Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer fights for a draw

Chris McCree
Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team earned a 1-1 tie at Holy Cross last weekend, moving the team into a tie for fourth place in the Patriot League at 1-1-2. Josh Plump ’13 scored the Bison’s lone goal midway through the first half, but the team was not able to pull ahead despite outshooting the Crusaders 21-9.

“Even though we were really aiming for three points and the win Saturday, tying Holy Cross on the road was not the worst outcome,” Plump said. “The past few games we have come out flat in the first half, which has been a problem for us. We put together a decent second half, but could not find the back of the net.”

The Orange and Blue got off to a slow start, recording just four shots in the first half to the Crusaders’ five. Twenty-three minutes into the contest, Holy Cross’ Luke Melody took a corner kick out of the air and headed it into the back of the net to give the Crusaders the lead.

“It has been a constant weakness in the past couple of games; we start games very slowly. I believe we have conceded almost all of our goals in the first half,” Chris Thorsheim ’16 said. “Our strength has been our ability to respond and dominate the second halves of games.”

The Holy Cross lead was short-lived as Plump quickly knotted the game just four minutes later. On the play, Plump beat three defenders across the top of the box and fired a strike into the back of the net.

Going into the half at one goal apiece, the Orange and Blue came out in the second with a heightened aggression and dominated the half. The team outshot the Crusaders 11-1, but could not manage to get the go-ahead goal. In the closing minutes of the game, Thorsheim fired a very promising strike, but it bounced off of the goalpost, allowing the Crusaders to conserve the tie through the end of regulation.

In overtime, the Bison continued their offensive dominance and outshot their opponents 6-3. The team generated two solid scoring chances from Brendan Burgdorf ’13 and Jesse Klug ’16, but both were kept out by the Crusaders defense.

“We are a fit team capable of outscoring opponents with ease, except we have not been finishing our chances,” Thorsheim said. “In our past couple of games, we have outshot and created many chances. It’s putting these shots on goal that has been difficult for us.”

The tie represented the second straight for the Bison in Patriot League play after earning the same result against Navy on Oct. 6. The team has three league contests remaining on the schedule before the Patriot League tournament begins in early November. The first of these match-ups will occur tomorrow when the team hosts Army at 7 p.m.

“The Patriot League is still up for grabs,” Thorsheim said. “The next couple of games will be extremely important for us. These Patriot League challenges ahead will dictate whether we have the ability and the desire to become a championship team.”

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer shut out

Ajan Caneda
Copy Editor

After dropping its first conference game against Colgate on Sept. 29, the women’s soccer team bounced back to pick up home wins over Holy Cross and Army. Unfortunately, the Orange and Blue were unable to capitalize on its scoring opportunities against American, falling 1-0 to the Eagles on Senior Day. Seven seniors were honored, including midfielder Taryn Boucher ’13, who had a team high of seven shot attempts in the loss. Currently, the Bison are 9-7 overall, with a 2-2 record in Patriot League play.

“There was a lot of excitement going into the game, but we understood that it was important for us to stay focused on beating American,” Boucher said. “Unfortunately, although I think we were the better team, we could not come back from their goal in the first half. Sometimes that’s just the game of soccer.”

The Bison struggled on offense early, reeling off only three shot attempts in the first half. American countered with eight of their own and found the back of the net in the 25th minute for the 1-0 lead. Despite the low shot production, the Bison kept the pressure on with four corner kicks in the half.

In the second half, the Bison picked things up, trying to even the score. The Orange and Blue outshot the Eagles 11-4 in the half. This included a blocked shot attempt by Boucher that would have been the equalizer for the Bison. Despite the shot advantage for the Orange and Blue, American stayed strong in goal, not allowing anything to go past the net, including a Kayla Yee ’13 penalty kick that sailed over the goal post.

Goalie Sandita McDermott ’13 finished with three saves, while Boucher, Yee and Liz Dwornik ’14 combined for 12 of the Bison’s 14 shot attempts.

“It was definitely a hard loss, especially on Senior Day,” Yee said. “We started out slow in the first half and American capitalized on their chances. In the second half, I thought we were the better team but weren’t able to find the back of the net.”

Yee and McDermott reflected on their journeys as Bison soccer players.

“The past four years at Bucknell have been amazing. My teammates and coaches have been the best part of my experience … and I’m definitely going to miss them next year,” Yee said.

“Being a member of this team really embodies something so much more than yourself and allows you to not only grow as an individual but really grow with a group, particularly with the six other girls in my class. I would say that being a part of this team is what made my Bucknell experience as amazing as it is,” McDermott said.

The Bison start a three-game road trip against two Patriot League rivals this weekend. They will travel to Bethlehem, Pa. tonight to face Lehigh. On Sunday, the Orange and Blue will make their way to Easton, Pa. to battle Lafayette at 1 p.m.

“Although the loss was disappointing, our season is far from over. We have a really important weekend coming up versus Lehigh and Lafayette, and it’s important for us to put this defeat behind us and focus on winning our next three league games and securing our spot in the tournament,” Boucher said.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey shut out

Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

The field hockey team fought hard but eventually fell to No. 14 Lafayette on Oct. 13, suffering a 2-0 shutout against its Patriot League rival. The Orange and the Blue now have a 2-1 record in the Patriot League standings and an 8-7 record overall.

The Bison defense was tremendous throughout the game, holding Lafayette to just two shots in the first half and only one shot in the second half. Unfortunately, two of those well-placed shots managed to get past goalie Erica Perrine ’14, giving Lafayette a 1-0 lead in the first half and an insurance goal early in the second half.

“The game went very well other than the score,” head coach Jeremy Cook said. “They are ranked 14th in the nation for a reason, but we really played well and had them on the ropes for some of the first half and the majority of the second half.”

The Bison offense kept the pressure on the Leopards and proceeded to outshoot them 8-3, including a seven-shot outburst in the second half. Though none of the shots found the back of the net, it was clear that the Orange and the Blue offense was in control for most of the second half.

“[We] outshot them and out cornered them, but they were able to score and hold us off which is something Lafayette has done well all year against good teams,” Cook said. “We had all the right answers, just couldn’t find the back of the net. This does give us a lot of confidence heading in to the final couple weeks of play and the tournament … now we are all hoping we can earn a second shot at them in the title game.”

The Bison continue Patriot League play tomorrow with their final home game against Lehigh at noon. Tayler Siegrist ’13 and Kelly Stefanowicz ’13 will also be honored as part of the team’s Senior Day.

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo shines in close games

Estie Pyper | The Bucknellian
Attacker Julian Colina ’14 takes a shot on net. The Bison players made their shots count when it mattered most, especially in the last-second win against Princeton.

Scott Padula

Staff Writer

The men’s water polo team went 3-1 last weekend in a string of games when it hosted CWPA rivals Johns Hopkins, Navy, George Washington and No. 16 Princeton. The Bison are now 5-1 at home on the season.

On Oct. 13, the Orange and Blue began their home stint by defeating Johns Hopkins in overtime 12-10. The match was back and forth throughout, most notably marked by Matt Napleton ’13, who recorded 16 saves. In the field, the Orange and Blue had five different Bison tallying a pair of goals, with a total of seven Bison registering a point. Notable performances came from Jack Else ’14, who drew five ejections, and Brian Barron ’13, who won all six swim-offs, including two extremely important ones in overtime.

The second game against No. 14 Navy was Senior Night for the Orange and Blue. Led by senior captains Napleton and Barron, the Bison fought hard but fell to the Midshipmen 17-11. The contest was close for the majority of play, with the Orange and Blue only trailing by one entering the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Midshipmen outscored the Bison 6-1 in the final eight minutes of play. Despite the losing effort, the seniors saved some of their best performances of the weekend for this game. Barron found the back of the net eight times, recorded an assist and won two of his four sprints. Barron’s eight goal tally was the most by a Bison since 2000. In goal, Napleton stopped 11 shots in 32 minutes of action, and  additionally registered an assist in the game.

To kick off action on Oct. 14, the Orange and Blue defeated George Washington 13-8. The Bison outscored the Colonials 4-1 in the second quarter, giving them a three goal lead into the half. Alex Nowlin ’14 led the offense for the Bison, netting five goals and tallying two assists. Joining him with multi-point performances were three other Bison: Barron, Else and Stefan Aleksic ’16. Else also matched his career-high for ejections drawn in a game with six. In goal, Napleton made an impressive 15 saves.

In the final game of the weekend, the Orange and Blue defeated No. 16 Princeton 10-9. The Bison led in the first quarter 3-0 and took a 5-2 tie into the intermission. In the third quarter, the Bison held the three goal lead by matching Princeton’s three scores with three of their own. With 49 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter, Princeton tied the score at 9-9 with a buzzer-beating shot. The Bison responded when Else drew a five-meter penalty shot with 36 seconds left to play. Barron found the back of the net, giving the Orange and Blue an eventual win. Barron scoured four goals and registered an assist. Else and Kimble were also invaluable to the Bison, with four and three ejections drawn, respectively. In the cage, Napleton recorded 13 saves.

Next up for the Bison will be the Santa Clara Rodeo in Santa Clara, Calif. on Oct. 19-21.

Categories
Cross Country Cross Country Men Sports Women

Cross country divides forces

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Bison runners forge a path at the front of the pack. Pre-Nationals proved to be a tougher test for the Orange and Blue than the Gettysburg Invitational.

Billy Tyler
Contributing Writer

The men’s and women’s cross country teams divided their squads last weekend to compete at both Pre-Nationals in Louisville, Ky. and the Gettysburg Invitational in Gettysburg, Pa. The divided teams produced varying results at two premier events with extremely competitive fields.

Pre-Nationals, featuring a strong national caliber field, presented a tough test for the Orange and Blue. The men’s team goal to finish in the top half of the competitive field was hindered by some bad luck, in the form of several falls early in the race to key runners, including Glen Williams ’15 and D.J. Krystek ’13. John Dugan ’15 managed to finish the eight-kilometer course strongly coming in 146th place with a time of 24:48.3. He was followed by Michael McGowan ’15 in 177th (25:05.1), Charles Seigneur ’13 in 188th (25:08.4), Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 in 190th (25:10.1) and Tyler Erhard ’14 in 243rd (25:54.7).

“[The falls] really cost our team quite a bit,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

Donner is still confident his team gained valuable experience from the event and will bounce back to perform well at the Patriot League Championships.

The women’s team had similar results in the event, which featured a fast and aggressive field. The quick pace left several members of the Bison struggling to sustain the tempo in the last bit of the six-kilometer race. Leading the way for the Bison was Caroline Tolli ’13, who finished 13th overall with a time of 21:47.

Both teams fared better at the Gettysburg Invitational. The men’s team had a second place finish out a field of 35 teams. The team also had two members finish in the top 20 in of the eight-kilometer race, with Andrew Kuchta ’16 (26:02) and David Strauss ’14 (26:09) taking ninth and 18th place, respectively. The Bison finished the event with a total of 70 points, second only to Lock Haven with 50 points.

The women’s team had an equally strong result at the event, taking the third place spot in a field of 36 schools. Just as with the men’s team, the women’s team was led by members finishing in the top 20, with Becky Snelson ’15 (23:13) taking 17th place and Emily Waksmunski ’14 (23:18) taking 19th place.

“Overall, everyone ran really well this weekend, and I think it was a good confidence booster to have this as our last meet before Leagues,” Snelson said.

Many of these reserves provided solid results and several were able to earn spots on the travel roster for the team’s next event, the Patriot League Championships, which will take place on Oct. 27 in Hamilton, N.Y.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis Tennis Women

Tennis duos shine

 

Chloe Chou | The Bucknellian
Maria Cioffi ’16 extends to reach the ball. She had a strong weekend for the Bison individually and in her double play with Elenca Vidrascu ’14

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

Men’s tennis teammates Chris Tortora ’14 and Jonathan DeFrancesch ’15 and women’s tennis teammates Maria Cioffi ’16 and Elena Vidrascu ’14 saw success in doubles and singles play in the Lehigh Invitational last weekend.

Tortora and DeFrancesch together accounted for seven of the team’s 15 wins over the weekend after each went 2-0 in singles play as well as combining for a 3-0 doubles record, including a highly-contested 9-7 win over Lehigh.

“This was the second tournament that Johnny [DeFrancesch] and I have played together in, and we keep making strides in improvement,” Tortora said. “Johnny is an energetic player and that really helped me get my blood flowing. We beat our opponents more so because of our high levels of intensity than anything else.”

Evan Zimmer ’13 also had a good weekend as his 1-1 singles record and 2-1 doubles record with partner Josh Katten ’13 moved him up three spots to fourth place on the Bison’s all-time win list. He is now 119-63 in his career with the Orange and Blue.

“This weekend went very well for not only me, but the team as a whole,” Tortora said.  “We got to match up our lineup versus some quality opponents and we fared very well. I was able to be effective with my serve and I stayed mentally tough throughout all of my matches.”

On the women’s side, Cioffi and Vidrascu had similar success as a duo and as singles. They went 2-1 in doubles after two tight 9-8 wins against Lehigh opponents. They are now 10-3 together on the season. Cioffi also went 2-0 in singles with defeats of Delaware and Lehigh.

Although Vidrascu was unable to get a win in singles, her doubles success moved her up to a tie for 18th place on the Bison’s career wins list, as her record is now 38-35.

Jen Bush ’15, Christie Schneider ’15 and Stephanie Pino ’16 were also able to contribute to the Orange and Blue’s success as they each earned a singles victory against Lehigh.

The men’s team will be back in action from Oct. 18-22 as Zimmer, Katten and Kelly Morque ’13 head to Charlottesville, Va. for the ITA Regional Championships. The women’s team will not be competing until the start of dual play on Feb. 2.

Categories
Arts & Life Columns

Trend Report: Outerwear

Kate Jansen
Columnist 

With recent temperatures dropping well below 40 degrees, I think it’s appropriate to dedicate this article to outerwear essentials. Here is a list of autumn accessories that will protect you from the cold.

1. The scarf. My favorite fall necessity is the scarf. Not only does it add a professional, collegiate flare to your sweater-and-jeans ensemble, but it shields you from those unreasonably cold morning breezes. What I love about this season’s trend is that scarves come in a variety of patterns, textures and sizes. Save shorter scarves for more formal occasions (like dinner dates and concerts) and longer scarves for daily accessories. In my opinion, infinity scarves are probably the most conventional, mostly because you don’t have to deal with figuring out the best way to tie it. Where does one come across scarves in the shopping world? Piperlime.com has a fantastic selection of inexpensive scarves and wraps, as does Madewell and Nasty Gal.

2. The jacket. If you are confused by which jacket you should be modeling by late October, have no fear! Popular coat designs this season are among blazers, double-breasted pea coats and parkas (conveniently listed in order from early fall to near-winter attire). Throw on a blazer on sunny days when the temperature doesn’t drop below 60 degrees. Paired with a light knit t-shirt, skinny jeans and ballet flats, blazers can complete a chic ensemble. Current chilly temperatures prove that it’s time to break out wool pea coats. This season’s selection comes in a variety of bright colors and patterns; I recently acquired an olive green tweed pea coat over fall break. Pea coats also pair beautifully with dark wash jeans and riding boots. Finally, when we are nearing the winter months (i.e. Thanksgiving break), make sure to invest in a parka. Coming from the East Coast, I am very familiar with this classic winter jacket (it has saved me countless times from death-by-shivering). The North Face and Patagonia offer a wide selection of parkas, as do online retailers like Piperlime and Zappos.

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball struggles against PL rivals

 

Heather Oros | The Bucknellian
The Bison move quickly to cover their side of the court. Over the weekend, American and Navy found a number of holes in the Bison’s defense.

Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s volleyball team wrapped up its first round of Patriot League play last weekend, ending in losses to both American and Navy at home.

The Bison went up against a tough American team on Oct. 12. While they put up a strong fight in pushing the Eagles to four sets, the team ended with a loss for the night. Since the Orange and Blue have lost in straight sets in their last four meetings with American, they considered their performance to be a definite step in the right direction.

“This past weekend we came out really strong against American. We truly gave it our all but still weren’t able to come through with the W. We made American earn every point that they received on the scoreboard,” Claire Healy ’16 said.

Many individuals performed strongly for the Bison in the match. Morgan Mientus ’14 recorded her first double-double of the season with 15 digs and 13 kills, while Karen Campbell ’16 racked up 10 kills and four blocks. Healy recorded 11 kills, Meghan Wentzel ’16 totaled 28 assists and Katie Price ’16 brought in a career-high 20 digs on the night.

The Orange and Blue then hosted Navy on Oct. 13. The team struggled to bring the same intensity as the previous night and lost in three straight sets to the Midshipmen.

“We just have this issue where not everyone is ‘on’ on the same night. Some of us will be playing so well one game and then struggle the next,” Mientus said.

Mientus racked up nine kills and six digs on the day, while Healy gained her fourth double-double of the season, recording 13 kills and 11 digs. Wentzel also once again led the Bison in assists for the match, this time bringing in 13 for the team.

The Bison will begin their second round of Patriot League play tonight at 7 p.m. as they host Lehigh. Though they lost 3-1 in their first meeting with the Mountain Hawks, the team is confident that this could be the game to break their losing streak.

“We definitely need some consistency and hopefully the juniors and sophomores can step into the starting line up a bit more and use our experience to provide more consistency,” Mientus said. “Going into the second half of Patriot League play, I hope we can redeem ourselves and show the teams that we are indeed a force to be reckoned with!”

Categories
Opinion

Coping strategies are a key balance to academic overload

 

Aradhana Agarwal | The Bucknellian

El McCabe
Writer

Do you ever feel overwhelmed, exhausted and/or hopeless when thinking about the seemingly never-ending stack of things you need to do? If you answered yes to any of these, you are most likely stressed out by everything on your plate. Stress is inevitable at a place like the University, with such rigorous academics and countless time-consuming activities, clubs and organizations to join, but stressing constantly is extremely unhealthy. Constant stress is proven to shorten life spans and lessen the enjoyment you get out of participating in even your favorite activities. The reason is because if you over-schedule yourself or leave everything to the last minute, you will not be able to enjoy the fun aspects of college and dread all the work that needs to be completed. Fortunately for you, there are some simple solutions that can dramatically reduce your stress levels and help you manage college life effectively.

One of the most successful stress managing tactics I have found is creating a plan for each day. Every day, I look over my schedule of things that I have to do (classes, school work, my job), and then figure out exactly when I am going to eat, take a nap, go to the gym or go to my various club meetings. The key to this strategy is being flexible since plans change and you never know when a friend might stop by asking for advice or to just hang out. However, if you follow your schedule for getting your work done, these unexpected circumstances will not allow you to put everything off to the last minute.

Also, in order to motivate myself to get my work done quickly and efficiently, I provide myself with rewards after completing assignments or studying. Having motivation to finish your work earlier than the night before does wonders for your sleep cycle and stress levels. Try this strategy next time you have three papers due on a Friday: allow yourself a cookie or two in the caf after writing a page. Setting small goals for yourself makes all the work you have seem much more manageable and promotes a sense of accomplishment.

Finally, taking ample study breaks is crucial in relieving stress. Staring at a computer screen and typing paper after paper can be emotionally exhausting, but breaking up homework and relaxing after completing an assignment will allow for a clear head later on. Working out is one of the best study breaks you can take because the endorphins wake up your brain, and exercise is proven to relieve stress. Even taking a walk around campus or taking a power nap works as a stress reliever. Stopping in the middle of your work may seem counter-productive, but it actually saves you time and stress in the grand scheme of things. As long as you do not pile too many extra-curricular activities on your plate, those activities can also count as study breaks that you can look forward to on a day to day basis.

Categories
Opinion

Religion plays an important role in students’ lives

Justin Marinelli
Staff Writer

It’s well known that among most University students, there exists a certain political apathy. Many would also consider there to be a religious apathy as well, but I’m not so sure about this.

First off, look at the number of religious groups on campus. There are organizations like the Catholic Campus Ministry and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship organization, not to mention Hillel, the Muslim Student Association and countless other groups predicated on religion. If students were really so religiously apathetic, there wouldn’t be nearly this many religious organizations on campus.

Sure, there’s a fair number of people who consider themselves atheists, agnostics or nonreligious in various ways. Yes, I do have friends in the Bucknell Atheists and Agnostics Association, but I have friends who consider their religion to be a key part of their identity, and I’m friends with at least one individual with such a strict religious upbringing that he was once quoted as saying, “Blow jobs are the Devil’s work.”

It’s easy enough to say that University students in general are especially nonreligious, but it seems more likely that we’re just as religious as young people in general, a demographic that tends to be less religious than older ones. If you compare us with our peers, it seems we’re pretty much in the middle of the pack.

I know people my age who are incredibly zealous when it comes to religion. I have a cousin who is majoring in church music at a university that forbids kissing and teaches that evolution is a sham. If anyone had a right to bemoan a lack of religion on this campus, it would be me.

The fact of the matter is, it’s not the amount of religion on campus that’s lacking, but the variety. We’ve got the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), and that’s essentially it. I can count on one hand the people I know on campus with a religion that’s not one of those three.

Now, part of this is just societal context. We just happen to live in a country in which the most common religion is Christianity. However, the U.S. has almost always had a broad diversity of religious ideas. This isn’t a sufficient explanation.

In a way, this religious homogeneity is really just a symptom of the fact that the University just isn’t a very diverse place. If we want to make this an even more interesting place, it will require increasing diversity on campus overall, not just in regard to religion.