son, while Simmons recorded his first double-double of the season. The Eagles outscored Michigan State in the paint (40-22) and on second-chance points (24-9).UP NEXTFlorida Gulf Coast is

There was no clock in the old Catholic church, but Paola Kuri was so focused on the time she could hear the ticktock, ticktock ringing in her ears. It was a First Holy Communion like many she had attended as a little girl in Mexico City, and as usual, she was in another flower-printed dress that she couldnt wait to take off.As soon as the ceremony was over, Kuri bolted for the car. The boys might pick teams and leave her out if she didnt get to the soccer field fast enough. So, she slid on her jeans, next to her soccer jersey and tennis shoes in the backseat, and told her dad to step on the gas.It was like changing into my superhero outfit, Kuri says. When I got onto the soccer field, that was my world.The founder of?Fut sin Género (Soccer without Gender), an initiative to promote womens soccer in Mexico, Kuris obsession with the sport began as a three year old, kicking a ball in her parents backyard until the sun went down. A skinny girl with a thicket of blondish-brown hair that she stuffed into a baseball cap to look tough enough for the boys to let her play, she was a natural. Before the age of 10, she had earned a place as one of the best players in the neighborhood -- the only girl on the field.Kuris passion for soccer developed alongside a commitment to art. Before completing a communications degree from Ibero-American University, where she played soccer on an all-female team, she moved abroad to Italy to earn an MFA at Florence University of the Arts. In 2013, she and her brother Rubén co-founded Ethos Arte, an art fair that annually showcases more than 500 pieces from 60 emerging Mexican artists at the Expo Santa Fe.Around that time, Kuri also began contributing articles to a blog dedicated to womens soccer, Ellas Tambíen Saben?(They Also Know). Hoping to marry her love of art and sport, she interviewed 50 different people about what soccer means to them and posted the answers up alongside pictures of her body painted while wearing her soccer gear. Within hours, the post, #YoSoyFutbol (#IAmSoccer), was shared by notable figures in Mexico, including former national team soccer player Luis García and former first lady Margarita Zavala.I chose not to reveal the gender of any of the people, Kuri says. It was an important way of saying: It doesnt matter whether you are a man or a woman, soccer belongs to all of us, and we all love it for the same reasons.Kuris social media presence ballooned overnight. After receiving calls from newspapers and messages from people interested in discussing her project, she registered Fut sin Género and began work on campaigns promoting the sport.What weve done with Fut sin Género is hit the red button to start the conversation about womens soccer, Kuri says. We have a big task ahead of us -- we need to make a statement that will touch the whole country.For the past year, that statement was clear: Play a role in launching the first professional womens soccer league in Mexicos history.***Before Kuri arrived in the United States as a participant in the 2016 U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program, the potential for a professional womens soccer league seemed likelier than ever.In May 2015, the Mexican Football Federation launched La Liga Nacional Femenil, the countrys first national womens amateur league. The inaugural season began with 158 teams from 19 states in two age categories: under-13 and under-16.There were 3,000 girls every week playing football, says Lucia Mijares Martinez, technical director of development for the federation.The second season would create an even wider impact, according to Martinez, with three age categories (under-13, under-15, under-17), at least five more states and a 25 percent growth in teams.Our objective (at the federation) is to motivate, engage and inspire girls in Mexico through football, Martinez says, We want to build a competitive league, train coaches and generate a platform for future womens football heroes.As Kuri returned from Los Angeles, where she spent three weeks in October and November being mentored by Joan Coraggio, group director for sponsorship and experiential marketing at Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles, the pieces for a professional league to follow the amateur league began falling into place.Then, the official announcement came on Dec. 5. The federation would launch Liga MX Femenil, a professional womens league consisting of 18 teams, for the spring of 2017.The announcement was the culmination of years of hard work by women like Kuri, Mijares Martinez and many others, including fellow GSMP alumna Cecilia Vales, who founded a nongovernmental organization, She Wins Mexico. From grassroots programs to reach girls in underserved areas of Mexico (Vales), to advocating for womens soccer from within the federation (Martinez), to rallying supporters and pushing the message of gender equality to thousands through social media (Kuri), women came together to claim a space on the field for themselves and many more to come after them.But the fact that one of her lifes greatest ambitions was fulfilled earlier this month has not slowed Kuri down.This is just the first step, Kuri says. We still face challenges: the mindset of machismo and making womens soccer popular across Mexico. But weve opened a path to get there.With the same hardworking mindset, Kuri continues striving to get girls playing soccer. In recent months, she has partnered with prominent professional European soccer clubs to support the development of girls soccer academies throughout Mexico City. Kuri and her Ethos team are also at work recovering spaces in marginalized communities, painting the fields, restoring the grass, and partnering with shoe company Puma to provide balls and cleats for girls to play.Her brother, Rubén, has had the benefit of seeing Kuris passion from the time they were kids to now as co-founders of Ethos. He remembers when the cousins would get together to play soccer and Paola was the automatic choice for team captain. He also remembers the frustration he felt when his sister would leave the house dressed like a boy, thinking it wasnt fair that she had to become someone else just so she could play.I would try to make it better by telling her to at least wear some dresses and heels when she wasnt going to play, he says. And shed tell me, No, lets go to Puma or Adidas! To this day, we may have an important meeting, and well pass by a sports store, and Ill tell her, Dont even think about it! Its our little joke.As with his older sister, the success of Fut sin Género also caught Rubén by surprise. With messages of support and invitations to lead girls clinics coming in for Kuri from Monterey, Guadalajara, Tijuana and Queretaro, she has had to step back from some of her responsibilities in the art world. But, Rubén is happy to support his sister in her other life as an advocate.I believe you are born with a gift, and this is definitely Paolas gift, he says.The gift extends from the soccer field to the internet, where Kuri manages Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts with tens of thousands of followers. In every post, she seems to share the same message that she did in the #IAmSoccer blog post more than a year ago: Soccer belongs to everyone.The future of womens soccer in Mexico is not cemented despite the establishment of the womens league. Knowing that, Kuri was led through a mental exercise by her mentor, Coraggio, before leaving Los Angeles last month. In it, Coraggio challenged her motivations for wanting a professional league for women. It was an important part of the younger woman realizing the fire that drives her comes from somewhere deeper than just making history.We are challenging ideologies that soccer is only for men, Kuri says. We are making a statement for gender equality. For me, that matters more than anything.Brian Canever is the digital content manager for the Center for Sport, Peace, & Society at the University of Tennessee and works closely with the GSMP participants.Nike Air Max 90 Bianche Sconti . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. Air Max Plus Nere Scontate . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. http://www.airmax90scarpescontate.it/max-plus-scontate.html .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Air Max 90 Blu Scontatissime . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Scarpe Air Max 90 Rosa . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187.EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The horn went off too soon, and Michigan State hung on.Eron Harris had a season-high 31 points and the 13th-ranked Spartans held off Florida Gulf Coast 78-77 on Sunday night when a timekeeping error led to a disputed finish.With 1.6 seconds remaining, Florida Gulf Coasts Christian Terrell threw a long inbounds pass from underneath his own basket. But the clock incorrectly started when the pass was thrown, rather than when Antravious Simmons caught the ball by the foul line at the other end of the court.So as Simmons turned to try a game-winning shot, the buzzer sounded -- much too early. Simmons missed his attempt, but FGCU players looked confused and coach Joe Dooley sought an explanation.Officials went to a video review as players and fans waited to find out if the game was indeed over.Since a timing error occurred, we are able to utilize the replay monitor, referee Bo Boroski told a pool reporter. Using a stopwatch, it was determined the ball was caught and released in 1.3 seconds, meaning if the shot would have gone in, it would have counted. After the miss there was no time remaining in the game, therefore ending the game. By rule the possession cannot be replayed.And that was that.After the game, Dooley said he understood the ruling.Harris made all six of his 3-pointers and Miles Bridges added 13 points for the Spartans (2-2), who shot a season-best 51 percent from the floor. They hit 52.9 percent of their attempts from beyond the 3-point line, but struggled at the free throw line (57.6 percent).Its hard to be honest and mad and happy at the same time, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. We got to the free throw line 33 times. Twenty-one assists on 25 baskets was very, very good. We improved in some areas, but I thought we got outplayed. The biggest thing this program has stood for has been toughness, but I told our players they were the tougher team.Florida Gulf Coast (1-3) got 18 points apiece from Brandon Goodwin and Simmons, who added 12 rebounds. RaySean Scott Jr. added 14 off the bench.I thought it was a greaat college game.dddddddddddd Great atmosphere. Im proud of the way our guys competed, Dooley said. Obviously disappointed with the ending, but we put ourselves in some spots that we shouldnt have. But thats what happens when you play a really good team, and Michigan States a really good team.The Eagles shot 46 percent overall and 47.1 percent from the foul line. They outrebounded Michigan State 41-29.They were tougher than I thought they were going to be, Harris said of Florida Gulf Coast. They werent trash-talkers or anything. They got out there and played hard.It was the second meeting between the schools. Michigan State won 97-58 in East Lansing on Nov. 13, 2009.BIG PICTUREFlorida Gulf Coast: The Eagles dropped to 1-8 against ranked opponents. The schools only win came during its improbable run in the 2013 NCAA tournament, when it beat No. 8 Georgetown in the second round.Michigan State: The Spartans kept their November home winning streak alive, but barely. They havent lost at home since David Robinson led Navy past Michigan State 91-90 in overtime on Nov. 29, 1986.POLL IMPLICATIONSIf it were up to Izzo, there wouldnt be any for his team. This will be one of the four or five best teams we play in the preseason, Izzo said. That team will play in the NCAA (Tournament). No question about it.BY THE NUMBERSGoodwin has been Florida Gulf Coasts leading scorer in all four games this season, while Simmons recorded his first double-double of the season. The Eagles outscored Michigan State in the paint (40-22) and on second-chance points (24-9).UP NEXTFlorida Gulf Coast is home Wednesday against Binghamton, the start of a seven-game stretch that includes six at home.Michigan State, which has played in Hawaii and New York this month, travels to the Bahamas for the final three games of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament beginning Wednesday, when the Spartans take on St. Johns. They finish the month with a Nov. 29 game at Duke.Cheap Jerseys [url=http://www.cheapauthenticnfljerseys.net/]China NFL s