Tri-Valley & Championship Sports

Las Positas Men's Soccer Ranked 20th as Gabby Williams Wins WNBA MVP

Las Positas College's 34-player men's soccer squad climbs to No. 20 nationally despite five center-back injuries, Gabby Williams scores 30 points to earn WNBA Finals MVP, and Manchester United rallies 3-2 past Roma.

By East Bay Post · Syndicated from Danville Times
Syndicated reporting from Danville Times · Danville Times
Published November 14, 2026 at 2:38 PM PST · 3 min read

Documentary sports photograph of a sunlit collegiate soccer field with soccer balls on the turf in Livermore, California. — Soccer balls and training cones lined along a sunlit collegiate turf pitch in the Tri-Valley. · Danville Times Visual Desk

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Resilience and second-half surges defined the sports landscape from the Tri-Valley to Chase Center and European competition this week, as the Las Positas College men's soccer team climbed to No. 20 in the national rankings despite a rash of defensive injuries, Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams captured WNBA Finals MVP honors with a record-breaking Game 7 outburst, and Manchester United rallied past Roma 3-2.

Las Positas College Men's Soccer Climbs to 20th Nationally With 34-Player Roster

According to The Express (Las Positas College), the Las Positas College Hawks men's soccer team in Livermore is ranked 20th in the nation with 9 regular-season matches remaining, rebounding from a 1-1-3 five-game start—its slowest opening stretch since 2019 after posting a combined 20-4-2 mark through the first 5 games of each season since 2021.

Head coach Andrew Cumbo assembled the largest roster in program history at 34 players and has already used 25 different starters to navigate injuries that sidelined 5 center backs. Captain Kayeke Carneiro took a medical redshirt after a knee injury, freshman defender Walter Galindo from Clayton Valley Charter tore his ACL after 2 appearances, defender Nicholas Demartini was shut down with knee injuries, and leading scorers Tristan Casella and captain Jose Valencia (No. 5, who scored 2 goals in a 6-0 win over Foothill College) along with rotational contributors Axel Hernandez and Jesus "Chuey" Lua also battled injuries. Backed by center back Xavier Harmon and teammate Karim Al Shargawi, the Hawks went unbeaten over a 5-game stretch with 3 wins and 2 ties—outscoring opponents 16-0 across those 3 victories—to stand 3-2-2 through 7 conference games.

Gabby Williams Scores 28 Second-Half Points to Win WNBA Finals MVP

In San Francisco, Golden State Valkyries star Gabby Williams earned WNBA Finals MVP honors after powering the second-year franchise to a 68-63 Game 7 victory over the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center. As reported by The San Francisco Standard and The Press (Brentwood), Williams finished Game 7 with 30 points, 3 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2 steals, pouring in 28 points in the second half to set a WNBA postseason record for points in a half.

Recruited in free agency after her 2025 All-Star season with the Seattle Storm by Valkyries owner Joe Lacob, general manager Ohemaa Nyanin, head coach Natalie Nakase, and Warriors forward Draymond Green, Williams—who played youth club basketball in the Bay Area for the Mission Rec Rebels and Bay Area BullDawgs—led Golden State in scoring in 6 of 7 Finals games after recovering from midrange jumper slumps in Games 4 and 5 during the second half of Game 6. Alongside Veronica Burton, Tiffany Hayes, Kaila Charles, and Finals blocks record-setter Kiah Stokes, Williams helped ensure the Dream scored under 65 points in all 4 games Golden State won as the Valkyries eliminated the Wings, Aces, and Dream.

Matheus Cunha Leads Manchester United to 3-2 Champions League Comeback Over Roma

On the European soccer stage, The Press (Brentwood) reported on November 3, 2026, in a European match report that Matheus Cunha spearheaded a three-goal second-half rally as Manchester United beat Roma 3-2 in a Champions League comeback for manager Michael Carrick.

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