Category: Men

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Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo gathers four victories

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The men’s water polo team dominated over Fall Break, racking up four wins in its home tournament versus Navy, George Washington, Johns Hopkins, and Princeton.

“All the wins were great team wins where everyone contributed,” Mike Kimble ’14 said. “Our defense requires that we help each other, and this is exactly why we as a team are a solid group that will beat any team.”

The Bison began their weekend on Oct. 12 in Kinney Natatorium against Navy’s squad. Sean Daley ’17 led the way on the offensive end, scoring three goals and recording five assists for a total of eight points, a team-high for the season. Jack Else ’14 and Kimble also scored three goals each, leading the team to an 11-10 victory.

The Orange and Blue continued to succeed on the offensive end when they took on George Washington that evening. Else recorded three goals again, while Kimble and Stefan Aleksic ’16 both scored two each. On the defensive end, Keegan Williams ’15 helped the Bison to an eventual 12-9 victory with his nine saves in the match, totaling 17 that day.

“The new press defense we are running is really working well for our team and is allowing us to make a lot of steals, which leads to more goals,” Williams said. “We will continue to work on playing against a press offense and moving the ball around the perimeter, working for our centers.”

The Orange and Blue then took on John Hopkins on Oct. 13 with the chance to extend their weekend winning streak. Williams had a very strong match in goal, recording 14 saves and three steals. Else and Kimble scored four and three goals respectively, while Aleksic and Julian Colina ’14 both had two in the 13-6 victory.

Else led the Bison to victory once again in the afternoon match against Princeton for Senior Day. Else and Stephen Norton ’14 scored four and two goals respectively, while fellow seniors Colina, Alex Nowlin, Kimble, and Andrew Somers also had strong offensive performances. The win over 12th-ranked Princeton was their first victory over a ranked team since last year’s Eastern Championship, and it brought their record to 10-4 for the season.

“Our seniors all had great final home games, and our sophomores continued to provide strong consistent play,” Williams said. “We also had our freshmen step up and really contribute to our success that weekend.”

The Orange and Blue wrapped up their league play during the weekend with a 5-3 record in the CWPA Southern Division to secure second place. Else and Williams were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for the conference, respectively, and the team moved into 20th nationally following their performance over the weekend. The Bison will take on Pacific and then play four games in the Santa Clara Rodeo this upcoming weekend.

“We can never be complacent,” Kimble said. “Teams are always getting better from year to year and we can never be happy with success from last year. If we aren’t improving then we are losing.”

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Cross Country Men Sports

Men’s XC face tough top 25 competition

Thomas Walter

Senior Writer 

Men’s XC face tough top 25 competition

The men’s cross country team ran two meets this past weekend, travelling to Boston for the Boston College Coast to Coast on Sept. 27 and facing Bloomsburg on Sept. 28. Racing against some of the top teams in the country, the men’s cross country team finished ninth in the Coast to Coast before defeating Bloomsburg the next day.

Michael McGowan ’15 won the Patriot League Male Runner of the Week, which marks his second award in the last three weeks.

“I have been working real hard in practice. Everyday has a goal whether it is run easy, hard, or recover, and I try to do my best to follow my routine,” McGowan said.

The Bison raced against four of the top 25 teams in the country in the Coast to Coast Battle. No. 12 Oregon won the race and No. 9 Syracuse finished in second. McGowan turned in the best effort for the Bison, finishing 38th out of 140 total competitors. Despite the extreme competition, McGowan insisted the team was not intimidated by the competition.

“The biggest difference is the amount of depth and the fact that these teams can give scholarships. The recruits they bring in are top notch or from overseas. But none of our guys were intimidated,” McGowan said. “The team was very pumped to run against those teams. It isn’t often you get a chance to run in a field that talented.”

Injuries left the team incredibly shorthanded this past weekend.

“We actually didn’t even run some of our top guys because of injury. We actually had a very bad meet at Boston,” McGowan said.  “Everyone was tired from a very hard week of training the week before, and no one was fully recovered.

The rest of the Bison squad ran well to defeat Bloomsburg. The Orange and the Blue turned in the three fastest times during the event. Dylan Cowell ’15 took first place in 27:45, with Luke Giugliano ’17 and Jonathan Tewodros ’17 finishing seconds later in 27:48.5 and 28:02.6, respectively.

The men’s cross country team returns to action tomorrow at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.

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Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer five-game winning streak comes to an end

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor 

Bison’s five-game winning streak brought to an end

In its Patriot League opener, the men’s soccer team fell 2-0 at home against Army on Sept. 28, snapping the Bison’s five-game winning streak. The Orange and Blue dropped to 5-3, while Mike Lansing’s ’16 four-game shutout streak came to an end.

“Overall, it was just a really tough loss. A few breakdowns resulted in both of their goals, and it was just not the best performance from our team. It is a loss we are going to learn from, just as we learned from our first two, and we followed that up with a five-game win streak,” Lansing said.

The Black Knights struck in the 36th minute after a corner kick found an Army defender who headed the ball past Lansing. Prior to the goal, Lansing had posted the longest Bison shutout streak in 30 years.

The Orange and Blue searched for the equalizer, as Jonathan Grad’s ’15 shot was blocked by the Army goalkeeper. Mark Leibensperger ’15 launched a follow-up attempt that was rejected again by the Black Knights. Both teams had six shot attempts in the first half.

Army scored an insurance goal 53 seconds into the second half after a Lansing deflection left him out of position on the follow-up from 18 yards out. The game stayed 2-0 after solid defense from the Orange and Blue, but the Bison could not capitalize on their 15-12 shot advantage, including headed shot attempts by Mayowa Alli ’14 that failed to find the back of the net.

Lansing’s career-best scoreless minute streak was stopped at 428:29, while Jesse Klug’s ’16 scoring streak halted at four games.

The Bison look to regain some momentum, as they face Lehigh on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. in Bethlehem, Pa. They will also battle the new Patriot League member, Loyola (Md.), at home on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.

“We will look to come back strong on Saturday and we will grow from the loss. We are going to move on and focus on the next game ahead, rather than dwell on the loss against Army,” Lansing said.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Bison football falters over Family Weekend

Cooper Mead

Senior Writer

Bison struggle over Parents Weekend

The football team took on Sacred Heart in front of a crowded Christy-Mathewson Memorial Stadium on Sept. 28. The Bison lost 16-0 to the 5-0 Pioneers, which was marked by six Bison turnovers (four interceptions and two fumbles) that significantly hurt the Bison offensive momentum.

The Bison offense had a difficult night and greatly missed quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, right guard Nevin Hagman ’15, running back Matt DelMauro ’16 and All-Patriot League defensive end Sean Sellers ’14 who all had injuries. Trey Lauletta ’15 started the game at quarterback for the Bison and went 10-26 for 59 yards in the air and added nine runs including a 27-yard scramble. On the ground, CJ Williams ’17 led the Bison as he carried the ball 21 times and tallied 66 yards, which puts him at 256 yards for the year. Adding to the Bison ground game, Charles Thompson ’14 had two carries for 15 yards and Brian Regan ’16 ran eight times for 33 yards. Despite struggling in the first half with 29 yards of total offense, the Bison rebounded in the second half and recorded 135 yards of total offense compared to Sacred Heart’s 114 total yards.

The Bison defense continues to be a force to be reckoned with as it had another significant game. In an impressive feat, the Bison held the potent Pioneers offense to a season-low 16 points compared to its average of 46.5 points per game coming into the contest. The solid defensive performance was highlighted by Matthew Steinbeck’s ’15 11 tackles, Evan Byers’ ’15 10 tackles, and Lee Marvel’s ’15 eight tackles.

The battle was scoreless until the beginning of the second quarter when the Pioneer quarterback connected on a 64-yard pass play. The subsequent extra point was blocked by Brent Forbes ’14 to keep the score at 6-0.

“They were a good team, but we are moving on and starting to prepare for Lafayette. We are working towards the first league win of the season,” Forbes said.

As the half concluded, Sacred Heart hit a 33-yard field goal to bring the score to 9-0. In the second half, the Pioneers were largely stifled by the Bison defense. They were able to tally one more touchdown at the 2:02 mark in the fourth quarter when they scored on a 20-yard run.

“You can’t win football games turning the ball over as many times as we’ve done the last two weeks. It’s something we’re working to get better at and we will get better at … we are looking forward to getting back on the winning side,” captain Travis Friend ’14 said.

The Bison will hope to rebound and minimize turnovers as they head to Lafayette to take on the fellow Patriot League contender at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Bybel ’16 puts the Bison on the map

Alexandra Rosen

Contributing Writer

Bybel ’16 put the Bison on the map

Nick Bybel ’16 made Orange and Blue history this past weekend as the first Bison to participate in the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., where he competed in the same tournament as other Division I powerhouses like Virginia, Florida, and Texas. Bybel defeated Cedric de Zutter of Memphis in the first round (7-6, 6-3) but lost to Jordan Szabo of Texas A&M in the second round (4-6, 3-6).

In the captivating and suspenseful match against de Zutter, just as Bybel scored four points in a row and took the lead 5-4, the weather took a turn for the worse and rained out the match. This forced the game to continue indoors, where Bybel and de Zutter resumed play after an hour of delay.

“He stuck to a simple game plan, and as the match went on his execution just got better … The key to Nick’s win was in the return of de Zutter’s serves,” head coach Rebecca Helt said.

The return of serves was crucial to the Bison victory in the second set. Bybel was able to break his opponent in the first game, which was the only service break of the entire match. This allowed him to move up 5-3 and serve out the end of the match.

“He just kept working and once he started to put solid returns in, he made his opponent work hard for every service game. Eventually he got the key break [and had a] very solid performance,” Helt said.

After a great win against de Zutter, Bybel hoped to continue and defeat Szabo in the second round.

Bybel lost 4-6, 3-6 but was able to take away experience that will hopefully aid him for the rest of the season.

“Nick won most of the baseline points by hitting deep and heavy, but his opponent had an aggressive serve and volley style of play, and Nick struggled coming up with the passing shot,” Helt said.

“It was awesome to see where our program matches up with the top programs from across the country,” Bybel said.

The team will split up today to compete at the UVA Invitational in Charlottesville, Va. and the Lehigh Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis continue success on US Open Courts

Chris McCree

Senior Editor 

The men’s tennis team continued its early season success by earning one individual title and two runner-up titles at the USTA Invitational this past weekend in Flushing Meadows, NY. Jordan Lieb ’17 pulled off a three-set victory over Plamen Avuski of St. Francis to claim the Flight F Singles title for the Orange and Blue. The Bison also saw Nick Bybel ’16 and Octavio Canibe ’15 make it to the finals in Flights A and C respectively.

“This weekend was absolutely awesome for us,” Kyle Rosen ’14 said. “I was proud as a captain to see so many of my teammates performing to their potential. Jordan Lieb, our first-year, was able to pull out a huge victory in his bracket. Octavio was able to make it to the finals of his bracket. As always, Nick Bybel was performing to the best of his capabilities and made it to the finals of his bracket.”

Playing in the biggest tournament of his young career with the Bison, Lieb won all four of his matches over the three days. On day one, Lieb recorded two three-set victories over second-seeded Jacob Solly of Marist and AJ Aziz of Boston College. Against Solly, Lieb dropped the first set but managed to rally to earn the upset victory.

In the semifinals, Lieb came face to face with fellow teammate Aidan Lynch ’14 and claimed the 6-3, 6-4 victory to advance to the finals. There, Lieb played his toughest match of the weekend, needing three extremely competitive sets to earn the title against St. Francis. Though Lieb fell 3-6 in the first round, he rallied late in the second set to take a 7-6 victory and then carried this momentum into the tiebreaking set to become the sole Bison to claim a title.

In the A singles flight, Bybel cruised through the competition during the early rounds, winning his first three matches in straight sets. In the finals, Bybel faced off against third-seeded Arvis Berzins of Fairleigh Dickinson and fell 7-5, 6-0.

In C singles, Canibe dominated his first round match but then faced a series of grueling matches over the next three rounds. In the semifinals, Canibe needed three intense sets to overcome the second-seeded opponent, but ultimately won 11-9 in the tiebreaker. Canibe then fell in straight sets to Dylan Fletcher of Marist.

“Overall, there was a positive mentality and a strong sense of unity for our team. I have no doubt that this will continue moving forward,” Rosen said.

After its third consecutive weekend of action, the Orange and Blue will rest this weekend before splitting up for two invitationals at Virginia and Lehigh on Oct. 4-6. Bybel will compete tomorrow in the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla.

Categories
Golf Men Sports

Men’s golf face challenges at Cornell

Jen Lee

Contributing Writer

Despite rainy conditions in Ithaca, N.Y. this past weekend, Thomas Walter ’14 led the men’s golf team to an impressive 296 team score in the second round of the Cornell Invitational.

No team was able to break 300 in the first round. Walter fought through the tough conditions to post a four-over 75, leading the Bison to a 308 team score in the first round.

The men completed 12 holes in the second round before the remaining holes were postponed due to heavy rain. When they finished the last six holes, the Bison had an overall 296 team score, making the men second-best right behind Towson’s 292.

“I thought the team battled back well in the second round to get back into contention. To finish under 300 in those conditions was a good round. Coach always preaches to have everyone under 75 and we accomplished that,” Walter said.

Walter sat comfortably close to the lead after posting an even-par 71 in the second round.

Despite this flash of brilliance from the men, the herd could not carry this momentum into the final round. The Orange and Blue posted a 313 team score in the round (917 overall) to finish eighth in the standings.

Walter said the final round was “tough” and “very disappointing from both an individual aspect and a team aspect.” Walter could not capitalize on his 75-71 start, posting an 81 in the final round. Despite his final round, Walter still finished in a tie for 19th place.

Peter Scialabba ’15 was able to lead the Bison in the final round, carding a four-over par 75. Scialabba tied for 24th with fellow Bison John Edler ’17. D.J. Magee ’17 completed his first road start with all three rounds in the seventies.

“We were semi-pleased with our performance last weekend. We posted a great second round score, which put us only eight back of the leaders, but could not capitalize in the third round. We remain confident, because all of five players were able to contribute, and our team’s depth continues to be proven,” Scialabba said.

The Bison hope to showcase this depth Oct. 6-7 at the Army Invitational, site of the 2014 Patriot League Championship in April.

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Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo bests Navy, conquered by George Washington

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer 

The men’s water polo team competed hard on the road last weekend, taking down Navy before falling to George Washington and Johns Hopkins.

The Bison started out strong on Sept. 21 when they traveled to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy in their first game of CWPA Southern Division play. Nick Hale ’16 led the Orange and Blue offense in the match, tallying three goals and one assist. Hale was backed up by Alex Nowlin ’14, who netted one goal of his own along with three assists. On the defensive side, Keegan Williams ’15 held up his end of the pool with 10 saves in goal, allowing the Bison to finish with an 8-6 victory.

“I think the team did well this past weekend,” Jack Else ’14 said. “It was great to beat Navy at their pool but we still have some work to do.” 

The Orange and Blue then drove to Washington D.C. to take on George Washington that evening. The Bison had strong offensive performances from many players, including Stefan Aleksic ’16 with four goals and Else and Julian Colina ’14 who both tallied three goals. Hale also had two goals on the night, but even with his contribution the team was unable to surmount the offensive onslaught of their opponent, losing 15-14 in the last minute of the game.

The Bison regrouped to take on a tough Johns Hopkins squad on Sept. 22. Else once again performed strongly for the Orange and Blue, tallying five goals on the day. He was backed up by teammate Mike Kimble ’14 with three goals, along with Stephen Norton ’14 with two. Williams had an even better day in goal for the squad, coming close to his career-high with 14 saves. Unfortunately, the team was still unable to pull out a victory, losing 14-12.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Else said. “The other two games this weekend were tough because we had to deal with shallow pools and we were out of our element. I was happy with the way I played but I always feel like I can do better.” 

The Bison will have a week off to practice and rest before continuing their season on Oct. 6 at Princeton.

“We will focus on defense and six on five these next two weeks in preparation for Princeton,” Else said.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Klug leads men’s soccer to fifth consecutive victory

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor 

Jesse Klug’s ’16 two goals boosted the men’s soccer team to its fifth consecutive victory, a 2-0 road win over Seton Hall on Sept. 21. For his efforts, Klug won his second straight Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week Award as well as Bison Athlete of the Week. Goalie Mike Lansing ’16, who had 11 saves in this game, earned Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week Honors and became the first Bison goalkeeper since 1983 to have four straight shutouts. The Orange and Blue improved their record to 5-2.

Klug did not waste any time making his mark on the game. His first goal connected at the 5:40 mark when Chris Thorsheim ’16 returned a toss ball to Connor Willings ’16, who launched the ball into the box where Klug used his chest to drive the ball past the approaching goalkeeper. Lansing protected the shutout after making a spectacular save off of a Seton Hall header.

“We are a hard working team that never quits no matter how tired we are,” Austin Lenart ’17 said. “I believe it was our hard work and communication that allowed us to be so successful defensively.”

The insurance goal in the second half happened in the 83rd minute after a series of moves from Thorsheim led to a shot from Lenart. After his attempt went off the post, Klug blasted the rebound into the net.

“The second half goal came when Chris Thorsheim played a through ball into the box that I was able to get onto,” Lenart said. “I then tried to put the ball past the goalie and it deflected off of the post and into the middle of the box. Jesse Klug then one-timed the ball into the back of the net for a goal.”

Seton Hall held a 23-9 shot advantage to go along with a 9-1 edge on corner kicks, but it was Klug who secured his fourth straight game-winning goal. Lansing also extended his shutout minutes streak to 393:05 over four games. Klug’s team-leading five goals this season is second in the Patriot League rankings and 14th best in the nation.

The Bison begin Patriot League play tomorrow when they face Army at home at 3:30 p.m.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Bison football loses to Cornell

Cooper Mead

Senior Writer 

The football team took on the Cornell Big Red at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, N.Y. where it suffered a 45-13 loss marked by a plethora of turnovers.

As the game took place in heavy rainfall, the Bison suffered six turnovers. Those turnovers proved to be crucial, as four of them led to Cornell touchdowns. Despite such deficits, CJ Williams ’17 led the Bison offense. He ran 148 yards on 30 carries. In addition, quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 completed seven of 16 passes for 118 yards.

“The offensive line continued to show improvement … the more game experience they have the more they will improve,” head coach Joe Susan said.

The Bison began the first-half scoring when Kyle Sullivan ’14 brought a punt back for a 59-yard touchdown and ended the Bison drought of 10 years without a punt return for a touchdown. The Bison proceeded to score again after another Big Red punt, as Wesley threw a 56-yard pass to Josh Lebo ’15 that brought kicker Derek Maurer ’15 in field goal range and put three points on the board for the Bison.

The second quarter began with a quick Cornell touchdown strike with All-American quarterback Jeff Mathews throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass to Chris Lenz. On the ensuing drive, the Bison countered with a methodical 13-play, 71-yard drive, but were held to a 21-yard field goal kicked by Maurer (four for four this season) that gave them a 13-7 lead with 5:19 left in the half.

Despite the solid Bison play for the majority of the first half, they were unable to carry their momentum into halftime as Cornell kicked a 38-yard field goal to put the Big Red within three points with just over two minutes to play in the half. On the next Bison drive, Matt DelMauro ’16 lost a fumble on the first play, allowing Mathews to complete a 30-yard touchdown pass that gave Cornell its first lead of the game (17-13) at the half.

“We are a team that prides itself in ball security. The six turnovers we had are a reality though, and we must work to eliminate this. We had four offensive turnovers and two special teams turnovers. The impact this has on possessions and ultimately the scoreboard is a reason why the game turned out the way it did,” Susan said.

The Bison struggled throughout the second half. On Cornell’s first possession, Mathews coordinated a 72-yard drive culminating in an acrobatic 14-yard touchdown pass to bring the score to 24-13. On the next drive, Wesley fumbled deep in Bison territory, and Cornell returned it 18 yards for a score to bring the Big Red lead to 31-13.

In an attempt to come back, the Bison orchestrated a significant drive marked by a 19-yard rush by Charles Thompson ’14 and a 30-yard rush by Wesley. The Bison were stopped on third down at the Cornell five-yard line and lined up for a field goal. On a fake field goal attempt, Maurer fumbled in wet conditions and Cornell returned it 82 yards to give the Big Red a commanding lead of 38-13. The Big Red tallied one more touchdown on a one-yard run after a bouncing Wesley fumble was recovered by Cornell.

“Last week is over and all we can do is focus on what’s ahead of us, which right now is Sacred Heart. We will continue to focus on practice each day on its own and come Saturday we will be prepared,” team captain Jeff Goyette ’14 said.

The Bison hope to rebound from this week’s loss when they host Sacred Heart tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.