SPORTS digest

Ursuline wins opener in Erie

ERIE, PA.

Greg Parella scored 25 points as the Ursuline High School boys basketball team won its opening game Saturday, defeateing Erie Cathedral Prep, 43-40.

Armon Nasseri scored nine points and Anthony Howell six for the Irish.

Portland edges Columbus for title

COLUMBUS

Diego Valeri scored at the 27-second mark for the fastest goal in MLS Cup history and the Portland Timbers won the league title for the first time, beating the Columbus Crew 2-1 on Sunday.

Rodney Wallace made it 2-0 in the seventh minute, and the Crew’s Kei Kamara scored in the 18th off a scramble in front of the goal.

But the early deficit was too much for Columbus to overcome.

Just after the opening whistle, Columbus midfielder Wil Trapp sent a back pass to goalkeeper Steve Clark, who tried to move the ball from his right foot to the left for a clearance. But Clark didn’t see Valeri closing and the midfielder poked the ball away from him and into the goal.

The Crew had barely recovered when a mental gaffe gave Portland a controversial second goal.

Crew midfielder Tony Tchani and several teammates stopped playing when the ball rolled several feet over the right boundary. Instead of a stoppage for a throw-in, Portland’s Darlington Nagbe kept going with the ball and sent a pass wide to Lucas Melano, who found Wallace for the header.

Bad field cancels USA soccer game

HONOLULU

The U.S. women’s soccer team abruptly canceled a victory tour exhibition game Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago because of poor field conditions at Aloha Stadium.

U.S. Soccer said in a statement less than 24 hours before the game that “the artificial turf surface is not suitable to hold an international soccer match.” The game was part of a 10-city tour following the team’s victory in the Women’s World Cup this past summer.

The Aloha Stadium surface was tested during training Saturday, “and after all possible options available were considered to get the field in a playable condition, the decision was made by U.S. Soccer to cancel the match.” All tickets will be refunded, U.S. Soccer said.

The move comes two days after U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe tore a ligament in her right knee during training in Honolulu. The non-contact injury occurred on a grass training field.

The 30-year-old Rapinoe, who plays for the NWSL’s Seattle Reign, will need surgery. She twice tore the ACL in her left knee twice during her college career at the University of Portland.

USC football coach fires 4 assistants

LOS ANGELES

Southern California coach Clay Helton fired four of the Trojans’ assistant coaches Sunday night, including defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox.

Helton made the moves six days after the interim tag was removed from his title, and one day after the Trojans (8-5) lost 41-22 to Stanford in the Pac-12 championship game.

Helton also fired defensive backs coach Keith Heyward, defensive line coach Chris Wilson and offensive line coach Bob Connelly. Wilcox and Heyward were among several assistants who left Washington for USC along with Steve Sarkisian after the 2013 season, while Helton had been an assistant at USC since 2010.

Cespedes unlikely to stay with Mets

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Yoenis Cespedes took the New York Mets on a thrilling, three-month ride last season that ended with a trip to the World Series.

The price for a reprise of that role, apparently, is too expensive for the NL champions.

“It’s unlikely right now that he ends up a Met,” assistant general manager John Ricco said Sunday. “Right now, I still think he’s looking at a deal that would be north of what we would consider.”

Staff/wire report