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Rooney gets red card; Neymar hat trick for Barca

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

Wayne Rooney scored and then was ejected from a Premier League game for the first time in 5½ years as Manchester United defeated West Ham 2-1 Saturday.

Rooney put the hosts in front with a deft volley in the fifth minute, and Robin van Persie doubled the lead in the 22nd minute with his 50th goal for United. Diafra Sakho scored on a header for the Hammers in the 37th.

Rooney was ejected by referee Lee Mason in the 59th minute for kicking Stewart Downing high on the leg, which would result in a three-game suspension if the ejection is deemed to be violent conduct by the English Football Association. That would cause the United captain to miss games against Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea.

“I could imagine why he did it, but I think you have to do it more friendly,” United manager Louis van Gaal said.

Rooney had not been ejected from a Premier League match since receiving two yellow cards against Fulham on March 21, 2009.

United (2-2-2) won for the second time in seven matches overall under Van Gaal.There were the two sides of Wayne Rooney, scoring before being sent off for a reckless challenge as Manchester United held on to beat West Ham 2-1.

First-place Chelsea (5-0-1) defeated Aston Villa and American goalkeeper Brad Guzan 3-0, with Diego Costa heading in his eighth goal in six league games for his new club between goals by Oscar and Willian.

Frank Lampard made it four goals in three games for third-place Manchester City (3-1-2) to complete a 4-2 win at Hull after the defending champions wasted a 2-0 lead.

In the day’s derbies, Arsenal and Tottenham tied 1-1, as did Liverpool and Everton. Nacer Chadli scored in the 56th minute for visiting Spurs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain six minutes later for the Gunners. At Anfield, Everton’s Phil Jagielka scored on a half-volley from outside the penalty area in second-half stoppage time after Steven Gerrard put the Reds ahead on a 65th-minute free kick that went in off a hand of diving American goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Southampton (4-1-1) beat Queens Park Rangers 2-1 on second-half goals by Ryan Bertrand and Graziano Pelle to remain three points behind Chelsea. Sunderland remains winless after drawing 0-0 with Swansea, while Crystal Palace beat Leicester 2-0.

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SPAIN

Neymar scored his first Spanish league hat trick in a 6-0 rout of Granada, and Lionel Messi got two goals to raise his total for club and country to 40 — 359 for Barcelona and 42 for Argentina. The 27-year-old Messi has 248 Spanish league goals, three shy of matching the La Liga career scoring record set by Telmo Zarra from 1940-55.

Barcelona (5-0-1) has outscored opponents 17-0 in the league this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored for his sixth straight game, helping Real Madrid (4-2) to a 2-0 win at Villarreal. Ronaldo has 10 league goals this season and 13 in all competitions.

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GERMANY

First-place Bayern Munich (4-0-2) won 2-0 win at Cologne in the Bundesliga. Former Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze put Bayern in front in the 19th minute, and forced an own goal from Daniel Halfar in the 66th.

Borussia Moenchengladbach (3-0-3) won 2-1 at Paderborn to stay two points behind Bayern in second place.

Joe Gyau dressed for Dortmund in its 2-1 loss at Schalke but didn’t get into the match, three days after making his first-team Dortmund debut as a 73rd-minute substitute in a 2-2 tie against Stuttgart.

In the second division, American Andrew Wooten scored for the fourth straight game, converting a 90th-minute penalty kick for Sandhausen in a 2-1 loss at Eintracht Braunschweig on Friday night.(backslash)

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ITALY

Roma and Juventus maintained their perfect league starts, improving to 5-0 in the Serie A.

Defending champion Juventus won 3-0 at Atalanta. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saved German Denis’ penalty kick as Juventus became the first team in Serie A history to win its opening five games without conceding a goal. Carlos Tevez scored in the 35th and 59th minutes, and Alvaro Morata in the 83rd for Juventus, which has 10 league goals this season.

Mattia Destro scored from near the halfway line in the 86th minute to help Roma (5-0) beat Hellas Verona 2-0. Alessandro Florenzi had put the hosts ahead in the 75th.

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FRANCE

Paris Saint-Germain’s defensive frailties were exposed again in 1-1 draw at Toulouse.

Wissam Ben Yedder put the hosts ahead in the eighth minute, and PSG tied the score on a 33rd-minute goal by Jean-Christophe Bahebeck, who replaced injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic in its attack.

PSG (3-0-5) moved into second but Marseille can open a five-point lead it beats Saint-Etienne 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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