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Quick start at North Carolina could define the season for Arizona soccer

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Quick start at North Carolina could define the season for Arizona soccer


Arizona soccer has gotten out of the gates quickly this season, scoring in the first 11 minutes of two matches on the way to a 3-0 record. When the Wildcats take on No. 5 North Carolina on Sunday morning, they’ll need to be ready early in more ways than one.

UA travels across the country to take on the Tar Heels. The game will kick off at noon as far as UNC is concerned, but that’s 9 a.m. back home for the Wildcats. Arizona head coach Becca Moros was thinking about preparing her players for that trip in more ways than one just minutes after defeating NAU last Thursday evening.

“Number one thing for us right now is recovery,” Moros said. “We have a coast-to-coast travel trip, so there’s some dehydration issues, you get stiff on planes, different things like that. So that’s going to be top priority for us in preparing for that game. But you know the calmness at times that comes over us and we can just play the simple pass, play consistently well, I think those are things that are going to serve us really well against UNC, which is going to have a lot of athleticism, powerful players in the 1-v-1s, be very efficient with their passing and getting it in quickly. So there’s good quality there all across their lineup. So I think that calmness and ability to play our game is hopefully going to come through against them, as well.”

Falling into an early hole is not a good strategy when facing what Moros has called “the most iconic program in college soccer.” The Tar Heels finished last season No. 6 in the RPI and are also headed into the match with a 3-0 record.

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That’s not to say that there aren’t things for UNC to overcome. The players found out less than a week before their first match that legendary Tar Heels head coach Anson Dorrance was retiring effective immediately. His associate head coach, Damon Nahas, took over as the interim for the season. Moros doesn’t think that will be any sort of stumbling block.

“Damon’s been lockstep with Anson for years,” Moros said. “So I would expect things to be really smooth transition as far as coaching changes go. I think that’s probably about as smooth a transition as you could get. So I’m sure the players are right there behind Damon, and they’ve already been working with Damon. They were partly recruited by Damon, and he’s very embedded there. And I’m sure Anson did that deliberately and has his communication and motivational speeches for the players in that transition…he’s probably right there supporting the team and all that. I know that’s a huge strength from Anson. So I’m sure he wants to set Damon up for success, and he wants to see his legacy continue with Carolina being successful at every stage of the game.”

The Tar Heels have been pushed in all three of their matches. Each win came by one goal. It started with a 2-1 victory at Denver, then a 3-2 win at Colorado. UNC is coming off a 4-3 victory over No. 16 Georgia in its home opener.

Arizona has been more dominant in its early wins. The Wildcats have yet to concede a goal and have outscored their opponents 11-0, but they have only faced one team that finished in the top 100 of last year’s RPI. That was GCU, which ended at No. 80 last season. Arizona got the 1-0 win on the road against the Lopes.

The game itself is as important as the result, at least for Arizona. Gone are the days of playing Stanford, UCLA, and USC on the way to a solid RPI propped up by a strong conference. The Wildcats now play in the Big 12, where more than half the teams finished outside the top 100 last year and two were outside the top 200. Arizona does not get a boost from playing Texas Tech this year, which was one of two Big 12 teams to finish in the top 11 of the RPI.

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A good result could help Arizona recover from an RPI hit that may be even worse than expected. Several Big 12 teams have started out shaky in nonconference play.

Only the Wildcats and Oklahoma State are 3-0 at this point, although Cincinnati and TCU are both 2-0. Both the Cowgirls and the Horned Frogs jumped into the rankings this week. The concerns are with the other teams.

Big 12 teams have already played to five losses and eight draws. Some of those disappointing results come against teams like Northern Arizona, Little Rock, Creighton, and Drake. All of those teams were outside the top 100 last season.

If Arizona wants to improve on the No. 69 RPI that kept it out of last year’s tournament, playing against teams like UNC before conference is important. Getting a positive result could set the Wildcats on the path toward something special in their first year in a new league.

A good showing in Chapel Hill could also show the Big 12 coaches that they greatly underestimated Arizona when they voted them in a tie for 10th in the preseason poll. Several teams that were picked above the Wildcats are among those who have struggled in the early going.

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The match between the Tar Heels and Wildcats is the first of a home-and-home arrangement. UNC is due to visit Tucson in two years.

The match will air on ACC Network at 9 a.m. MST on Sunday, Aug. 25.

Lead photo by Rebecca Sasnett / Arizona Athletics



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2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals

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2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals



Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.

The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.

But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?

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The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.

NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.

Here is the general trade value chart teams use.

Here are some potential deals that could be done.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.

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The third overall pick is worth 514 points.

The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.

To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.

One deal could be:

  • Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
  • Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)

Another could be:

  • Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
  • Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)

The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.

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Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.

This deal is close:

  • Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
  • Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.

This deal could work:

  • Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
  • Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)

Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.

They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com

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Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com


PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.

Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour

The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

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“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”

By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.

Expect more gusty, dusty days this week

The relief may be short-lived.

ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.

“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”

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It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.

It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.

“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.

Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.

KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.

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Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona

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Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona


The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year. 

In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat. 

The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan. 

With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community. 

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The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.

One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU. 

The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure. 

Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.

Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.

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In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.  

The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows. 

“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”

As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.

“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said. 

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Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.

“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.

The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.

Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country. 

“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”

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