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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2023)
March 6, 2023 U.S.A. / SPORTS THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 11 After six years in Portland, defender Bill Tuiloma traded to Charlotte FC FIRST TITLE. Lilia Vu of the United States poses with her trophy during the award ceremony following her win at the LPGA Honda Thailand golf tournament in Pattaya, southern Thailand, on February 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Kittinun Rodsupan) American Lilia Vu storms to maiden LPGA title in Thailand PATTAYA, Thailand (AP) — American Lilia Vu rode a hot putter to claim her maiden LPGA crown with a one-shot victory over home favorite Natthakritta Vongtaveelap at the LPGA Thailand. Trailing the local rookie by six strokes at the start of the day, 25-year-old Vu unleashed eight impressive birdies, including five straight from the eighth hole to end her campaign with an immaculate round of 8-under 64 for a 22-under 266 total at Siam Country Club Old Course. “Yesterday my dad told me that just one good round and I could win. That’s all I kept thinking about. Basically today I just blacked out and tried to birdie every single hole I could,” said Vu, whose maiden tour victory came after three third-place finishes in 2022. The UCLA alumni came up short again at the Ladies European Tour in Saudi Arabia in February where she settled for another third place. “I knew I was going to win, it was just when … and I finally did,” she added. Vu became the third American to triumph in the event after Lexi Thompson in 2016 and Jessica Korda in 2018. Playing her first LPGA tournament, Vongtaveelap’s lack of experience took a toll with the 20-year-old golfer enduring a mixed final round featuring seven birdies offset by a double bogey and four bogeys to sign off with a 1-under 71 and 267 overall. Her hope for forcing a playoff was dashed after her last birdie attempt landed a foot away from the pin. Thailand will have to wait for a second local winner after former No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn prevailed in the 2021 edition. Another Thai golfer, Atthaya Thitikul, was third after a final-round 68 got her to 268. Maja Stark of Sweden and French Celine Boutier settled at joint fourth on 271, one ahead of top-ranked Lydia Ko, who finished joint-sixth on 272. SNAP monthly benefits decreased effective March 1 More than 720,000 Oregonians enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, sometimes referred to as “SNAP” or “food stamps,” will notice a significant decrease in monthly benefits beginning this month. In response to the pandemic, many SNAP participants received additional benefits each month based on household size. With the federal COVID-19 state of emergency ending, federal funding for these SNAP “emergency allotments” are also expiring. More than 720,000 people — one in six Oregonians — will ultimately see a minimum loss of $95 for groceries per month. Families are facing a 40% reduction in benefits on average, even as the price of food and housing is high. Regular SNAP benefits received prior to the pandemic will not change. Recipients should receive their regular SNAP deposit as usual, between the first and ninth of the month. Only the “emergency allotment” is ending. Members of the community who are in need of food assistance are encouraged to reach out to the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) Network. OFB’s online Food Finder provides hours, availability, and other details for partner agencies throughout the food network by simply entering a zip code. Assistance is also available for those who need drive-up service or home delivery. To learn more about SNAP benefits, call Oregon’s ONE customer service center at 1-800-699-9075 (711 TTY). To locate a pantry, free food market, or meal site, call 2-1-1. For more information, visit <www.oregonfoodbank.org>. After six years with the Portland Timbers, New Zealand’s Bill Poni Tuiloma is embarking on a different Major League Soccer (MLS) journey in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 27-year-old defender left the Rose City last month as one of the highest scoring defensive players in Timbers MLS history, netting 10 goals and assisting on six. Tuiloma was signed by the Timbers in 2017 and made his first-team debut the following season. The Kiwi international is known for his defensive presence in the backline and tremendous free kick ability. During his time as a Timber, he helped the club win two Western Conference championships and the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament championship. He’s been hailed as a tremendous asset on the field and also a terrific individual off the pitch. One of many notable offensive contributions from the defender was a bending 30-yard free kick that went over the wall and into the upper right corner of the net against the L.A. Galaxy early last season with only 10 eligible players on the field and the squad down by two goals. In May of 2021, the center back scored another important free kick, this time a thunderous strike from outside the penalty area that snuck past the near post with just a couple minutes left in a Cascadia rival match against the Seattle Sounders. Tuiloma may be best remembered by Portland fans for another goal in April of 2019 against Toronto FC that was a candidate for Goal of the Year. The fabulous volley from just beyond the penalty spot was assisted by teammate Diego Valeri. The 5’10”, 174-pounder solidly buried the out-swinging corner kick into the left side-netting. Shortly after arriving in North Carolina, Tuiloma has already started two matches for Charlotte FC. Fans of the TUILOMA TRADED. Defender Bill Tuiloma is seen playing for the Portland Timbers at Providence Park during the 2018 Major League Soc- cer season. Tuiloma signed with the Timbers in 2017. He began the 2018 season on the bench under then-new head coach Giovanni Savarese, but soon found himself in the starting lineup. (AR Photo/Jan Landis, File) defender will have to follow his career on television or online, as Charlotte is not scheduled to travel to the Pacific Northwest for MLS action in 2023. To learn more, visit <www.timbers.com> or <www.charlottefootballclub.com>. Portland Thorns FC to hold preseason tournament, kick off regular season at Providence Park in March The players in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) are preparing for the 2023 campaign, with some squads having begun practices as early as late January. The league, which officially begins league play this month, is now entering its 11th year. The season features the 12 clubs playing 22 games each. This year’s schedule takes into consideration the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer. The tournament, scheduled from July 20 through August 20, takes place in Australia and New Zealand. First played in 2020, the NWSL Challenge Cup is also returning. A change this year has the tournament played concurrently with the regular season. It will consist of three groups of four teams playing double round-robin matches for a total of six contests. Following group play, four teams will square off in semifinal matches on September 6. The final is scheduled for Saturday, September 9. Each club will play a total of 28 matches between the regular season and the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup — 14 games held at home and 14 on the road. At the end of the regular season, six teams will qualify for the NWSL playoffs, which will take place in October. The top two seeds earn a first-round bye. The quarterfinal round is scheduled for October 22, followed by the semifinal round on Saturday, November 4. The 2023 championship match will be held on Saturday, November 11. Give blood. The Portland Thorns this year feature Hina Sugita, Sophia Smith, Christine Sinclair, Bella Bixby, Natalia Kuikka, Crystal Dunn, and many others. The NWSL season officially begins on Saturday, March 25. Upcoming regular-season home games for Thorns FC are scheduled for Sunday, March 26 at 2:00pm vs. the Orlando Pride, April 14 at 7:30pm vs. the Houston Dash, April 22 at 7:30pm vs. Racing Louisville FC, and April 29 at 7:30pm vs. Angel City FC. A week of preseason matches will be held at Providence Park in Portland from March 12 to 18. Each game day features a double-header. On Sunday, March 12, the Thorns meet Racing Louisville FC at 5:00pm. In the 2:30pm game, OL Reign meets the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team (U.S. U-23 WNT). The second evening of matches takes place on Wednesday, March 15, with Louisville and OL Reign kicking off at 5:00pm and the Thorns FC playing the U.S. U-23 WNT at 7:30pm. The final games of the preseason, on Saturday, March 18, feature the U.S. U-23 WNT and Louisville at 5:00pm, with Thorns FC and OL Reign playing the nightcap match at 7:30pm. To access the entire Thorns FC schedule, look up the 2023 roster, or buy tickets, please visit <www.portland thornsfc.com>. EVERYBODY READS 2023 RUTH OZEKI MARCH 16, 2023 | 7:30 P.M. To schedule a blood donation call 1-800-G IVE-LIFE or visit HelpSaveALife.org. Keller Auditorium | tickets at literary-arts.org SPONSORS: Wondering when our next issue is published? Sign up for e-alerts at <news@asianreporter.com>!