Lotta goals not enough for Sweden to advance

Soccer Betting Lines

09/18/2007 - Tianjin, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweden came up short in its bid for a fifth consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup, beating North Korea 2-1 on Tuesday, but failing to achieve the three-goal win that was necessary to advance.

Lotta Schelin was dangerous throughout the match for Sweden, and she put the team ahead after only four minutes. However, a long-range shot from Un Suk Ri in the 22nd minute pulled the teams level heading into halftime. Schelin added her second goal of the game in the 54th minute, but Sweden could not get any closer, allowing North Korea to proceed past the group stage for the first time in its three World Cup appearances.

The North Koreans will now play Group A winners Germany on Saturday, while the United States, who won Group B with a 1-0 win over Nigeria on Tuesday, will meet Group A runners-up England on Saturday.

Things got off to a great start for Sweden as the team took advantage of its first chance of the game.

Therese Sjogran did well on the right flank to shake free of her defender and carry the ball to the end line. The midfielder then pulled the ball back and lobbed a cross into the six-yard box. The ball floated over the head of the keeper and Schelin got inside her defender to head home the opening goal.

After such a great start, things slowed for Sweden over the remainder of the half. They failed to test keeper Myong Hui Jon and the Korean defense did well to deal with any long ball that Sweden attempted.

Korea hit back in the 22nd minute to level the score. Ri picked up the ball in midfield on the left and carried it toward goal. She cut into the middle of the field and fired a perfect shot from 35 yards out. The ball sailed over the head of keeper Hedvig Lindahl and into the upper right corner of the net.

The goal continued the strategy that Korea has implemented for this tournament of firing shots from distance and putting pressure on the keeper.

The second half started well for Sweden also, as they found themselves ahead nine minutes after the restart. Victoria Svensson slid a pass to Schelin, who was running toward goal. Schelin split two defenders to get into the box and knocked a shot toward the right corner. The keeper came off her line and got a hand to the shot, but it rolled across the line and Sweden had new hope.

The next five minutes saw Sweden continue to put the pressure on, forcing a Korean defender to clear the ball off the line after a Svensson effort.

Over the final 30 minutes, Korea sat back and played for counter attack chances, which allowed them to get a couple of good opportunities to equalize.

Un Gyong Ri got open at the penalty spot and took a cross with a good look at the net. However, she volleyed the ball well over the crossbar to keep Korea down a goal.

Sweden still needed two more goals, and Schelin was doing everything she could to get another. Schelin found Svensson inside the box with a pass, but as Svensson turned and fired a shot, a Korean defender was there to block it away.

It was a scene that would play out on a couple of other occasions over the final 15 minutes as Korea did well to cut down the space that Sweden had and did not allow the Scandinavian side to get room for a good shot.

Korea had two good chances to equalize in the last 15 minutes, with both coming on counter attacks. Kum Suk Ri had the first opportunity as she received a pass at the edge of the area and had a wide open shot at goal. She fired the ball high but Lindahl did well to tip the shot over the net.

The Swedish keeper was called upon once again with 10 minutes to play when Son Hui Kil was played into the box on the right and fired a shot toward the near post. Once again, Lindahl was up to the task and deflected the shot over the crossbar.

Unfortunately for Sweden, it saved its best game of the tournament for the end, when they had already put themselves in a hole. Sweden is a top team that belongs in the last eight but will now head home wondering what went wrong after advancing to the final in the 2003 Cup.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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