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Seattle and KC play for NWSL title

By WTOP Staff

ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

The Seattle Reign, with the best record in the NWSL this season, has home field advantage for the league championship on Sunday. Well, kind of.

The Reign will face FC Kansas City in the title game on Sunday at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington. That was Seattle’s home last season, the first for the U.S. women’s pro soccer league, and the team’s current training field.

The game can’t be played at Memorial because of scheduling conflicts the Bumbershoot arts and music festival, and the only viable option was Starfire.

“We spent a lot of time at Starfire last year, we train there every day and we’re training there as much as we possibly can during the week to get ourselves back to being used to the surroundings,” Reign coach Laura Harvey said, looking positively at the move. “Anyone who has been to Starfire knows that it’s an exceptional football facility.

The Reign played home games this season at Memorial Stadium, where they were 8-0-4. Seattle has best overall record in the NWSL at 16-2-6.

The Reign defeated the Washington Spirit 2-1 last Sunday to advance to the championship match. The Blues defeated the defending champion Portland Thorns 1-0 in Kansas City last Saturday.

The Blues and the Reign have met twice before at Starfire, with FCKC winning both 1-0.

The Reign have a talented roster that includes U.S. national team goalkeeper Hope Solo, along with Sydney Leroux and Megan Rapinoe, along with midfielder Kim Little — who was named the NWSL Most Valuable player of the Year. Little had an NWSL record 16 goals this season, including four that came after the 89th minute.

Coach Harvey earned Coach of the Year honors.

“Not only is her knowledge about football just second to none, also her man management is probably is probably the best I’ve ever seen,” Seattle midfielder Jess Fishlock said on a conference call this week with reporters. “If you put those things together then you’ll always have, not only a team that is a happy camp on and off the field whether things go well or things go bad, but you also have a club — if you ask any of us I don’t think there’s anywhere we’d rather be.”

Kansas City, which finished second in the regular season standings at 12-7-5, fell to the Thorns 3-2 in the semifinals last season.

“To make it to the final is definitely very rewarding, but we still feel like we have some unfinished business from last year,” said FCKC defender Leigh Ann Robinson said. “We’re hungry, ready and excited to get this far and I think we match up well with Seattle in terms of both teams liking to play through the midfield.”

The Blues are known for their defense, which features Robinson, Nikki Phillips and U.S. national team defender Becky Sauerbrunn, as well as goal keeper Nicole Barnhart, with a 1.33 goals-against average.

“You’ve got the two teams that finished first and second and were most consistent throughout the league,” Fishlock said. “The games we’ve had against each other have all been really exciting and I think that will be exactly the same on Sunday. It will literally be a case of the best team on the day will win because I don’t think there’s much between us at all.”

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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