drummond said. "He got booed, but its all part of the game." Ersan Ilyasova, who has been plagued by injuries that include a sore ankle, scored a season high 22 points, including 16 in the first half, and had 10 rebounds off the bench to lead the Bucks, who have lost 13 of 14. Middleton added 14 points for Milwaukee. "Its the first time I feel healthy. My ankle is getting better," Ilyasova said. We have to find a way to play much better. We have to come together and find a way to win games." The Pistons trailed by five at the half, but used a 16-0 run midway through the third quarter to take a 10-point lead. The Bucks got within five points on Knights 3 with 1:36 remaining in the game, but thats as close as they would get. Ekpe Udoh had five blocked shots in the second quarter for Milwaukee, tying his career high. He finished with six. The Bucks used a 15-1 run to open a 38-31 second-quarter lead and held at 50-45 advantage at halftime. Detroit made just 33 per cent of its shots over the first two quarters. NOTES: Police issued municipal citations to Bucks centre Larry Sanders for disorderly conduct and assault and battery stemming from a fight last month at a downtown Milwaukee nightclub. Drew had no comment when asked about the citations. Sanders had surgery on his right thumb on Nov. 11 after getting hurt during the scrum. He initially was expected to be out four to six weeks. Drew on Wednesday had no update on a timetable for Sanders return. ... Pistons guard Chauncey Billups remained sidelined with left knee tendinitis and guard Will Bynum was inactive with an adductor strain. wholesale nfl jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' '
