Morgan's late heroics lift U.S. past New Zealand
Soccer Betting Lines
02/11/2012 - Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Morgan scored twice in the final minutes to cap a 2-1 comeback win for the U.S. women's national team against New Zealand in a friendly on Saturday.
The Americans dominated play in the first half but were kept out by some good goalkeeping from New Zealand's Jenny Bindon.
And New Zealand took a surprising lead against the run of play in the 49th minute when Kelley O'Hara's poor backpass was intercepted by Hannah Wilkinson, who lobbed her shot over the head of goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart after she entered the match at halftime in place of Hope Solo.
The U.S. went back on the attack, but after being frustrated for almost 88 minutes, finally found the breakthrough when Megan Rapinoe's cross was met by the head of Morgan at the back post, who sent the ball into the net off the woodwork.
Shannon Boxx nearly scored right after as she nodded the ball off the crossbar, but there was still time for another opportunity, and Morgan made the most of it three minutes into added time.
Abby Wambach flicked a ball into the path of Morgan and she made no mistake with a header from eight yards that sailed past Bindon to cap a furious late rally.
The next match for the U.S. women comes Feb. 29 in the Algarve Cup against Denmark.
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trae Golden had 17 points to go with seven assists as the Tennessee Volunteers earned their first true road win of the season with a 75-70 triumph over No. 8 Florida. Jeronne Maymon recorded a double-
<< UNLV holds off San Diego State
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Hawkins forced a turnover with one
second remaining and UNLV preserved a 13-point second-half edge as they held
off San Diego State, 65-63, at Thomas & Mack Center.
Mike Moser led the way w
<< Thunder Moccasin strikes in Hutcheson Stakes
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Odds-on favorite Thunder Moccasin had
a successful three-year-old debut Saturday in the $150,000 Hutcheson Stakes at
Gulfstream Park. The colt covered the seven-furlongs in 1:24.16 on a track
listed
<< No. 7 Kansas dominates Oklahoma State
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thomas Robinson had 26 points and 14 rebounds,
helping the seventh-ranked Kansas Jayhawks dominate the Oklahoma State
Cowboys, 81-66.
Jeff Withey also had a double-double with 18 points and 19 boa
<< Lekic, Osasuna sink Barcelona
Navarra, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona's title ambitions took a massive
hit on Saturday as Dejan Lekic scored a first-half brace to help Osasuna stun
the defending champions, 3-2, at the Estadio El Sadar.
Lekic provided an early b
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hymn Book, making his 2012 debut, outfought Mission Impazible down the stretch to win Saturday's $500,000 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park. The six-year-old gelding covered the 1 1/8- miles i
Plumlees dominate as Duke routs Maryland >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miles Plumlee scored 13 points and pulled down a
career-high 22 rebounds as No. 10 Duke defeated ACC-rival Maryland, 73-55, at
Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
Plumlee became the first Duke player to gra
Montana's Gregorak elevated to defensive coordinator >>
Missoula, MT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Montana assistant football
coach Ty Gregorak was promoted to defensive coordinator, Grizzlies third-year
head coach Robin Pflugrad announced Saturday.
Gregorak, 33, rejoined the Montana program
Wi still leads; Tiger 4 back at Pebble Beach >>
Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlie Wi posted a bogey-free, three-
under 69 Saturday to maintain his three-stroke lead after three rounds of the
Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Wi, who will go for his first PGA Tour win on Sunday, fini
No. 3 Connecticut dismantles No. 14 Georgetown >>
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis scored 23 points, as No.
3 Connecticut dismantled No. 14 Georgetown, 80-38, on Saturday.
Bria Hartley added 18 points and Tiffany Hayes had 12 for the Huskies (23-2,
11-1 Big East), w
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.