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Van Gaal loses first game at Manchester United

By WTOP Staff

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Louis van Gaal lost his first Premier League game with Manchester United on Saturday, with Swansea winning 2-1 to become the first away team since 1972 to open the season with a victory at Old Trafford.

Gylfi Sigurdsson took advantage of poor defending to score the Welsh club’s winning goal in the 72nd minute. United captain Wayne Rooney had tied the match after Ki Sung-yeung opened the scoring.

“We never played as a team, that is our error,” Van Gaal told BT Sport television. “But I think we have to always keep the head up and use the second step in our process better than we have done today.”

In other games, Arsenal and Tottenham both scored injury-time goals to start the season with wins.

Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal a 2-1 home victory against Crystal Palace, which had gone ahead on Brede Hangeland’s first-half header before fellow defender Laurent Koscielny equalized for Arsenal just before the break.

In Mauricio Pochettino’s first game in charge of Tottenham, Eric Dier scored in stoppage time to secure a 1-0 win at West Ham.

There were mixed results for the Premier League newcomers. Queens Park Rangers, which made an instant return after a season in the second tier, lost 1-0 at home to Hull. But Leicester, which has been away from the elite for a decade, earned a point by drawing 2-2 with Everton.

Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion, who both flirted with relegation last season, opened the new campaign by drawing 2-2. Aston Villa, whose owner Randy Lerner is trying to sell the club, began with a 1-0 win at Stoke.

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PARIS (AP) — Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain earned its first win of the season in the French league by defeating Bastia 2-0, but lost star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to an injury.

Ibrahimovic had to come off after just 15 minutes with an apparent abdominal strain, but Lucas Moura and Edinson Cavani provided goals in his absence.

Lucas got a cross from Gregory Van der Wiel to volley into the bottom corner from a tight angle in the 26th minute. Cavani doubled the lead by controlling a long ball from Marco Verratti before firing home in the 57th.

PSG has four points from two matches after drawing 2-2 with Reims in its opening game last week.

The game was marred by an incident after the final whistle, as Bastia striker Brandao waited for Thiago Motta in the tunnel and head-butted the PSG midfielder, leaving him with blood running down from his nose.

PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi told BeIn Sport television that Motta had a broken nose and that Brandao “must be banned for life.”

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BERLIN (AP) — Borussia Dortmund defeated third-division Stuttgarter Kickers 4-1 in the first round of the German Cup on Saturday, while Bundesliga side Stuttgart lost 2-0 at second-tier Bochum.

With the exception of Stuttgart’s loss to Bochum, the second division’s early leader, there were few surprises.

Borussia Moenchengladbach and Hannover had 3-1 victories over fourth-tier sides Homburg and Astoria Walldorf, respectively, and Hertha Berlin beat fourth-tier Viktoria Cologne 4-2.

Cologne, back in the Bundesliga this season, enjoyed a 4-0 win over fourth-division FT Braunschweig.

Eintracht Frankfurt labored to a 2-0 win at fourth-tier side Viktoria Berlin, while second-division city rival FSV Frankfurt defeated fourth-tier Siegen 5-4 on penalties after extra-time finished 3-3.

Bayern Munich, which defeated Dortmund in last season’s final, opens its defense at third-division Preussen Muenster on Sunday.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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