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Wambach has 4 goals in 6-0 US win over Costa Rica

By WTOP Staff

ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Abby Wambach has been concerned recently about overthinking headers.

She seemed to have it all worked out on Sunday night when she scored four goals — three with her head — in a 6-0 victory over Costa Rica that gave the World Cup-bound U.S. national team their fifth CONCACAF Women’s Championship title.

“Thankfully, today my teammates put me in positions where I really couldn’t think,” she said afterward. “I was set up to be successful.”

The U.S. women had already secured a trip to next year’s World Cup in Canada with a victory over Mexico in the semifinals of the eight-team, four-city tournament.

Wambach scored on a header in the fourth minute, and fed Carli Lloyd one in the 17th to put the United States up 2-0. It was Lloyd’s fifth goal of the tournament.

Wambach scored with her head again off a cross from Lloyd in the 35th minute and added another header in the 41st, also with the assist from Lloyd.

She added her fourth, this time a chip, in the 71st minute. It was her second career four-goal game; she scored five goals in a match against Ireland 10 years ago.

“I think her focus is crazy good. She’s really locked down and working on every facet of her game,” U.S. coach Jill Ellis said, adding with a smile: “We did some extra heading with her because she thought her timing was slightly off. I think she did all right tonight.”

Wambach now has 18 goals in World Cup qualifying, breaking Michelle Akers’ team record (17). Wambach already has the career record for goals with 177, and she leads the team with 14 goals this year.

It was the first time a single player has scored four goals in a CONCACAF women’s championship title match.

“All you can do when Abby Wambach is playing that is pray — pray that the ball doesn’t get to her,” said Costa Rica coach Avedissian Garabet.

Sydney Leroux scored in the 73rd minute for the final margin.

Lloyd also scored a pair of goals in the 3-0 semifinal victory over Mexico on Friday night at PPL Park to send the United States to its seventh-straight World Cup. Costa Rica earned its country’s first Women’s World Cup appearance by beating Trinidad and Tobago on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in its semifinal match.

The top three finishers in the championship for the North, Central American and Caribbean region earned World Cup bids: Mexico secured a berth with a 4-2 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in the third-place match earlier on Sunday.

Trinidad and Tobago will still have a chance with a two-leg series against Ecuador starting next month.

The Trinidad and Tobago team became sentimental favorites of the CONCACAF event when they arrived in Dallas to train two weeks ago with only about $500. Coach Randy Waldrum, who volunteers his services, went to Twitter to plea for help. The response overwhelmed him.

“It was really emotional for me that first day, just the outpouring. It is hard to put into words,” said Waldrum, who is head coach of the NWSL’s Houston Dash.

Mexico has offered to help Trinidad and Tobago train at altitude for the matches against Ecuador.

The U.S. team has been ranked No. 1 in the world for the past five years and was the favorite going into the eight-team CONCACAF tournament. The women swept the group stage to advance to the semifinal against Mexico.

Costa Rica, the first Central American team to qualify for the World Cup, had not dropped a match in the qualifying tournament either until the final against the United States.

The group stage wasn’t without adversity for the United States. Forward Alex Morgan sprained her left ankle during a win over Guatemala and will miss four-to-six weeks. Morgan injured the same ankle last October and was sidelined seven months.

Four years ago, the U.S. women were also favored and expected to have an easy run through qualifying, but Mexico pulled off the upset in the semifinal. The 2-1 loss in Cancun ultimately forced the United States into a two-game playoff against Italy which the team won 2-0 on aggregate.

At the World Cup in Germany the next year the United States fell to Japan in the final on penalty kicks.

Wambach says she’s at about 60 percent as she prepares to help the team go for its first World Cup title since 1999.

“It is a process, and in the seven, eight months till the World Cup, I just want to be continually, gradually climbing, hopefully not coming across any setbacks like injury,” she said. “But the reality is that it’s a long seven months. There’s a lot of stress and a lot of responsibility and pressure that goes into it. For me I’m happy with the way this tournament turned out for our team. Got a little bit of fitness under my belt.”

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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