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Carlos Brathwaite on 3.Both the missed opportunities
COLUMBIA, S. Ben Niemann Jersey .C. -- Sometimes Wofford coach Mike Ayers cant fathom what his team has accomplished, given the adversity the Terriers have faced all season.Starting linebacker Michael Roach collapsed during the game at Tennessee Tech with a previously undiagnosed career-ending heart condition. In October, linebacker John Patterson fractured his C6 vertebra -- a potentially devastating injury that he walked away from.Wofford had to turn to its fifth-string quarterback because of injuries and still managed to beat undefeated Citadel, 17-3, last week and reach the FCS quarterfinals.Its kind of awesome just to see the way the guys are still playing, Ayers said. Conducting business on a daily basis.The Terriers (10-3) continue their playoff trek Saturday at Youngstown State (10-3) with a national semifinals spot at stake.Wofford had been a power in the Southern Conference, winning four league titles and reaching the NCAA playoffs six times between 2003 and 2012. But the Terriers went 17-16 the past three seasons and appeared a program in decline entering the year.The personnel losses began in the summer when starting quarterback, senior Evan Jacks, tore an ACL in the first scrimmage of fall camp.The most frightening incident came in the opener at Tennessee Tech when Roach went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on the bench early in the third quarter. He was unconscious, stopped breathing for 45 seconds and rushed to Cookeville Regional Medical Center where he was alert and responsive. Roach was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart walls that make it harder to pump blood, and had a procedure to place an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. He returned to campus two days later.The shocked Terriers, who did not learn their teammates status until after the game, scored three touchdowns in the second half for a 21-7 victory.We didnt know what to do, Wofford fullback Lorenzo Long said. Hes not breathing. You could feel the shock through the whole stadium. But we knew we had to continue the game, win it for Roach.That began a series of win anyway moments for the Terriers.Backup quarterback Brad Butler started the first four games until he tore an ACL against East Tennessee on Sept. 24.Pattersons season-ending neck injury occurred in a loss to the Citadel on Oct. 22. The linebacker got up after a hit and walked to the sidelines looking like he hurt his shoulder. Moments later, he was carted to the locker room and later to the hospital. He had surgery the next day to fuse several vertebrae.Team orthopedist Stephen Kana said after the surgery that he could not believe Patterson had walked off the field.But the following Monday, Patterson, wearing a neck brace, was walking around with teammates.Senior safety Jaleel Green said Pattersons loss was difficult to take after losing Roach.To see him carted off to the locker room was hard, Green said. Were just a team of adversity. You get used to it happening, I guess.The lineup changes continued into the playoffs.Junior quarterback Brandon Goodson left last weeks game with a sprained ankle, the Terriers had to go to fifth-string freshman Joseph Newman because David Howerton, fourth on the depth chart, was recuperating from donating bone marrow several weeks earlier.If Newman gets hurt at Youngstown State, Wofford will have to turn to running back Nick Colvin, although he hasnt played quarterback since high school.Roach and Patterson are at practice each day, supporting teammates and cheering on Woffords playoff run. Roachs football career is over while Patterson hopes to return next season.Ayers is the schools all-time winningest coach with 197 victories in 29 seasons. Hes grateful both Roach and Patterson were not more severely injured. Hes also amazed at his teams resiliency to keep achieving despite obstacles.Sometimes, I think, `Golly, will these kids ever break? Ayers said. Its just a special group with a special bond, doing things nobody thought we could do.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ;Chris Jones Jersey . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Jim Tyrer Jersey . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. http:///...rsey-large-326n.html . All of the scoring came in the final 20:04. Lucic scored on a power play at 15:46 of the third period, when he tipped a shot over Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for a 3-1 lead. Fiery Gabriel softens Kusal As a batsman, Kusal Pereras favourite scoring area is behind square on the leg side. And so with Shannon Gabriel, clocking in excess of 145 clicks quite regularly, he looked to use the pace and simply lend direction. All of it, of course, seems easier on paper than out on the field. Gabriel proved why.First, Kusal was struck flush on his toe by a yorker, which demanded medical attention. Kusal, in visible discomfort immediately after coping the blow, decided the best way out was to counterattack. Seeing Kusal walk across, Gabriel speared a superb yorker at serious pace on leg stump. Kusal overbalanced in his attempt to flick and was late on the shot. By the time his bat came down, the ball had crashed into the middle and leg stumps.Dickwella brings out the Dilscoop It was in Zimbabwe, over 17 years ago, that Tillakaratne Dilshan broke through in international cricket. On Wednesday, Dilshan, perhaps watching his mates from the comfort of his couch, may have grinned ear to ear when he saw Niroshan Dickwella play a shot named after him. Seeing the batsman swing freely to full deliveries, Carlos Brathwaite shortened his length and bowled a slow offcutter. Dickwella was already down on one knee, trying to use the pace and paddle it fine. But with the ball not coming on at the pace he would have liked, a delicate little deflection was turned into a full-blooded scoop with the bat moving upwards in a lovely little arc in a fraction of a second or two. He found the middle too, clearing short fine leg to get a boundary.Cheeky attempt thwarts Kusal Kusal Mendis dismissal was somewhat like that of a man who walked blindfolded on a highway, only to be run over by a cycle. Adventurous in his outlook at the crease, he first fetched a slog-sweep off Ashley Nurse from outside off to hit it into bleachers at cow corner. Then he got down on one knee and swung a full delivery forr six over long-on. Daniel Sorensen Jersey. He was suddenly six short of a maiden ODI ton. Seeing the batsman line him up for a third hit, Nurse shortened his length and fired it wide. Kusal re-adjusted and tried to run the ball past the keeper, but could only manage a faint nick. And with that the wait for a maiden ODI hundred continued.Lakmals three-card trick One didnt know whether it was a deliberate plan from Suranga Lakmal to test Johnson Charles with three different deliveries in the eighth over of the chase, but it worked. First up, a full ball was drilled down the ground for four. Then he dug one short, seemingly in an attempt to target his ribcage. The ball didnt bounce as high as he would have liked. Charles shuffled across and helped it along to fine leg. Then, he unleashed a slow offcutter, which foxed Charles. The batsman was through with the swing even before the ball arrived, and toe-ended a catch to Upul Tharanga at mid-off.Of mix-ups and missed opportunities Evin Lewis had just got past a hundred and was cramping. The frustration of a few swings and misses resulted in him attempting cheeky runs. He survived a run-out chance on 114 when Dickwella dislodged the bails before he could collect the ball cleanly from the cover fielder. He continued to swing his way to make 148 before being stranded mid-pitch courtesy a mix-up with his captain Jason Holder, with West Indies slipping to 262 for 6, needing 69 off 57 balls. Sri Lankas fielding nightmares extended into the end-overs when Upul Tharanga put down a skier at mid-on to reprieve Carlos Brathwaite on 3.Both the missed opportunities may have cost Sri Lanka on another day, but on the face of pressure, West Indies wilted again, much like they did in the previous game, against Zimbabwe, that resulted in a tie. ' ' '
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