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(02/03/11 4:14am)
Greg Schiano and Rutgers University’s football program were recently able to gain the biggest verbal commitment in school history.
Four-star running back Savon Huggins, the No. 4 running back in the country, out of St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, NJ) decided to spurn stronger programs and play football for the Scarlet Knights.
Being a Jersey boy, I should have been excited when I heard the news, since Rutgers usually loses out on elite talent, but all I could think about was two words — why Rutgers?
Before Huggins, the face of Rutgers recruiting was a quarterback out of Pennsylvania named Tom Savage.
Savage was a freshman All-American in 2009, but spent his sophomore season on the bench behind true freshman Chas Dodd as Rutgers finished 4-8 in 2010. Savage is now looking to transfer to another school.
I couldn’t help but think why Huggins, after seeing a top recruit flame out at Rutgers, would pledge himself to the Scarlet Knights.
That thought suddenly transformed into a new one. What do these kids think about when they pick schools?
It’s easy to put recruits on a pedestal because they have elite athletic ability, but what really separates them from all the other high school seniors deciding where to go to school?
They still have to take into consideration the basic things like academic prestige, the night life, proximity to home and several other factors.
When I decided to attend the College, I know I thought about those same things.
Luckily, I didn’t have to make that decision with thousands, maybe millions, of people waiting to comment on it.
I questioned Huggins’ decision because I thought Savon Huggins, the athlete, would be better off at another school, but I didn’t consider whether or not Savon Huggins, the person, would be better off at Rutgers.
Maybe he wants to be close to home, so his mom can see him play, maybe he thinks Rutgers is a good school or maybe he thinks he’ll carry the Scarlet Knights to a National Championship and win the Heisman Trophy.
Actually, now that I really think about it, why not Rutgers?
(01/31/11 7:46pm)
I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?
I thought I did everything I was supposed to do and they still lost. I woke up early and threw on my jersey, my lucky shirt, lucky shorts, lucky socks and yes, even lucky underwear.
I got in my car and drove an hour to get home just to watch the game at the same bar that I watched every meaningful game of the season.
But, in the end, it wasn’t enough to lift the New York Jets to what could have been their second Super Bowl appearance in team history.
And as I watched Ben Roethlisberger take that final knee to clinch a 24-19 victory and a ticket to the Super Bowl, the feeling of utter disappointment filled my entire body.
It was the kind of feeling you get when your dog passes away.
I started sensing the feeling earlier in the year when the Jets started struggling towards the end of the season, but the playoffs made any sense of that feeling a distant memory.
The feeling wasn’t there when the Jets took down Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round and definitely wasn’t there when the Jets beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
It wasn’t there when the Steelers’ opening drive ate up 10 minutes of the clock and ended in a Rashad Mendenhall touchdown.
Even down 24-3 at halftime, the feeling wasn’t even close to overcoming me because of two reasons. One, I was still hoping my lucky clothes would secure the Jets the W, but second, and more importantly, for once I was finally believing in the Jets.
So, I continued to watch the second half and the Jets started to show some life. They made stops on defense, hit big plays down the field, got a crucial safety and converted necessary fourth down plays.They closed what seemed to be a sure lead down to five points, and the fate of the 2010 Jets’ season seemingly came down to one play. One play, which almost ended with a sack, but ultimately ended with a 13–yard completion to Antonio Brown.
My lucky shirt, lucky shorts, lucky socks and yes, even lucky underwear were not enough to stop Roethlisberger from completing that pass and it was only until after that play that the feeling of disappointment rushed over me and became a reality once again.
My lucky clothes just weren’t enough to erase a 24-point deficit and get the Jets into the Super Bowl.
The truth of the matter is that even though I feel like I am part of the Jets, my lucky clothes aren’t a part of the championship equation. One thing that is a part of that equation is confidence, and the Jets have had plenty of that since Rex Ryan has come to town.
Now, I’ve been hearing this talk about how it was the “same old Jets,” but you know what, that’s just not true.
I never would have thought my lucky clothing would have made a difference for the “same old Jets” and the “same old Jets” wouldn’t have believed in the second half of that game. The “same old jets” would have crumbled and put their tails between their legs at the sight of 24-3.
Sure, these Jets didn’t come away with a victory or a ticket to Super Bowl XLV, just like the “same old Jets,” but they believed, battled back in the second half and if they had gotten the ball back one last time, who knows what would have happened (I say Mark Sanchez to Santonio Holmes in the back of the end zone for a game-winning touchdown would have happened, but that’s just me).
Right now I feel disappointed, who wouldn’t?
But, I am comfortable knowing that I will be able to replace that feeling of disappointment faster than I ever have before.
The Jets have gained some credibility and are no longer a punchline.
The Jets are no longer taking a backseat to the New York football Giants. The Jets have gone to two AFC Championship games in the last two years, while the Giants have been watching the show from their couches.
There was a time that “Broadway” Joe Namath brought all the eyes on the Jets and Ryan seems to be bringing those eyes back. Namath guarenteed and won the Jets their only Super Bowl, Ryan has come close twice.
I can’t wait to see what Ryan and the Jets will do in year three. My excitement may be misplaced because I don’t know if next year will be as good as 2010 was or if the Jets will get as far as they did this year.
What I do know is that when the 2011 season kicks off, I will be watching in my jersey, my lucky shirt, lucky shorts, lucky socks and yes, even my lucky underwear.
Brandon Gould can be reached at gould9@tcnj.edu.
(01/21/11 10:20pm)
Have you ever had that feeling that something was missing the weekend after the Super Bowl ended and knew you were craving football?
Well, say hello to the Trenton Steel.
The Steel is a brand new indoor football team that will begin playing its inaugural season in the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) this March at the Sun National Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ.
Indoor football isn’t exactly the National Football League, but it allows fans to gaze in awe at spirals and tackles instead of watching baseball during the spring.
All the rules aren’t the same as the NFL, but the game still contains all the strategy, physicality and excitement that the outdoor game provides.
There are only eight players allowed on the field at one time during an indoor game as opposed to the 11 that are on the field at once in an outdoor game.
The field spans 50 yards from goal line to goal line and the end zones are about eight yards deep.
Each team has four downs to gain 10 yards, just like the NFL, but touchdowns are easier to come by since the field is shorter.
The SIFL has been around since 2009, but just recently merged with the American Indoor Football Association to bring their league to the north.
The Steel were able to enter as an expansion team after being bought by Fanteractive LLC in November 2010.
Team president and Fanteractive founder Andrew Bondarowicz followed the purchase by bringing in a strong staff to introduce riveting football to the city of Trenton.
Head coach Jeff Hoffman comes to the Steel after time as the defensive coordinator of the Utah Blaze.
Another addition was general manager Richard Lisk who came to the Steel after many stops, including a successful stint as the general manger of the Philadelphia Soul.
Open tryouts were held back on Dec. 11, and there will also be tryouts held on Jan. 29 at the Sun National Bank Arena.
The Steel will hold its first home game against the Erie Explosion at 7:05 p.m. on March 26.
Season tickets are still available at all levels through the team’s website, www.trentonsteel.com.
(12/09/10 4:55am)
When a team is winning a match by 39 points it’s hard to keep a continued emotional interest, but the College’s wrestling team was able to do that last Wednesday, Dec. 1, as senior Mike Denver used support and heart to his advantage while grappling with senior Mike Reilly of King’s College.
“I was not thinking about winning or losing when I was wrestling Reilly,” Denver said. “The only thing I was thinking about was training for nationals. Great moments come from great opportunities, and it’s about seizing those opportunities and making the best out of them and I think I had a great opportunity when I wrestled Reilly in my home gym. I just wanted to go out there and wrestle my match to the best of my ability.”
The Lions won most of their matches handily against the Monarchs in a 42-3 victory, but Denver’s contest still provided plenty of excitement.
Denver, who came into the match ranked No.4 in the 184-pound weight class, squared off against Reilly, who came into the match ranked No. 3.
The pair of wrestlers went out without either one scoring a point in the opening period, but Reilly was able to pull ahead 2-0 after the second period concluded.
“It is easy to go out and wrestle a guy as good as Reilly with the support of my teammates, coaches, friends and family,” Denver said. “Throughout the match all I could really hear were my coaches and teammates yelling to me. That is what made me push myself when I was tired and what drove me in the last two minutes of the match.”
As the pair started to wear each other down, the points began to rack up in the final periods. Denver was able to rally to earn the last five points of the match and nine out of the 12 points scored in the third period overall.
Denver mentioned one thing that caught his eye and willed him to push it down the stretch.
“I looked over at someone who was yelling a bit louder than the rest,” Denver said. “It was (sophomore) Dan Herr pointing to his heart, mouthing ‘it is all heart.’ It was then that I knew I was not going to lose that match.”
The Lions were able to take care of the rest of the Monarchs as they won eight of the nine other matches and dropped the Monarchs to 0-9 on the season.
The match kicked off on a high note as senior Dan Hughes was awarded victory by forfeit in the 125 weight class — the Lions would never give up the lead after that initial forfeit.
The only down point for the Lions on the night came when freshman Enrique Romero was unable to get the best of junior Anthony Dietrick and fell by a score of 9-3.
The match against the Monarchs propelled the Lions into the weekend where they saw three of their wrestlers win titles in their respective weight classes.
Sophomore Dan Herr reached the finals at 133 pounds, senior Justin Bonitatis made the finals at 165, sophomore Brian Broderick at 174 and finally Denver at 184.
Their collective efforts were crucial for the Lions overall performance, which was good enough to earn them second-place with 90.5 team points. The only squad that was better than the Lions was No. 5 Ithaca College who finished the tournament with 105 points.
Herr cut through the competition until he got to the finals in his weight class. There he fell to junior Seth Ecker of Ithaca College by a score of 8-4. Ecker was later named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
Bonitatis did not have much trouble making it to the finals in his weight class, but it took a hard fought effort to claim the title. Bonitatis’s final match was won by a narrow 3-2 decision over junior Justin James from The College at Brockport.
Broderick increased his season total to 15-1 on his way to the title at the 174 weight class. The final match of
the tournament for Broderick paired him against top-seeded David Priest of Ithaca College.
Broderick did not let rankings decide his match though. The sophomore left it all on the mat as he came away with a 5-3 victory over Priest.
Denver also went through the tournament without suffering defeat on his way to the title in the 184 weight class after defeating junior Alex Martocello of York College by a score of 7-5.
Although the Lions put up a good showing at York College, Denver still knows there is room for improvement.
“There is always room for improvement, in all aspects of wrestling,” Denver said. “The biggest thing to improve on for the rest of the season is just getting better every day and not worrying about winning or losing but just training for March. This is just the preseason, the real season doesn’t start till March because that’s when everything counts.”
The Lions may be looking ahead to March, but there are still several mathes between now and then that the Lions will need to take care of.
The Lions are done wrestling for the semester, but will return to action on Jan. 8 at the North/South Duals hosted by Ursimus College.
Brandon Gould can be reached at gould9@tcnj.edu.
(11/17/10 8:06pm)
A year ago she was just a lacrosse player and had no intentions of ever suiting up for the College’s field hockey team.
Many wins later, sophomore forward Kathleen Notos isn’t just a lacrosse player anymore.
The presence of Notos has played a big role for the Lions all season, but especially this week as they played two matches in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Notos brought her A-game as she recorded a hat trick on Nov. 10 when the Lions took down the University of New England 4-0 and then added another goal in the Lions’ 3-2 overtime loss to Skidmore College on Nov. 13.
Although Notos was just a first-year player, she was able to step up defensively as well as offensively as the Lions came out of the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament with a victory.
“All over the field she played great,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “She really created a lot for us in the midfield, she had great pressure on the ball and she was up on attack with her goal scoring. She really had a complete game all the way around from one end of the field to the other.”
The rest of the Lions also helped suffocate the Nor’easters offense, which only managed two shots-on-cage.
“Everyone was backing each other up,” junior goalkeeper Shannon Syciarz said. “We had a lot of strong sticks in the backfield, so the defense was on today.”
The Lions other goal of the match came from junior defender Alex Okuniwitcz, who was part of a Lions offensive effort that put 10 shots towards the cage.
“I thought we played really strong,” Mitchell said. “We played a really strong six on defense and we had a good effort towards goal, so it was a complete game for us.”
The Lions brought a similar effort in their next match, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Skidmore College.
Notos scored a goal for the Lions in the first half, while senior midfielder Leah Geissler capitalized on a penalty corner seven minutes into the second half.
However, the Thoroughbreds were able to trade goals with the Lions and matched their level of play every step of the way, which ultimately forced overtime.
Seven minutes into the extra period senior forward Christine Kemp ended the match with a swing of her stick.
Kemp’s initial shot was saved by Syciarz — who finished with 11 saves — but Kemp was able to cash in on her own rebound.
The second-round loss to the Thoroughbreds ended the Lions season and put their final record at 17-5.
Notos, however, is able to look back on a season that wasn’t exactly planned.
“I gave up on (getting her on the team),” Pfluger said. “Then she came to me in the spring when she was playing lacrosse and said, ‘Coach, I’m going to play hockey.’ I said, ‘Are you sure?’ She said ‘Yeah.’”
Notos got into a groove early on in the season scoring her first career goal and recording an assist in only her second match on way to a 3-1 victory over King’s College.
That match would only be the first of a slew of productive matches on the season for Notos, who finished the season as the team’s leading scorer with 17 goals and 40 points.
Those numbers were enough for the New Jersey Athletic Conference to select Notos as the Rookie of the Year.
“I would have never thought that I would have been here,” Notos said. “Last year I was the stats girl, but this is just been great.”
Beside Notos earning NJAC Rookie of the Year, the Lions also had junior forward Leigh Mitchell named NJAC Attack Player of the Year and Syciarz named NJAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
“It just shows that in different areas of the field they stood out,” Pfluger said. “Shannon’s been our starting goalie for three years, Kathleen has been a great addition to the program and Leigh is the experience that we missed so much last year because she was out.”
(11/17/10 7:10pm)
By Richard Cuccagna
Correspondent
and Brandon Gould
Sports Assistant
The College’s men’s and women’s cross country teams finished fifth and eighth respectively in the 2010 NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships in Oneonta, N.Y. on Saturday.
According to event rules, the two top teams from each race automatically earn trips to the 2010 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships, which are going to be hosted by Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa next Saturday .
However, the NCAA cross-country championship committee then gives out at-large berths, which left the Lions fate to the committee’s selection – they were unfortunately not selected.
“This weekend at Regionals we had a strong showing with a top-5 finish,” said sophomore Andy Gallagher. “In past years, this would have secured a spot at Nationals, but we are proud of our achievements this season. Quarry dog!”
Senior T.J. Bocchino, who finished 17th overall out of 268 runners, placed highest for the Lions in the men’s race with a time of 25:27.6.
Junior Rob Nihen was the next Lion to cross the finish line for the men’s team with a time of 25:48.3, which was good enough for 27th overall.
The efforts of Bocchino and Nihen were enough to earn them a selection to the men’s All-Region team.
Meanwhile, junior Claire Johnson placed highest for the Lions in the women’s race. Johnson’s time of 23:19.9 allowed her to finish 32nd out of 236 runners.
Fellow junior Alyssa Bannon wasn’t far behind as she finished with a time of 23:21.2 and a 35th place finish.
Johnson and Bannon were able to match the efforts of Bocchino and Nihen by earning selections to the women’s All-Region team.
Sophomore Cathy Goncalves also ran well for the Lions with a time of 23:50.8.
“Our main focus this past weekend was to work as a team and get an at large-bid to Nationals,” Goncalves said. “Even though we didn’t qualify, we have a very young team, so our goal is to become stronger and faster in order to earn that national bid next year.”
(11/03/10 5:10pm)
Most sports in America use it in some form. It makes mistakes disappear, it changes games and it makes the quality of games better.
It is instant replay and it needs to become more prominent in Major League Baseball.
Major League Baseball already uses a form of instant replay to examine home runs, but a more in-depth structure needs to be put in place.
It was heart-breaking to watch the Atlanta Braves get the short end of the stick on a couple of blown calls against the San Francisco Giants, who went on to win the World Series, during the National League Division Series.
In game one of the series, Giants catcher Buster Posey took off for second in the fourth inning and was caught stealing. Except Posey wasn’t called out, the umpires signaled Posey as safe.
The replay clearly shows Posey being tagged out before he reached the base, but the umpires let the play stand as called. Posey would end up coming around to score and that run was the difference in a 1-0 contest.
The Braves weren’t done getting gypped though. Bobby Cox’s last game as a manager should have been a special one, but instead it was tainted as another runner was incorrectly called safe at second base.
Second baseman Omar Infante received a high throw from shortstop Alex Gonzalez that eventually pulled him off the base, but not before he got the out. It was close and it was a lot easier to judge from home, but Infante’s foot was on that base when he caught the ball.
That play at second should have been the second out of the inning and the inning should have been over when Aaron Rowand struck out. However, because of that call the Giants were able to get to Cody Ross, who brought in the game-winning run.
There have been some other bad calls during this year’s playoffs that haven’t had significant impacts, but what if they had?
We’ve already seen what should have been a perfect game by Armando Galarraga go up in smoke when Jim Joyce, a well-respected umpire, made a mistake that he will regret for the rest of his life on a call at first base with two outs in the ninth inning.
So, what’s it going to take for further instant replay to be put in place? The New York Yankees losing a game seven in the World Series on a blown call?
Mistakes and human error are a part of this beautiful game, but you can limit those mistakes and still keep them around in a limited capacity by installing a more advanced system of instant replay.
Managers could be given three challenges to use throughout the first eight innings of a game, while everything in the ninth inning and extra innings would be reviewable — think of football after the two-minute warning.
Home runs provide the biggest swings of momentum in games and thus would still be reviewable at all times just like goals in hockey games.
Balls and strikes would be exempt from review since there is no exact science to developing each player’s zone and hearing a machine punch out a batter – Beep. Boop. Beep. Boop. Strike Three! – would not be entertaining either.
The other calls that would be reviewable under a challenge would consist of checked swings, balls hit down the line and close calls at bases.
There are a ton of ways you could go with replay and a million different systems that could be installed.
Replay won’t bite and it’s not going to hurt anybody, so install it already, Bud Selig.
(11/03/10 3:50pm)
All season long the College’s field hockey team had been looking for a defining win over a top 10-ranked team. The Lions finally succeeded on Saturday — also Senior Day — with a 1-0 victory over No. 10-ranked SUNY Cortland.
The Lions have now faced five teams who are currently ranked in the top-10 of the Kookaburra/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll, but Cortland was the first top 10-ranked team the Lions defeated.
“We lost to Messiah, but we had them with 20 minutes left in the game,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “We lost to Ursinus, but they won in the last two minutes of the game. Our game against Salisbury we lost 4-1, but the stats were dead even. Our loss to Eastern we didn’t play well. So, (Cortland) is a big win for us. We’re really happy about it.”
Pfluger had made comments a week ago about how she wanted her team to play strong collectively throughout an entire game and that is exactly what she got on Saturday.
“I was really happy with the way we played,” Pfluger said. “I just think our timing was off in the first half, but we played a really strong second half. I think they held up strong.”
The score may have been close, but Lions completely outplayed their counterparts the entire game.
The Lions ended the day with 15 shots-on-cage, while only allowing the Red Dragons to put six shots towards junior goalkeeper Shannon Syciarz.
The Lions had their share of opportunities to score earlier in the game, but the deciding goal was delivered by junior forward Kathleen Notos 10 minutes into the second half.
“I think it’s a big team effort and we all want to win,” Notos said. “We just create opportunities and I’m just there to clean it up.”
The crowd erupted as Notos swept the ball past senior goalkeeper Ashley Hughes and time literally came to a stop. The game clock stopped 24:16 after Notos goal and the officials had to stop play until the problem was resolved and then had to agree on the correct time to put up on the clock.
“I don’t know what happened,” Pfluger said. “It hasn’t happened all season.”
The Lions had a chance to come out with a 3-0 victory, but two penalty shots by senior forward Mary Waller caught the goalpost.
Waller lifted the first shot off the ground and had Hughes beat, but all that resulted from it was a loud bang.
“The first one I just thinking that I wanted to put less pressure on us by getting a goal,” Waller said. “The second one I was just thinking I really need to make this one after I missed the first one.”
Unfortunately, Waller wasn’t able to cash in on her second shot as it went past a diving Hughes, but ricocheted off the post again.
Waller could have pulled off her best Gordon Bombay impersonation and thought about what would have been had the ball gone half an inch to the left, but the senior’s mind went in a different direction.
“Afterward, I was thinking how could you possibly hit two posts in one game,” Waller said. “But it was just bad luck I guess.”
The Red Dragons best opportunity to score came 13 minutes into the game. The shot would have went into the cage had it not been for a brilliant defensive stop by junior midfielder Alex Okuniewicz.
The Lions win was bitter sweet for the group of seniors including Waller, Jessica Falcone, Leah Geissler, Kristen O’Neill and Kellyn Riley, who were recognized and celebrated before the game — their last game at Lions Stadium.
The Lions will now look toward the playoffs with the regular season coming to an end.
“The goal right now is to make it into the playoffs,” Pfluger said.
(10/28/10 12:18am)
The men’s soccer team took a while to record its first win of the season, but the effort coming in the last couple of weeks has been the polar opposite of those early struggles.
“The first part of the season was a bit of a struggle for the team,” sophomore midfielder Kevin Shaw said. “We were not sure what was going to happen. All of the effort was there, but things just weren’t clicking for us. Enough of the guys had faith in the team though, and we continued to work hard during that rough patch.”
The Lions have not lost in their last eight matches going 6-0-2 in that span – the two ties came in matches that went into double overtime. It’s been about a month since the Lions fell 5-1 to Montclair State University and they seem to be a new team.
The catalyst of the Lions resurgence has been junior forward Ray Nelan. Nelan has scored in six of the Lions eight games and currently has a team-leading seven goals and 14 points this season.
“Ray has been huge for the team the whole season,” Shaw said. “It is really important to have a forward that can put the ball in the net and if he keeps scoring the way he has been we should be able to keep doing really well for the rest of the season.”
Nelan has recorded a goal in the last four straight games as the Lions have defeated William Paterson University, Kean University and New Jersey City University as well as recording a tie versus Muhlenberg College.
The Lions biggest win came against No. 25-ranked William Paterson, who had a chance to tie the game with less than eight minutes left on a penalty kick. Sophomore goalkeeper Adam Friedman was able to stop the shot and the Lions walked away with a 1-0 victory – the lone goal coming off of Nelan’s foot.
The Lions kept up the tempo as they collected another conference victory over Kean University.
The 2-1 victory assured a spot in the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs for the Lions. The Lions fell behind early, but were able to tie it as Nelan converted a penalty kick.
Junior Chris Pisano was then set up by freshman midfielder Sean Casey to be the hero as the forward kicked in the winning shot in the 42nd minute.
The next match for the Lions proved to be a little bit more of a challenge as No. 19 Muhlenberg came to Lions Stadium.
The Lions refused to back down though and gritted through until the end of two overtimes to escape with a 2-2 tie.
The Lions returned to NJAC play three days later with a 4-3 win over New Jersey City University. The win improved the Lions record to 6-1-1 in the NJAC and 8-5-3 overall.
The match eerily resembled the match against Kean as Nelan had an early goal and Pisano was able to come through with another game winner.
The game was tied at 3-3 with time starting to get a little tight when Pisano took a pass from junior midfielder Ed Kozic and pushed it just enough to get it past freshman goalkeeper Zakary Azimi in the 92nd minute.
The win gives the Lions a first-round bye in the NJAC post-season tournament and guaranteed that they will host the semi-final round on Nov. 3 at Lions Stadium.
However, before the Lions get started on thinking about the postseason, the Lions will have to take care of Rowan University on Oct. 27.
“We always take one game at a time,” Shaw said. “I think it’s important that we keep playing well so when the playoffs come around we will still have that momentum to carry us through.”
(10/27/10 4:24pm)
The women’s field hockey team has been one of the top teams in all of Division III this year and there aren’t many teams that can match the Lions’ talent. Unfortunately, the Lions ran into one of the few teams that can, as they lost to No. 6 Salisbury on Oct. 16.
The Lions were able to bounce back from that loss – just like they have done all season long – as they defeated Cabrini College 4-0 and Montclair State University 3-2.
“They’re all different games,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “But I don’t think we played well in the Salisbury game.”
The Lions allowed an early goal against the Sea Gulls, but were able to tie things up in the second half with an unassisted goal off the stick of sophomore forward Kathleen Notos.
That lead did not last long, though. The Sea Gulls scored five minutes later and reserve Kristina Fusco would add two more goals as the Lions were shut out for the last 27 minutes of play.
“We got scored on in the first two minutes and then we worked really hard to tie it,” Pfluger said. “But then we let a goal in five minutes later. I just don’t think we’re staying strong and solid. Salisbury is good, but it shouldn’t have been a 4-1 game.”
The loss was the fourth of the season for the Lions, but all of those losses have come against top-10 Division III teams. That won’t be an acceptable excuse come playoff time though, so the Lions will have to improve their play against this level of competition and limit the mistakes, according to Pfluger.
“When I watch the tape I see some crucial errors that were made,” Pfluger said. “At this level you can’t make critical errors that can cost you the game and I think we did that in those situations. We just have to
be strong the whole game through and play our game the whole game through.”
The Lions took a few steps toward that goal as they defeated the Red Hawks by a score of 3-2 on Oct. 23.
The Lions started out hot as senior forward Jessica Falcone scored two goals in the first seven minutes and junior forward Leigh Mitchell added on to that when she scored her 11th goal of the season right after halftime.
Just when it seemed that the Lions had the game won, the Red Hawks started their comeback. The Lions weren’t alarmed when the Red Hawks scored to make the game 3-1, but things got a little tense when the Red Hawks made it a 3-2 game with a little over eight minutes left.
“We were up 3-0 and we needed to play strong the whole way through,” Pfluger said. “The game was not over. I think they just got a little lax, but it was a good lesson for us because we had to fight through there at the end. It puts a lot of pressure on the defense and they knew they couldn’t make a mistake because one mistake was going to tie that game.”
The Lions other match included a rejuvenated effort after the loss at Salisbury as Notos scored two goals to put her in a tie with Mitchell with a team-leading 11 on the season as the Lions defeated Cabrini College 4-0.
“I don’t know if it’s getting easier, but I think I’m just getting used to the team and just the sport,” Notos said. “I think it’s just getting more used to everything.”
Senior midfielder Leah Geissler also provided the Lions with a little excitement as the defender scored her first career goal.
“It was very exciting,” Geissler said. “All my teammates were very supportive and very happy for me. It took four years, but I finally got it.”
The Lions will look to carry their experiences in the last two matches into their next game against No. 9 SUNY Cortland on Oct. 31.
(10/13/10 11:53pm)
Athletic competition includes many variables that ultimately decide who wins and who loses a match, but sometimes matches just come down to one team being better than the other.
That was the case in both games this week as the College’s field hockey team fell to No. 3-ranked Messiah College 4-2 on Oct. 7 and then later defeated Johns Hopkins University 4-1 on Oct. 10.
The Lions were able to jump out to a 2-1 lead at halftime against Messiah, but were not able to hold down the Falcons in the second half.
“Messiah definitely brought a stronger effort into the second half and put a great amount of pressure on our defense,” junior forward Leigh Mitchell said. “We didn’t step up to the challenge and continue to play like we did in the first half.”
The Lions came in on a hot streak and looked like they were in business when senior midfielder Kellyn Riley put a shot into the cage 16:41 into the match, but that lead wouldn’t last long.
The Lions stepped up though and took a 2-1 lead when Mitchell capitalized on a pass from sophomore forward Caitlyn Jenkins.
That lead would hold over until halftime, but the play after halftime was where the Falcons separated themselves from the No. 11-ranked Lions.
The Falcons beat the Lions at their own game by owning the second half. The Lions were held to only one shot – which was saved by freshman goalkeeper Kayleigh Stewart – and no goals, while allowing three goals to enter their cage.
“We played very defensively and struggled to get the ball in our offensive end to maintain the pressure we were putting on in the first half,” Mitchell said.
The Falcons seemed to outdo the Lions in every category there was, but the main differences between the first half and the second half came in the amount of penalty corners.
Both teams recorded five penalty corners each in the first half, but the Falcons were able to collect 11 to the Lions’ three in the second half.
Those extra penalty corners were crucial for the 14 shots that the Falcons were able to put towards the cage in the second half of play.
“(Penalty) corners are a huge offensive advantage and a big challenge on defense,” Mitchell said. “So the ratio of our corners to theirs definitely played a role in the offensive output.”
Once the match was over the Lions had no other choice but to get ready for their next game against Johns Hopkins University.
The Lions were able to shake off their loss to the Falcons quickly as they scored three goals in the first half.
Two of those goals came off the stick of junior forward Kathleen Notos, who got an assist from Mitchell on the first goal and then collected her own rebound on the second.
The difference this time around for the Lions was their ability to bring a dominant second-half effort on defense that was lacking in the game against the Falcons.
The Lions were able to hold the Blue Jays to one goal, while also scoring another goal of their own courtesy of junior defender Alex Okuniewicz.
The win increased the Lions record to 3-0 when coming off a loss and 10-3 overall on the season.
“With so many games on our schedule this year we have to be able to learn from our mistakes, correct them and move on quickly and that is something that helps to keep our season successful,” Mitchell said.
The Lions will stay on the road again this week as they head to No. 1-ranked Salisbury University for another tough contest on Oct. 16.
“Salisbury is always a challenge but an exciting game to play,” Mitchell said. “We’ll have to come out strong in the first half and maintain the intensity for the entire 70 minutes of the game (to win).”
(10/06/10 6:37pm)
Donovan McNabb had been in the locker room, ran through the tunnel and patrolled the sidelines many times before at Lincoln Financial Field, but it was usually in a Philadelphia Eagles jersey.
Sunday was so similar yet so different for McNabb, who sat in the opposing locker room this time and came out of the tunnel with burgundy and gold instead of green and white on this time around.
After failing to win a Super Bowl in 2009, the Philadelphia Eagles organization had to make a decision in the offseason about McNabb.
The options were to either keep the 33-year-old quarterback and let him make a run for the title one last time, before he hit free agency, or get rid of him and move on to a new era.
The Eagles decided to go with the latter, so they traded McNabb, but they didn’t trade him to just anybody. The Eagles traded McNabb to the Washington Redskins, a team within their own division, a team that they would face twice in 2010.
If that isn’t a band-handed smack to the face then I don’t know what is.
The Eagles thought that it would be better to move on with fourth-year player Kevin Kolb, a la the Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers saga before the 2008 season.
When you really look at it, McNabb never really asked for much from Philadelphia – as an organization or as a city.
McNabb’s arrival to the City of Brotherly Love is infamous. On draft day in 1999, the Eagles selected McNabb with the No. 2 overall pick and fans booed the selection because they wanted running back Ricky Williams instead. Are you kidding me?
His tenure in Philly would reflect that day in New York and nothing McNabb did seemed to win over Eagles fans.
There were the Chunky soup commercials, a lot of laughs and a lot of production with suspect talent.
McNabb brought the Eagles to the playoffs eight of his 11 seasons with the team and the Eagles reached five Conference Championship games and one Super Bowl over that span.
Consider this for a second, Jim Kelly was beloved by Bills fans with a résumé that lists eight playoffs appearances in 11 seasons, five Conference Championship games and four Super Bowls losses – sounds oddly familiar.
The difference is that Buffalo is not Philadelphia.
Even through all of that, McNabb only has good things to say and a smile on his face when asked about his time in Philadelphia.
That smile continued to be visible Sunday as the Redskins rolled into Lincoln Financial and came out with a 17-12 victory over the Eagles. McNabb didn’t play great, but he played well enough to leave the season series at McNabb — 1, Eagles — 0.
The funny thing about the game was that Eagles fans showed more respect for McNabb on Sunday, when they gave him a standing ovation as his name was announced, than they did while he was in Philly.
It’s cliché, but I guess Tom Keifer and Cinderella were right. You don’t know what you got until it’s gone.
(10/06/10 5:28pm)
A field hockey cage is normally seven feet high and 12 feet wide, but those dimensions didn’t seem to apply to the Lions when they faced off against Richard Stockton College.
The cage seemed to be larger for the Lions offense as they put in five goals on the day – tied for a season high, while the cage seemed to shrink for the Lions defense, who only allowed one goal to touch the back of their cage.
The Lions offense has taken off since a loss to Ursinus College on Sept. 21. Since that loss, the Lions have averaged five-goals-per-game in three victories and have improved their record to 9-2 on the season.
“I think the key to our success offensively is the support from every line on the field,” junior Leigh Mitchell said. “The support from the backs to the midfielders and midfielders to forwards has stepped up, which has helped us to maintain a solid offensive pressure throughout the game.”
Friday’s game was a balanced attack as four different Lions were able to find the back of the cage.
Senior forward Jessica Falcone had the most notable game as she scored back-to-back goals that left the game at 5-0 at the time.
One of those goals was assisted by Mitchell, who also added a goal of her own about 40 minutes into the contest.
Mitchell and Falcone now share the team lead with seven goals each, while Mitchell also leads the Lions with six assists on the year.
Although Mitchell and Falcone have given the Lions the most offensive power this season, it was sophomore forward Caitlyn Jenkins who put in the Lions’ first goal off a pass from junior Kathleen Notos.
Notos had quite a day herself as she not only assisted on Jenkins’s goal, but also added a goal of her own in the second half, which was ironically assisted by Jenkins.
“I think the team is finally clicking offensively,” Mitchell said. “We are able to read each other more on the field and we are able to capitalize more on our opportunities.”
Not to be upstaged by any means, the Lions defense also came to play against the Ospreys on Friday giving up a lone goal on five shots.
Senior Mary Waller was a key part to the Lions defensive effort as she recorded her second defensive save of the season.
The Lions will ride their recent success into the highly anticipated matchup against No. 4 Messiah College on Oct. 7.
“Having strong games offensively lately should help with our confidence going into a big game this week with Messiah,” Mitchell said. “We know we are working well as a unit and have the ability to score, so we just need to carry that over.”
(09/29/10 5:16pm)
After two weeks of falling just short at the end of games, the College finally got to celebrate as the Lions watched junior kicker Tyler Olsson’s kick do everything but fall short as the team got their first win of the season over The College at Brockport.
Things change from week to week in football and Olsson – who saw an extra-point sail wide in last week’s 24-23 overtime loss to FDU-Florham – can attest to that.
“The most important thing to have as a kicker is a short memory,” Olsson said. “I think (a short memory) is the most important quality to have as a kicker because you can never really get too high or too low. Whether you missed your last kick that you should have made or made your last kick that you should have missed there’s always another kick afterwards that is not related to any of the other kicks.”
Olsson’s field goal capped off a six play, 49-yard drive that gave the Lions the advantage in a 24-21 victory over the Golden Eagles.
“When (coach) called me out to kick the 45-yarder I felt confident,” Olsson said. “I had a good week of practice and that was it.”
“I’m so happy for him,” senior safety and team captain Matt Kreider said. “The kid works hard all week and he’s always out there doing his thing and it was a shame that he had to miss the last one, but he really redeemed himself. That was a hell of a kick.”
Another player who bounced back from last week’s loss to make an impact against the Golden Eagles was junior quarterback Jay Donoghue.
Donoghue – who didn’t record any statistics in last week’s game – led the Lions’ drive that set-up the game-winning field goal.
After the Lions stopped the Golden Eagles on a crucial 4th-and-10, Donoghue and the Lions offense went to work from their own 24-yard line with 1:03 left in the game.
Junior running back Erik Smithman started the drive with an 18-yard run, but it was Donoghue who was the backbone of the offense on the last drive as he hit wide receiver Chris Meliado on two passes for 16 yards and also ran twice himself for 14 yards to put the Lions in field-goal range.
The comeback win spoiled what was looking like a dominate performance on Homecoming Day for the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles put up 478 yards of total offense on the Lions defense – 265 rushing yards and 213 passing yards – but the Lions defense would not break and came up with a few timely turnovers.
“We’re not the biggest defense,” Kreider said. “So it’s not like we’re gonna go out there and pummel offenses and dominate. What we do is fly around and use our quickness to our advantage and you might get some yards on us, but eventually we’re gonna try and pop that ball out.”
The Lions did exactly that with the Golden Eagles driving into Lions territory early in the second quarter. The defense was able to strip junior running back Andrew McCormick and recover the ball at the 32-yard line to keep the Golden Eagles from breaking the scoreless tie.
The Lions defense then took it to the Golden Eagles again after falling behind 21-7 by holding their opponents to eight first downs on five possessions and picking off a pass with 14:07 left in the game.
“Turnovers are always huge and they’ve been a key for us all year,” Kreider said. “Before the game our coaches always come in and give us four things that we really need to do in order to win and the turnover battle is always a crucial one.”
Junior defensive back Scott Mathurin’s interception put a halt to a promising Golden Eagle drive early in the fourth quarter and gave the Lions the ball as well as the momentum.
Four plays later, Donoghue connected with sophomore wide receiver Will Friedrich for a 51-yard touchdown pass to even the score at 21.
The Lions now improve to 1-2 on the season and will look ahead to their Oct. 2 contest with SUNY Cortland on Homecoming Day at Lions Stadium.
(09/29/10 4:22pm)
The College’s field hockey team bounced back strong from a loss for the second week in a row as junior forwards Leigh Mitchell and Kathleen Notos led the Lions to two victories over William Paterson University and Neumann University.
“We have to have the ability to bounce back,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “We have to bounce right back, [the loss] is over with and we have to move on.”
The Lions had no trouble doing that as they won by a combined score of 10-0 in their games against the Pioneers and the Knights.
“It’s important to win every game because every game counts,” Mitchell said. “So, especially off a loss, we really want to come out strong, so we get our confidence back and ready to go.”
Mitchell showed plenty of confidence during the week as she had two assists against the Knights after recording a hat trick – which gave her a team-leading six goals – earlier in the week in the 5-0 victory over the Pioneers.
“We have a lot of support from everyone in the circle,” Mitchell said. “I just happened to get the finishing touches and it’s really just everyone’s combined effort to get it up in goal.”
Notos wasn’t far behind Mitchell as she finished the week with two goals and an assist. Her two goals against the Knights matched the first-year player’s total for the rest of the season.
Notos – who is a junior, but a newcomer to the field hockey team – now ranks second on the team with 12 points, fourth in goals with four and second in assists with four behind senior Mary Waller, who added her team-leading 5th assist in the 5-0 win over the Knights.
“I honestly think I’ve been so successful because of the experience from lacrosse,” Notos said. “I kind of lose the nerves of it being my first time playing field hockey because I played two years of lacrosse, so it’s kind of the same thing and the same competiveness.”
The Lions defense kept up their dominant pace as they held the Pioneers to only three shots and did not allow the Knights to get a single shot off as junior goalie Shannon Syciarz recorded her third and fourth shutout of the season.
“I thought that the defenders played really well,” Pfluger said. “They all supported each other well, communicated and I’m really proud of them.”
The Lions might have been able to add a few more goals against the Knights, but they struggled with ball control in the first half.
“I thought the first half we missed the ball a lot when we could have connected,” Pfluger said. “I’m happy that we did in the second half and there were some really nice goals. You know, assist, deflection, goal. We did better as the game went on.”
Freshman forward Sarah Cummings was one of the highlights of the second half as she came off the bench with much needed energy and scored her second goal of the season.
“Sarah’s got a lot of potential,” Pfluger said. “We’re really happy with her. She just keeps getting better every day.”
Two Lions recorded their first goals of the season this week as sophomore forward Caitlyn Jenkins and sophomore defender Christy Wham each put one in the back of the cage.
The Lions return to New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Oct. 1 as they face off with Richard Stockton College.
(09/29/10 4:14pm)
Junior kicker Tyler Olsson booted a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give the Lions their first win of the season. Olsson’s kick was the difference in a 24-21 contest against The College at Brockport. Olsson now stands at 2-for-3 on field goals for the season.
(09/22/10 5:16pm)
The ability to fight through adversity is one of the signs that coaches look for to gauge what kind of team they have. If Sunday’s 3-1 victory was any indication of the attitude of this year’s field hockey team,
head coach Sharon Pfluger should be excited.
The No.-12 ranked Lions lost their first match of the season last Tuesday when they fell 1-0 to No. 14-ranked Eastern University. As if that loss wasn’t enough, the Lions also had to deal with falling behind early this week when they faced off against Alvernia University.
The Crusaders took a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the first half when senior Ashley Tatangelo put a shot into the back of the cage.
Some teams would have dropped their heads after giving up an early goal in a match that followed a loss, but the Lions refused to waver.
“As soon as they scored the goal everyone mentally got really pumped,” junior Alex Okuniewicz said. “It wasn’t even an option for us to lose the game.”
The Lions started their comeback by playing solid defense and holding the Crusaders scoreless as they made progress offensively.
“Right after they scored we got together and we just talked about how we needed to be more organized defensively,” junior goalie Shannon Syciarz said.
The next step for the Lions was to get a shot of their own into the back of the cage.
Cue sophomore defender Camille Passucci.
Senior midfielder Kellyn Riley started the attack by putting a corner pass towards the cage, but it Passucci who was there to redirect the ball past junior goalkeeper Abby Eby.
Both teams would hold their ground for the rest of the half as the game remained a 1-1 tie at halftime.
If the first half wasn’t enough, the second half certainly gave Pfluger proof that her team is a group that won’t back down and rise to a challenge.
Pfluger’s team did to the Crusaders what they have done to teams all season – owned the second half.
The Lions came into the match with a 5-1 scoring advantage in the second halves of their matches this season and this match was no different.
“We come out strong in the first half,” Syciarz said. “But in the second half we kick it up a notch trying to make sure we take the opponent out of their game and we can do that if we score more goals than them in the second half.”
Senior forward Jessica Falcone helped make that possible as she put the Lions ahead for good 12:13 into the second half after knocking in a pass from first-year player Kathleen Notos.
Passucci then gave the Lions some insurance as she took a pass from senior Mary Waller and scored her second goal of the game.
The Lions defense was just as strong as they have been all season limiting the Crusaders to a mere two shots-on-cage in the second half.
“We’ve always had a really defensive team,” Okuniewicz, who was recently named NJAC Defensive Player of the Week, said. “That’s something we always work on in practice and whether you’re a forward on the field, you’re a midfielder or you’re a defender you’re playing defense all the time. There’s never someone who’s not playing defense.”
Due to such a great defensive effort, Syciarz was only forced to save one shot in the second half and she delivered.
“It’s really comforting to know, especially when we’re all communicating, that we’re very solid [defensively],” Syciarz said. “It also helps knowing that there are going to be a limited number of shots instead of getting pounded.”
The Lions will look to continue their defensive effort as they return to home this week as they open up NJAC play versus William Paterson on Sept. 25.
(09/16/10 7:00pm)
The College’s field hockey team continued their balanced attack as the Lions improved their record to 5-0 with a 3-1 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham.
The Lions have come into the 2010 season on fire after experiencing a somewhat disappointing season in 2009.
Through the first five games the Lions have averaged ten shots-on-cage and 2.4 goals-per-game.
The Lions wasted no time on offense against the Devils as they put the first ball into the cage 4:10 into the match.
The goal was the fourth goal of the season for Jessica Falcone, who leads the team in that category.
Falcone has almost matched her goal production of five from last season, which was her first season back after tearing her Anterior Cruciate Ligament playing lacrosse in 2008.
The senior seems to be back on her promising sophomore pace where she scored nine goals and had five assists.
“Jess has been great so far,” junior Leigh Mitchell said. “She works really hard and it’s nice to see her capitalize on her opportunities. She’s given our team a big offensive threat and she’s stepped up on defensive too.”
Mitchell also knocked in a goal in the win over the Devils to increase her season total to three. Mitchell, like Falcone, is also regaining her pre-ACL tear form this season for the Lions.
So far, both Mitchell and Falcone lead the Lions in points this season with eight each.
“We’ve had a lot of opportunities that we could have capitalized on in the circle,” Mitchell said. “I think in general as a team we are working really hard. The success we’ve had so far has come through our combined effort and the experience we have.”
The Lions other goal came off the stick of junior Alex Okuniewicz. The goal was her first of the season.
The Lions defense has been just as strong as the offense as they have held their opponents to 3.4 shots-on-cage and under a goal-per-game.
Saturday’s game fit right into that pattern as the Lions only gave the Devils one shot-on-cage and one goal as the Devils dropped to 2-3 on the season.
The sole goal of the game for the Devils came when junior Lauren Guenther found the back of the cage with 10:45 left in the game, but at that time it was just too late.
The Lions will play the third game of the season against a ranked opponent on Sept. 14 as they travel to Eastern University to face the No. 19 Eagles. After the match with the Eagles, the Lions will look to face-off with Alvernia University on Sept. 19.
“It’s really good for us to get tested early,” Mitchell said. “That way we can see where we are at and gain confidence in ourselves. I personally like playing in big games because we have to be ready for them because we know everyone is going to give us a battle.”
(09/08/10 5:26pm)
Junior forward Leigh Mitchell hadn’t played a field hockey game in about two years coming into this week, but she looked just like her old self as the College’s field hockey team rode to a 3-0 start to the 2010 season.
Mitchell made her return to the lineup known right away as she scored the game-winning goal in the Lions’ home opener against Stevens Institute of
Technology, who came in ranked No. 18 in the Kookaburra/National Field Hockey Coaches Division III preseason poll.
“It was exciting playing because I haven’t played in two years,” Mitchell said. “I was a little nervous in the beginning, but once the whistle blew I was alright.”
Mitchell continued to show why she was the team’s top weapon in 2008 as she recorded an assist and a goal as the Lions defeated King’s College and No. 16 Juniata College in the Stevens Invitational this weekend.
“Leigh’s a great player and it’s great to have her back,” head coach Sharon Pfluger said. “She’s explosive, she’s quick and she’s got a lot to offer.”
Sophomore Camille Passucci scored the first goal six minutes into the match against Juniata College, but it was Mitchell’s second goal of the season that decided the game as the Lions took down their second ranked opponent in a 2-1 victory over the Eagles.
The team’s early success shouldn’t be surprising as the team not only returned Mitchell from injury, but also brought back 10 of the 11 starters from last year’s team.
The Lions experience could especially be seen on the defensive front as they dominated their opponents.
The Lions held Stevens to one shot and no goals in the opener as junior goalie Shannon Syciarz picked up her first shutout of the season.
“I thought for the most part, for the first game of the season, that we did a lot of really nice things,” Pfluger said. “I think when we lost momentum we had some kids with really, really strong sticks coming through for us big time and maintaining the stability in the game.”
Overall, in the first three games of the season, the Lions have only allowed their opponents to get 11 shots on net.
Syciarz currently supports a .818 save percentage as she has only allowed two of those 11 shots to get past her.
Senior Mary Waller has quickly built on her impressive 2009 season as she was one of three Lions to record a defensive save in the first week of the season — along with fellow senior Kristen O’Neil and junior Alex Okuniewicz.
“I thought our defense and midfield really stepped up,” Mitchell said. “We had a good stick on the ball and I thought individually everyone had really good games.”
Senior Jessica Falcone proved the Lions have another scoring option opposite Mitchell as she scored two goals in the Lions 3-1 win over King’s College.
Kathleen Notos has also been a factor on offense as she has collected one goal and two assists in the Lions first three matches.
“I’m happy with the way we’ve played,” Pfluger said. “We probably could have scored more goals, but that’s going to come with more experience.”
The Lions will look to stay unbeaten as they travel to Manhattanville College on Sept. 7 and then to FDU-Florham on Sept. 11.
(09/08/10 3:37pm)
Field Hockey
After missing the 2009 season due to injury, Leigh Mitchell returned this week with a bang. The junior scored two game-winning goals and added an assist as the Lions finished the week at 3-0.
—Brandon Gould, Sports Assistant