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(12/09/10 4:57am)
The College’s women’s basketball team fell to New Jersey Athletic Conference opponents Kean University and Rutgers University-Newark last week, bringing their season record to 2-4.
The Lions lost a close game, 72-56, against No.4 Kean University on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
On Saturday the Lions had a chance to top the undefeated Scarlet Raiders, but fell short 60-56.
“Losses this early in the season don’t mean much unless we learn from them,” senior guard Keri Washington said.
According to Washington, these losses have taught the team that nothing is going to be handed to them.
Both the Cougars and the Raiders remain undefeated this season.
According to the players, the team seems to be lacking chemistry.
“We have to find a rhythm and trust each others abilities and roles,” senior guard Stephanie Prall said.
“Sometimes teams with the most talent have trouble piecing things together,” Washington said.
Despite going into halftime with a three-point lead over Kean, the Lions let their advantage slip away in the second half, with the Cougars outscoring them 42-23 in the final 20 minutes.
In the first minutes of the second half, senior center Alex Gregorek scored five points for the College, but soon after, Kean made a 14-0 run and thus the game ended at 72-56.
Lions’ top scorers against Kean were junior guard Jessica Imhof and Gregorek, each with 11 points and six rebounds. Just behind, sophomore center Candace Vigo chipped in with 10 points for the College.
“I think we have played against some good competition thus far, but we still should have come up with more wins,” junior forward Hannah Tait said.
In the game against Rutgers University-Newark, the Lions thought they had a fair chance against the 6-0 Raiders. However, the Lions fell and advanced the Raiders’ record to 7-0 on the season overall and 2-0 in the NJAC.
“We expected to beat them and sometimes that can lead to a carefree mentality,” Prall said.
According to Tait, “Overall they played with more heart and that’s why they won.”
Scoring a season-high 16 points, Imhof led the Lions in baskets. Tait scored 12 and freshman Liz West netted nine.
Again, the Lions had a lead going into the second half, this time by 12, after a 10-0 run in the last three minutes of the half. Throughout the second half, the Raiders slowly moved ahead, finishing the game on top and remaining undefeated.
“It’s games like that that we need to close out and win,” Washington said.
“If we don’t play for a complete 40 minutes then we won’t succeed,” Tait said. “And that was the case in both.”
Next weekend, the College will take on Delaware Valley College at Elizabethtown College in the R1 Sports Blue Jay Classic Tournament on Friday, Dec. 10.
Winning the tournament, Prall said, will guide the Lions into the next couple of games.
“We need to get two good wins this weekend to make a stand and show what we are capable of,” Tait said.
While the team will not play an NJAC opponent in the Blue Jay Classic, Washington said, the games will be an opportunity for the Lions to improve their chemi-
stry as a team and get some sort of a winning streak started.
As for the next NJAC game, the Lions won’t play another conference opponent until January. However, even though Tait knows that the NJAC is a tough conference, she is confident the Lions can finish on top.
“We just need to keep our focus,” Tait said. “It’s very easy to become discouraged and to give up but I think as long as we take practice to the next level while keeping our focus on winning, we will be fine in our upcoming games.”
(12/01/10 5:11pm)
The Lions’ season came to a close last Saturday, against familiar opponent Johns Hopkins University. After progressing through the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III women’s soccer tournament, their run was halted at Messiah College, with a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays.
“We were out for revenge,” junior forward Brenna Rubino said. “We felt confident that we could beat them as long as we were playing our game.” Earlier this season, the Lions fell to the Blue Jays 2-0.
According to head coach Joe Russo, it was a different team that the College was sporting the second time. The first time around in Baltimore, a few of the Lions were injured.
Despite the players being in better health, the game had a painfully similar outcome to their mid-season game. This time, the Blue Jays had a 2-0 lead early into the second half. With about 15 minutes left, freshman midfielder Sloan DiPiero headed it in off of a direct kick from junior defender Nikki Migliori. The College was unable to tie it up.
“It’s rough having a team beat you twice in one season especially when one of those losses means the season is over,” sophomore forward Katie Landrigan said.
The Lions’ final season record was 18-3-2.
The College, which hosted the first two rounds of the tournament, shut out their first and second-round opponents. They won the tournament opener with a 4-0 win over Christopher Newport. Rubino and junior midfielder Brittany McGinley each scored one goal in the first half. Goals by Landrigan and freshman forward Katie Lindacher clenched the four-point lead in the second half.
The next day, the Lions crushed Ithaca College 3-0, advancing them to the Sweet Sixteen round.
Against Ithaca, Migliori scored two goals within two minutes, both direct kicks shot from well outside the 18-yard-line. Junior defender Annie McCarthy scored the third goal.
“Once you make it to the tournament every team is good,” McCarthy said, “Every team is good enough to end your season.”
This year marked the Lions’ 20th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. They lead the tournament in all-time victories with 50.
“The matchups were just not good for us,” Russo said of the Sweet Sixteen round.
Three of the four teams in that round had been in the top 10 at some point this season.
In fact, going into the game, the Lions were ranked ninth compared to the Blue Jays who were 12th.
Despite allowing two goals in the game against Hopkins, the Lions defense was one to watch out for all season long. They were ranked fourth, allowing only 0.236 goals per game and shutting out 17 opponents.
“We were very stingy in the back,” Russo said, “Kendra’s been a big part of that, and the whole back line.”
Freshman goalkeeper Kendra Griffith ended the season with 13 solo shutouts and had a save percentage of .907. Griffith was pleased with her results but also said that she relies heavily on her defenders.
Also, with a solid front line and midfield, the College outscored opponents 59-7 this season. Twelve Lions’ offensive players scored at least two goals. Rubino totaled 12 this season, followed by sophomore Jessica Davila who put in nine.
This May, four players will be moving on and graduating from the College.
“They will be missed,” Russo said.
However, the majority of the Lions’ starting lineup this season consisted of freshmen and sophomores and juniors.
“When you have returning kids coming back … it’s a big plus,” Russo said.
Landrigan agrees that with a lot of the same players for next year, the team has definite potential to make it further.
“To realize we won’t be in San Antonio next week playing for a national championship is frustrating,” Landrigan said, “but we have to remember the feeling and start focusing on next season.”
The ladies will have 16 practice sessions during the off-season.
According to Russo, the team will focus to “recommit ourselves to staying fit and getting stronger and chase the goals of winning the national championship in 2011.”
(10/27/10 5:22pm)
The Lions got hit hard during these past two weeks, marking their first and second losses of the season. The other two games went down as wins for the Lions, ending the week 7-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and 13-2-1 overall. The College dropped from No. 3 to No. 18 in National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National and Regional Rankings after their second loss to Johns Hopkins University.
“We have a target on our backs and teams really want to take us down so if we come out even a little bit slow, they can take advantage,” freshman goalkeeper Kendra Griffith said.
The College fell to NJAC competitors William Paterson University 1-0 at home Wednesday Oct. 13, knocking them from the first place slot in the conference. The Lion’s had two big opportunities to tie up the game. In the second half, the officials ruled it a handball, negated a goal netted by junior forward Brenna Rubino. A second opportunity came when junior defender Nikki Migliori took a free kick within the Pioneers’ penalty box. The ball slipped past a number of guarding defenders, but the goalkeeper knocked it away.
Junior captain and midfielder Annie McCarthy said that the team had a weak practice the previous Tuesday, and they came out “flat” against William Paterson.
“Already, there has been a change in intensity,” McCarthy said.
The College needed to get back on their feet, and repair their broken 10-game winning streak. Luckily, head coach Joe Russo said there was very little to be done to get the team ready. “They understood what was at task,” Coach Russo said.
The following Saturday, the Lion’s shut out NJAC competitior Kean University 2-0. The first half ended in a stalemate, but with the day’s strong wind on their side, the College dominated the second half, netting two goals. The goals against Kean were scored by sophomore Katie Landrigan and sophomore foward Jessica Davila.
Just after half, the Lions took 17 shots on goal, and the Cougars only attempted one on net.
On Wednesday, the Lions kicked off in Baltimore to play the nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays and let another loss slip past, 2-0.
“The Johns Hopkins game was definitely a wake-up call,” Landrigan said. “We realized after the game everyone had to be more focused every day at practice and not lose sight of what we are about.”
“To lose a game like Johns Hopkins is just really frustrating,” said Griffith, who saved a career-high seven goals during the game. “We were the better team on the field we just didn’t prove it.”
As of the day before the game, JHU was nationally ranked No. 22 of all Division-III women’s soccer teams.
This past Saturday, the Lions defeated New Jersey City University for the 16th consecutive time. The Lions achieved a final score of 4-0. Rubino scored two goals, the second being a header. Sophomore midfielder Toni DeMaio and Davila netted the other two.
Luckily, only one of the losses was to an NJAC team, so the team’s win over NJCU swung the College into a tie for second place in the NJAC standings with the Rowan University Profs. The College will battle Rowan, a big rival, on Wednesday, Oct. 26, for the last game of the regular season.
“I have been excited for the Rowan game all season. It’s going to be crazy,” Griffith said. “We just have to be as fired up as we can ever be. We have to play like it’s our last game.” Rowan and the College are both tied with 21 conference points and a conference record of 7-1-0. The two are close behind William Paterson at 22 points, with a record of 7-0-1.
A win over the Profs would mean the Lion’s finish second in the NJAC, giving them a 1st round bye in the conference tournament.
According to Landrigan, “We try to look at the season as one game at a time, each game bringing us closer towards our goal of a national championship.”
(10/06/10 6:39pm)
The Lions were unstoppable for yet another week — dominating the both sides of the field stopping every obstacle in their way. The College shut out NJAC rival Rutgers University-Camden 6-0. On Saturday, the ladies defeated Rutgers University-Newark, 7-0. So far, 46 goals have been scored by the Lions this season. In comparison to NJAC opponents, the Lions have made 138 attempted shots on goal, and allowed only 22 balls near their net, letting only one by this season.
According to junior defender Nikki Migliori, Lions defense has really mastered working as a single unit.
“It is easy to get by one person but to get by four and an outstanding goalie takes a lot,” she said.
“We hold very high expectations when it comes to stopping our opponents,” junior captain and defender Brittany McGinley said.
Against the Scarlet Raptors the Lions had an attempted 16 shots on goal. Making marks were junior captain and defender Annie McCarthy, sophomore forward Jessica Davila, junior forward Brenna Rubino, sophomore midfielder Michelle Canning, sophomore midfielder Toni DeMaio and in the last minute, senior defender Jaclyn Levowsky scored the sixth goal against Camden. Assists were made by freshman forward Katie Lindacher and sophomore midfielder Katie Cornaccia.
On Saturday, against RU-Newark, the Lions were up 5-0 at the half. Within the first 15 minutes of the half, sophomore forward Katie Landrigan put two in the net. Rubino also scored two goals. DeMaio, Davila and senior midfielder Casey Caruso netted the other three points.
“We are not counting on just a few players to put it in the back of the net … anyone can be a threat to the opposing team,” midfielder DiPiero said.
The Lions are now 5-0 in the NJAC conference and 11-0 in the season overall. William Paterson University trails close behind in NJAC standings, just two conference points away for the College’s 15, with a record of 4-0-1.
The team’s next match is Wednesday night at home against No. 20-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology.
“We’re in good hands with Coach Russo and Coach Turner. Their success speaks for itself,” Migliori said.
(09/29/10 5:07pm)
The women’s soccer team clinched their ninth straight season shutout last week. On Wednesday, the Lions defeated the Richard Stockton College Ospreys 4-0. And on Saturday, the College beat Montclair State University. The Lions are 3-0 in NJAC division games.
Respect is due to freshman goal keeper, Kendra Griffith, who kept the net empty for the eighth time this season.
“Our back line is the best defense around so Kendra doesn’t have to worry about too many shots on goal, but when there are some, she always gets the job done and stops the other team from scoring,” junior forward Jess Davila said.
On Wednesday, the College dominated the game with a total of 18 shots taken, compared to the Ospreys five total. Goals were scored by sophomore forward Brenna Rubino, junior Nikki Migliori, freshman Sloan DePiero and senior Casey Caruso. Since last year’s win over Stockton for the NJAC championship, Davila says they were ready for revenge. “Luckily we didn’t let that get to us,” she said.
Saturday’s game was a bit more challenging against Montclair. Of the 12 shots on goal, only two slipped past Montclair’s keeper. Putting up points for the Lions was sophomore Amy Van Dyk and DePiero.
The Lion’s also welcomed the 2000 Division-III women’s championship team to commemorate their 10th anniversary of the victory.
According to Davila, games against William Patterson and Rowan University will be ones to watch. The College lost to both of these teams last season. William Patterson is currently 5-2-2 and Rowan University is 7-0-1.
The next game on the team’s schedule is home against Rutgers University-Camden, on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
(09/16/10 7:47pm)
The College shut out all three conference teams this week, finishing the weekend with a 4-0 record and their 135th consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference victory. The Lions have one more conference game to go and are one win away from another perfect season.
On Wednesday, the women took on William Paterson University shutting out their opponents 9-0. In the six single competitions, the Pioneers scored a mere two games against the College. Four Lion’s athletes won both their sets with 6-0. The College also took the win in all four double competitions. Duo Tara Criscuolo (freshman) and junior Emily Petersack were the only ones to defeat their William Paterson opponents with an impressive 8-0 score.
At the end of the week, Petersack went home with her 50th career win. This is Petersack’s third season playing for the College and her current record is an impressive 50-15, with 34 of the wins being doubles.
“It is really awesome to get 50 wins, especially since I distinctly remember my very first college tennis match that I won,” Petersack said.
Against Richard Stockton College on Saturday morning the Lion’s clinched their third win this season with a final score of 9-0. Of the six singles, four of them were won 6-0,6-0 by Petersack, sophomore Allison Tierney, sophomore Paige Aiello and freshman Tara Criscuolo.
Later that day, Kean University took a hard hit from the College, also ending up 9-0. The College won 6-0, 6-0 in all six single matches. They defeated Kean in all three doubles matches 8-0.
“We pretty much dominate in our conference which is awesome, but then when we play other teams, it can get pretty difficult,” sophomore Paige Aiello said. Aiello says that later in the season, when Lion’s athletes headto the ITA Regional tournament, there will be some tougher competition, “but I think we all look forward to challenging matches because that shows how much we’ve improved and what we can really accomplish.”
This weekend’s doubleheader was good preparation for the ITA Regional tournament. According to Petersack, athletes may have three to four matches a day during the tournament.
On Wednesday, the College will take on Ramapo College as their final NJAC opponent. Petersack says the ladies are going to keep up the positive energy they’ve had all season. The win on Wednesday would mean that that the College would take home the NJAC title for the 28th time in 28 years.
(04/20/10 10:42pm)
The Lion’s came home from Moravian College this weekend with great scores, and a handful of Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) qualifying times.
Men and women’s outdoor track and field teams participated in the Greyhound Invitational in Bethlehem, Pa. They battled against athletes from more than 10 different universities, including those from Division I teams.
“The high winds and cool temperatures made fast times more challenging,” head coach Phillip Jennings said. “So we focused more on competition rather than simply fast times.” Not only did the Lion’s place in their races, many of the athletes clenched top, qualifying scores, and personal and season bests.
Junior Kyle Gilroy had a big second-place finish in the 400-meter hurdle event. In the 110-meter Gilroy finished with a 15.45, a time qualifying him in the ECAC. When he teamed up with sophomore Justin Worthing, freshman Robert Searby and senior Steve Murray for the 4x400 relay, the Lion’s took first place with an ECAC-qualifying time of 3:22.11. Murray also competed in the 400-meter race and again, finished first of all the Division III runners.
Continuing to make marks, the College’s Dennis Waite, junior, was the first to cross the finish line in the 1500-meter race. His time of 3:59.64 qualified him for the ECAC competition, also. As freshman, Andy Gallagher, finished the 3000-meter steeplechase at 10:03.33, he too qualified for the competition.
In the field events, senior Zach Goldstein threw 49.38 meters in the hammer throw. His score ranked him first out of Division III athletes and qualifying him for the ECAC.
The women had great results in the Greyhound Invitational, but also made extraordinary moves the night before at the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton University. There, Lions athletes competed in elite distance races, in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA.
“The depth of competition in that meet is unmatched by other meets in the northeast,” Jennings said.
Senior Jianna Spadaccini ran 2:12.51, adding her name to the NCAA championship list. Last year, Spadaccini came in second, nationally. And senior Michelle Wallace qualified with a 4:35.43 in the women’s 1500-meter, a personal best.
On Saturday at the Greyhound Invitational, the women’s success continued. Spadaccini teamed up with junior Meryl Wimberly, freshman Brielle Doremus and freshman Kim Shelus, to take first place in the 4x400. Their time of 3:57.70 was an ECAC qualifier.
In the 100-meter hurdle, senior Priscilla Senyah finished with a 14.94, an NCAA provisional qualifier. She also placed second in the 100-meter and third in the 200-meter dash, extremely impressive accomplishments, considering she ran against a number of Division I athletes.
Megan Miller, a senior, also finished with a NCAA provisional qualifying score in the 400-meter hurdle.
“Although we have quite a few members who are consistently at the top of their events and qualifying for nationals, they are not the only people we rely on,” freshman Rachel Morris said. Many of the athletes have contributed to the College’s success this season.
Morris placed second in the 5000-meter race, and qualified for the ECAC competition.
Junior Sarah Wehran and senior Ashley Krauss both set their personal bests in the field events, and freshman Mary Chismar took sixth place in the shot put throw, setting a season best and qualifying for the ECACs.
Before NJACS we have our home meet, the Lions’ Invitational next weekend.
This week, the College track and field athletes will prepare to “dominate the competition,” senior Deshard Stevens said. On Thursday, the team will travel to the University of Pennsylvania for Penn Relays, and this weekend, they will host the Lion’s Invitational at home.
“We would love for people to come out and help support us,” Morris said.
(04/13/10 6:55pm)
The men’s tennis team had mixed results after their weekend meets, while the women’s team had a difficult road trip. On Wednesday, the men’s team shut out Drew University with a 9-0 victory. Saturday, the women lost to Williams College, 7-2. Both the men’s and women’s teams suffered losses on Sunday. The men faced Salisbury University and the women took on Middlebury College.
“On paper the score makes it look like we got crushed, but the match was close at all times,” senior captain Jackie Shtemberg said of the battle against Williams College.
Shtemberg was responsible for the two match wins for the College. She defeated Williams College opponent in her single match and teamed up with sophomore Felice Trinh to win a double’s match, marking her 20th season victory.
“Sometimes like today (Saturday), nerves are keeping us from winning some key points,” Shtemberg explained. Before this week, the women were ranked No. 23.
On Sunday, freshman Karisse Bendijo, freshman Lauren Balsamo and Shtemberg won their single matches against No. 15-ranked Middlebury College, which added points for the Lions. They were defeated in all three double matches. The final score was 6-3, Middlebury.
“The freshman have been a huge influence on the team this year and are amazing,” Shtemberg said.
The women have an impressive season record 12-4. On Sunday April 18, the College will take on Muhlenberg College at 1 p.m. at home.
The men’s team had an impressive 9-0 win over Drew University on Wednesday. Sophomore Stewart Fernandez won the most exciting of the
matches, defeating his opponent in the third set. The competition against Drew also added two wins to sophomore Dan Lee’s record, building his amazing 18-win streak.
On Sunday against nationally ranked No. 14 Salisbury University, the men lost close competition, 4-5. “My expectations for the match was just to make an impact, to let these nationally ranked teams know that this young team has depth, and fight until the end,” Stewart Fernandez said.
Junior Jonathan Yu and freshmen Dean Thompson and Keith Goldstein all won their single matches again Salisbury University. Sophomore brothers Steven and Stewart Fernandez defeated the opposing duo in their doubles match. Their record for the season is now 7-4. Ironically, three of their four loses were to nationally ranked teams, and all four ended with a final score of 4-5. Stewart Fernandez attributes the College’s success thus far to the team’s focused mindset and it’s encouraging coach.
“We are a team that feeds off of each other’s positive attitudes,” he said.
Next Saturday, they will face New York University at 1 p.m. at home.
(03/03/10 8:26pm)
Last week’s daunting winter weather put cramps in the schedule of both the men’s and women’s tennis teams. The women’s home match scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27 against New York University was postponed. The men were set to battle Christopher Newport University last Saturday, but that too, has been rescheduled.
On Sunday, the men’s team opened its season against Skidmore College. The Lions lost the close match, 5-4. The men are 0-1 this season and Skidmore College now has a 5-1 record.
According to junior captain Jonathan Yu, many of the players were feeling winter jitters.
“Once we get a few wins under our belt I think we’ll have the confidence and determination to get wins against ranked teams,” he said.
The match consisted of six single matches. Both Yu and freshman Dean Thompson defeated their Skidmore opponents. Yu finished with scores of 7-6, 7-4, and 6-2. Thompson won 6-2 and 6-3.
In the doubles matches, sophomore brothers Steven Fernandez and Stewart Fernandez defeated the Skidmore duo 9-8 and 7-4.
Thompson and freshman partner TJ Riley were also victorious with a score of 8-6.
Yu says the team is very solid and has a competitive edge.
“I don’t think we have faced a team that has wanted to win more than we do,” he says.
During spring break the Lions’ men’s team will head to Orlando, Fla. to take on the University of Rochester, Carthage College and Vassar College. The women’s team will open this season on the road as it ventures to Orlando to face off against University of Rochester, Emory University and Coe College.
(02/10/10 12:37am)
With second place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) South Division on the line, the Lions fell short against the rival Rowan University Profs last Wednesday.
After a 26-19 lead at the end of the first half, the Lions saw their opportunity disappear. The game ended with a score of 56-47, Rowan.
The first half was a powerful one for the Lions, as junior Kelsey Kutch and sophomore Hannah Tait started up front. The Lions took the lead within the first two minutes of the game when Kutch made a lay-up bringing the score to 5-4. The College held the lead over Rowan for the remainder of the half.
“We kept playing through and pressuring them which allowed us a nice lead going into halftime,” junior Stephanie Prall says. Prall started at guard along with sophomore Katie Occhipinti and junior Keri Washington.
Rowan came out with a lot of energy in the second half, tackling the Lions’ seven-point lead. The Profs started off the half with a 9-0 run to take back the lead. Washington finally broke their streak with a lay-up. Washington also led the team in rebounds with 11.
Despite scoring 21 points in the second half, the College was unable to regain their lead. All in all, Kutch finished the game with nine points, as did freshman Candace Vigo. Sophomore Jessica Imhof was also a key player scoring eight points in the game.
The Lions’ currently have a record of 5-5 in their division. They are 12-10 overall this season. The ladies hope to finish out the season strong and qualify for the New Jersey Athletic Conference semi-finals. They expect to make it, Prall says, “taking each game at a time.”
The College will play Rutgers Univeristy-Camden (2-18) this Wednesday Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. The Lions then host Kean University (21-1) at home on Saturday Feb. 13.