Fast Break

Soccer

Bloody opener for U.S. team

Blood streaming from a gash on the top of her head, Abby Wambach came off the field. For 10 minutes, the United States played short-handed while she got stitches.

North Korea didn’t waste its chance.

The United States allowed a pair of goals while Wambach was off the field – one on a blunder by goalkeeper Hope Solo – then rallied for a 2-2 tie Tuesday in its opener at the Women’s World Cup at Chengdu, China.

“When they scored right away as I went off I started to get worried,” Wambach said. “So I started to run to the locker room to get stitches put in.”

The top-ranked Americans, trying to regain the title they won in 1991 in China and 1999 at home, extended their unbeaten streak to 47 games. But playing in the toughest of four groups, they put pressure on themselves heading into games against third-ranked Sweden on Friday and Nigeria on Tuesday.

Colleges

Pittsburgh A.D. succeeds Broyles

Pittsburgh’s Jeff Long was hired to replace Arkansas’ longtime athletic director Frank Broyles, who spent a half-century with the Razorbacks.

Long, Pitt’s A.D. since 2003, emerged recently as a top candidate to replace Broyles, who has dominated Arkansas athletics for decades. Broyles is in his 50th year at Arkansas – he started in 1957 when he was hired as football coach, and coached the Razorbacks until 1977, when Lou Holtz took over.

Broyles retires at the end of the year. Chancellor John White said Long would serve as an adviser before taking over Jan. 1.

At Pittsburgh, Long’s most prominent hire was football coach Dave Wannstedt, who is in his third season.

Long had previously served as associate A.D. at Oklahoma, and before that was the A.D. at Eastern Kentucky. He has also been an A.D. at Virginia Tech and Michigan.

College football

Mixon joins EWU program

Two-time junior college All-America defensive back Terry Mixon, who left Washington State last week, has joined the Eastern Washington team and is expected to play for the Eagles Saturday against UC Davis.

Mixon has enrolled for classes, which begin Sept. 26. He joins a team that has lost three safeties because of injuries. Since Mixon transferred from a school with a semester system to a school with a quarter system, he is eligible to play for EWU.

WSU coach Bill Doba told The Spokesman-Review last week that Mixon was granted his release because he wanted to transfer. “I think he was frustrated,” said Doba.

Mixon had surgery on a broken foot over the summer and came to WSU camp needing to improve his conditioning but he pulled a hamstring early on.