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Men’s soccer wins one

By Joe Ruby

Contributing Writer

The men’s soccer team split a pair of games this week, defeating Drexel (4-3-1) by a 2-1 margin in double overtime at home on Tuesday after dropping the Patriot League opener 3-1 at American (4-3-0, 1-0-0) on the previous Saturday.

Brendan Burgdorf ’13 and Josh Plump ’13 scored in the come-from-behind victory and Brendan Klebanoff ’12 scored his first career goal in the loss.

Burgdorf’s goal against the Dragons tied the game at 1-1 with 1:23 remaining in regulation. Burgdorf took a throw-in from Joe Meyer ’14 and blasted a long shot that curved just inside the post. After a scoreless first overtime period, the Bison clinched the win when Plump scored his second goal of the year 23 seconds into the second half. The forward stole the ball from a Drexel defender, dribbled down the sideline to cross into the box, and hit a shot from 15 yards out.

The Bison were trailing after Drexel’s Anthony Bafile scored with 2:07 remaining in the first half. Andrew Goldberg’s shot hit the crossbar, but Bafile was in position to head in his third goal of the season. Marc Hartmann ’12 turned away three shots, including one with seconds remaining in regulation and another in the first overtime period. The Bison outshot the Dragons 16-13 and earned three corner kicks to Drexel’s two.

On Saturday, the Bison’s troubles on the road continued as American scored the first three goals of the contest before Klebanoff’s tally for the Bison.

Mike Worden provided the opening goal at the 25:47 mark, cleaning up a loose ball near the net. Nick Kapus added another for the Eagles 13 minutes later, scoring his first of the year off of a cross from Jack Scott, who also assisted the first goal. American added to its lead in the eighth minute of the second half when Cristobal Soto connected on a long shot that put the game largely out of reach for the Bison.

Klebanoff, who missed the entire 2009 season because of an injury, tallied his first career goal at the 57:21 mark on a pass from Andrew Powell ’12. The Bison outshot the Eagles 24-14 and held a 14-0 advantage in corner kicks but could not capitalize on their many opportunities.

The Bison (3-5-0, 0-1-0) play at home on Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., taking on Navy in a Patriot League match-up. The team also hosts UMBC on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.

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Tennis shines over weekend

By Rob Duffy

Managing Editor

Kyle Rosen ’14 and Scott Bernstein ’14 defeated two teammates to win Flight B doubles and three Bison made the finals in singles as the men’s tennis team had a strong outing at the UConn Invitational last weekend. The women’s team also sent two doubles pairs to the quarterfinals in the Eastern Championships in West Point, N.Y.

Rosen and Bernstein’s victory came by an 8-5 decision against Gregg Cohenca ’12 and Mark Mallory ’11 on Saturday. Rosen and Bernstein made the finals following 8-4 victories in the semifinals and second round, and an 8-1 first-round victory on Friday.

“I am very excited for the kind of doubles Kyle and I are playing,” Bernstein said. “Our strategy is to be smart and aggressive, and at the same time to have fun on the court. Our chemistry is becoming stronger and we understand each other’s games better with every match.”

Rosen and Bernstein have quickly clicked as a doubles team. At the same time, the all-Bison final showcases the strength of the program.

“Scotty and I work very well together on court and have a certain dynamic when we play that, I think, is very rare to find with a team that has been together for such a short amount of time,” Rosen said. “It’s also great to me that we ended up playing our own teammates in the final because it goes to show how well Bucknell did in the tournament this weekend.”

In singles play, Bernstein and Kelly Morque ’13 secured another all-Bison final in Flight C. Morque defeated an opponent from UConn in two sets to reach the finals. After losing the first set to his opponent from Bryant University 5-7, Bernstein won the second 6-0 and the third 10-6. The tournament was suspended due to darkness before the final could be played.

Evan Zimmer ’13 lost in the finals of Flight B singles, falling victim to a 10-7 third-set tiebreaker against UConn’s Dave Adams. The final was nearly another all-Bison matchup, as Adams took Josh Katten ’13 deep into a third-set tiebreaker before finally prevailing, 17-15.

At the Eastern Championships, the Bison women’s doubles teams of Dumitria Iepuras ’12 and Elena Vidrascu ’14 and Courtney Casey ’12 and Lauren Rottkamp ’11 each made it to the quarterfinals before losing by decisions of 8-3, Casey and Rottkamp against the tournament’s fourth-seeded pair.

“I believe that the team is doing very well,” Iepuras said. “I can see an improvement every weekend and I am confident that we will keep up the good work till the last Patriot League match this year.”

This weekend, both teams will return home to compete in the Bucknell Invitational, which begins today and continues all weekend.

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Three straight losses for men’s water polo

By Chris McCree

Contributing Writer

The men’s water polo team began league games with three road losses this weekend against Johns Hopkins, No. 18 Navy and George Washington. With the losses, the Bison extended their losing streak to five games and fell to the bottom of the CWPA Southern Division. The Orange and Blue played tough games against all of their opponents but fell short in the last minutes of each contest.

The Orange and Blue began the weekend with a 13-12 loss during their Friday night match-up against Johns Hopkins. The Bison, who were able to overcome a three-goal deficit at the half, fell victim to a game-winning goal by Hopkins’ Ross Schofield with two seconds left on the clock.

Richie Hyden ’11 totaled career highs of nine points and six goals against the Blue Jays. Spencer Richley ’12, Brian Barron ’13 and Paul Reamey ’11 each chipped in two goals.

The combined effort of goalkeepers Miles Gilhuly ’11 and Matt Napleton ’13 produced a season-high 14 saves for the Bison.

During a heated match-up on Saturday against Navy, the Bison’s comeback attempt fell short in a 10-9 loss. After falling behind 8-3 in the first half, the Bison were able to outscore Navy 6-2 in the second half to get it to 10-9 but couldn’t manage another goal. Hyden, Barron and Howie Kalter ’11 had multi-goal games.

After defeating the Colonials 21-3 just a week earlier in Boston, the Bison were defeated 10-7. The Bison matched the Colonials goal-for-goal through three quarters but were outscored 3-0 in the fourth to end a disappointing weekend.

Poor play on the defensive end seems to be the team’s Achilles’ heel this season.

“Everything starts with our defense, which we did not do a great job with,” Sean Coghlan ’11 said.

Over the team’s three games, the Bison defense gave up a combined 33 goals.

“The team is going through some growing pains at the moment. The guys’ lack of trust in our game plan and each other cost us some close games this weekend,” team captain Hyden said.

The Bison are off this weekend but play Princeton on Oct. 9.

“We have … two weeks of good practice to work out the kinks and more forward from here,” Hyden said. “The next two weeks of practice are vital if we want to be successful come championship season.”

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Women’s soccer snaps nine-game losing streak

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The Bison women’s soccer team suffered a 1-0 loss at Marist on Friday but rebounded at home against Iona with a 2-1 victory on Sunday, breaking a nine-game losing streak in the process.

The team attempted shot after shot on the Marist goalie in the first half but Brooke Stokes ’11 and Christa Matlack ’11 both narrowly missed scoring for the Orange and Blue.

Bison goalie Sandita McDermott ’13 kept the score close with nine saves, but the Red Foxes cracked the scoreboard in the 41st minute on a direct kick.

In the second half, the Bison were stifled by Marist’s defense and were unable to score. McDermott continued to keep the game close,  stopping a breakaway in the 75th minute, but the Orange and Blue could not capitalize on their offensive opportunities.

On Sunday, the Orange and Blue got off to a fast start against Iona. Throughout the first half both teams had opportunities to put the ball into the back of the net. Kelliann Doherty ’11 had shots early in the game to set the tempo for the home team.

“We knew that applying pressure early would put us on the way towards a win,” Doherty said.

In the second half, Caitlin Holtz ’11 ended the scoring drought for the team in the 62nd minute, burying a shot past the Iona keeper. Just over a minute later, Liz Dwornik ’14 scored another goal for the Bison to give the team a comfortable cushion.

Iona was only able to muster one goal in the second half. The Orange and Blue held Iona in check and as the final whistle blew the Bison came away with a 2-1 victory.

“The feeling of getting a win going into Patriot League play is a great one as it helps us build for our eventual goals,” Jules Harris ’11 said.

The Bison open Patriot League play with a home match against the American Eagles on Saturday at 12 p.m.

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Volleyball wins to open up league play

By Cooper Sutton

Sports Editor

After a tough schedule to begin the year, the women’s volleyball team began Patriot League play with two home games last weekend. The women lost a match on Friday against American University 3-1 but won 3-2 on Saturday against Navy.

The Bison came into their match against American having already faced solid competition outside of the Patriot League. The team only posted a record of 2-10, but it grew more unified and competitive as a result.

This competitiveness was apparent as soon as the Orange and Blue took the court in their first league action of 2010. Facing a very tough American University team (12-2), the Bison came out firing on all cylinders.

The energy was apparent as the team jumped out to an early lead in the first set and had the set firmly in the grasp with a score of 23-19. But the Eagles showed their winning mentality, taking the next six points consecutively to win the set.

“We came out strong against a very tough American squad on Friday night.  Not only did we have a great game plan, but our overall execution was solid.  If we did a better job of closing out the first set, I thought we could have taken the match,” head coach Cindy Opalski said.

Heidi Kamp ’11 and Ragin Jackson ’13 both posted hitting percentages of over .300. As a team, the Bison did not hit well, averaging .113; American’s average was .211.

The team fared much better in the second match. The Navy Midshipmen took the Orange and Blue down to the wire, but the Bison finished the fifth and final set ahead 17-15.

The Bison narrowly out-hit their opponent .178 to .167. The team owes much of its success to Kamp, who had an impressive 21 kills and a hitting percentage of .459. The highest Midshipmen hitting percentage was .286.

Kamp was very happy with the team’s performance. “Saturday’s match found our Bucknell team in the most fluid cohesion I have yet to feel this season, and the victory certainly left an incredibly sweet taste in our mouths for the remainder of the weekend,” she said.

This week the Bison will return to the road to face Lafayette and Lehigh.

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Women’s soccer loses two at home

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The women’s soccer team suffered two tough losses at home this week, losing to Cornell 2-0 Sunday and to Mount St. Mary’s 3-0 on Wednesday.

The Bison and the Big Red traded blows in the first half but neither scored. The Ivy League school decided to quicken the pace in the second half, but Colleen Garrehy ’12 made three saves to preserve the stalemate.

Cornell scored at the 57:17 mark as a midfielder ripped a shot past Garrehy. The Bison almost equalized later in the half when Liz Dwornik ’14 found open space in the penalty area but Cornell’s goalie made a save to deter the effort.

Although Cornell scored again in the 71st minute, the Bison kept battling. Kelliann Doherty ’11 was robbed by the Cornell goalie with less than nine minutes to play as a lunging save preserved the shutout for the Bison.

“We are still not fully healthy, but when our team gets up to full speed we should be quite a force,” Doherty said.

In the game against Mount St Mary’s the Bison punished their opponent with 21 shots. The Mount goalkeeper was stalwart, making eight saves to secure the shutout for the visiting team.

In the first half the Bison played to a 0-0 score but controlled the pace most of the time. Mount St. Mary’s played an extremely physical game, with 18 fouls called against them compared to the Bison’s four.

In the second half Mount St. Mary’s exploded for a flurry of goals beginning in the 58th minute. By the time the home team had a chance to look up, Mount St. Mary’s had tacked on three goals in 10 minutes. The Bison dropped the contest 3-0.

The Bison will have one more weekend of non-Patriot League action as they play Marist and Iona before they begin their quest for a league title.

“We are very optimistic going into the Patriot League and we know that these games will help us be great in the long run,” Jules Harris ’11 said.

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Second-half collapse ruins home debut

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

The Dartmouth Big Green routed the Orange and Blue football team 43-20 in the home opener at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Bison led 20-9 at halftime but the Big Green put up 34 unanswered points in the second half to seal the win. The loss leaves the Bison (0-3) without a win in 2010.

“We always speak to our team about how the game is actually two games,” Head Coach Joe Susan said. “The first half and second half wind up being two separate entities. [Dartmouth] scored right before the end of the first half, received in the second half and drove down the field to score. Momentum shifted and we did not answer.”

Despite the lopsided victory, the Orange and Blue turned in their best offensive performance of the year, doubling their scoring output for the season. Rookies Brandon Wesley ’14 and Victor Walker ’14 provided the offensive punch for the Bison in the first half. Quarterback Wesley threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, while receiver Walker recorded over 100 yards receiving, including two big receptions to set up scores.

The Orange and Blue opened the scoring early in the first quarter, driving 60 yards in 12 plays, to set up a field goal by kicker Drew Orth ’12. Orth is the leading scorer for the Bison this season.

The Orange and Blue got the ball back three minutes later after an interception by Derrick Palmer ’14. The Bison capitalized on the Dartmouth mistake, as Wesley found Travis Friend ’14 for a two-yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 10-0.

It took Dartmouth over 22 minutes and 13 Bison points to find the end zone, cutting the Orange and Blue lead to 13-6 with less than seven minutes remaining in the first half. The Bison answered 40 seconds later as Wesley connected with Terna Ityokumbul ’13 for a six-yard touchdown, giving the Orange and Blue a two touchdown advantage.

Dartmouth cut the halftime lead to 11 with a field goal late in the first half, was enough of a momentum shift to get the Big Green going.

“In some ways, a young team with an 11-point lead at halftime might think it is going to be easy,” Susan said. “Thirty minutes is a long time in this game. We, as a staff, kept emphasizing that during halftime.”

The second half was a nightmare for the Bison, as Dartmouth recorded 310 total yards of offense and 34 points while the Orange and Blue scored no points. Dartmouth’s Nick Schwieger carried the offensive load, registering 273 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including the score that gave the Big Green the lead for good.

The Bison are looking forward to a much-needed bye week this weekend. With an explosive Cornell team next on the schedule, the Orange and Blue will be spending the open weekend preparing for their remaining games.

“The bye week will be very important for us to concentrate on fundamentals,” Susan said. “We will also try some new things offensively and defensively.”

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Water polo takes fourth at ECAC tourney

By Chris McCree

Contributing Writer

The top-seeded men’s water polo team lost two out of three games last weekend at the ECAC Championships at Harvard University but managed to finish in the top five for the seventh year in a row. The Bison claimed fourth place in a tough 12-team field consisting of schools from along the East Coast.

The Orange and Blue opened the tournament with a 21-3 victory over George Washington that featured four-goal performances by Jack Else ’14, Richie Hayden ’11 and Trevor Reitz ’14. The Bison eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the third time this season, and Hayden became the ninth player in school history to reach 200 goals for his career.

The Orange and Blue experienced an offensive stall after their first game as they managed only 13 goals combined in their final two games against Brown and Princeton. The Bison fell to Brown 11-7 during their semifinal matchup on Saturday after having beat Brown a week earlier at the Bucknell Invitational. Howie Kalter ’11 scored four goals. The Bison trailed the Bears the entire game but managed to cut the deficit to one through three periods, but were outscored by the Bears 3-0 in the fourth.

Bison offense struggled during their third-place game against second-seeded Princeton. Sean Coghlan ’11 scored twice and was the team’s only multiple-goal scorer in the 9-6 loss. On paper, this game was the Bison’s toughest matchup as Princeton came into the tournament ranked 17th in the nation. The Orange and Blue played tight in the first half, but the defense could not keep up with the Tigers late in the game.

Inconsistent play on defense has troubled the team all season. The Bison have surrendered nine goals or more seven times this season.

“We need to improve our team defense so that we can hold teams to under seven goals,” Hayden said.  The Bison are 5-0 in games where they have held teams to under seven goals.

After going 1-2 this weekend in Boston, the Bison are 7-4 and are about to enter a crucial part of their season. This weekend the Orange and Blue travel south to Maryland and Washington, D.C. to play three games against league rivals Johns Hopkins, Navy and George Washington. The Bison have yet to play Johns Hopkins or Navy this season but are 1-0 against George Washington.

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Women’s XC wins tri-meet

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The women’s cross country team earned its second consecutive victory to open the season, and the men’s team finished second when the Bison traveled to western Pennsylvania on Saturday for a tri-meet at Duquesne University against Duquesne and Pittsburgh.

The women completed the five–kilometer course with 18 points, while Duquesne finished with 40 and Pitt with 84. Stephanie Fulmer ’12 won her second consecutive race in 18:00, closely followed by teammate Sarah Moniz ’11 who finished second in 18:08.

“We had one of our hardest workouts last week,” Moniz said. “The workout last week helped to mentally prepare us all for the fast downhill mile at Schenley Park.”

Alysha Hooper ’12 (fourth overall), Kelly Grosskurth ’12 (fifth overall) and Alaina Chodoff ’11 (sixth overall) rounded out the scoring for the Bison, who placed all their scorers in the top 10.

The men finished second in their meet with 54 points, 36 points below first-place Duquesne, who totaled 18 points. Keith Sansone ’12 led the pack for the Bison, finishing eighth overall on the eight–kilometer course in 25:53.

“After going fast with the lead pack I just tried to hold on as long as possible and it ended up working out,” Sansone said. “The tempo of the race both helped and hurt me, I think. It allowed me to go out and run a fast time but because we went out so fast, at least for my liking, I ran out of steam late in the race and was unable to catch anyone late in the race.”

Chris Sacks ’14 finished ninth in 25:57. Evan Novakowski ’11 (10th overall), Robert Yamnicky ’13 ( 15th overall) and Christopher Boyd ’11 (16th overall), rounded out the top five for the team.

Both teams return to action on Oct. 1 to compete in the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Sansone knows it will be important for the pack to stay together in such a large race.

“When we go to Paul Short and run on its flat course I really think we can accomplish great things as long as we work as a team instead of just individual runners,” he said.

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Golf wins Bucknell Invite

By Rob Duffy

Managing Editor

The Golf Invitational

The men’s golf team came from behind to win the Bucknell Fall Invitational for the fourth straight year last weekend, defeating Robert Morris by a single stroke.

Robert Morris led by four following the first two rounds of the 54-hole event, posting a 299-285 (584) on Friday compared to the 293-295 (588) of the second-place Bison “orange” team. The Bison’s score rose to 300 in the final round on Saturday, but it was good enough to overcome Robert Morris, which shot 305.

The Bison ended with a team score of 888, compared to Robert Morris’ 889. Fordham came in third with a 894 and Lehigh and Laval were tied for fourth with 896s.

Thirteen teams competed in the field, including an additional Bison “blue” team that came in 11th, shooting 912, but posted the third-best score of the day on Saturday with a 299.

Jon Hartman ’13 of the “blue” team was the top finisher for either Bison team, finishing in second place with 214. After shooting 77 in the first round, Hartman finished with rounds of 68 and 69 to close the tournament. Hartman finished three strokes behind C. G. Mercatoris of Robert Morris, who was the individual champion.

Will Bachman ’12, J. J. Szmadzinski ’13 and Dan Bernard ’13 all led the “orange” team with three-round scores of 221, good for a tie for ninth place. Rounding out the “orange” team were Ben Mattingly ’11, who finished tied for 28th with a 227, and Andrew Wallisch ’11, who finished tied for 34th with a 229.

The remainder of the “blue” team included three first-years making their debuts. Schuyler Stitzer ’14 finished tied for 16th with a 224, while Matt Haller ’14 shot a 231 and Billy Wright ’14 shot a 243.

The Bison men travel to Ithaca, N.Y. this weekend to compete in the Cornell Invitational.

The women’s golf team was off this week and will travel to Madison, Wis. to compete in the Badger Invitational this weekend.