Author: Alex Wagner

Categories
Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Mayowa Alli ’14

 

The Bucknellian Archives

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

Player Profile

Mayowa Alli ’14

Lanham, Md.

Political Science

Season stats:

Six starts in seven games

522 minutes played

Two goals

One assist

Mayowa Alli ’14 and the men’s soccer team enjoyed a great weekend in the Class of ’98 Invitational, which they co-hosted with Penn State. They defeated Adelphi and Albany by a combined score of 11-0 to win the tournament. Alli, who starts in the center of the defense, anchored a unit that only allowed three shots on target all weekend, none of which resulted in goals. His strong defensive presence earned him the title of Patriot League Brine Defensive Player of the Week.

But Alli’s contributions to the Orange and Blue extend beyond simply just shutting down other teams’ offenses. He is a strong attacking threat himself, as proven last weekend. In the game against Adelphi, he picked up an assist after Jonathan Grad ’15 headed in his long throw-in, which has come to be a special weapon for the Bison. Alli became an even bigger part of the attack against Albany, when he scored the game’s first two goals, both off of headers.

“I think we were so successful this past weekend due to the fact that we were excited to finally play at home, and the entire team’s contribution to each game. The fan support was great; we honestly fed off the crowd’s energy. And our depth off the bench was awesome. Every single guy was given a chance to play and made the best of their opportunity,” Alli said.

Last season, Alli scored seven goals and earned First Team All-Patriot League honors and Second Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region. His performance last weekend is certainly an indicator that there are more great things to come from him this season.

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Julian Dorey

Writer

“Lambs to the slaughter here.”

Enough is enough. The story that wasn’t supposed to be a big deal is now one of the biggest deals.

The National Football League’s replacement referees are single-handedly making a mockery out of America’s most popular sport.

You can’t blame them. They’ve been put in an unwinnable situation. In fact, you should give them some props. They have voluntarily subjected themselves to national jeering by signing on to help the NFL owners get through their ridiculous penny-scratching labor dispute with the real refs: the pros.

It’s time for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to save these guys from continued embarrassment and, more importantly, it’s time for him to do something smart for a change. I’m not sure I can remember a commissioner in one of the four major sports who was as unpopular as Goodell has become through the past few years.

This debacle certainly has not helped.

Let’s take a step back for a second. Who ever thought we would actually be picketing to get the NFL refs on the field? Isn’t there an old saying that the zebras are always the fans’ least favorite players? Yet here we are, begging them to come back.

If and when they return this season, everything will probably return to normal. Fans will quickly transition back and rid their minds of the blip that was the 2012 NFL Referees Association lockout. They’ll intensely scrutinize the very professionals they banged the doors down for. Every holding call against their team will be met with a complaint, and there will be no such thing as a pass interference penalty on their team’s defensive backs.  But despite it all, fans will eventually get over just about every call against their team, and they’ll all be able to turn on the games every Sunday without their first thoughts being about the guys who aren’t there to win or lose.

Once the season is over, plenty will reflect on replacement refs with disdain. But it will simply be a very small wound in an incredible nine-plus decade old NFL history book.

Regardless, let’s hurry up and get out of this situation while it’s still a small wound. God forbid this turns into a season-long nightmare culminating with a Super Bowl result that leaves fans wondering if the champions won fair and square or whether they were benefactors of terrible officiating.

Right now, I’m watching games like the Broncos-Falcons Monday Night game that featured players hitting referees, veterans taking advantage of the “just don’t call anything that’s going to be controversial” attitude of most of the replacement refs and middle-school referees calling billion-dollar NFL franchises “red,” referring to the Falcons.

The NFL is too popular to have its headlines dominated by guys who aren’t playing, coaching, managing or owning. This “replacement ref concept” that is reminiscent of an officiating version of the Gene Hackman and Keanu Reeves’ film, “The Replacements,” should be nothing more than a decent idea for a daytime TV movie on Lifetime, not an actual course of action for the highest-grossing professional sports league in America.

Just for our viewing sanity, the madness has to end, and soon.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football falls to No. 13 Delaware

Courtesy of Athletic Communications
The Bison attempt to take control at the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, the Bison were unable to overtake the Blue Hens after a strong first half, falling 19-3 to end the game.

 

Eric Brod

Senior writer

Head coach Joe Susan returned to his alma mater, Delaware, last Saturday, and despite a hard fought effort from the Bison, they were unable to get past No. 13 Delaware in a 19-3 defeat.

The Blue Hens’ offense was averaging 40 points per contest, but the Orange and Blue defense held the Blue Hens from getting a touchdown during their first three trips inside the Red Zone. However, Delaware kicker Sean Baner tied their school record with four field goals.

The Bison’s score came from the first play of the second quarter on a 21-yard field goal by Sean Cobelli ’14. The field goal finished a 13-play, 80-yard drive led by quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, who was stopped four yards short of the goal line on a third-down play.

By the end of the first half, the Bison had an offensive yard advantage over the Blue Hens, 174-132, but found themselves trailing 6-3 at the half. The Blue Hens pulled away in the second half behind running back Andrew Pierce, who rushed for 101 yards on 21 carries. 

“We need to eliminate negative yardage runs. This puts your offense off schedule when it comes to down and distance. We also had some pre-snap penalties,” Susan said. “Against a team like Delaware, you must be right in both of these instances.”

Despite the loss, the Bison showed why they are considered one of the most improved teams in the Patriot League and why they are serious contenders for the league title this year. The defense was led by linebacker Evan Byers ’15, who tied a career-high 10 tackles, and safety Ryan Morgan ’14 added in nine. Sean Sellers ’14 led the defensive line with 1.5 sacks, one of which resulted in a 15-yard loss on a third and goal for the Blue Hens early in the game.

“Our defense played hard the entire game. We knew that we would have to challenge Delaware by defensive front movement and both linebacker and secondary pressure,” Susan said. “We limited their big plays, which can change the score quickly. We attacked their offensive line and that was a key throughout.”

On offense, Wesley completed 21 of 37 passes for 197 yards, and Jeremiah Young ’13 led the rushing attack again with 11 carries for 44 yards. It was also a milestone for wide receiver Victor Walker ’14, whose six catches for 74 yards put him over 1,000 receiving yards in his career.

“We came out of the game healthy. That is critical as we move into league competition. Our team is focused on doing what it takes to win,” Susan said.

The Bison will look to rebound tomorrow in their home opener against Lafayette. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

“I would like to send a personal message to the Bucknell students and faculty: please come to our game this Saturday. The game is televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. Please join us and support your team,” Susan said.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey breaks even

 

The Bucknellian Archives
Tayler Siegrist ’13 moves the ball away from pressure. Her goals on Saturday helped the Bison in their victory against Towson.

Andrew Arnao

Senior writer

In two home games, the field hockey team defeated Towson on Sept. 15, shutting out the Tigers 6-0, and fell to Ohio State 3-1 the next day. Forward Kiersten Sydnor ’16 earned her third Patriot League Rookie of the Week award, while goalie Erica Perrine ’14 snagged the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week award for the second time this season.

“After stumbling a bit against Columbia and St. Francis (Pa.) last weekend, the team’s mindset going into this weekend was to get back into the rhythm we had at the beginning of the year,” Perrine said. “We established a theme of being ‘relentless’ and to never stop fighting for every ball, regardless of whether or not we were winning or losing.”

The defense did just that in the first half against Towson, not allowing a single shot on goal. The Orange and the Blue had 10 shots in the first half, and broke out for five of their six goals in the second half, led by two goals apiece from Sydnor and defender Tayler Siegrist ’13. Perrine finished with two saves and her third career shutout.

“Saturday’s game against Towson was an exciting one, especially because it was our first shutout,” Sydnor said. “Our defense was exceptionally strong, as was our offense. We were able to capitalize on our offensive corners on Saturday, which I think accounted for half of our goals.”

The same offensive breakout proved difficult against Ohio State, as the Bison were unable to score until Siegrist knocked in a penalty stroke with only 13 seconds remaining. Ohio State eventually triumphed, but there was controversy over whether the third Buckeye goal crossed the goal line. The defense put up an impressive display once again, led by Perrine and her season-high 13 saves.

“We were extremely excited to play a Big Ten team, but along with that excitement came nerves in the very first few minutes of the game,” Siegrist said. “Once we realized that we were just as good as them though, things turned around.”

“Unfortunately, I think there were a couple of bad calls that went in Ohio State’s favor and a couple of key moments that we failed to capitalize on that could have been game changers. Throughout the entire game, the team never gave up,” Perrine said. “Ohio State was a bit more challenging, but choosing to battle rather than accepting defeat was our mindset, and we were able to hold them off for much of the game, generating our own shots and goal-scoring opportunities.”

The Bison (5-3) return to action this weekend with two home games against nationally ranked Michigan tomorrow at noon, and Temple on Sept. 23 at 2 p.m.

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis strong at Mount St. Mary’s

 

Elizabeth Morgan | The Bucknellian
The team poses together at the Invitational. Together, they put on an impressive performance that saw numerous Bison finish in top spots.

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

Maria Cioffi ’16 continued her successful campaign last weekend, coming out on top of the singles and doubles brackets while competing with the women’s tennis team at the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational in Emmitsburg, Md.

To get to the finals of the Flight A singles bracket, Cioffi fought hard to defeat Loyola’s Megan Hahn 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 on a super tiebreak in the semifinals. In the final game, she defeated Elena Vidrascu ’14, who is also her doubles partner, 6-3, 6-2.

In the doubles field, Cioffi and Vidrascu won against Megan Hahn and Olivia Ott of Loyola in the semifinals. In the finals, they defeated their teammates Lydia Colvin ’15 and Alyssa McAndrew ’15 in the final, 8-6.

The weekend’s action marked the second time in two tournaments that Cioffi has reached the finals in both singles and doubles play, marking a great start to her collegiate career. Vidrascu also added on the accolades to her career for the Orange and Blue, improving her career doubles record to 31-32, which ranks her 22nd in all-time for the Bison, a standing she also has for career combined wins.

“As for the team, I think everyone did excellent this weekend and it was a huge improvement from our home tournament last weekend. Everyone played smartly from what I could see, and there are definitely some things to be worked on but it’s only going to get better and better from here,” Vidrascu said.

In addition to placing the two teams of Cioffi/Vidrascu and Colvin/McAndrew, the Bison also placed a third team in the finals when Ellie Fraser ’16 and Kristen Bishof ’15 reached the Flight B doubles bracket finals. Unfortunately, they were unable to win against Carly Landini and Liz Rossi of Mount St. Mary’s in that match.

The Bison will be back in action when they host the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 21-23.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis gets early experience

Cooper Mead

Writer

The men’s tennis team split up last weekend to compete in the Princeton Invitational and the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational.

At the Princeton Invitational, Josh Katten ’13 and Evan Zimmer ’13 both won their singles matches, while Katten also teamed up with Kelly Morque ’13 to win their first-round doubles match and defeat Princeton’s Mohamed El Tonbari and Michael Lin, 8-4. Despite Katten’s first round singles win over Andrew Berman of UPenn (4-6, 6-4, 6-2), he had a tough second round match-up and lost to St. John’s MJ Every after dropping the opening frame 6-1. Zimmer’s first match went well as he beat Cornell’s Alex Sidney 6-3, 6-2, but he was defeated by Yale’s Kyle Dawson 6-0, 3-6, 6-1.

As the tournament progressed, the Orange and Blue struggled as Nick Bybel ’16 lost his match to Arvis Berzins of Fairleigh Dickinson 6-3, 6-0, which ended the Bison’s contention in the singles bracket. Similarly, Morque and Katten brought the team’s competition to a close at the Princeton Invitational when they lost in an 8-5 contest against Wake Forest’s Sam Bloom and Brendan Henry.

In Emmitsburg, Md. the Bison were only able to send two players through to the second round. Octavio Canibe ’15 won 7-5, 3-6, 10-7 over Duk Young Park of Morgan State and Jonathan DeFrancesch ’15 defeated Jordan Kuchta of Loyola (Md.) 6-4, 6-3 in the first round. In the semi-final round, Canibe was a 6-2, 3-6, 10-4 winner over Adam Salam of Mount St. Mary’s and DeFrancesch defeated Morgan State’s Jannick Tash 5-7, 6-3, 10-4 in their Flight B semifinal.

In the doubles arena, partners Canibe and Rosen won 9-8 against Mike Salomon and Salam of Mount St. Mary’s. The Bison duo lost their next round match to Duk Young Park and Tash of Morgan State, 8-4.

On Sunday, Canibe lost to Matt Blake from Mount St. Mary’s in the finals by a score of 7-5, 6-2 to place second in the Flight A title bout. Also competing in the finals was DeFrancesch, who defeated Evan Ward 6-4, 6-4, and won the Flight B singles title, tallying a career best with three consecutive wins this weekend. Aidan Lynch ’14 also defeated Bobby Gorczakowski of Loyola 7-5, 6-4 in the backdraw.

“Overall, it was a successful weekend for everyone. There was solid competition at both tournaments and we got a lot of matches in, which is very important at this point in the season. We hope to have a productive week of practice and be at our best for the St. Joes tournament,” Morque said.

After the Bison’s strong performance at the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational, they will prepare for the St. Joseph’s Invitational in Philadelphia on Sept. 21-23.

 

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball solid in Bucknell Invitational

 

Courtesy of Athletic Communications
Kebah Edoho ’13 spikes the ball. She played a critical role in the Bison’s success at the Bucknell Invitational.

Katherine Harris

Writer

The women’s volleyball team finished its last weekend of non-conference play strong  last weekend, going 2-1 during the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 14 and 15.

“Since it was my first home game, I was really nervous and excited to see a lot of people show up to support us,” said Karen Campbell ’16. “The energy from our supporters in the gym was great and it made me really enjoy playing on the home court in front of a big audience.”

The Bison started the tournament against a tough Fordham team, losing 3-0 again in a repeat of the two squads’ meeting the weekend before. Individual performances for the Orange and Blue were stronger in the second match-up between the teams, as Hannah Young ’14 racked up five blocks while Campbell and Kebah Edoho ’13 had three each. On offense, Meghan Wentzel ’16 totaled 17 assists and Jessica Serrato ’14 added 10 kills to the performance.

On Saturday, the Orange and Blue came back with a vengeance, burying a Providence squad while earning their first three-set victory of the year. Multiple players stepped up in the win, including Serrato with eight kills and Edoho with six. Morgan Mientus ’14 contributed 11 digs, while Kat Tauscher ’13 recorded her first career double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs. The first home win of the season was also a high point for the Bison as head coach Cindy Opalski recorded her 400th career win.

“I think we are really going to surprise some people in the Patriot League and pull out some big wins this year.  We finally are finishing matches when we are up two games to zero, and not letting the other team get back into the game,” Mientus said.

Continuing their domination for the day, the Bison finished the tournament with a 3-0 win over Quinnipiac. Mientus finished with 11 digs, while Serrato and Campbell both had performances that solidified their spots on the All-Tournament Team. Serrato finished with 11 kills on the day, totaling 29 kills and 21 digs on the weekend. Campbell ended up with five kills and four blocks, and 15 kills and 10 blocks for the entire tournament.

“Overall, I think the weekend offered an excellent ending note to our pre-conference play. We have all individually made critical changes and improvements in the last six weeks, and as a team we are growing stronger each week,” Serrato said. “We also recognize that we, along with the other Patriot League teams, are now 0-0 all over again, and we have serious competition ahead of us.”

The Bison will now prepare for the opening weekend of Patriot League play as they travel to Lafayette to face off against the Leopards tonight.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer wins two blowout contests

 

Madelyn Zachara | The Bucknellian
The Orange and Blue attempt to capitalize on a throw in. They found many ways to score over the weekend, compiling eleven goals.

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

Coming off its first two victories of the season, the men’s soccer team exploded for 11 goals last weekend in a pair of wins against Adelphi and Albany on its home turf. The Orange and Blue dominated both games from start to finish, outshooting their opponents 18-7 and 18-9, respectively.

“This weekend was a critical step for our team,” Patrick Figgie ’16 said. “After battling out five difficult games to start off our season, coming back home and being able to play our own game is a great sign of moving forward. We were able to control the tempo of both games more so than in the previous five, which allowed us to keep possession and have more attacking chances.”

On Friday night, the Orange and Blue recorded the highest goal total in 20 years with seven goals, shutting out an Adelphi squad that beat the team 1-0 last season. Conor Keeley ’15 led the Bison with two goals, while five others recorded single goals.

Brendan Burgdorf ’13 got the Bison started with a goal in the sixth minute of play, followed by a headed goal from Jonathan Grad ’15 right before the half. Joe Meyer ’14 scored his second goal of the season early in the second half, while Figgie, Keeley and Mark Leibensperger ’15 all scored their first collegiate goals in the later parts of the contest.

“Coming into the weekend we were riding a two game win streak, so it was important to be able to keep that momentum going–especially at home–in front of a great crowd,” Brian Ward ’15 said. “Last year, we did not get the result we wanted in our home opener, or when we went to Adelphi, so to get the win this year feels even better.”

Following the big win, the Bison continued their strong play against Albany, taking down the Great Danes, 4-0. Defender Mayowa Alli ’14 scored two goals in the first half, while Ward and Burgdorf each added one of their own in the second.

On the defensive side, the Bison were strong once again, allowing just nine shots in 90 minutes of play. Mike Lansing ’16 recorded his second straight shutout of the year, only having to make two saves throughout the match.

“The overall team effort that we gave this weekend was amazing,” Ward said. “Twenty-two different guys played, eight different guys scored, two different goalies got complete game shutouts and no matter what combination of players we had on the field, our level of play never dropped.”

Due to their large goal differential, the Orange and Blue took the Class of ’98 Invitational crown, while Penn State took second.

Playing their best soccer of the young season, the Bison look poised to compete for a Patriot League title. The Bison will travel to Lehigh tomorrow for a nighttime showdown against their rivals.

“After this weekend, we are definitely looking forward to playing Lehigh in our first Patriot League game,” Meyer said. “I think it is important to realize that while we had a great weekend, we still need to come ready to play and ready to work hard. We are confident right now and need to focus on getting ready for Saturday’s match.”

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer goes 1-1 in California

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Courtney Nelson ’15 strikes the ball. The Bison gained valuable experiences in their two game trip; to the west coast.

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s soccer team went 1-1 this past weekend to earn second place in the St. Mary’s Tournament in Moraga, Calif. It has been 13 years since the Orange and Blue have traveled to the West Coast and they started out with a 3-1 victory against CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 14. Two nights later, the Bison had trouble finding the net, as they fell 2-0 to Saint Mary’s (Calif.). Chelsey Garkowski ’14, Kayla Yee ’13 and Corinne Collins ’13 earned spots on the All-Tournament Team.

Traveling to the West Coast had no negative effects on the Orange and Blue, as Yee dished an assist to Garkowski leading to the first goal of the match in the fifth minute. CSU Bakersfield outshot the Bison 7-4 in the first half, but were unable to score on Sandita McDermott ’13 who had six saves in the game.

“It was great to play in the scenery we did on Friday,” forward Cassie Denger ’15 said. “The temperature was great and the sun was shining; it was a beautiful day to play.”

The Roadrunners continued their aggressive play, reeling off another 15 shots in the second half, but the Bison made their opportunities count. Liz Dwornik ’14 delivered a cross pass that led to a shot by Denger, which gave the Orange and Blue a 2-0 lead. Five minutes later, Jenna Tryon ’13 launched a long pass to Garkowski, leading to her second goal of the game and a team-leading four shots. The Roadrunners scored in the 80th minute to prevent the shutout.

Twenty-four players saw action in this game, and goalie Jessie Ashworth ’16 made her collegiate debut with two saves in 12 minutes of action.

“It was great to get a win on the West Coast,” Denger said. “By using all 24 players it really helped us keep the level of play high in the heat. We always had fresh legs on the field and it gave us a great advantage in the second half. Winning feels great no matter what coast you’re on.”

Although McDermott had a season-high 10 saves against Saint Mary’s, the Bison offense couldn’t get going, losing 2-0 to the host team. This is only the second time this season that the Orange and Blue were held scoreless.

The Gaels were able to jump out to an early lead with a goal in the 16th minute. Both teams battled for position to score, but it stayed 1-0 at halftime.

The Bison were determined to even the score with five more shot attempts in the second half. It would be to no avail, as the Gaels stopped their offensive flow. Saint Mary’s scored their second goal in the 88th minute to put the game away.

The Orange and Blue have their final game before Patriot League play tonight at 7 p.m. at home against Canisius.

“Going into conference play, we have the highest expectations. We have seen it all in the pre-conference season and hope to carry those experiences forward to help us have success in the Patriot League,” McDermott said.

Categories
Sports

Cycling team earns first place at Milton Harvest Festival Road Race

Wade Baldwin
Writer

The Orange and Blue’s cycling team rolled over to neighboring Milton Township on September 8th to compete in the annual Milton Harvest Festival Road Race, where they emerged in first place. The race has been a long held pre-season tradition for the team but they haven’t been able to take the title until this year.

There was a great showing from the strong sophomore core of the team consisting of President Brian Case ’15, Vice-President Daniel Lazier ’15 and Sam Cowans ’15. These three cyclists, with the help of alumnus Daniel Wood ’09, were able all place in the top 25. This strong showing secured the Bison the top team spot, taking it from returning champions Big Earl’s Bike shop. Cowans was towed into a second place overall finish by a strong lead-out by the three aforementioned cyclists.

“The [Bison] cycling program is headed in a really good direction and it’s awesome to be here to be a part of that growth and success,” said Vice-President Lazier.

The Orange and Blue’s cycling team is a member of the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC). The ECCC is a competitive cycling conference that spans from Southeast Canada to Delaware, containing 55 teams. The Bison have always been a competitive team within this conference, despite the small size of their program.

There was also a strong showing from the rest of the team, including Kolbe Mckee ’16, Audrey Love ’16 and Eric Wengert ’16. They are sure to add to the team even more as time goes on.

“I was really excited to see such a good turnout, especially with the newer riders. I’m just really looking forward to the spring racing season so we can see how we stack up against the rest of the eastern conference,” said President Case.

After such a strong performance at the Milton Harvest Festival Road Race, it will be exciting to watch the group race in the ECCC this spring.