Sports briefs 8/18/04

Colleges

At least one member of the top-ranked Southern California football team is under investigation for sexual assault, the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday.

The assault allegedly occurred Monday morning, according to Officer Esther Reyes, a police spokeswoman.

"Today the rape special section of LAPD's robbery division began conducting an investigation into the allegation of a sexual assault that may involve a member or members of the USC football team," Reyes said.

She declined to elaborate. Neither police nor the university would identify which player or players were involved.

Football

City Council members gave initial approval Tuesday night for a deal with the Dallas Cowboys to build a $650 million football stadium in Arlington and to place the project in voters' hands.

Arlington council members unanimously voted to place a referendum on the Nov. 2 ballot asking voters to increase sales and other taxes to pay for half of the retractable-roof, 75,000-seat stadium that would be among the NFL's largest.

Golf

Ryan Moore took medalist honors in stroke-qualifying play at the U.S. Amateur on Tuesday, shooting and even-par 70 for a two-round total of 139.

Moore, winner of both the NCAA Division I and U.S. Amateur Public Links earlier this year, leads a field of 64 players who qualified for match play beginning Wednesday. A field of 312 began play Monday.

Bronson LaCassie of Australia, a sophomore at Minnesota, had the best round of the day with a 67 for a two-day total of 141. Andrew Svoboda, from Stamford, Conn., and Chad Poling, from Delaware, Ohio, were also at 141. Luke List, from Ringgold, Ga., was at 143.

Hockey

The NHL and the players association moved no closer to a collective bargaining agreement during a five-hour meeting Tuesday. In fact, the sides even took a slight detour.

During the third negotiating session in six weeks, the NHLPA formally rejected six proposed concepts put forth by the league that were discussed in the previous two meetings. Talks then shifted to a general discussion of league and specific team economics and operations. The next talks will take place over two days next week in Ottawa.

Tennis

Top-seeded Andre Agassi withstood an early challenge from local favorite Paul Goldstein for a 6-4, 6-2 victory at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Tuesday. Agassi, who won last week's Cincinnati Masters, trailed 3-1 before taking the next four games and seizing control of the match.

Jan-Michael Gambill reached the second round with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Steven Koubek. Gambill had lost opening-round matches in his last three events. Also, sixth-seeded Alberto Martin beat Wayne Ferreira 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2), and seventh-seeded Cyril Saulnier defeated Antony Dupuis 6-3, 6-4.