Author: cdm016

By Ajan Caneda

Writer

The Bison field hockey team split this weekend’s games at Lehigh and Towson. The team traveled to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on the Mountain Hawks on Saturday, and despite their aggressive play early on, the Bison ended the game with a 1-0 loss. On Sunday, the Bison went to College Park, Md. and improved their overtime record to 3-0 after forward Mallory Smith ’12 scored the game winning goal against Towson, her second goal of the game.

The Mountain Hawks struck first, scoring the first goal just 10 minutes into the game. The Bison outshot Lehigh in the first period 8-5 but were unable to convert. They continued the barrage of shots on the Mountain Hawks in the second half, outshooting them 17-2 and 10-1 in penalty corners. It was to no avail, as Lehigh prevented the Bison from scoring and had 15 saves for the whole game.

“The Lehigh loss was a big one, as we now need to beat Colgate on the road just to get into the Patriot League Tournament. We felt like we really controlled the game and just couldn’t find the net,” head coach Jeremy Cook said. “Their goalkeeper had a fantastic game, and we were a bit unlucky at times. Making the most of your opportunities is often what it comes down to and Lehigh was able to do that.”

Following the loss at Lehigh, the Bison came away with a hard-fought overtime victory over Towson. The Orange and Blue got off to a quick start as Smith scored the first goal 45 seconds into the game with an assist from forward Rachel Misko ’14. The Bison and the Tigers both had five shots in the first half. Towson scored an assisted goal in the 59th minute but forward Katie Durkin ’13 immediately responded with a goal of her own with an assist from midfielder Vickie Resh ’14. Towson evened the score with an unassisted goal before overtime. The Bison quickly ended the Tigers’ night as Smith scored three minutes into the overtime period off a rebound.

“Towson was a great win. They are a tough team from a very tough conference. Our overtime success is partly due to the format, and the extra space on the field suits our style of game and the players we have very well,” Cook said. “Although Towson created some momentum for itself with a late tying goal, we had all the confidence in the world going into overtime, and it really showed.”

The Bison look to carry this momentum into their game against American on Saturday.

By Colin Fields

Writer

The women’s volleyball team fell to Army in straight sets last Friday night, but rebounded the following day to defeat Holy Cross in straight sets on Saturday in Davis Gymnasium. The Bison’s Morgan Mientus ’14 and Jessica Serrato ’14 racked up a total of 29 kills to help beat the Crusaders.

The Orange and Blue offense stagnated in the first set against Army while only Mientus tallied more than one kill. Army’s offense struggled equally, trailing 18-16 late in the first set but were able to pull away 25-21 over the Orange and Blue. In the second set the Bison fell behind 21-14, but pulled out a 7-2 run of its own to draw within two of the Black Knights at 23-21. Army won the next two points and capped of the second set 25-21. The Black Knights carried this momentum into the third set and defeated the Bison 25-15. Kyleigh McAhren ’12 led the Bison with five kills.

“We have a lot to improve on and hopefully we can start winning consecutive games. Moving forward, we need to play more consistently and hopefully we can do so in our upcoming home matches,” Mientus said.

The Bison picked up their second straight Patriot League sweep on Saturday, Oct. 15. The offense was the difference, allowing the Orange and Blue to record their highest attack percentage of the year. The Bison took the first set 25-22 and the Crusaders never pulled closer than two during the duration of the set. The second set was closer, and while tied at 9-9, Rose Lewis ’14 served consecutive aces to gain the lead. The Orange and Blue were able to close out the second set by the same score of 25-22. In the third set, the sophomore tandem of Mientus and Serrato shined. Mientus scored three consecutive kills on assists by Kat Tauscher ’13 to gain an early lead and Serrato scored a kill to push the game to match point. Tauscher put the finishing touch on the victory with an ace for a 25-19 win in the final frame.

The Bison open up homecoming competition with a re-match against Navy tonight, their Senior Night. They face American tomorrow.

“I think that our team needs to work on finishing matches in the first three games, rather than giving the other team a chance. We had opportunities to beat Navy in the third and fourth games, but we didn’t capitalize on them. I feel good about our rematch with Navy because we have the home-court advantage this time around,” McAhren said.

By Scott Padula

Writer

Bison fans filled Kinney Natatorium this past weekend to watch the men’s water polo team go 2-2 against CWPA Southern Division rivals Princeton, Johns Hopkins, George Washington and the Naval Academy. The Bison opened the stretch by falling to No. 16 Princeton 9-8 in overtime last Friday night. The Orange and Blue bounced back Saturday, defeating Johns Hopkins 12-10 and George Washington 12-5. In a highly-anticipated conclusion to the weekend, the Bison lost to No. 17 Navy 10-8. The Orange and Blue are now 10-4 on the season and 5-3 in divisional play.

The Bison began the divisional stretch against the Princeton Tigers. Ten different Bison accounted for the 21 goals scored. More impressively, the Bison assisted on 20 of these 21 goals. Alex Nowlin ’14 had a team-high four assists and five points. Brian Barron ’13 led all Bison scorers with three goals. In goal, Matt Napleton ’13 blocked six shots and stole the ball four times. As a team, the Orange and Blue tallied 17 steals.

In the Bison’s first action on Saturday, the Blue Jays started the game strong, taking a 6-3 advantage into the half. The Orange and Blue would not be denied in the second half, outscoring the Blue Jays 9-4. The momentum shifted considerably in the third quarter as the Bison netted five goals compared to John Hopkins’ one. The win was in large part thanks to Julian Colina ’14 who tallied three goals and an assist. Jack Else ’14 also had four points with an even two goals and two assists. Napleton recorded 11 saves in 32 minutes.

In the nightcap, the Orange and Blue defeated George Washington in the 1,000th game in program history. The victory was a balanced effort as six different Bison posted a multi-point game. In particular, Beau Caillouette ’12 recorded a game-high six points with four goals and two assists. Else matched Caillouette in scoring. On the defensive end, Napleton had a strong performance with 10 saves in 32 minutes of action.

In the final game of the weekend, the Orange and the Blue faced Navy. The Bison took a 3-2 lead into the intermission and ended the third quarter ahead 6-4. In the fourth, the Orange and Blue were unable to contain Navy. The Midshipman scored six goals in the final quarter, more than they managed in the first three quarters combined. Nowlin netted two goals and dished out two assists. Caillouette and Mike Kimble ’14 collectively recorded an impressive 12 ejections, and Napleton had produce 15 total saves.

“In the Navy game, we played well enough for three quarters to establish a lead, but failed to finish. Our team needs to focus on closing out games in the future. Hopefully this weekend will be a good learning experience for our team as we head into some very important tournaments to end our season,” Napleton said.

The Orange and the Blue will travel to the West Coast this weekend where they will compete in the Santa Clara Rodeo.

By Andrew Arnao

Contributing Writer

The women’s soccer team was defeated 1-0 at American University on Sunday in their final road game of the season. Keeper Sandita McDermott ’13 finished with six saves.

Though both teams played well and appeared to be evenly matched, American finally broke through and scored on a header with 22 minutes left in the game. The Bison offense was unable to retaliate as the Orange and the Blue suffered their fifth 1-0 loss of the season.

“It was a hard-fought battle and it came down to finishing the few chances that were given,” Courtney Nelson ’15 said. “We didn’t capitalize on ours, and they finished one of their few chances. It was a difficult game on a less than ideal field, and I am proud of my teammates for never giving up and staying strong.”

American finished with the narrow 14-10 shot advantage, though the Bison had the 4-2 edge in corner kicks. Megan DeGennaro ’12, Tara Cort ’12 and Taryn Boucher ’13 each had two shots on goal.

“Our main focus is the need to score,” Brigit Falcón ’15 said.“We also need to go into our last three games wanting the win more than our opponent. Momentum can be a huge thing in soccer, so we need to go hard from the start.”

The Bison finish out their season with three straight home games, needing to win all three in order to have a chance to make the Patriot League Tournament. The first game is tonight against Lehigh at 7 p.m., and the next game is on Sunday against Lafayette at 1 p.m.

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The Bison men’s soccer team continued its strong play in two games this week with a hard-fought loss against non-conference foe Adelphi after a 3-0 win over Patriot League rival Holy Cross. The team’s record now stands at 7-6-1 (2-2-0 in league play).

On Tuesday, the Orange and Blue fell to the Adelphi Panthers 1-0 on a goal in the 70th minute. Making his second start of the season, goalie Marc Hartmann ’12 faced two shots and recorded one spectacular save in the first half. The offense, led by three shots each from Brendan Burgdorf  ’13 and CK Kuman ’13, recorded three shots, but none were able to find the back of the net.

At Emmit Field at Holmes Stadium, the Bison scored three goals in the first half that set their lead over Holy Cross. Mayowa Alli ’14 scored his league-leading seventh goal of the season just 52 seconds into the game. Just under six minutes later, Josh Plump ’13 netted his second goal of the season off a pass from Burgdorf that split the back line of defenders before finding Plump.

Joyner’s goal, his third in the last two games and fifth overall for the season, came off a pass by Brian Ward ’15.

“Our defense has been rock solid of late. That gives our attacking players the confidence to go forward and get goals for the team,” Joyner said. “As a senior going through Patriot League play for the last time, it’s been nice to get on the score sheet and help the team climb back into the postseason picture.”

Tommy Caso ’12 played another solid game in goal en route to the Bison’s fifth shutout for the season. Caso was aided by the back four defense of Nader Sawtarie ’12, Jermaine Jarrett ’13, Andrew Powell ’12 and Alli, who kept the Crusaders from generating any offensive pressure throughout the game.

Tomorrow, the Orange and Blue will travel to West Point to take on league rival Army.

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

One week after falling 30-6 at home to No. 10 Lehigh Mountainhawks, the Bison suffered their second consecutive lopsided defeat last Saturday, this time versus the Harvard Crimson, 42-3, on the road. After a stellar five-game stretch to start the year, the Orange and Blue have seen their once 4-1 record drop to 4-3 with just four games, all in the Patriot League, remaining.

“The difference between the first five games and the last two is the past two opponents,” Head Coach Joe Susan said. “Lehigh is [now] ranked number nine and Harvard is right on the edge of the top 25. They are the two best teams we will play. Our performance against them has provided perspective.”

The Bison defense hung tough on consecutive drives to open the game, forcing a Harvard fumble and missed field goal. The Orange and Blue struggled on offense early on, unable to sustain long drives and giving the ball back to the Harvard scoring attack.

The Crimson opened the scoring on the final play of the first quarter, beginning what would turn out to be a historic day for Harvard quarterback Colton Chapple. His 11-yard touchdown strike as time expired in the first period put the Crimson up 7-0 and would be the first of five passing scores from the Crimson quarterback in the contest.

Harvard would use the second quarter to break a close game wide open. The Crimson would end three of their five offensive drives in the period with touchdowns, all through the air from their quarterback Chapple, enough for a 28-0 halftime lead.

“Chapple was very efficient in both the run and the pass,” Susan said. “I thought he did a good job of managing the game. We had match-up problems in our passing game and he exploited them.”

Just five minutes into the second half, the Harvard quarterback put the finishing touches on an outstanding performance, finding the endzone for the fifth time in the contest and ending any chances for a Bison comeback.

The one shining moment from an otherwise tough game for the Orange and Blue came late in the third quarter, when Bryce Robertson ’12 returned an interception 74 yards down to the Harvard two-yard line. Despite the outstanding field position, the Bison could only muster a 23-yard field goal from Drew Orth ’12.

Overall, it was a rough day for the Bison offense. The same offense that had scored 27 or more points four times this season managed just 140 total yards against Harvard, including netting negative-five yards in the rushing game. Quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 struggled throughout, getting sacked four times and throwing four interceptions.

“Harvard created pressure on our passing game with a four-man rush,” Susan said. “This enabled them to be sound in their coverage and they did not have to play man-to-man or take any risks with pressure.”

Seeking to end their two-game slide, the Bison return home to face the Holy Cross Crusaders tomorrow in their final home contest of 2011. A victory over Holy Cross would at worst put the Bison in a second-place tie in the Patriot League standings, with three conference games to go.

“We are back at home, back in the league with a chance to have an impact,” Susan said. “We cannot dwell on last week. Our team did a great job of practice and I feel they will respond well and prepare the right way to play well against Holy Cross.”

By Chris McCree

Sports Editor

Player Profile:

Robert De La Rosa

Year: Senior

Position: Defensive Tackle

Hometown: Lancaster, Pa.

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Statistics against Georgetown:

Tackles: 9

Tackles for loss: 6.5

Sacks: 3

Forced fumbles: 1

In the men’s football team’s 35-18 win over Georgetown this past weekend, Robert De La Rosa collected a team-high nine tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. De La Rosa anchored an Orange and Blue defensive line that stifled the Hoyas’ offense, which managed just 221 yards of total offense and a net loss of three yards on the ground. De La Rosa was awarded five different weekly awards including Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week, and the National Defensive Lineman of the Week and National Defensive Player of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards.

De La Rosa has recorded 24 tackles with 12.5 of them coming for a loss on the season. His ability to disrupt opposing running schemes has played a vital role in the team’s defense. Currently, the Orange and Blue rank third overall in rush defense and eighth in total defense and will continue to rely on strong plays from De La Rosa. In the upcoming weeks, the Orange and Blue face a tough schedule which includes a greatly anticipated match-up with No. 10 Lehigh tomorrow. Currently sitting 1-0 in the league, the Bison look to reach the 2-0 mark for the first time since 2003.

By Andrew Lichtenauer

Writer

By Scott Padula

Writer

The Orange and Blue swimming and diving team kicked off competition with an exhibition meet against UMBC Saturday afternoon in Kinney Natatorium. The men won 14 of 22 events, while the women took nine events of their own.

Christian Treat ’13 and Patriot League Champion Mike Nicholson ’14 led the charge, capturing three first-place victories each. Treat won the 50 , 100 and 200 freestyle, while Nicholson took the 100 , 200 and 400 individual medleys. Eric Sokolosky ’12 and Taylor Harris ’12 won the 50 fly and 50 back respectively, and Billy Krause ’13 finished the 400 IM just behind Nicholson in 4:07.65 seconds. First-years Ben Seketa, Tim Perley and Collin Greene each won a race in their first collegiate meet.

“After losing only two swimmers to graduation, our freshman class showed tremendous poise in their first collegiate meet and swam very well. We have been training very hard this year, and it is no surprise that our entire team performed so well. We look forward to continuing our high level of intensity and improving upon our already impressive performances,” Sokolosky said.

The Bison women also swam well behind Kelly Pontecorvo ’14, a multi-race winner. Her first victory came in the 500 freestyle where she finished in 5:08.09. She also won the 1,000 freestyle in 10:25.03. 

Katie Hetherington ’15 and Lauren Perry ’15 also captured multiple wins in their first college competition. Hetherington won both diving events. Her one-meter score of 264.68 was more than six points better than best in program history. Her three-meter score of 252.53 put her fourth all-time. Perry won the 100 and 200 freestyle and placed second in the 50 freestyle.

“The team looked great on Saturday and almost everyone improved from this meet last year. Our goals for this year are to improve our league and meet placing from last season and I think we are off to a great start in pursuing those goals. I am very excited to see what this season has in store and how we are going to continue to work on our goals in and out of the pool!” Pontecorvo said.

The Bison host the George Washington Colonials Oct. 22 to officially start their season. The meet will start at 1 p.m. in Kinney Natatorium.

By Cooper Sutton

Sports Editor

Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 won her milestone 100th match as a Bison at home during the Bison Quad this past weekend. She is only the 10th player in Bison women’s tennis to do so.  Jen Bush ’15 and Alyssa McAndrew ’15 also made it to the doubles finals.

After a first round bye, Iepuras dismantled Kelsey Wanhainen of Colgate, 6-0. She was not as lucky on Saturday, after rain forced the matches inside, losing 8-3 to Youngstown State’s Marta Burak in a shortened match. Burak was the overall winner of the Flight A singles tournament.

Elena Vidriscu ’14 also made it to the semifinals in Flight A singles. She won her first two rounds without losing a set, but fell to Hilary Hansen of Niagara 8-4.

In Flight B singles, four of five Bison advanced through the first round, with none of the matches going to three sets. None of those four made it past her quarterfinal match.

Bush and McAndrew won their first three matches before ultimately falling in the finals. They won their first two matches 8-4 and 8-3. In the semifinals, they won an 8-6 contest before ultimately falling 8-3 to a team from Youngstown State.

The Bison Quad marked the end of the fall season for the women’s tennis team, who will be back in action again in January.