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(11/12/13 6:00am)
The Ursinus College Fall Brawl marked the opening tournament for the sixth-ranked wrestling squad. While some of the top wrestlers did not compete to rest up for the first dual meet, the Lions still had a great showing. This individual event gave the Lions the perfect opportunity to display their depth against both Division I and Division III schools. While only two placed, the day was still successful as the men used this tournament to prepare themselves for another successful season.
“There are guys at the Ursinus tournament that come from DI programs, so a lot of losses we had were against very good guys,” junior Joey Dicarlo said. “So just getting on the mat and getting started with the season for the young guys and picking up some big wins is important, and that shows the promise that our season is going to have.”
Leading the Lions was junior Nate Leer, who wrestled in the 197-pound weight class. Leer, who had struggled with injuries the past two seasons, impressively finished second out of 20 competitors and easily made his way to the semifinals before defeating a difficult Ursinus College opponent, 7-4. His run came to an end against another Bear with an 11-1 loss in the championship round.
“Nate had a great day and has been working like an animal in the room, because 197 is not an easy weight class,” DiCarlo said. “I think he is going to continue to compete well for us during the season.”
Sophomore Dylan Thorsen also had a great start to the season by finishing third at 149 pounds. After receiving a bye and then earning two straight victories, Thorsen had a tough match against a Division I opponent from Franklin & Marshall. Despite losing 5-3 in OT, Thorsen held his own ground.
“He lost in overtime so it was a great match all the way through the end,” DiCarlo said. “The only reason he went to overtime was because Thorsen gave up a point for cautions, which is basically equivalent to walking a guy when the bases are loaded.”
Although it may have been a tough loss, Thorsen was not fazed and came back to take the third place match, 3-1.
“It is a tough thing to do,” DiCarlo said. “Most people say to wrestle back for third is harder than winning the tournament because you have to bounce back from a loss and win in order to place.”
While Leer and Thorsen were the only two to place, there were other wrestlers who won some big matches. Sophomore Mike Shaughnessy won four matches at 149, while Antonio Mancella and DiCarlo both worked their way to three wins at 165 and 133, respectively.
With team captains Brian Broderick and Zach Zotollo returning for the first dual meet against Stevens Institute of Technology, DiCarlo and the squad are looking to turn some heads.
“I think we are on track to have one of the best dual meet seasons in a couple of years,” he said. “(Just because we) are ranked sixth does not mean we are the sixth best team in the country. We have to go out there and prove it by winning and earning that ranking.”
(11/12/13 6:00am)
While the field hockey team had a strong run in the NJAC tournament, it came to an unfortunate end with a 1-0 loss to No. 1 Montclair State University in the championship game, a result that also disqualified them from the Division III National Championships.
Despite the upsetting defeat, the women still had an impressive season, which resulted in a runner-up finish at the NJACs.
Their road to the final began in a repeat matchup against Rowan University. After barely beating the Owls three weeks earlier, 4-3, the Lions were prepared for another tough battle.
“We just took it like we were going into a brand-new game,” junior forward Erin Healy said. “The first game definitely helped us in knowing what their tendencies were and helped us prepare for what we needed to do. We just went into it to prove that we were the better team and beat them, which we did.”
The Lions scored early and often in a 6-1 win, which meant more to the girls than a victory typically does, as a result of the way they dominated the game.
“We just went out and passed the ball and worked really nicely together as a team and Rowan didn’t stand a chance against us,” Healy said. “We were down by one and then scored six unanswered goals, so we were obviously very happy we beat Rowan, but I think the way we beat them, we knew we were the better team so we never felt like the underdog.”
Leading the Lions in scoring was junior forward Lindsey Hatch, who scored a hat-trick to raise her season total to a NJAC-leading 21 goals. Healy ended the year fourth among NJAC scoring leaders with 19 goals.
While the Lions were excited about a convincing win against Rowan, they knew that they had a difficult game ahead of them against the nation’s top team, Montclair State. Similar to when the College played Rowan, the Lions battled Montclair earlier in the season.
Although they had lost then, 2-1, Healy and the team were confident they could avenge that loss in the NJAC final and automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Despite coming in with a steady game plan and outshooting the Red Hawks 10-3, the College’s offense never found the cage in a 1-0 loss.
“We did get a lot of shots off, but they also tried to stuff their whole team in the circle so it was difficult for us to get through all those defenders,” Healy said. “At the same time, we dominated the second half. We should have cashed in on our opportunities, which we need to do.”
The loss kept the Lions out of the NCAAs for the second time in the last two years, after they were crowned national champions in 2011.
While the College’s season may be over, they can now reflect on all that they accomplished. Despite having only one senior — and half the team made up of freshmen — the women still posted a formidable 16-4 record, ended the season ranked ninth in the country and was second-best in the NJAC.
“We have been very supportive from day one of preseason until now, and it is pretty amazing to see how far we’ve come and how hard everyone has worked and how much heart all the girls have,” Healy said. “It is very obvious to the team how important each girl is on the team, whether they’ve played (a) minute of the game or they hardly get on the field.”
The Lions are a strong team, and they know that they will be back and ready for next year.
(11/06/13 9:56pm)
The regular season is finally over. After two months of competition and endless hours practicing, the field hockey team must shift its focus to the playoffs. A 15-3 overall record may seem impressive, but in the postseason, anything is possible. In order to be the best, the women cannot rely on their past successes, but rather come together as a unit and show up to play. In the playoffs, each game has the potential to be their last.
“I am happy with the group of girls, and they are really clicking as a team,” head coach Sharon Pflugar said. “They’re great to work with because they are hard-working girls and have improved (so much since the beginning of the season).”
Pflugar stressed the importance that the week leading up to the playoffs was crucial.
“It was extremely important because, in my eyes, we had to finish strong,” Pfluger said.
In their first game against nationally ranked Ursinus College, the Lions managed to stay in contention the entire time, but a late goal proved to be costly as the women lost 4-3.
“I can see where we made our mistakes, but I also saw that we did a lot of good things in that game too,” Pflugar said. “It is just a matter of identifying where there was an issue and working on it. We’ve already done that.”
Adjustments were quickly made, and five days later the women were back in action against Messiah College. In the past, the Falcons gave the Lions trouble, beating the College four of the last five times.
This day proved to be different, though, as the women quickly shrugged off an early deficit to take a 4-1 victory. Freshman forward Lexi Smith led the team with two goals.
“We played well and scored some big goals,” Pflugar said. “We came out right after half time and scored right away, so I really just think the team played very well that day because Messiah is a good team.”
Much like in the week’s prior game, the women had little time to relax as Johns Hopkins University posed to be a legitimate threat.
The Lions didn’t flinch, though, and won 4-2 in convincing fashion. Despite winning the game, the women knew they could have played better.
“I think the girls were happy that they won — and we all were — but yet we also walked away saying that we needed to fix certain things,” Pflugar said. “You want to go into postseason play confident enough to know that you can play well and realistic enough to know that certain things need to improve.”
This Wednesday, Nov. 3, Ramapo College travels to the Lions’ home turf to start the postseason. Although the women defeated the Owls two weeks prior, 4-3, they are not taking anything for granted.
“I expect us to play well and win,” Pflugar said. “We will use that game, and we will use every game (to prepare us.)”
There are no guarantees in playoff field hockey, and the Lions know that in order to be the best, they must play like the best.
(10/22/13 5:53am)
The field hockey team may have been down against Rowan University, but for the second time in the past four games, the Lions were not out.
After quickly falling behind 3-1, the Lions (12-2, 4-1) stormed back and scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Owls, 4-3, two days after a 6-0 win over Albright College, which was never a serious doubt.
Junior forwards Lindsey Hatch and Erin Healy continued their impressive play as they combined for three of the six goals against Albright and pushed their season marks to 15 and 13 goals this year, respectively. This duo ranks second and fourth for total individual points in the highly competitive New Jersey Athletic Conference.
“They have both worked so incredibly hard and are talented in different ways,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “They complement each other very well, so it’s nice for us to have that on our team.”
Freshman goalie Kelly Schlupp only needed to make one save to keep Albright off the board, as the Lions ousthot their opponents 27-1 in a dominant display.
In the following game against conference rival Rowan, the Lions came in expecting a battle.
“A lot of the NJAC games are very competitive, but I feel like every game is a big game, so our preparation was no different than the preparation from any other game,” Pfluger said. “I just (wanted the girls) to go out and play their game, play hard and learn from the lessons we’ve experienced along the way and do what we are supposed to do.”
After being down in a 3-1 hole deep into the first half, the Lions began to limit their mistakes against the Owls.
“We shifted girls around on the field a little bit and getting that second goal before the second half was really important for us,” Pfluger said. “I think we just started to do the little things really well … and the team (was thinking) that there was no room for error.”
That is exactly what the Lions did in the second half as they maintained possession and remained aggressive to score three consecutive goals. Hatch made the final one to give the Lions the lead and ultimately the victory.
On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Lions face Ramapo College for their final conference game of the regular season. Despite being the favorites, the women know that they cannot take any game for granted.
“(I expect) that we will play a nice game of hockey and that we capitalize on our opportunities,” Pfluger said. “We just need to continue to play our game and continue to improve every day, and that’s our goal.”
Although the Lions will soon be finished with games within the NJAC, Pfluger stressed that each game following is equally as important.
“I don’t just want to count on (winning the NJAC tournament) because all those other games on our schedule are important,” Pfluger said. “We finish with a very strong schedule … so we have to do well against those teams so that we are positioning ourselves in a high position in our region that is so competitive.”
(10/15/13 5:00am)
Last week, the field hockey team knew it had a lot on its plate with the first of two games coming against the competitive Eastern University. Just three days after pulling out a 3-1 come-from-behind victory, the Lions had to travel north to play the country’s second-ranked team, Montclair State University. Although the Lions were competitive, they fell short, losing 2-1 to their NJAC rival, which snapped the Lions’ 10-game winning streak. Despite this loss, the women are currently 10-2 this season and remain tied for first place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
In their first game against Eastern, the Lions fell behind 1-0 early in the second half, but despite this deficit, the women were never worried.
“We didn’t panic because we knew we just had to continue to play,” sophomore defender Mikayla Cimilluca said. “We just had to pick up our game in general because I think that when they scored first, it made us all (play even harder) and get the ball in the cage so then we scored three easy goals right after that.”
The streak of goals started when junior forward Lindsey Hatch scored just two minutes after falling behind. Seven minutes later, Hatch once again found the back of the cage to put the Lions up for the first time 2-1. Moments later, junior forward Erin Healy scored the final goal of the game.
“We didn’t want them to get too comfortable with the lead, so we knew that as soon as that goal was scored, we had to come back and make a statement to win,” Cimilluca said. “I think everyone was just smarter with the ball … (Hatch) had a shot from the top of circle, and she just cranked it right in so we were really aggressive and had to get the ball in the cage.”
In the following game against Montclair State, the Lions were unable to pull off the comeback that they had hoped for after a last-minute goal by Cimilluca. This goal marks the first goal of the sophomore’s career.
“It was exciting. Not so much so that it was my first goal, but because it was better to walk away from the game knowing that we got the ball in the cage,” Cimilluca said. “We didn’t want to leave Montclair ending on a bad note … so we left them knowing that we were there to play.”
Although upset with their performance, the Lions have moved on and are now looking toward next week with games against Albright College and another NJAC rival, Rowan University.
“We will just take the loss and see what we need to improve on and use it as a learning experience,” Cimilluca said. “I think we just need to come out early and score right away. Especially after coming off of a loss, we want to score and keep both teams shot less and goalless.”
(10/08/13 5:00am)
Another two games and another two victories for the field hockey team, as the Lions extended their impressive winning streak to nine games last week.
The first win came against Manhattanville College, as the women dominated the Valiants in a 6-0 win. The Lions were back in action just three days later, with the difficult challenge of playing William Patterson University, a New Jersey Athletic Conference team. Despite facing their rival, the Lions were resilient and cruised to a 7-2 victory.
“We are extremely happy because we have been having a lot of hard practices lately and those games showed that they have paid off,” sophomore defender Mikayla Cimilluca said. “We have been doing a lot of different drills in short spurts, which is very intense in that short amount of time.”
These new types of drills have certainly paid off, as the Lions have been nearly unstoppable on both sides of the ball. During their winning streak, the women have outscored their opponents 35-4.
This week, junior forwards Erin Healy and Lindsey Hatch each had monster games and scored five and six goals, respectively.
“It benefits the whole team because having them score so many goals allows the ball to stay on the offensive end a lot,” Cimilluca said. “It allows the whole team to push up and play together, which takes the weight off our shoulders.”
Even with the big leads early, Cimilluca knows that there is never time to have a brief lapse in concentration.
“Just because there is a big gap between us and the other team, we still have to (be aggressive),” she said. “Even though we beat William Patterson 7-2, it was still a very competitive and physical game because the goals didn’t come easy to us and we had to work extremely hard to get them.”
Next week will be a much tougher test as they host Eastern University and then travel up to play the nation’s top team, Montclair State University.
Before looking too far ahead, the Lions’ first concern is the Eagles.
“Eastern is a highly skilled team and we always have very close games with them. So we just need to play like a team and we should win,” Cimilluca said.
This game should be a good one as it sets up perhaps the season’s most important game.
“I think Eastern is a very good game to have before we play Montclair because their styles are similar,” Cimilluca said. “We just have to come out strong and score first so we can catch them on their heels a little bit.”
Despite the Red Hawks’ ranking, the College has had much success against them in the past, winning five of their last six meetings.
“I think it is going to be a very fast-paced game because they are a highly skilled team and very fast,” Cimilluca said. “We just want to keep control of the game, so to do that we will have to score early and force a lot of corners.”
In order to come out on top, Cimilluca says that they have to head into the game as if it was like any other.
“There is always pressure, especially because it is an NJAC game. But I think that we have to put that aside and just play the game, because it depends on how we show up that day,” she said. “If we play well then we will win.”
(10/01/13 5:00am)
There was not a hint of nervous energy last Saturday, Sept. 28 when the field hockey team faced the third-ranked Salisbury University. Despite being the underdogs, the Lions came in with a game plan, executed it and then walked away with a 1-0 win in arguably their biggest victory of the young season.
“We just wanted to play our game and stick to our game plan, so it didn’t matter how well they played,” junior forward Erin Healy said. “We knew we would be able to stick with them and that if we did that, then we would beat them.”
The lone goal came 20:36 minutes into the game when Healy capitalized on a loose ball in the offensive circle, set up by junior midfielder Erin Waller, who earned the assist. This marks the sixth goal of the season for Healy, who now leads the Lions with 15 points.
“(Scoring first) was crucial because we knew that we would then get the momentum that would keep us going,” Healy said. “So when we got that first goal, we knew that it would be much easier to play our game.”
After losing to the Sea Gulls last year 4-1, the Lions came in with a specific game plan in order to avenge their previous defeat.
“We knew from playing them in the past that we (needed a quick start) because it is a lot harder to come from behind against them,” Healy said. “We wanted to set the tone of how fast the game is played and make up for each other’s mistakes and keep the ball in the offensive zone (in order to) keep the momentum up.”
Once the Lions got ahead, they were able to rely on their defense for the remainder of the game.
“It was really tough (to maintain the one goal lead), but our defense played so phenomenally,” Healy said. ‘It was very hard to keep Salisbury scoreless, but at the same time, I knew that our defense was playing so well that we would pull out the win.”
Healy also added that the reason for the team’s success was due partially to its camaraderie.
“I felt like we were going to win that game if everyone was on the same page,” she said. “We were all expecting to have a good game out of each other and that we would be able to keep up with them and win the game when we got ourselves going and play as a team.”
This week, the women have two away games as they travel to Manhattanville College and conference rival William Patterson University.
“I am beyond happy. We are playing so well as a team and just being there for each other on the field we have been really good,” Healy said. “I expect us to win them both and dominate them like we have been doing. If we keep playing the way we have been playing, then no one can stop us.”
(09/17/13 5:00am)
Last Tuesday’s game against Cabrini College was an extraordinary one for the Lions field hockey program, as head coach Sharon Pfluger captured her 500th career win in a 4-0 shutout against Cabrini College.
In her 29 years of coaching at the College, Pfluger has won eight NCAA Division III national championships and has had five undefeated seasons. The victory makes Pfluger just the second Division III coach to reach the 500-win milestone, and her .835 winning percentage is the highest among all DIII coaches.
“We were all so happy for her, especially because it made everyone realize what a historical program (the College) is, so it was something great to be a part of,” sophomore defender Mikayla Cimilluca said. “She didn’t really dwell on it much because she doesn’t boast about that stuff, so we were all playing for her and everyone else who was part of her 500 wins.”
Although there may have been a lot of hype prior to the game, Pfluger said the preparation was no different.
“I didn’t even know I was (that close) until the day before,” Pfluger said. “Afterward, when I saw the alum there and there was the celebration, it gave me time to reflect about how lucky I was to be surrounded by so many great people.”
Nearly 200 people attended the game to witness the historical 4-0 victory over the Cavaliers. The Lions (3-1) did not disappoint the crowd, as they started off strong with two early goals by junior forward Lauren Hatch and never let up.
“I was very happy with the way the girls played,” Pfluger said. “I thought that we were explosive and took advantage of our opportunities, so I was pleased because they played like a team.”
In the Lions’ following game against Juniata College, the women started right where they left off with a 4-1 win. The matchup against the Eagles (3-3) was much closer than the score indicated.
“It was very back and forth, but we were able to capitalize on the opportunities in the offensive circle early on in the game,” Cimilluca said. “We held the strong lead and didn’t let them come back and score more points.”
A main part of the success was due to the strong play of junior goalkeeper Amanda Krause, who registered a career high of 11 saves.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Lions will travel to Richard Stockton College for their first conference game of the season. Each game in the New Jersey Athletic Conference is important if the women want to qualify for the national championship at the end of the season.
“We just need to come out strong because they are a very aggressive team,” Cimilluca said. “It is very important, so we need to play a good game.”
(09/10/13 5:00am)
One week after a disappointing loss to Stevens Institute of Technology, the Lions bounced back with a critical 6-1 win against FDU-Florham in their home opener. This victory came on the 30th birthday of the Lions Stadium.
“We wanted to come out very strong and win as a team, and that is exactly what we did,” sophomore defender Mikayla Cimilluca said. “I think that we worked really hard to get the ball up the field and all the goals were well earned because we played well as a team.”
The first three goals came from junior forward Erin Healy, who now has four total goals this season. Healy also assisted sophomore forward Jordan Calderone on the final score of the game.
“I think that everyone was just on the same wavelength the whole game and we all just wanted it and had our eyes set on winning the whole time,” Healy said. “Now that we have had our first two games under our belt, I think we are really starting to click now together on the field.”
One area of significant improvement has come from the freshmen, who are becoming more comfortable at the collegiate level.
“When you step out on the field, it doesn’t matter what year you are because we are the (College) field hockey team so we all just play together,” Cimilluca said. “We just need to continue to play as a team and if we do that then we should win our games with no problem.”
Healy has also seen progress from the 10 freshmen and knows that they will continue to improve.
“They have all stepped up big time because every single one has contributed to the team,” she said. “We always try to improve on everything we do in all aspects of the game because we expect nothing less but perfection.”
The game against Cabrini College at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11 will be an important one for the Lions. Not only will it give the College a winning record, but it would help 29-year veteran Head Coach Sharon Pfluger achieve her 500th career victory. This win would make Pfluger the second coach in Division III history to reach the milestone.
“I am feeling good about (the game),” Healy said. “If we go in the same way as we went (against FDU-Florham) then I expect us to come out happy at the end of the game.”
Later this week, the Lions will travel to Juniata College and play the Eagles.
(09/04/13 6:05am)
Despite a promising start in their season opener, the women’s field hockey team fell short in the final minutes of their away game against Stevens Institute of Technology, 4-3.
At first it appeared that the Ducks would give the 12th-ranked Lions little trouble after an early goal by junior forward Erin Healy. Healy, who ranked second on the team with 26
points last year, gave the Lions the early momentum that the women were looking for in order blow the game wide open.
There was no such luck, however, as the game remained competitive throughout, with neither team ever leading by more than one goal. Stevens, who had never beaten the College in school history, did not back down, as they erased deficits of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. The Lions outshot the Ducks 12-2 in the first half but were outshot in the second 17-4.
Despite the disappointing loss, there was a big upside for this young squad who has only one senior this year. The main surprise came from freshman forward Lexi Smith who recorded her first two collegiate goals for the Lions.
The first came when Smith took advantage of a loose ball to score 41 seconds before the end of the first half. This important goal gave the Lions a 2-1 heading into the second half.
“The team had many great moments,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “Our goals were beautiful.”
Shortly into the second half, however, the Ducks replied and tied the game at 2-2. After swapping goals, the game was tied once more, thanks to another Smith goal. With just 3:17 left in the game, however, a costly penalty stroke sealed the Lions’ fate.
“We made some mistakes that cost us the game, but I am confident that everyone learned a lot from yesterday’s game — and will improve because of it,” Pfluger said.
The Lions look forward to playing in their home opener this Saturday, Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. against Fairleigh Dickinson University–Florham.
(08/28/13 4:38pm)
One year removed from the Division III National Title, the women’s field hockey team is primed to make another impressive run. Although very optimistic, there is one question mark that remains. Due to graduation, the Lions will have only one senior on the roster this season. Yet, despite not having a large upperclassmen presence, the women are confident that the 10 upcoming freshmen will be able to rise to the occasion.
“Before I got (to practice), I was nervous because there were only 12 returning players from last year,” said Sarah Cummings, the lone senior on the team. “Since these few days have gone by, I am much more confident because everyone came in ready to go right off the bat.”
According to Cummings, the team’s camaraderie will play a large part in how the team performs.
“We definitely need to work together and communicate as a team,” she said. “If we are together all the time (both on and off the field), then we will be able to play better together.”
With only one senior, it will be up to the junior class to lead by example. With six currently on the roster who hoisted the national trophy, these women know how to play in the big moments.
“I am very excited and looking forward to it because we have a great group of girls,” Cummings said. “Even though they are underclassmen, they still got a lot of experience in so that will definitely help us out this year.”
Although the women are eager to reach the NCAA tournament, the first step is to concentrate on winning the New Jersey Athletic Conference. This title would help to secure a bid to nationals. In order to do so, however, they must compete with in-conference teams such as Montclair State and Rowan University. Not only are these schools the Lions’ main rivals, but they are also consistently ranked among the nation’s best.
“For us to win nationals again, we are all going to have to work together throughout the entire season,” Cummings said. “It started the first day of the season and we will just take it game by game.”
The first matchup for the women is the away game against Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday, Aug. 31. The following week, on Sept. 7, is the Lions’ home opener against Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham.
“In just (the few practices we have had) so far we have already gotten a lot accomplished,” Cummings said. “I think we will continue to do that for the rest of the season so I am feeling pretty confident.”
(04/30/13 4:00pm)
Back in early March when the men’s baseball team began their season, they had one goal in mind: to make the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament.
Flash forward to this week and the Lions found themselves in a position where they controlled their own destiny. Fortunately, making the NJAC tournament is based on the year as a whole and not on the final week of the regular season. Despite struggling and losing four straight conference games to end the season, the Lions were able to build enough of a cushion early on as they sealed the sixth and final seed to qualify for the tournament.
In the non-conference game against FDU-Florham on Tuesday, March 23, the men came out strong and built a 5-1 lead after the third inning. The Lions never let their foot off the gas as they stayed steady the entire game, winning 8-5. Leading the team was senior right fielder Michael Murphy who had three hits and drove in a run.
In the following game against Rowan University on Thursday, April 25, the Lions were in a similar situation after taking a 2-0 lead in the fifth. The outcome was different this time however, as Owl’s battled back in the final innings to win 4-2.
“They were a good team and we just let them hang around,” Murphy said. “We had some opportunities to add to our lead, but we failed so they were in the game the whole time and when they got the lead, we couldn’t get back on top after that.”
Upset, but not discouraged, the Lions were given a chance the next day to redeem themselves against the Owls at home during Senior Day. At first it appeared that the College would reverse their luck as Murphy had his 200th career hit, making him the 11th in program history to do so. Despite hanging tough at the beginning, an eight-run fifth inning for Ramapo was too big to overcome as the Lions fell 14-5.
We shot ourselves in the foot (in the fifth) because we made a couple of errors that led to a couple of runs,” Murphy said. “They are a good team so when they got the opportunity, they capitalized on it.”
Heading into Saturday’s doubleheader against Richard Stockton College, there was a lot of pressure riding on the Lions. Just one game up against Rutgers University-Camden, the men knew that they were one victory away from making the tournament.
“We were confident going into the games because we knew if we played our game then we could play with anybody,” Murphy said. “We knew what we needed to do and heading in we thought we were going to take at least one of those games that day.”
Much like the entire week, the Lions were competitive but fell short as they lost both games by the same score of 4-3. Fortunately for the men, Camden had lost earlier that day which allowed the Lions to clinch the final playoff spot.
This Tuesday, April 30, the men will play Kean University — the top seed — in the first round of the NJAC tournament. In this double-elimination competition, Murphy and the rest of the team knows that anything can happen.
“We are excited for the tournament,” he said. “It isn’t the way we wanted to get in but getting in is an accomplishment because it is one of the toughest conferences in the nation so we are hoping to shock the world and we will see what happens.”
(04/23/13 4:00pm)
Adjusting to college life is no easy task. Once school is in session, the students are on their own to find a balance between their academic and social lives. For some students, an additional challenge is added when athletic rigors become part of their everyday routine. With the compounding of these responsibilities, it is no surprise that many varsity athletes initially struggle and typically need time to adjust.
Fortunately for the Lions, this was not the case for freshman pitcher Steve Volpe, as he fell right into the starting lineup. For many athletes, this is an impressive accomplishment on its own, but for Volpe, he knew he could do one better as he had perhaps the best start for a freshman in program history.
In the first 23 innings pitched of his collegiate career, Volpe held his opponents scoreless.
“I don’t like to look at the numbers too much because it is more important for the team to just win some games, but after the third shutout I had I thought I was doing pretty well and that maybe I was on to something,” Volpe said.
In fact, this freshman surpassed all expectations as his scoreless streak matched All-American Dave Dudeck for most shutout innings in the College’s history.
“It is really special and a nice accomplishment,” Volpe said. “(Dudeck’s) name is on the wall of our home field so to be in the same sentence with someone of his talent is pretty special and really means a lot to me.”
Heading into his freshman year, Volpe knew that the best way to train for the upcoming season was by practicing with a more experienced group of players.
“I always tried to play older kids, which has helped me out on the college level,” Volpe said. “(This made me) pretty comfortable coming in and helping out the team.”
After falling in love with pitching at age 10, Volpe describes himself more as a contact pitcher rather than one that is known for striking out the batters. With his style, the freshman credits his teammates for much of his recent success.
“I trust the fielders to make the plays, so without the defense behind me, I really wouldn’t have done as well as I did,” Volpe said. “They are the ones who made all the plays behind me, which really helps me out.”
Despite pitching extremely well and racking up a .60 ERA in his first 30 innings, Volpe humbly admits that there is always room for improvement.
“I just need to continue to keep throwing strikes and work on my defense like I have been,” Volpe said. “(Once I do that), I need to trust my teammates to get the job done and really get a total team effort to have success and win games.”
Since putting on his blue and white uniform for the first time, Volpe says he and the other freshmen have fit right in with the other players.
“Our team is like a family,” Volpe said. “The upperclassmen really took the other guys under their wing and made them feel comfortable.”
With the team currently in the mix for playoff contention, expect the Lions to take full advantage of Volpe’s strong arm. Despite his impressive streak, team wins are the most important thing for this freshman pitcher.
(04/23/13 4:00pm)
Despite beginning the week sluggishly with three losses, the College’s baseball team was able recover after an important 7-4 victory against Montclair State University. This win helped them regain focus as they carried that momentum into a doubleheader sweep over Rutgers University-Camden.
This comeback was much needed with the playoffs looming. The Lions are currently ranked fifth in the NJAC, which is critical because only the top six teams can qualify for the postseason.
“We are just going to need to play our baseball,” senior second baseman Scott Kelly said. “We will need to execute and do our thing (for nine innings) and if we do that then we should be coming out with a victory every time.”
In their first game on Monday against William Paterson University, ranked No. 3 in the NJAC, the Lions struggled on offense, connecting only once. The lone hit came from junior left fielder Joe Dispoto in the eighth inning. That hit, however, came too late to gain any momentum as the Lions fell 4-2.
The following day against Penn State Abington, the batting problems continued as they lost 2-1.
“We just didn’t show up that day and didn’t get hits when we needed to,” Kelly said. “When we did get on base, we just left them (there).”
In Thursday’s game against Montclair, the Lions once again struggled to make contact with the ball, losing at home 13-2. Despite the large margin, Kelly was still impressed by the pitching staff.
“(They) did a great job and kept us in the game, but we didn’t field for them,” he said. “We made some errors and once again didn’t get timely hitting.”
Sophomore shortstop Anthony Cocuzza and senior designated hitter Rob Vafiadou led the team with two hits each.
Like all great teams, however, they perform best when facing adversity. In their second game against Montclair, the Lions made the necessary adjustments on the offensive side, recording 14 hits. Leading the pack with three hits and a run was Dispoto. Kelly was also impressive as he crossed home plate twice.
“(Winning that game) was huge for us and definitely a momentum builder because we lost the three games earlier in the week, but we rallied and fought back hard,” Kelly said. “We said that we needed to turn things around and we did, so I think that that win is going to carry us to (the game against Rutgers-Camden).”
Kelly’s hunch was right as the college swept the doubleheader this past Sunday against the Raptors. The first game was forced to extra innings, with the Lions winning 4-3 off of a walk-off single by Kelly. In their final game, the College won more convincingly by the final score of 10-3. Kelly once again had a stellar performance, as he finished with four hits, two runs and three RBI. Sophomore first baseman Josh Limon also had a big day, going three for four behind the plate.
The Lions season will come down to next week with three of their final four games being in conference. If the men are able to build off of the momentum from this week, then they could see themselves with a playoff berth.
“We are still in control of our own destiny, which is the best thing,” Kelly said. “We still have the opportunities to win the ball games that we need to and to get into the conference tournament, but we can’t look ahead at those games because we have to focus one game at a time.”
(04/09/13 4:00pm)
The College’s baseball team knew that heading into their doubleheader against Kean University this past Saturday, April 6, they would need to play near-perfect baseball. Despite facing the nation’s sixth-best team, the Lions were confident after riding a five-game winning streak. After traveling to the Cougars home stadium, however, the College quickly fell behind, losing 13-5. In their next game, although much more competitive, the Lions lost a close one in extra innings 5-4.
“Kean has always been a pretty good team in the conference so we were expected to lose,” senior right fielder Michael Murphy said. “We were hoping to win one, but we knew it was going to be a tough game today and a battle.”
In the first game, the Lions struggled early by making several unnecessary mistakes.
“We shot ourselves in the foot and made a couple of errors and played their game for the first couple of innings,” Murphy said. “We started to come back a little bit, but they are a good team and we should’ve played our game instead of theirs.”
Trailing 11-1 by the end of the fifth, the Lions played more collective baseball as they were able to put together some runs. Murphy, sophomore shortstop Anthony Cocuzza and sophomore first baseman Josh Limon each led the Lions with two hits as they were able to narrow their deficit by the end of regulation.
Hoping to use that run for momentum, the College got off to a fast start in the second game. Pitching for the Lions was freshman pitcher Steven Volpe, who has had a sensational start to his collegiate career. Coming into the game, he matched the program record set in 1994 by Dave Dudek for 23 consecutive scoreless innings.
Despite allowing just one hit over seven innings, he gave up two runs and left the game in the eight with the Lions up 4-2, snapping his streak.
“We knew we were going to get good pitching out of Volpe, who has been playing really well,” Murphy said. “He has a lot of heart and is always getting that out for us because he has a lot of confidence right now, which is working for us.”
In the final innings when Volpe left, the Lions were unable to maintain the lead and lost 5-4 in the 10th.
“They had a couple of big hits and got a big double,” Murphy said. “They weren’t able to outhit us; they just got lucky to get the couple of hits together.”
Earlier in the week, the Lions were able to pick up three wins over Widener University and a home-and-home against Rutgers-Newark University.
Against Widener, it was the team’s freshmen stealing the show. Freshman pitcher Evan Edelman went eight innings, only giving up four runs, freshman outfielder Patrick Roberts clocked his first home run of the season, and freshman outfielder Mark Mari and freshman catcher Garen Turner each collected three hits in a 12-4 win.
In the first game against Rutgers-Newark on Thursday, April 4, senior pitcher Robert Schneider was the hero, not allowing an earned run in eight innings to guide the College to a three run victory. The next game was the following day, and it was more of the same. Senior pitcher Robert Graber went the distance, pitching all nine innings for a 9-0 shutout.
Five Lions notched RBIs, but it was Turner who came up big again. His first inning triple got the rout going by scoring senior outfielder Scott Kelly, while his two-run homer in the seventh sealed the deal.
Although the two losses were not ideal, the Lions remain in the mix and are fourth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference with a 4-2 record in conference play. After almost pulling the upset in the second game, the Lions remain optimistic against other top teams within the NJAC.
“It made us realize that we can play with pretty much anybody if we play our game and not the other teams,” Murphy said. “We were right in that second game and just one hit from really breaking it open so it’s a good thing for us to know that if we come out and control the game then we will win.”
(03/26/13 4:00pm)
The Sunday doubleheader against Muhlenberg College (10-2) began as a showdown between a pair of undefeated pitchers. By the end of game one, however, it was freshman pitcher Ashtin Helmer, with nine strikeouts, who got the better of her opponent as the Lions won 7-5.
In the following game, the College carried the momentum as fellow freshman pitcher Nicole Hroncich led the team to a 4-0 victory.
“Muhlenberg can hit the ball, so I was really pleased with our pitching today,” head coach Sally Miller said. “Even in the first game, Ashtin wasn’t totally on but she hung in there, and we (were able to) produce enough runs.”
Although the Lions never trailed, in the final inning of the first game, there was a brief moment where the Mules looked to be gaining control of the game. Down 7-3 with the bases loaded, Miller decided to relieve Helmer with freshman pitcher Katie Hourihan.
“They were coming up with their two biggest hitters and Ashtin wasn’t hitting her spots the last two hitters so I thought if we put Katie in and change up the speed of the pitch,” Miller said. “She definitely didn’t come in and do what she’s been doing in practice or the bull pen, so (after two consecutive walks that resulted in runs), I went right back with Ashtin.”
On the first pitch, the Lions were able to recover and sealed the victory by forcing a double play.
In the second game, Hroncich improved to 4-1 on the season, as she recorded her first shutout of her young collegiate pitching career.
“Nicole pitched a great ball game,” Miller said. “Her pitches were on and it was nice for her to come back after yesterday when it wasn’t such a great outing.”
Despite all of her success against the Mules, Hroncich acknowledges that the victory was not an individual effort.
“Our team played really well on defense,” she said. “It was definitely a team shutout because I was not out there throwing 21 strikeouts.”
Overall, Miller was very impressed with the way her two freshman pitchers were able to stay tough throughout both games on Sunday.
“They are handling themselves very well on the mound, but in addition to that, they are very composed out there and we have seen that in games with tight situations and that is a huge part of pitching,” Miller said. “As a pitcher you can’t have anything affect you because you have to know what you are capable of doing and still stay within yourself in order to let your defense help you.”
On the offensive side, the College was also very dominant and had a team batting average of .346.
“We are hitting the ball well, the team is making some really good adjustments based off of the pitching that we have seen because we face all kinds of pitchers,” Miller said. “We knew coming into today what to expect from their pitching staff and we talked about it beforehand and practiced it in the cage as we do all the time.”
The Lions ended the weekend going 3-1 after splitting the doubleheader against SUNY Cortland in their home opener. Their next game will be away against Ramapo College on Friday, March 29.
(03/19/13 4:00pm)
Although the Florida spring break trip for the College’s men’s baseball team may not have gone according to plan, with much of the season left, they remain optimistic.
Despite posting a sub-.500 record, the Lions were pleased with the way they competed against the nation’s top teams. In their first game against Wheaton College, who at the time was ranked No. 1 in the country, they stayed competitive and scored the final five runs of the game. Unfortunately, that comeback was not enough as they were narrowly defeated 9-6.
“The score didn’t really show how close the game really was because it was just one inning when they got a couple of breaks that went their way and they scored a bunch of runs,” senior outfielder Mike Murphy said. “We really didn’t want to give up and everyone kept on passing the rope to the next guy and we were able to put some runs up on the board, which was nice.”
Although the Lions were unable to pull off the upset in their game against Rhode Island College, they picked up their first win in Florida thanks to the heroics of sophomore infielder Josh Limon, who went a perfect five for five on the day including the game-winning hit in the ninth.
“(He) has been hitting the ball hard every time up and he’s had a bunch of hits down here and drove some runs in,” Murphy said.
In their next string of games against No. 9 Webster University and Suffolk University, the Lions remained tough but fell short by one run both games in extra innings.
“We have pretty much been in every game, we hadn’t lost by a lot of runs or won by a lot of runs, it has been a lot of close games and maybe you could see some of the youth being the difference between them pulling it out and us pulling it out just with a lack of experience,” Murphy said. “We just haven’t gotten that break which we could have used some luck to have walked away with a win.”
The tide quickly changed, however, during their final two games. In the second game of their double header against Worcester State University, freshman pitcher Steven Volpe threw the Lions’ first shutout of the season, winning 3-0. The following day against the University of Massachusetts Boston, the College continued its momentum as they beat the Beacons 6-4. With the two consecutive victories to end the Florida trip, the Lions were able to pick up their first winning streak of the season.
While they may have liked to have played better, finishing strong is very important. It gives this young team something to build off of, and shows promise for the rest of the season.
“There are a lot of freshman that are playing and people who did not see a lot of time last year who are in the lineup now and it is going to take (some time) for everyone to come together and start clicking as one unit,” Murphy said. “You could start to see it because there were flashes of it so we will be alright.”
(03/05/13 5:00pm)
After going 1-2 in their opening weekend against Immaculata University and Oswego State University, the men’s baseball team is preparing to rebound quickly before heading to Florida during spring break.
“We obviously wanted to go 3-0, but we are still a young team,” head coach Dean Glus said. “We have 15 freshmen out of the 30-man roster so that we got experience of playing these guys (was very beneficial).”
During their doubleheader against Immaculata, their youth appeared to get the best of them as they quickly fell behind 6-0 in their first game. After settling down, however, the Lions were able to regain focus as they narrowed the deficit to just one score by the end of the fifth inning. Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough as they lost 9-6.
“We have a saying here that the key to winning a doubleheader is winning the first one because if you don’t win the first one, then you can’t win two,” Glus said.
With some of the momentum still in the Lions’ favor, however, they were able to maintain their composure as they made sure to not start the season by dropping the first two games.
“It has been cold and we haven’t been able to get outside that much so the opener was our first real test. Although we came up a little short, we played well,” senior outfielder Mike Murphy said.
During their second game on Saturday, March 2, Murphy started out strong after hitting a homerun in his first at bat, and brought in another score as well. This two-run lead was exactly what the Lions needed as they held off the Mighty Macs to an 8-6 victory.
“The guys fought back, we did some good things in the game yesterday,” Glus said.
Similarly to the day before, the following game against Oswego started off quickly as the Lions took an 8-5 lead in the sixth inning. Unfortunately for the Lions, the momentum shifted in the Lakers’ favor as they scored five runs. Being unable to recover, the men lost a close one by the final score of 10-8.
“(Although it was not ideal), we got a lot of good things out of the weekend because we are hitting the ball really well,” Murphy said. “Our pitching staff is a little inexperienced, but they are throwing well and throwing strikes that are getting hit around a bit, but we will be all right.”
With a nine-game stint next week in Florida, the Lions expect to face more tough competition as they open against Wheaton College, the No. 1-ranked Division III team in the country. Although not much is expected for their first game, Glus is aiming toward accumulating a winning record while on their spring break.
“This is our second day outside playing so there are some things we need to improve on,” Glus said. “We hit the ball pretty well, and we have a saying called kaizen. It means to improve a small weakness over a period of time and if we can do that every day then at the end of the year, we will be where we want to be.”
(02/19/13 5:00pm)
After attending the Metropolitan Conference Championship at Rutgers University this past weekend, the Lions dominated the 19-team field as the men’s and women’s teams finished first and second, respectively. The title for the men marked their seventh consecutive and 16th overall in program history.
“We were all expecting to do well. We knew that we put the work in all season and had a great taper,” senior captain Adam Schneider said. “With the chemistry we had this year, we all knew we were capable of doing something special.”
They definitely did not disappoint as they won the MET title with 1,455 points. Behind them in a distant second was the University of Bridgeport with the score of 1,083 points.
Schneider’s weekend was stellar, as he set a school record and qualified for NCAAs in the process. In the 50-yard freestyle, the captain finished in 20.22, the best time in the College’s history. Schneider also won the 100-yard butterfly event, completing the race in 50.19 seconds. Behind him was freshman Joseph Dunn who finished in 50.54 seconds. Schneider also contributed in the second leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay team as he and juniors William Kasper, Philip Hawley and Stephen Gibson took first place with a time of 1:20.69.
“It’s always nice to get a new best time and it just so happens my previous best time was the record,” Schneider said. “But breaking the 200-free relay record was the one of the best swimming experiences I’ve ever been a part of and that was awesome.”
Senior Mike Caputo also had a great weekend, as he broke the College’s 1,650-yard freestyle record by 13 seconds. The time of 15:50.34 not only got Caputo a first place finish, but also qualified him for NCAAs.
As for the women’s team, their second place finish broke their streak of five consecutive MET titles. The Lady Lions had a team total of 1,021 points behind Long Island University Post who compiled 1,298 points.
Senior Kayleigh Shangle won the 100-yard breastroke for the second straight year as she finished with a time of 1:04.33. At the 200-yard medley relay, Shangle teamed up with senior Ashley Conroy, junior Maria Ciaralli and sophomore Brennah Ross to earn third place with a NCAA Provisional time of 1:47.11.
Also having a big performance were some of the divers, as seen in senior Danica Roskos and junior Sabrina Lucchesi, who respectively placed first and second at the 3-meter and 1-meter events. After an impressive weekend, Roskos was named MET Diver of the Meet for the third consecutive year.
Although the team result may not have gone the women’s way, the Lady Lions are still content with NCAA’s coming up in Shenandoah, Texas. For the past three years, they have finished in the top-10 at Nationals.
“I’m so proud of everyone. This year we’ve had probably the closest team in my four years and for everyone to do so well, it’s very rewarding,” Schneider said. “Some guys didn’t perform as they expected and we can’t have every single guy (get) best times all the time, but everyone came away with a swim they were happy about.”
(02/05/13 5:00pm)
After earning a milestone 200th career varsity win against William Paterson University, I had the privilege of talking to the 24-year veteran. Reflecting on his monumental victory, Bishop was modest, and his response was always the same. No matter how the questions were worded, Bishop would just laugh and repeatedly give all of the credit to his team. Oddly enough, it was almost as if he was not aware of the true magnitude of the victory.
“It’s not a win for me, but a win for the program, and that’s the way I look at it because individual accomplishments always come second,” Bishop said. “Since 1989, when I first started with the team, we’ve had tremendous athletes come through and this is a great win for them, a great win for the College, and I am just glad to be part of it.”
Bishop, although he would never admit to it, essentially is TCNJ swimming. When he first arrived at Trenton State College, there wasn’t a men’s swimming team. The program was disbanded in 1975 due to a lack of funds. A few years after being hired to run the swimming facility, Bishop revived the men’s team and the rest is history.
One person who knew Bishop from the beginning is Jennifer Harnett, the current women’s head coach. She was a member of Bishop’s very first varsity team and recalls him as being the same humble man that he is today.
“He has always created a special ‘team before self’ philosophy since day one, and it’s only gotten stronger,” Harnett said. “You see that in his current team and in his alumni who are still very supportive.”
Throughout Bishop’s tenure, he disclosed that he is most impressed with how his past teams have dealt with adversity and sudden-death situations.
“There were a number of times where the meet came down to the last event where win or lose (determined the outcome),” Bishop said. “We were 10-1 in those situations so that was pretty cool reminiscing on.”
As of late, any team coached by Bishop has grown accustomed to winning. In his time coaching, he has led the Lions to 23 consecutive winning seasons. During that period, Bishop has won 15 MET Championships and four NJAC titles.
“He’s done a phenomenal job with the program,” Harnett said. “To see how much they’ve changed from his first year on varsity to the national caliber team that they are now is very impressive.”
With Bishop clinching his 200th win, the sky is now the limit as this accomplishment could not have happened to a better man.