Category: Sports

Categories
Sports

Men’s soccer winless at Charleston

By Joe Ruby

Contributing Writer

The men’s soccer team suffered a pair of losses this weekend at the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Tournament, losing 4-0 to host College of Charleston  (4-2-1) and 2-1 to Furman (4-2-0). Ross Liberati ’11 scored the sole goal for the Bison and was named to the all-tournament team along with Travis Rand ’11. Wednesday’s scheduled game against Saint Francis (Pa.) was postponed indefinitely.

On Friday night, the Bison fell behind College of Charleston in the 20th minute when Sean De Silva tucked a ball inside the far post for his first goal of the year. Tony Kattreh gave the Cougars a two-goal edge with 1:26 remaining in the first half. Tommy Caso ’12 stopped three of five shots on goal in the first half.

College of Charleston managed another two tallies in the second half, both off Francis Twohig. The first came at 68:24, when Twohig overcame a difficult angle to beat substitute keeper Marc Hartmann ’12. The final score came in the 74th minute when Twohig put a shot past Orman Kimbrough ’14, the third Bison keeper to see action. The goals were Twohig’s third and fourth of the year.

In the second game of the tournament, Liberati scored his third goal of the year, assisted by Mayowa Alli ’14, to tie the game at 1-1 in the 67th minute. Alli sent a throw-in to Liberati, who headed it past the goalkeeper at the near post.

Furman scored the deciding goal just four minutes later when Michael Channel netted his second of the game. A defensive miscue gave Channel a breakaway, and the first-year chipped the ball over Caso to put the Paladins up for good.

College of Charleston outshot the Bison 17-14 and Furman outshot them 9-7. The Bison only managed one corner kick to College of Charleston’s six, but had a 6-2 advantage against the Paladins.

The Bison led Saint Francis 1-0 on Wednesday before thunderstorms forced the game to be postponed 22 minutes in. Liberati scored the goal for the Orange and Blue off an assist from Brendan Burgdorf ’13.

The Bison (2-4-0) travel to Washington, D.C. to play American University on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and return home to take on Drexel at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Categories
Sports

Volleyball heads into league play

By Cooper Sutton

Contributing Writer

The women’s volleyball team finished its non-league schedule poorly this weekend, losing three matches by a combined score of 9-1 in the Columbia Classic in New York.

The Bison lost their first match of the tournament on Friday against Fairleigh Dickinson. They dropped the remaining two matches on Saturday, losing to Columbia and Fordham. The Bison won one game against Fordham.

“Although we didn’t pull out a win, we still had moments of awesome volleyball—we just weren’t able to string points together,” Heidi Kamp ’11 said.

Ragin Jackson ’11 was named to the All-Tournament Team for the second week in a row. The middle hitter recorded 16 kills and 11 blocks in her three games. Coming into the weekend Jackson had a hitting percentage of .291, high enough to rank fourth in the Patriot League.

The Bison‘s record now stands at 2-10.

The team’s best hope for a win came in the final match of the tournament against 8-7 Fordham. The first set featured 60 hard-fought points, but the Orange and Blue finally came out on top, 31-29. But the Bison failed to capitalize on their momentum. Fordham regrouped and won the next three sets consecutively.

The other two matches were less competitive. Against Columbia, the Bison hit a staggeringly low percentage of .019, after hitting .110 against Fairleigh Dickinson. Columbia out-hit the Bison by over .150 points, and the knights of FDU posted a hitting percentage that was .200 points better.

In the end, this weekend should only help the team, which starts its Patriot League schedule today. The team’s non-league schedule has been unusually tough; this weekend’s opponents had an overall record of 19-17.

Although the Bison have not found success thus far, the team remains optimistic.

“This weekend was another learning experience for the team. Although the results didn’t show it, the team has made strides… We all need to realize the potential and talent we have and start executing our skills in order to be on our way to a Patriot League Championship,” Kat Tauscher ’13 said.

Categories
Sports

Tennis teams capture four singles titles

By Joyce Novacek

Contributing Writer

The men’s and women’s tennis teams opened their seasons with impressive appearances at their respective tournaments last weekend. The men earned two singles titles in the Northeast Intercollegiate in Providence, R.I., while the women claimed two titles in the Bucknell Invitational.

For the men’s team, Scott Bernstein ’14 and Kelly Morque ’13 each won their singles draws and finished the weekend undefeated in singles play.

Bernstein defeated Marist’s Jacob Solley in straight sets to earn his first career title in his debut tournament.

After losing the first set in the Indigo Draw 6-3, Morque came from behind to win the second set and clinched his first tournament title by defeating Norman Gelman from Bryant in a 10-6  tiebreak.

“The team’s mentality going into the weekend was to compete hard and have fun,” Morque said. “Obviously it feels great to win the title, but I know at the same time that it’s just the beginning of the season and there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Elena Vidrascu ’14 won the Flight C Singles Draw for the women’s team in her tournament debut. Dumitrita Iepuras ’12 and Courtney Casey ’11 also won their singles back draws. Dara Dwojewski ’11 and Lauren Rottkamp ’11 won a doubles title by default.

Vidrascu finished the weekend undefeated in singles play, going 4-0 in the tournament. She defeated Maddie Bittner of Duquesne two sets in a row to earn her title.

In the Flight A Singles Back Draw, Iepuras ultimately overcame Lauren Clifton of Hofstra in a super tiebreak, defeating Clifton 11-9.

Casey defeated teammate Jennie Ciotti ’13 in straight sets to win the Flight C Singles back draw.

“It was very exciting winning my first title, especially because I wasn’t that confident with my match play coming into the tournament,” Vidrascu said. “I felt as if my level progressed with each match that I played, and towards the end I had a pretty good rhythm, especially with my serve.”

She also partially attributed her win to the support of her teammates.

“I was tight playing my first match in doubles and singles, but soon after I loosened up. I think it was the atmosphere of the tournament … just being with my teammates helped with keeping things fun and relaxed, not stressful or anything,” she said.

This weekend, the men’s team heads to Connecticut for the UConn Invitational and the women’s team travels to West Point to compete in the Eastern Championships, hosted by Army.

Categories
Sports

Golf sets records

By Rob Duffy

Managing Editor

The women’s golf team scored a school-record 296 on Sunday to take first place in the Bucknell Invitational. The record-setting final round capped a remarkable weekend for the Bison, who tied the previous record with a 303 in the first round Saturday and nearly again with a 304 in the second round later that day. The team’s total score of 903 beat the previous program record by 40 strokes.

The Bison earned their second tournament win in program history and first since 2006, beating defending champion William and Mary by 19 strokes.

Katie Jurenovich ’11 tied the individual program record with an even-par 70 in the final round. Jurenovich won a four-hole playoff to become tournament champion after her three-round score of 221 tied Jeanne Waters of Rutgers.

Minjoo Lee ’12, who held the individual lead by one stroke at the end of the first day, finished third overall, one stroke behind Jurenovich and Waters.

Lauren Bernard ’14 and Kasha Scott ’14, who finished tied for 15th with 233, and Bridget Wilcox ’14, who finished tied for 31st with 241, also contributed to the victory.

The Bison will next travel to Wisconsin next weekend to compete in the Badger Invitational.

Categories
Sports

Bachman ’12 shoots 66, ties record

By Eric Brod

Senior Writer

The men’s golf team finished second last weekend at the Colgate Invitational to open the 2010 season. On day two of the tournament, Will Bachman ’12 tied a program record with a score of six-under-par.

The team finished with a 36-hole total of 616, 10 strokes behind winner Colgate. The Orange and Blue were in second after round one of the tournament. Bachman was the only member of the team to break par in round two.

“I knew I had played pretty poorly the day before so I just forgot about that round and tried to play my best the second round,” Bachman said. “The course was wet, though, which made the greens more accessible.  The greens at Colgate’s course are pretty tricky, so a wetter course was an advantage in that regard because it made it easier to go for more pins.”

Ben Mattingly ’11 followed up his two-over-par 74 on Saturday with an 80 on Sunday, the second-best Bison score of the day. The individual winners of the tournament were Will Delano of Colgate and Kyle Kayturowski of Daemen with a one-under-par 143.

Despite the tough finish, Bachman sees a lot of positives for the team moving forward.

“As for the team, I think it’s always important to remember that we’re playing as a team and not as individuals,” he said. “In that sense it doesn’t matter so much what you shoot but how you do compared to your opponents.  Thinking about it that way takes some of the pressure off the individual player.  We have a lot of team chemistry; all the guys get along great and going to tournaments together is fun.”

The Bison return to action today when they host the Bucknell Invitational at the Bucknell Golf Course.

Categories
Sports

Football team still searching for offense

By Greg Stevenson

Senior Writer

The football team dropped to 0-2 for the 2010 season with a 14-3 defeat at Marist on Saturday. Another defensive performance went to waste as the Orange and Blue offense was limited to 159 total yards and just 56 yards on the ground.

“Our run game needs to improve to enable us to be successful as an offense,” Head Coach Joe Susan said. “We will continue to look at personnel to figure out who are our best players.”

For the first 20 minutes of the contest, the Red Foxes and the Bison traded possessions, preserving the scoreless tie. Marist had the best opportunity to produce points, driving 59 yards to the Bison seven-yard line with two minutes left in the first quarter, but could not convert a 24-yard field-goal.

The score remained tied until the nine-minute mark in the second quarter when a turnover by the Orange and Blue led to a Marist touchdown. An interception thrown by Bison quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 set the Red Foxes deep in Bison territory. Three plays later, Marist quarterback Tommy Reilly found James LaMacchia for a 16-yard touchdown through the air, giving the Red Foxes a seven-point lead.

The score remained unchanged until the final minute of the third quarter. After Reilly was sacked on a fourth-down try by Marist, the Bison turned in a 13-play, 58-yarder that got them deep inside the red zone. Although they had a first-and-goal from the one-yard line, the Orange and Blue had to settle for a field goal by kicker Drew Orth ’12 to cut the Marist advantage to 7-3.

The Red Foxes parlayed the momentum they picked up after stopping the Bison on three straight plays from inside the one-yard line into a touchdown on the next drive. The Marist offense went 73 yards in 12 plays, with running back Ryan Dinnebeil extending the lead to 14-3 with a one-yard touchdown run.

Marist ran out the clock on their final possession, securing the Red Foxes’ first win over the Bison in six tries.

Looking to end their two-game losing streak, the Orange and Blue football squad will return home this weekend to face its Ivy League foe, the Dartmouth Big Green. Kickoff for Dartmouth’s season opener is 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Bison are hoping to reverse their fortunes at home.

“It will be great to play at home,” Susan said. “I have always thought that this is one of the best places to play. I hope that students will come out to support their team. We need to make Mathewson Stadium a home field advantage.”

Categories
Sports

Field hockey wins at home

By Joyce Novacek

Contributing Writer

The field hockey team clenched its first victory this season and established a two-game winning streak in a pair of home games this week. The Bison field hockey team shut out Cornell on Saturday and Towson on Sunday with scores of 3-0 and 4-0, respectively.

Earning their first win against the Big Red, the Bison got off to a tremendous start when Rachel Misko ’14 netted her first career goal less than three minutes into the game.

About 10 minutes later, co-captain Kelly Bruvik ’11 scored an unassisted goal, propelling the Bison to a two goal lead. With this impressive score, Bruvik tallied her 18th career goal, putting her into a tie for 13th-place on the all-time career goals scored in program history.

Bruvik reflected on the victory compared to the team’s previous losses.

“The Cornell game was different in that we collectively played great hockey for an entire 70 minutes. For the first time this season, we really focused on our own offensive and defensive goals instead of adjusting our style of play based on our opponent,” she said.

Unrelenting despite their two-goal lead, the Orange and Blue drew a corner with five seconds remaining in the first half. Christine Weiss ’11 executed the penalty corner and scored, sending the Bison into halftime with momentum that carried them into a strong second half. Weiss’ goal was assisted by Mallory Smith ’12 and Corinne Raczek ’11, who is now three assists away from tying the school record for career assists, currently held by Amanda Faust ’09.

Bison defense shut down the Big Red’s efforts in the second half. Goalkeeper Sarah Zargarpour ’12 counted six saves on the game.

“Our mentality going into the Cornell game was to make a statement about who we are and what we can do on the field and as a team,” Zargarpour said. Their statement extended into Sunday’s competition, when Zargarpour and the Bison defense kept the Towson Tigers scoreless.

Offensively, Morgan Kauffman ’11 led the way for the Bison on Sunday, scoring two goals against Towson in the first half. Her first came about 15 minutes into the game, on a Bison breakaway and an assist from Bruvik.

“The momentum from the Cornell game undoubtedly carried over into the win [Sunday]” Bruvik said.

Continuing her scoring streak from Saturday, Bruvik scored a goal in the second half of Sunday’s game, along with teammate Tayler Siegrist ’13. Siegrist’s goal, her second of the season, and the fourth Bison goal of the game, forced Towson to pull their starting goalie from the match.

The Bison outshot the Tigers 21-8 and snapped Towson’s three-game winning streak.

The Orange and Blue continue their home stand this weekend, facing Sacred Heart on Saturday and Indiana on Sunday. Both games will start at 1 p.m. at Graham Field.

Categories
Featured Sports

Volleyball gets win at Canisius

By Cooper Sutton

Contributing Writer

The women’s volleyball team played three matches at the Niagara/Canisius Invitational this past weekend, winning against Canisius but losing against Indiana and Niagara.

The Bison started the tournament poorly, losing in three straight sets to Niagara. Young players kept the Bison afloat, as Ragin Jackson ’13 and Morgan Mientus ’14 both posted hitting percentages of nearly .500 apiece.

The team struggled even more against Indiana. The Bison failed to score more than 18 points in any set and was out-hit .271 to .013. “The Indiana match was a tough loss, the energy was definitely not there, and we lost focus,” Mientus said. Indiana came into the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record.

The highlight of the tournament came against Canisius in a 3-1 victory. The Bison came out strong, taking the first set 25-22. After losing an extremely close second set, the team took off, winning the following two sets for its second victory. This turnout was the Bison’s “most solid match of the season,” Mientus said.

Even with a record of 2-7, the team still believes it can turn things around.

The most notable Bison feat of the tournament belonged to Jackson, who was named to the All-Tournament Team. “Getting named to the All-Tournament team was definitely due to my team having my back and pushing me to be my best, and all of us playing well,” Jackson said. She tallied 19 kills in the tournament, 14 of which came in the win against Canisius.

The team will need Jackson’s help again this weekend to perform well at the Columbia Classic, where they will play Columbia, Fordham and Fairleigh Dickinson.

Categories
Featured Sports

Offense propels Bison to four wins

By Chris McCree

Contributing Writer

The men’s water polo team went 4-1 at the Bucknell Invitational this past weekend. The team hosted an eight-team invitational and played five games over three days. The Bison cruised by Toronto, Diablo Valley and Penn State Behrend in their first three contests, but faced stiffer competition in their next two contests, beating Brown and losing to No. 16 St. Francis.

Beau Caillouette ’12 was an offensive stud for the Bison with 10 goals over the weekend. He scored four goals Friday to lead the team to a 15-4 defeat against Toronto.

Brian Barron ’13 and Captain Richie Hayden ’11 each had five goals to contribute to the high-powered Bison attack. Over five games, the Bison scored a total of 74 goals, including a 26-goal outburst against Penn State Behrend.

“The invitational went well, but we need to improve our team defense so that we are able to hold teams to under seven goals,” Hayden said. After holding Toronto to four goals and Penn State Behrend to three in their first two games, the Bison defense let up nine goals in each of their last three games.

The highlight of the weekend was the team’s 13-9 victory over Brown. Brown had outscored its previous two opponents by a margin of 22-11. The Bison jumped to an early 3-0 lead thanks to two goals by Paul Reamey ’11 in the first period. Hayden upped the intensity by causing two Brown players to get ejected from the game. Brown was able to bounce back thanks to a four-goal effort by senior Gordon Hood, but the Bison defense proved to be too much for Brown to complete the comeback.

The Bison concluded their weekend with a 9-5 loss against St. Francis. Although they were tied with the Terriers at the half, the Orange and Blue were outscored 6-2 in the second half.

“We struggled to execute our game plan and it hurt our overall performance,” Hayden said.

The Bison plan to use this weekend as a launching point for the rest of the season.

“I think we have a bright season ahead,” Hayden said. “We have the raw talent to be successful, but when it comes to winning championships, we need to master our defense if we want to be successful. If we can come together as a team and execute our game plan, we will be successful come November.”

Now 6-2 , the Bison will play in the ECAC championship next weekend as a number-one seed and then will begin their conference events upon their return.

Categories
Sports

Women’s soccer struggles continue

By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

It was a tough week for the women’s soccer team, which dropped a 2-1 decision at St. Francis in overtime Friday and lost at Penn State 5-1 Wednesday.

Against St. Francis, Christa Matlack ’11 scored just five minutes into the game. This did not deter the Red Flash, who were able to equalize the score just 10 minutes later at 1-1.

Goalie Sandita McDermott ’13 finished with seven saves. Casey Crowley ’12 also cleared a ball that was resting on the line.

In overtime, Kelliann Doherty ’11 rocketed a shot wide of the goal. At the 3:08 mark in sudden death, St. Francis rocketed a shot into the upper right side. After a hard-fought battle, the Orange and Blue had to swallow a tough 2-1 loss.

In the first half of the Penn State game, the Bison were able to keep pace with the Big Ten powerhouse school. In the 24th minute Penn State jumped to a 1-0 lead.

In the second half, the Bison were unable to contain the Penn State attack as they scored three goals in 11 minutes. Matlack attempted to bring the Bison back into the game with a goal in the 70th minute.

The Nittany Lions sealed the game five minutes later as they scored their fifth goal of the game to bring the score to 5-1. “These games have really showed us where we need to grow as a team. I am confident that the lessons we learn will come forward during the rest of the season,” Doherty said.

“We are gearing up for the remainder of the season and we are certain that we will bring 100 percent to the rest of our games,” Jules Harris ’11 said.

The Bison will be in action next for two home games against Mt. St Mary’s and Cornell.