COLLEGES

Maine Maritime Academy announced Friday that it is suspending its football program and two club sports while it reviews the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the college’s overall operations.

“The football program is our most expensive non-academic program,” said Dr. William J. Brennan, the college’s president, in a statement. “As the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are already mounting and with the prospect of a 10% curtailment in state funding, we need to review the program’s overall impact – and the impact of all programs – on our ability to continue to operate the institution.”

In July, the college canceled all athletic competition for the fall semester because of coronavirus concerns. That included club rugby and wrestling, which are also now indefinitely suspended, pending the budget review.

“This is an administrative decision brought about by the extreme challenges we are facing as an organization,” said Brennan.

Maine Maritime is one of six Division III football programs in the state, along with Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Husson and the University of New England. All of those schools have canceled football this fall.

RUTGERS: Rutgers has had at least 30 football players test positive for COVID-19 since the team returned to campus in mid June.

Coach Greg Schiano released the information on Friday in his first conference call since the Big Ten Conference decided not to play football this fall.

Schiano, who was hired in December for a second tour with the struggling Scarlet Knights, said the majority of the positive tests came in the past three weeks after the team suspended activity following a report of six positives. There were only four positive tests the first six weeks.

SOCCER

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: With four goals in the first half hour and four more in the last half hour, Bayern Munich humiliated Barcelona 8-2 on Friday to reach the Champions League semifinals in Lisbon, Portugal.

Thomas Muller scored twice and Ivan Perisic and Serge Gnabry added on in Bayern’s stunning start to the quarterfinal between the only past champions left in the last eight.

Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski and Philippe Coutinho (twice) piled on Barcelona’s misery in the second half.

Seeking its first title since 2013, Bayern will next face either Manchester City or Lyon, who meet on Saturday in the last quarterfinal.

Paris Saint-Germain and Leipzig will play in the other semifinal.

GOLF

PGA: Tom Hoge maintained a share of the lead at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, this time alongside Si Woo Kim, Talor Gooch and Billy Horschel.

Hoge, tied for the first-round lead with Harold Varner III and Roger Sloan, kept in front with a steady 2-under 68 to get to 10-under par.

LPGA: American golfer Stacy Lewis shot a 5-under 66 for the lowest round of the week to take a share of the lead with Azahara Munoz after the second round in North Berwick, Scotland.

Lewis, a former top-ranked player and a 12-time LPGA Tour winner, birdied the final four holes to bounce back from her only dropped shot – at the 12th – at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.

The two-time major winner is looking for her first win in nearly three years, before she has gave birth to her first child, Chesnee.

Munoz bogeyed the last hole for a 69 that followed up a 68 from the first round, and is also 5 under overall.

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Jerry Kelly was the only player at par or better in Akron, Ohio, after two days of the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship – the PGA Tour Champions’ first major of the season.

Kelly shot an even-par 72 on Firestone’s difficult South Course in tricky wind conditions to remain 2 under, three strokes ahead of Steve Stricker, Colin Montgomerie, Rod Pampling and Robert Karlsson.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Sam Horsfield kept up his excellent form since the resumption of the European Tour by shooting 7-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Celtic Classic in Newport, Wales.

With an eagle at the par-5 18th hole, Horsfield moved to 11 under for the tournament being held at Celtic Manor, the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

FOOTBALL

NFL: The NFL’s longest-serving on-field official was among five who have opted to take a leave of absence for the 2020 season.

Line judge Jeff Bergman, who was entering his 29th year of service, headlined the list released Friday by the NFL.

Also in the group was back judge Steve Freeman, who was entering his 20th year. He is part of the league’s only father-son duo in the officials ranks. Freeman is a former NFL player who spent 12 of his 13 seasons with the Bills. His son, Brad, is a back judge is entering his seventh season.

Also opting out are field judges Greg Gautreaux and Joe Larrew and back judge Tony Steratore.

The league said additional officials will be hired and announced.

TENNIS

TOP SEED OPEN: Serena Williams lost to an opponent ranked outside the top 100 for the first time in eight years, beaten by Shelby Rogers 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the quarterfinals in Lexington, Kentucky.

Coco Gauff, 16, reached her second WTA semifinal with quite a comeback. One point from trailing by a set and two breaks, Gauff won 10 of the last 11 games to eliminate No. 8 seed Ons Jabeur, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

PRAGUE OPEN: Top-seeded Simona Halep cruised past lucky loser Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-0 to advance to the semifinals.

BASKETBALL

WNBA: DeWanna Bonner had 19 points and nine rebounds, Alyssa Thomas added 15 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and the Connecticut Sun held off the Chicago Sky, 77-74.

• Breanna Stewart scored 21 points to lead the Seattle Storm to their seventh straight victory, 83-65 over the Dallas Wings.

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