Sharks Split with Blue Jackets in Stockholm
Playing on European ice didn’t stop Joe Thornton and the Sharks from getting off to a good start to their 2010-11 regular season. The Sharks won their season opener and earned a point in their second game with an overtime loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Stockholm, Sweden. Thornton was the offensive star, scoring a goal in each game. New goaltender Antti Niemi got his feet wet, winning his first start by making 30 saves in the Sharks 3-2 victory. San Jose will play its home opener against the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday.

Luck Leads Last-Minute Stanford Rally
Quarterback Matt Barkley and the USC Trojans celebrated when they scored a touchdown to take a 35-34 lead with 1:15 to go. Little did they know that quarterback Andrew Luck would march Stanford down the field for a game-winning field goal that gave the Cardinal a 37-35 victory. Luck threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns answering Barkley throw for throw, who threw for 390 yards and three scores. No. 16 Stanford (5-1) next plays Washington State (1-5) on Oct. 23 in Stanford.

Earthquakes Clinch Playoff Berth
The Chris Wondolowski show was in full display in the nation’s capital, as he scored two goals, igniting the San Jose Earthquakes to a 2-0 win over D.C. United on Saturday. The Earthquakes win secured them a spot in the MLS postseason. Wondolowski now has 14 goals this season, which is second in the MLS. The Quakes will look to improve their playoff positioning when they host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

Spartans Ripped By Wolf Pack
Once again, quarterback Colin Kaepernick proved to be too much for the Spartans defense, throwing for 273 yards and rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns in Nevada’s 35-13 win on Saturday in Reno. Vai Taua also rushed for 196 yards and three scores, helping the Wolf Pack record a season-high 640 yards of offense. The Spartans (1-5) will likely play their last ranked team this week against No. 3 Boise State (6-0) on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

Press Lifts Stanford To Sweep Down South
Christen Press scored a goal in each of No. 1 Stanford’s wins this weekend in Los Angeles. In Friday’s game against USC, Press scored a record-breaking goal helping Stanford beat the Trojans 2-1. The first-half goal put Press alone as Stanford’s all-time goal-scoring leader. The Cardinal also beat UCLA 2-0 on Sunday. Next up for Stanford is Washington State on Friday at Stanford.