Author: Alex Wagner

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Men win two opening games

Wilson Hunt | The Bucknellian
Bryson Johnson ’13 drives to the hoop. His 16 points helped the Bison knock off George Mason on Tuesday night.

Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

With high expectations for another run at the Patriot League Championship, the men’s basketball team got off to a good start with two gritty wins, a 70-65 stunner at Purdue on Nov. 9 and a 61-56 victory in their Nov. 13 home opener against George Mason. The two wins gave the Bison their first 2-0 start since the 2007-08 season.

“The Purdue game was a very good win for the team in front of a very hostile crowd,” Cameron Ayers ’14 said. “It was great walking off the floor knowing the hard work so far has paid off. The game was beneficial for us because we closed the game out and made the right plays at the right time.”

The Bison starting five against Purdue consisted of forwards Mike Muscala ’13 and Joe Willman ’13, along with guards Bryson Johnson ’13, Ryan Hill ’14 and Ayers. The Bison quickly went ahead 4-1 on a couple of jumpers by Hill and Muscala, but Purdue fought back and assumed the lead after three minutes of play. Purdue held the lead for the rest of the half, but could not gain more than a seven point advantage over the Bison, who went into halftime trailing 33-27.

After trading points early in the second half, the Bison went on a 10-2 tear to assume a 41-37 lead, thanks to jumpers from Willman and Ayers, a couple of free throws by Ayers after being fouled on his shots and an emphatic dunk by Muscala. From there, the game became a wild back and forth affair, with the lead changing six times over the next 10 minutes.

The turning point came on a great block by Willman with the Bison down 57-56 with 4:41 remaining, and a subsequent Purdue foul allowed Willman to sink two free throws to give the Bison the lead for good. Johnson scored seven more points to help keep the Bison ahead, and Willman put the game out of reach with two free throws to give the Bison a 70-65 lead with one second remaining.

Ayers ended the game with a game-high 18 points, and Muscala also recorded his 25th career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The win also marked the first Bison victory against an active Big Ten opponent, and ended Purdue’s streak of 26 home-game victories against non-conference opponents.

“We came out a little slow to start the game but picked up our defense, especially in the second half, and had great offensive contributions around the board,” Muscala said. “I thought our guards did a really good job of being aggressive.”

The atmosphere was electric at the Sojka Pavilion for the home opener against George Mason, and the Bison did not fail to deliver. The Orange and the Blue jumped out to a 7-0 lead thanks to scores from Muscala and Johnson, and did not relinquish the lead for the entire game. The Bison were up by multiple possessions for most of the first half and went into the locker room with a 31-27 advantage.

The Bison managed to widen their lead to double digits for most of the second half. The George Mason defense prevented several opportunities for field goals, but also gave the Bison many free throw chances on fouls, including 10 straight points on free throws in the second half. However, a 56-44 lead with four minutes to go almost evaporated with eight straight points by George Mason, and the Bison were suddenly looking at a slim 59-56 lead with 1:17 to go. After failing to score on their possession, the Bison defense held on to prevent George Mason from any further scores, and two Muscala free throws clinched the game for the Orange and the Blue with eight seconds to go.

Muscala recorded another double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Johnson also scored 16 points for the Bison. Johnson and Ayers combined to make seven three-pointers.

The Bison look to build upon their winning streak this weekend when they head to Niagara Falls, N.Y. to face Niagara, New Mexico State and West Alabama.

Categories
Cross Country Men Sports

Men’s XC finished thirteenth

Billy Tyler
Contributing Writer

The men’s cross country team capped off its season with a solid performance at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships hosted by Penn State on Nov. 9. Working through the loss of several key team members due to injury, the Bison finished the event in 13th place out of the 25 team field.

The Bison were once again led by John Dugan ’15, who has consistently been one of the team’s top performers throughout the season. Dugan finished the 10-kilometer race in a time of 30:57, placing him first on the team and 20th overall. This solid performance earned Dugan All-Region honors. Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 was the second Bison to cross the finish line, with a time of 31:31 and a 47th place finish.

“[Dugan] ran great all season and really led the team in every workout, and that really showed and paid off with his all-region selection,” Garcia-Garrison said. “It was my first 10k, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was happy with my time and place.”

In addition to Dugan and Garcia-Garrison, several other members of the Bison ran strong races at regionals. Finishing closely behind Garcia-Garrison, in third place for the team, was Charles Seigneur ’13, who posted his best performance ever in his final race in his collegiate career with a time of 32:09 and a position of 63rd place.

“Having my last and also best ever race at the NCAA Regionals was a great way to top off what has been a successful breakout senior season,” Seigneur said.

Also scoring for the Bison were David Strauss ’14, who finished in 98th place with a time of 32:47, and Eric Balaban ’14, who finished in 101st place with a time of 32:54.

Georgetown won the event with an overall score of 56, besting second-place Villanova by just one point. The top individual finisher was Travis Mahoney of Temple, who finished with a time of 30:23.85.

Overall, the runners and head coach Kevin Donner were pleased by the team’s performance at the NCAA Regionals and in the season in general. The young team also has high hopes for the future and is optimistic about the team’s chances in upcoming seasons.

Categories
Cross Country Sports Women

Women’s XC finishes twelfth

Lauren Boone

Contributing Writer

On Nov. 9, the women’s cross country team traveled to Penn State to compete in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships to close out its season, where they finished 12th out of 31 teams. The Bison were led by a respectable performance from Caroline Tolli ’13.

Leading the Orange and Blue in the six-kilometer course, Tolli crossed the finish line with a time of 22:06, claiming a 54th place finish. Following close behind her was Katie Jessee ’15, who placed in 58th with a time of 22:10. Deanna Godby ’16 was next for the Bison, finishing in 73rd with a time of 22:20.

Despite a knee injury early in the season, Hana Casalnova ’14 recovered strong and became a scoring member of the team, finishing 86th (20:43). The fifth place finisher for the Bison was Meghan Carroll ’16 (22:55) in 99th place, followed by teammates Alison Billas ’16 (122nd; 23:15) and Betsy Edinger ’15 (129th; 23:19).

“It’s impressive we did so well with such a young team,” Edinger said.  “[The freshman] really stepped up when they needed to. [Tolli], our one senior, has been our top finisher all season … she had an amazing season and was an inspiration to us all. I think that because we’re young we’re only going to get better … right now we’re just starting. I’m really proud of my team.”

In the overall team standings, the Bison ended up in about the middle of the pack with 368 points. Penn State claimed first in the region with a score of 61. Nicky Akande of Villanova was the top individual finisher with a time of 20:14.

The Orange and Blue have now completed their schedule for the fall season.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer concludes season

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team concluded its 2012 season with a 1-0 loss to American in the Patriot League semifinal game on Nov. 9. Despite playing the top-seeded Eagles even for most of the game, the Orange and Blue could not come back from a 13th minute goal that found the back of the net after deflecting off the crossbar.

“One of the biggest things to take away from this season would definitely be confidence,” Chris Thorsheim ’16 said. “Our record does not truly represent how we dominated most teams this season.”

From the beginning of the game, American came out looking like the stronger team and managed to control the tempo of the game for much of the first half. The Eagles reeled off eight shots in the half to the Bison’s three, forcing goalie Mike Lansing ’16 to make three saves. The Orange and Blue’s best attempt in the half came off of Jesse Klug ’16, but his volley sailed just wide of the goal.

In the second half, the Bison came out charging, outshooting their opponent 7-2. Not having a single shot on target in the first half, the Orange and Blue made the Eagles’ goalie make two saves in the second. Still, the Eagles’ defense stood strong and the Bison couldn’t manage to find the equalizer they desperately needed.

“Our biggest problem against American was our ability to bring numbers forward,” Thorsheim said. “Once the forwards had the ball, the outside midfielders and center midfielders needed to join in the attack. We were simply not dangerous enough because of this.”

With less than 20 seconds remaining in the contest, the Bison had one last chance to force overtime when Josh Plump ’13 drew a free kick just outside the box. With the season in the ballots, CK Kumah ’13 sent a good-looking strike over the American wall, but the ball skimmed just over the bar.

With the loss, the Bison wrapped up their season with a 7-8-5 record overall. Despite the losses, the Orange and Blue played every team close this year and did not fall to any opponent by more than a single goal.

“If winning against the teams that beat us this year is not motivation to succeed, I don’t know what is,” Thorsheim said. “The feeling of tying or losing after dominating a team is terrible. That’s the feeling we need to remember next season and fuel us with the desire to win.”

Looking ahead to next season, the Bison will be without their six seniors: Brendan Burgdorf ’13, Vinny Cinotti ’13, Collin Costello ’13, Jermaine Jarrett ’13, Kumah and Plump. The team has a solid group of underclassmen that received considerable playing time throughout the season. With an offseason to train, the Orange and Blue will return to action next fall, trying to improve on their results from this season.

 

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo captures first-ever Southern Championships Title

Scott Padula
Staff Writer

Two weeks removed from the Santa Clara Rodeo, the men’s water polo team hosted the Southern Championships last weekend. The Orange and Blue defended their home pool in historic fashion, defeating George Washington, Washington & Jefferson, Navy and Mercyhurst to capture its first-ever Southern Championships Title. The title marked the first conference title for the Bison since 1985. Additionally, the four wins from Nov. 2-4 calculated a 9-1 record at the Kinney Natatorium.

The Bison started the tournament by defeating George Washington 13-12 in a second sudden death overtime period. The Orange and Blue got out to a fast start, taking a 4-2 lead after the first quarter. George Washington responded by scoring two goals in the second while holding the Bison scoreless. In the third, the Orange and Blue regained the lead by scoring four goals to the Colonials’ three. Trailing throughout the fourth, the Colonials responded by tying the game with 21 seconds left in regulation. George Washington struck first in overtime with what would be their final goal of the game. The Bison pushed the game to sudden death overtime by scoring on their first possession of the second overtime period. After a scoreless first sudden death overtime period, co-captain Brian Barron ’13 found the back of the net in the second sudden death overtime period. Co-captains Barron and Matt Napleton ’13 demonstrated their leadership in the victory. Barron scored on three occasions, tallied five assists and won all eight sprints while Napleton registered 20 saves. Other strong performances came from Jack Else ’14, Mike Kimble ’14 and Stefan Aleksic ’16 who all had multi-goal games with four goals, two goals and two goals, respectively. Else and Kimble also combined for an impressive 11 ejections drawn in the first Bison win of the weekend.

To start their games on Nov. 3, the Bison defeated Washington & Jefferson 18-8. The Orange and Blue scored early and often, finding the back of the net seven times in the first quarter while preventing the opposition from scoring. The second quarter was more of the same for the Bison, as they outscored their opponent 5-1. With a comfortable 11 goal margin, the Orange and Blue coasted to a 18-8 victory in the second half. Impressively, 15 different Bison tallied a point in the decisive victory, while the team as a whole registered 16 assists on 29 shots. Andrew Somers ’14 and Andrew Roberts ’16 led the way for the Orange and Blue with four points each.

In the team’s third game of the weekend, the Orange and Blue won a nail-biter against No. 14 Navy 13-11. The Bison jumped out to an early lead, thanks in part to a first quarter in which the Orange and Blue outscored the Midshipmen 5-3. In response, Navy held the Bison scoreless in the second while tallying three goals of their own. At the half, the score was 6-5 in favor of the Midshipmen. The Orange and Blue answered in the third, retaking the lead 10-9 by outscoring Navy 5-3. Despite Navy’s best efforts, the Bison proved to be too much to handle in the fourth, scoring three goals to the Midshipmen’s two. Yet again, the most notable Bison performance came from Barron. In the highly contested affair, Barron found the back of the net six times, tallied three assists and won two sprints. Napleton was also strong for the Orange and Blue in the net. In 32 minutes of play, Napleton recorded 14 saves. Else also earned six ejections drawn.

Riding a wave of momentum, the Bison defeated Mercyhurst 9-4 in the championship game. The Orange and Blue jumped out of the gates in the first quarter, scoring three goals without allowing a single Mercyhurst goal. Although the Lakers cut the lead to two by the intermission, the winner of the contest was never in question. In the second half. the Bison outscored the Lakers 5-2. In doing so, the Orange and Blue captured their first Southern Championships Title. For the third time in four games, Barron led the charge with seven points coming from two goals and five assists. Aleksic and Julian Colina ’14 also had multi-goal performances with two goals apiece. In between the pipes, Napleton recorded 14 saves and one steal.

The Orange and Blue will conclude their season this weekend when they compete in the Eastern Championship in Princeton, N.J. The first opponent the Bison are slated to play is Harvard, a squad the Orange and Blue defeated twice during the season. The action will begin Nov. 16.

 

Categories
Basketball Men Sports

Men’s basketball ready for a challenge

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

The Bison men’s basketball will return for the 2012-2013 season with a vengeance.  After falling in a heartbreaker to Lehigh in the last year’s Patriot League final, the Orange and Blue will look to reassert their dominance amongst their rivals.  The team was picked second in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.

The Bison will have their home opener against a very strong George Mason squad on November 13.  At least three games throughout the season will be featured on CBS Sports Network, including both games against rival Lehigh.  In addition, three of the Bison’s first four Patriot League matchups will be at home, with Lehigh being the only Patriot League team to defeat the Orange and Blue in tournament play in the last two years.  Other notable fixtures include in-state rival Penn State and SEC newcomer Missouri.

Many familiar faces will be returning this year for the Bison.  Most notable is center Mike Muscala ’13, who was named to the CollegeInsider.com Preseason All-America Team and the Preseason All-League team, which features only five players from the entire Patriot League.  Guard Cameron Ayers ’14, who was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection last year, was also a Preseason All-PL selection.  Other key contributors to watch out for will be guard Bryson Johnson ’13 and forward Joe Willman ’13.

The journey begins on November 13 when the Bison travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on Purdue in the 2K Sports Classic.

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

 

Courtesy of onlineathens.com
Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim may be in for a rude awakening when his program joins the ACC.

Julian Dorey

Writer

“No one wins. One side just loses more slowly.”

The Big East Conference has reigned supreme over college basketball for years. The tradition, the urban settings, the old-school play and the over-integration of toughness has separated the league from the rest of the country.

In a way, that will all be gone come July 2013. Effectively, this upcoming season will be it for Big East basketball as we know it. Why?

Simply because the forces are shifting. The winds of the almighty dollar have broken the bonds of greatness that had no business being broken. This time next year, both Syracuse and Pittsburgh, two of the Big East’s most important teams, will have taken their talents to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). And, as if these two traditionally bruising basketball institutions leaving the league wasn’t enough, Notre Dame, another important school in the Big East basketball landscape, will also be joining the ACC within three years. In a shocking decision that came about in September 2011, Pittsburgh and Syracuse bolted for what they consider to be greener pastures, leaving the Big East’s brand name in question. Notre Dame followed suit shortly after.

For so many years we have heard coaches and athletic directors within the Big East rave about the special identity the teams within it share, that no other conference in college basketball can match. At the forefront of it all was Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

Yet after starting with all of the politically correct comments about why he’s sad to leave the Big East after the news of Syracuse’s departure was announced, Boeheim finished off by saying, “We’re going to a very, very good basketball league, one that arguably has the best track record over the last 30 years.’’

So much for the Big East being above the rest, Boeheim. Now the Big East sits in limbo.  Half of its schools privately have one foot out the door because the league has lost its stability. And the kicker to all of this? It all started over one or two schools joining the Big East.

“There was uncertainty with the Big East with TCU coming in and rumors of adding Kansas or Kansas State or whatever. They could be losing West Virginia or somebody else. We needed to be in a stable league, and we had to be in a stable situation,” Boeheim said.

So let me get this straight, Jimmy boy. You’re advocating leaving a conference because you are worried about its “stability” (your word, not mine) when the new league you are joining is doing exactly what you are advocating against in adding your school to its league?

Talk about a paradox.

The truth is, no one wins here. Syracuse, Pitt and Notre Dame all lose because they leave behind a tradition that their geographically Northeastern roots could truly claim to be a part of. They join a more southern league with a finesse style of basketball and a totally different identity. That’s not to say the ACC isn’t special in its own right. It is. It’s just different from the Big East and, in my opinion, not quite as special.

In the meantime, the Big East has lost credibility. For years, the central hub of the league has been Madison Square Garden in New York City. For years, Syracuse has transformed the arena into a sea of orange during all of the big tournaments held there, including the ultra-competitive Big East Tournament. Pittsburgh and Notre Dame have also played in many special games within the confines of that holy basketball temple.

Now the league will expect the bottom feeders like DePaul, Providence and South Florida to step their games up to levels they have either never experienced or have for so long failed to reach, all while sticking to the same recruiting norms as Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. They will most certainly maintain a hold of their regular, successful recruiting areas. After all, it’s not like Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame are changing addresses.

Neither side is going to get a “W” in this one.

The question is: which one will look back in 30 years and say, “that move cost us our reputation forever”?

Categories
Sports

Bison Athlete of the Week: Brian Barron ’13

 

The Bucknellian Archives

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

Player Profile

Brian Barron ’13 

Oak Park, Ill.

Economics

 Season Stats:

28 starts in 28 games

52 goals on 118 shots

34 assists

31 steals

12 blocks

Brian Barron ’13 was one of the main reasons the men’s water polo team captured their first ever Southern Championships over the past weekend. The four-year starting attacker’s 13 goals, 11 assists and four steals are just a couple of the key statistics that helped the Orange and Blue go 4-0 over the course of three days.

“The key to my individual success was just to follow our game plan,” Barron said. “The whole season we’ve been practicing to take our time on offense and the openings will come. When we were playing well, that’s exactly what we did. My individual success came mostly from my teammates being able to draw the defense away from me and then finding me open.”

Barron also has a knack for making big plays when they count the most. In the opening game of the tournament against George Washington, he scored the game-winning goal with just over a minute left in the second sudden-victory period of overtime. In addition, he had three goals and five assists in the Bison’s 13-12 victory. Barron also came up big in the game against No. 14  Navy, compiling six goals and three assists to equal his career high for points in a game.

The senior now has 146 career goals and 232 career points, which are the highest totals for the team.

After winning the Southern Championships, Barron and the Orange and Blue will head to the Eastern Championship, beginning on Nov. 16.

“We know that it was a huge accomplishment to win a Southern Championship and we are proud of that, but we are not satisfied,” Barron said. “Our main goal all along is to win an Eastern Championship and a berth in the NCAA Final Four, and that’s all we will focus on moving forward. Southern’s gave us the confidence we needed to know we can win Eastern’s. But we know other teams still think they can beat us, so we have to improve and go prove them wrong again.”

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer qualifies for PL playoffs

 

Madelyn Zachara | The Bucknellian
Midfielder Jonathan Grad ’15 blocks the path to the goal. Despite a heart-breaking loss to Lafayette, the Bison managed to secure a place in the Patriot League Playoffs.

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team qualified for the Patriot League Tournament last weekend, despite a devastating overtime loss to Lafayette on Nov. 3. With the game scoreless after 90 minutes of regulation, the Bison fell victim to a fluke of a goal just nine seconds into extra time. Though a disappointing result, the Orange and Blue maintained its playoff spot after a Colgate victory and a tie between Army and Lehigh prevented any team from climbing up the standings.

“When Lafayette scored in overtime, we all felt our season had just ended,” head coach Brendan Nash said. “Since it happened on such a strange goal it was an emotional end to the game. Knowing we had no control over our postseason chances, it was a somber tailgate and bus ride home.”

Coming into the game, the Bison knew all they needed was a tie to guarantee a bid into the playoffs. Both teams struggled to manufacture many good offensive opportunities with each side managing to record just seven shots in regulation. Goalie Mike Lansing ’16 ended with three saves on the day.

In overtime, Lafayette sent a 50-50 ball forward towards the Bison goal and it took an unusual spin past Lansing to give the Leopards the 1-0 win. The Orange and Blue then had to wait the rest of the night to hear whether they would play in the postseason.

“Over the course of the season, the team has learned that even though soccer is a 90 minute game with very little scoring, each play throughout the game is very important,” Nash said. “We must still improve on playing the game for the full 90 minutes, or 110 if overtime is required, this weekend.”

The Orange and Blue closed out its regular season with a 7-7-5 record overall and 2-3-2 in the Patriot League. Despite winning just the two league games, the team has not lost a contest by more than a single goal.

As the fourth seed in the tournament, the Bison will go up against top-ranked American in the first round. The only time the two teams met in the regular season, American came away with the 1-0 victory.

“I think the loss will motivate us rather than deflate us,” Nash said. “Our team has had some tough losses this year and we have needed to bounce back from each one. This will be the same situation.”

The first round matchup will take place today at 11 a.m. in Washington D.C. Second seed Lafayette will take on Colgate later in the day, and the championship game is expected to be played on Nov. 11.

“Our confidence is still high because our team has experience and knows what it takes to win the tournament,” Josh Plump ’13 said. “As long as we show up to play and put together two complete games, we should be successful this weekend.”

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football earns first Patriot League win

Eric Brod
Senior writer

Thanks to a complete team defensive effort and a career-day from running back Tyler Smith ’13, the Bison football squad ended its losing streak with its second win of the season by coming from behind to defeat the Fordham Rams 27-24. The Orange and Blue improve to 2-7 on the season, while the Rams fell to 5-4.

Smith, who has been hampered by injuries throughout the season, turned in a performance for the ages, rushing 29 times for 179 yards, part of 208 all-purpose yards, and scoring three touchdowns. After falling behind 6-0, Smith broke off a 76-yard touchdown run to give the Bison an early 7-6 edge. It was the first rush of over 70 yards for the Bison in five years.

The Bison found themselves down 21-7 at halftime, but scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to propel the Bison victory. Head coach Joe Susan made a point to keep the team motivated at halftime.

“I brought them together when we got into the locker room and told them how important it was for us to keep our composure as we were on the verge of losing it at times in the first half,” Susan said. “I also told them that I sensed our opponent felt they had already beaten us.”

After closing the gap to 21-17, the Bison drove all the way down to the Fordham two-yard line, but Smith was stopped on fourth-and-inches. After the Orange and Blue defense forced a three and out on the ensuing possession, Kyle Sullivan ’14 returned the Fordham punt to the Rams’ 35-yard line. After a personal foul penalty on Fordham moved the ball up to the 20, Smith rushed in for a 14-yard touchdown to give the Bison a 24-21 lead. 

‘This was the first game that [Smith] has been 100 percent healthy. His ability to make people miss in space was critical to his success,” Susan said.

On Fordham’s next offensive series, safety Matthew Steinbeck ’15 intercepted his fifth pass of the season, returning the ball 78 yards to set up a Sean Cobelli ’14 field goal that extended the lead to 27-21. The Rams then connected on a 39-yard field goal of their own to close the score to 27-24.

The Bison received the ball with 6:10 remaining, but only gained a single first down, giving  Fordham a chance to tie or take the lead. Ryan Gutowski ’13 provided a 42-yard punt that gave Fordham the ball at their own 19-yard line. Fordham’s quarterback drove the Rams all the way down to the Bison 36-yard line, but a sack by defensive end Samuel Oyekoya ’13 pushed them back to midfield. Joseph Francis ’13 then picked off a pass to seal the second victory of the season for the Orange and Blue.

On top of his sack, Oyekoya also had five tackles (three for a loss), forced a fumble and recovered one. Evan Byers ’15 led the defense with 12 tackles, and Beau Traber ’13 and Sean Sellers ’14 had seven tackles and a sack each. The defense forced three turnovers total for the game.

“We made some adjustments as a unit, but the main thing was that we came out in the second half with a lot of energy,” Byers said. “Everybody just did their job and our playmakers made plays.”

Brandon Wesley ’14 was steady throughout the game, going 10-22 passing. The ground game powered the offense though, as they rushed for 217 total yards. The team was also much improved on third down, converting 7 of 15 third down opportunities.

The Orange and Blue return to action tomorrow when they travel to Washington D.C. to face Georgetown. Susan knows that young players are important to the team’s success as the season winds down to its final two weeks.

“They continue to improve. This team is good in understanding that the Fordham game is over. The next opportunity is the one we will focus on,” Susan said. “Each opponent brings a new challenge physically and mentally.”

Byers also explains how the feeling of earning the victory against Fordham can carry over to tomorrow’s game against the Hoyas.

“The feeling after getting the win versus Fordham was awesome,” Byers said. “Nobody on the team wants to lose again and we just have to use that as motivation to work hard all week and come out on Saturday and make plays.”