Meredith Teague scored with 4:27 left in the second overtime to send Seattle Pacific’s fourth-ranked women’s soccer team into the national quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over No. 12 Western Washington in the NCAA Division II West Region final in Kirksville, Mo.

The Falcons (19-1-2) will face No. 23 Truman State (17-3-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday in Kirksville for their third Final Four berth in four years.

Teague’s team-leading 14th goal from just outside the penalty area came off a cross from Jocelyn Charette and ended a stretch of 105 scoreless minutes between the Northwest rivals, who went 1-1-1 in three meetings this season.

SPU goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson stopped five shots in posting her eighth shutout of the season, and Kylie Broadbent had seven saves for Western (17-3-2), which was outshot 24-10.

-Don Van Lierop, boys’ basketball coach at Ferris High School, has been cleared of allegations that he had inappropriate contact with a girl after the 16-year-old recanted and said no such contact took place.

Jeff Morris, the girl’s attorney, said Thursday night the girl and her family have apologized to the coach, who had been on paid administrative leave since Nov. 6, pending an investigation.

Spokane Public Schools spokeswoman Terren Roloff confirmed that Van Lierop will return to the classroom and basketball court on Friday. He is a social studies teacher.

\ SOCCER

SCHELOTTO MLS’ MOST VALUABLE

The Columbus Crew’s Guillermo Barros Schelotto, a midfield wizard and longtime star in his native Argentina, was named Major League Soccer’s most valuable player.

Schelotto, 35, had 19 assists and seven goals for Columbus as the Crew bounced back from a 9-11-10 record the previous year to finish with an MLS-best 17-7-6 mark.

He and his teammates face the New York Red Bulls for the MLS Cup on Sunday afternoon in Carson, Calif.

-Sport’s highest court upheld a ruling that Atletico Madrid must play a Champions League match in an empty stadium because of racist behavior by its fans.

Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Atletico’s appeal but reduced a fine the Spanish club must pay to $95,000 from the $190,000 ordered by UEFA last month.

\ OLYMPICS

CHICAGO TO PITCH 2016 BID

Chicago and three other cities vying for the 2016 Summer Games will make their case Friday in Istanbul, Turkey, to the regional group with the most votes in the Olympic movement.

Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro also will make presentations to the general assembly of the European Olympic Committees, which represents 50 countries and holds the balance of power in the Olympics.

A video message from President-elect Barack Obama, taped since his election victory, is expected to be included in Chicago’s 20-minute pitch.

-USA Boxing has fought its way out of the doghouse with the U.S. Olympic Committee. The USOC said that it has ended the probation it imposed on USA Boxing, citing progress made in reforms.

\ ETC.

RUTGERS LACKING IN OVERSIGHT

The Rutgers University president, athletic director, Board of Governors and the entire athletic program were sharply criticized in an independent report, which cited lack of oversight on issues involving the football coach’s salary and a sports marketing firm.

A review committee, which released the critical report, was appointed in July after a series in The Star-Ledger of Newark detailed undisclosed contract sweeteners for coach Greg Schiano and the award of a no-bid contract to a marketing firm that employed AD Robert Mulcahy’s son.

-Argentina’s David Nalbandian will face Spain’s David Ferrer on Friday in the opening match of the Davis Cup final. Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina’s top-ranked player at No. 9, will play Feliciano Lopez in the second singles match of the best-of-five series.

In Saturday’s doubles, Jose Acasuso and Agustin Calleri of Argentina will play Lopez and Fernando Verdasco.

The reverse singles will be held Sunday.

-A predawn blaze raced through a barn at Riverside Downs, a former race track in Western Kentucky, killing 27 horses while four other horses survived.

-Coach Bill Laimbeer has been re-signed to a two-year contract by the WNBA champion Detroit Shock. The team did not release terms of the deal.

-St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson, out for the season after injuring his knee during a preseason team golf outing in September, had surgery to repair a damaged ligament. Johnson, the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft, is expected to be ready for training camp next season.

-Former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe will fight for the first time in three years on the undercard of the Dec. 13 IBF title fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Hasim Rahman. An opponent has yet to be found.

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