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Golf Men Sports

Men’s golf takes fifth of 14 at Colgate Invitational

Jen Lee

Contributing Writer

The men’s golf team took fifth place out of a 14-team field at the season-opening Colgate Invitational at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, N.Y. on Sept. 7-8. Schuyler Stitzer ’14 and Zach Pogust ’15 both went low for the Bison, leading the team to a strong finish.

The Orange and Blue started off their season with a bang, posting a 906 total for the 54-hole tournament. After a slow start in the first round, the Bison rallied in the afternoon to post an impressive 294, led by Pogust’s one-under 71.

“After struggling a little bit in the first round, I think the team did a nice job of bouncing back with a solid second round on Saturday and posting one of the lowest team scores on Sunday as well,” Pogust said.

All five players improved on their score from the morning round, and Pogust’s 71 was his first career sub-par round.

Led by Stitzer’s 1-over 73 in the final round, the Bison totaled 303, one of the lowest team scores posted that day. This strong finish allowed the Bison to hold onto their fifth place position, beating more than half of the field.

The men look to follow this impressive tournament with a victory at home this weekend at the Bucknell Invitational.

Categories
Golf Sports Women

Women’s golf places sixth in season-opening tournament

Claudia Silvers

Contributing Writer

The women’s golf team placed sixth in its season-opening Bucknell Invitational from Sept. 7-8. They proved victorious over the three other Patriot League teams that attended.

The Bison previously won this Invitational in 2010 and 2011, but William & Mary stole the title this time.

“Beating out the other Patriot League schools, including Boston University and Lehigh, was exciting,” Kasha Scott ’14 said.

“Defeating the other league teams in the field showed that we are the team to beat in the Patriot League,” Lauren Bernard ’14 said.

Scott and Bernard, along with Bridget Wilcox ’14, scored in the 70s on the final day of the Invitational. Bernard achieved the Bison’s top score for the tournament, with a 54-hole total of 233, placing her 14th overall.

Emily Timmons ’15 shot 81 and Emily Larson ’17 shot 83 in her debut, helping the Bison earn team totals of 310 and 323 on Sept. 7.

The Bison ended with a 946 composite, nine strokes below defending champion Boston University. Lehigh, last year’s Patriot League Champion, placed ninth with 976 and Navy placed 16th with 1,112. Head Coach Kevin Jamieson was “pleased to see all of student-athletes working hard over a long weekend.”

The Invitational proved to be a strong start for the team, showing the four first-year players what college-level competition is like.

“With most of the players doing internships over the summer, I thought we came out pretty rusty mentally,” Jamieson said. “With that said, I think we had a heck of a finish in a tough field,”

Jamieson and his players look forward to the Yale Intercollegiate Tournament in one week, hoping that they can, as Jamieson said, “knock off some of the rust” during the allotted preparation time.

“There will be good competition, and it is a great golf course,” Scott said in regards to the tournament at Yale. 

“Everyone will take the next week and a half now to focus on the areas that we struggled in during the Bucknell Invitational to prepare for our next tournament at Yale,” Bernard said. 

After a successful fall-opener, the Bison women’s golf team looks ahead to the Yale Intercollegiate that takes place Sept. 20-22.

“I believe that our team will continue to work very hard and greatly improve while building team confidence on the way,” Bernard said.

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo shines with 3-0 season start

Billy Tyler

Senior Writer

The men’s water polo team opened its season this past weekend with three wins at the Navy Invite. This is the team’s third 3-0 start in its three years under Head Coach John McBride.

The tournament and season began with a thrilling contest against Notre Dame (Ohio) on Sept. 7. Despite leading 6-5 at halftime, the Bison found themselves facing an 11-8 deficit entering the fourth quarter. A quick flurry of three goals in the quarter’s opening minutes eliminated this difference and posed a back and forth battle to the game’s end. With the Bison down 14-13 in the game’s final minute, Mike Kimble ’14 found the back of the net with 22 seconds remaining to tie the game. Then with the game seemingly headed to overtime, Stefan Aleksic ’16 took a shot with 1.6 seconds left on the clock that snuck past the Notre Dame goalkeeper to seal the win.

In addition to his last second heroics, Aleksic ended the game with three goals and four assists. Other key contributors to the big win for the Bison were Jack Else ’14, who had a team-high four goals as well as Ratimir Babic ’17 and Sean Daley ’17, who tallied two goals apiece.

The next game of the tournament against Gannon proved an easier contest than the season opener. The Bison had a solid first half, leading 8-4 at the break. But their strength showed in the third quarter, as they outscored Gannon 6-2. RJ Moore ’17 led this offensive explosion, as he scored six goals in only his third collegiate start. The Bison offense received production from Babic, Else, Julian Colina ’14, and Alex Nowlin ’14 with multiple goals.

The Bison succeeded in carrying the momentum gathered in the tournament’s first two games into its final one against Iona. This 12-7 victory followed a similar pattern to the victory over Gannon; a halftime edge of 6-4 was turned into a 9-5 lead, following a great third quarter. The star of this game was goalkeeper Keegan Williams ’15, who recorded a career-high 15 saves in only his fourth career start. This added to his total of seven against Iona to complete an impressive day of work between the pipes.

The Bison will now look to match last weekend’s strong performance this weekend. The team hosts the Bison Invite from tonight through Sept. 15 and will play five games during this three-day period.

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Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey increases record to 2-2

Katherine Harris

Senior Writer

The women’s field hockey team had a successful weekend, handing losses to both Missouri State and Ohio State, while Leigh Hillman ’14 and Vickie Resh ’14 both earned awards for the week.

“After last week’s losses to both Iowa and Lockhaven, our team had a new resolve to work harder in practice and focus on our weaknesses with more intent and focus. As a result, practice this past week had been more competitive and everyone on our team began to realize our full potential. Based on this new team mantra, we went into this weekend with a new mindset and were able to challenge teams on a new level,” Erica Perrine ’14 said.

The Bison started off their weekend of play against Missouri State as part of the Buckeye Classic hosted at Ohio State. The team’s offense started out on the attack, led by Kiersten Sydnor ’16, who totaled two goals and one assist. Teammates Rachel Misko ’14, Hope Obernesser ’15, and Emma Fitzgerald ’17 also netted a goal apiece. The defense for the Orange and Blue was also strong, allowing only one goal for a final score of 5-1.

The squad continued its momentum when it faced off against a tough Ohio State team. The Buckeyes came out strong, netting two quick goals despite Perrine’s five saves. It was then Hillman’s turn to lead the attack for the Bison, netting two goals to bring the score to a tie at 2-2. Resh sealed the deal in overtime when she scored her third career goal eight minutes into the overtime period to propel her team to a 3-2 victory.

“Historically, our team performs very well in overtime, and we knew that playing against a team like Ohio State would challenge us like never before. We stuck to our basics and continued to apply pressure to their defense, so it was only a matter of time before we would be rewarded. It was an exciting game and it feels great to have our hard work over the past week translate into a win for us in the end,” Perrine said.

The 2-0 showing for the Bison last weekend led to a couple of the team’s seniors being honored for their efforts. Hillman’s assist in the first game and two goals in the second game of the weekend led to her being named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week. Resh was also honored for her game-winning goal in the second game, earning the title of Bison Athlete of the Week.

The Orange and Blue will compete tonight when they travel to Philadelphia for a game at Drexel.

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer falls short to St. Francis (Pa.) and Penn State

Doug Hendry

Contributing Writer

The women’s soccer team stood firm against St. Francis (Pa.) and one of the top forwards in the nation, but the Red Flash came from behind with two late goals to steal a 2-1 win at Emmitt Field on Sept. 7. In their following game against Penn State on Sept. 10, the Bison suffered another loss (6-0) on their home turf.

After a pair of tough road losses, the Bison returned home to face St. Francis. Both teams used aggressive formations with plenty of shots but failed to score during the first half. The Red Flash focused on short, simple passing while the Orange and Blue tried for quick counterattacks.

The Bison featured various outlooks on the field, as Head Coach Ben Landis used 19 different players.

“Our team has great team chemistry off the field, so when we play together and work for each other, we really can put it together,” Cassie Denger ’15 said. “Our team is about playing hard for the person next to you, no matter who it is.”

The speed and energy of the Bison subs helped counteract the experience of St. Francis, and Danielle Piccirilli ’16 put the Bison on the board first with a goal off the post with 25 minutes remaining in the second half.

The Orange and Blue faced 38 total shots, including 15 from Tesa McKibben, the NCAA Division I active leader in points scored. McKibben scored a late goal in regulation to tie the game, as well as the game-winner with one minute left in the second overtime period. The win for the Red Flash was their fourth straight against the Bison.

Looking forward, the Orange and Blue were hunting for a big upset in their toughest test yet against No. 13 Penn State. This Penn State squad made it to the national championship game the previous season.

“We have to set the tone early on our home field,” Denger said before the game. “We will play tough for each other and give everything we have.” 

Unfortunately, the Bison did not kick off to a great start. Penn State scored less than two minutes into the game and did not take its foot off the pedal. Despite the loss, 1,390 spectators turned out to watch the Bison, the largest audience the women’s soccer team has ever seen.

The Bison, now 2-4, will head to Towson today, looking to start another winning streak.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football clinches season-opener for third year in a row

Cooper Mead

Senior Writer

The football team won its season-opening game for the third year in a row with a 27-14 victory over Marist on Sept. 7 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.

The team was led by the impressive play of quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14, who completed 12 of 16 passes for a combined 176 yards and two touchdowns. The Bison running game was led by Matt DelMauro ’16, who rushed 20 times tallying 83 yards. In addition, CJ Williams ’17 ran the ball for 42 yards and a touchdown. Wesley contributed another 51 yards on 11 carries, which helped give the Bison a balanced offensive front marked by 177 rushing yards and 176 passing yards.

The Bison began the game with a quick punt but then began an offensive assault on the Marist defense marked by scores on five consecutive drives. Derek Maurer ’15 began scoring with a 38-yard field goal, the first of his career. The next three touchdowns were scored on drives of more than 70 yards, beginning with a drive marked by a 45-yard pass from Wesley to tight end Josh Lebo ’15. With the ball at the Marist 26-yard line, the Bison completed two crucial 3rd-and-1 tries and a short pass, placing the Bison in position for a three-yard pass to Travis Friend ’14 for the touchdown.

The Marist offense retaliated with a 74-yard drive. It totaled 14 plays and ended with a three-yard touchdown pass, bringing the score to 10-7.

The next Bison possession ended in a touchdown and was marked by hard-nosed running by Williams. The drive was 14 plays and 75 yards with Williams accounting for 26 yards on seven carries. This helped the Bison gain valuable yardage and run 6:58 off of the game clock.

The last Bison score of the half began with 2:16 to play on the Bison 22-yard line. On the third play of the drive, Wesley connected with Josh Brake ’15 for a 66-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline, ending a promising offensive half for the Bison.

“I thought we came out with a lot of confidence in our preparation, and it showed in the first half,” Jeff Goyette ’14 said. “There are still some things that we need to work on, but it’s always great to open our season with a win.”

The Bison stagnated offensively in the second half with five consecutive punts on short drives of no longer than five plays.

Led by Evan Byers ’15, who finished the contest with 12 tackles, one sack, and a recovered fumble that helped solidify the win for the Bison, the defense showed great resilience. In addition, Tajh Turner ’14 caught an important interception deep in Marist territory that led to a Bison field goal.

The Bison win moved Wesley past Scott Auchenbach ’90 as the Bison all-time leader in total offense and puts him 154 yards behind Auchenbach’s mark of most career passing yards (5,256). Team-wise, the Bison’s record moved to an all-time 8-1 record against Marist.

The Bison have a one week break before facing a tough Cornell squad at Ithaca, N.Y. on Sept. 21.

“We came out and had a pretty good first half but there are still a lot of things we as a team need to work on,” Friend said. “It definitely was a good feeling to get the first win out of the way, and we’ll use this bye week coming up to prepare for Cornell and just take it one game at a time.”

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis wins titles in singles and doubles at Bucknell Quad

Chris McCree

Senior Writer 

The men’s tennis team opened its fall season by winning titles in Flight A singles and doubles as well as in Flight C singles on its home courts at the Bucknell Quad. Nick Bybel ’16 claimed a singles title for the second straight year and followed it up by claiming the doubles title with Aidan Lynch ’14. The only other Bison to play in a championship match was Scott Bernstein ’14, who came away with the win in Flight C singles.

“The first weekend is generally a time to work out the early year kinks and to get back into the swing of competitive play,” captain Kyle Rosen ’14 said. “I am proud to say that I saw a lot of tough matches, constant high energy, and solid performance all around. I have no doubt that our level will continue to elevate as the fall season continues.”

During the first day of competition, the Orange and Blue advanced seven players to the singles quarterfinals. Bybel took down his first round opponent with relative ease, winning 6-0, 6-1. Rosen also earned a victory, coming back after dropping the first set 1-6.

In Flight A, the Bison had four of eight players in the quarterfinals. Bybel faced off against fellow Patriot League rival Luke Gensburg of Colgate, overcoming a late push to take the three-set victory (6-3, 2-6, 10-8) and repeat as champion.

In doubles, the Bison had three teams reach the semifinal round. Bybel and Lynch proved to be the strongest of the three, taking down the team from Colgate (8-3).

This weekend, the Bison will play in the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational. Despite a strong showing at home, the Bison will look to continue improving in preparation for its Patriot League season in the spring.

“My expectation for this season is a Patriot League Championship,” Rosen said. “That requires effort taken at all times on and off the court. That goal must be taken seriously by every player. Then, and only then, will it be possible. I have the utmost confidence in our ability to be the best team out there.”

Categories
Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis reaches finals during season-opening tournament

Kristen Bishof

Contributing Writer 

The women’s tennis team began the season by reaching the finals in each bracket of its home tournament, the Bucknell Quad, this past weekend. Michele Urbinati ’17 was the only Bison to capture a title, winning the Flight B singles bracket against Loyola (Md.) 6-4, 6-7, (10-2).

Maria Cioffi ’16 also performed strongly in the tournament, making it to the final round of the Flight A singles bracket as well as the final round of the Flight A doubles bracket with her partner and captain Elena Vidrascu ’14. As the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Cioffi proved her skill again by winning the first round easily with a 6-4, 6-0 win. In doubles, Cioffi and Vidrascu won a pair of quick matches over Colgate and Loyola (Md.), but were unable to translate their success in the finals against St. Francis (Pa.), losing 8-2.

“I was proud of our performance this weekend with a Bison girl in each of the final rounds. It showed how hard we have been working in practice, especially given the short amount of time we have been back at school. It was a great way to start off the year, and I look forward to the upcoming tournament this weekend,” Lydia Colvin ’15 said. 

Colvin placed second in the Flight C singles bracket and made it to the finals in the Flight B doubles bracket.

Despite the absence of an assistant coach, the team began its tournament season on a high note. Head coach Rebecca Helt added four talented first-years to the roster. The experienced, returning upperclassmen have already demonstrated their leadership skills by showing what it means to be a teammate as well as an athlete.

“I am really proud of how the team came together this weekend after only having a week of practice. Having someone in each final for every flight was a great accomplishment for the team, and I am excited for what is yet to come,” captain Elana Vidrascu ’14 said.

The Bison travel to Maryland this weekend to compete in the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational, hoping to maintain the intensity they brought to the court this past weekend.

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Women’s volleyball comes out strong in Cornell Invitational

Emily Evancho

Assistant Sports Editor

The women’s volleyball team continued its strong start to the season this past weekend, defeating both Iona and Cornell in the Cornell Invitational while falling once to Buffalo.

“I’m so proud of my team for having a winning record at this point, but the loss to Buffalo shows we have some things to work on before entering Patriot League play,” Morgan Mientus ’14 said.

In their match against Iona, the Bison dominated with a 3-0 win. In the first set, the Bison rattled off seven consecutive points, giving the team a 1-0 lead in the match. The Orange and Blue began to trail in the second set, but they recovered with five consecutive points that led to a 26-24 win. The third set went much like the second, but the team pulled through to a 25-21 win. Mientus led the team with eight kills during the match, accompanied by her teammate Erika Eastley ’17, who also impressed with a match-best percentage of five kills out of the nine opportunities she had during the match.

“I’m really excited that we are starting the season off on such a good note. Our success in these past two weekends is a good indicator of the hard work we put in during preseason and I’m really excited to see what’s to happen later on in the season,” Eastley said.

The Bison did not have the same luck in their next match on Sept. 7 against Buffalo. Jessica Serrato ’14 and Eastley secured five kills each, but their efforts were not enough to stifle the Buffalo Bulls as they dropped all three sets.

“I think we are all proud of the way we handled ourselves coming back from the loss against Buffalo on Saturday. We didn’t dwell on our mistakes or let it set the tone for our last match,” Serrato said.

The 3-0 loss to Buffalo did not deter the team from pulling out a win in its match against Cornell later that day. Kristen Titley ’14 managed a season-high record of 17 kills in the match, along with Mientus who gained 11 kills. Eastley also helped the team’s efforts with nine registered blocks, aiding the Bison to a 3-2 win over Cornell.

“We played an awesome match on Friday and then Saturday morning we weren’t at our best, but we didn’t let it affect us and we bounced right back and played one of our best games of the season so far against Cornell,” Titley said.

The Bison will return to Davis Gym to host the Bucknell Invitational tonight and tomorrow. The Bison will play Rider at 7:30 p.m. Tomorrow, they will face Canisius at noon and Fairleigh Dickinson at 5 p.m.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer team looking up

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The men’s soccer team ended its four-game home stand on a high note, going 2-1 this past week. After dropping its second game of the season to St. Francis (Pa.) 1-0 on Sept. 4, a third-minute goal by Chris Thorsheim ’16 lifted the Bison to a 1-0 victory against Buffalo on Sept. 6. The Orange and Blue won their second straight game on Sept. 8, scoring two second-half goals to guide them to a 2-1 win over La Salle.

The Bison had 21 shot attempts against St. Francis (Pa.), but none got past the Red Flash goalie. Patriot League Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week Mayowa Alli ’14 led the Bison defense that held the Red Flash to zero shot attempts in the first half. St. Francis converted on its second of three shot attempts in the 57th minute, scoring on a low volley that came off a Bison clearance. The Bison kept the pressure on with 13 second-half shot attempts, including a last-minute header from Austin Lenart ’17 that forced the opposing goalie to make a spectacular save, effectively sealing the win for the Red Flash.

Thorsheim continued his offensive showcase, nailing the lone goal in the third minute against Buffalo to earn the team’s first win of the season. Josh Butzke ’14 set up the corner kick that found John Miller ’15, who launched the ball back into the box where Thorsheim scored off an initial deflection by a Buffalo defender. The Orange and Blue held a 16-8 shot advantage, and Alli protected the shutout by rejecting a follow-up attempt in the 10th minute of the game.

“We had three games in the matter of five days last week, which was very physically demanding, and we were able to fight through the soreness and win two of the three. The two wins came from pure passion and toughness, compared to the two losses earlier in the week that were disappointing and were truly unlucky,” goalie Mike Lansing ’16 said.

The Bison evened their season record at 2-2 following their victory over La Salle. After the Explorers scored in the 30th minute, Thorsheim registered a penalty kick goal in the second half to tie the match. In the 73rd minute, Patrick Figgie ’16 split two defenders and delivered a nice cross pass to Jesse Klug ’16 who earned his first goal of the season and gave the Orange and Blue their second win in a row.

In the Bison’s first four games, they have outshot opponents 78-32, while Thorsheim has scored four of the Orange and Blue’s five goals.

“It’s great to come back from two unfortunate losses. I am playing much higher up the field this year to support our one forward. This allows me to be in between their midfield and backs which gives me a lot of space to turn and create chances going forward,” Thorsheim said.

The team hits the road to face Albany tonight at 8, followed by a match at Siena on Sept. 15.