Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (8-9, 4-3) Extends Winning Streak to Three Games, Defeats MIT & Smith

The Wheaton College field hockey team extended its winning streak to three games this week, as the Lyons knocked off league foes MIT, 4-2 and Smith, 2-0 in a pair of critical New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contests. Jumping above the .500 mark in conference play, Wheaton is currently in fifth place in the NEWMAC standings with one league game to play.

At MIT on Tuesday night, the Lyons rallied from a 2-1 deficit and posted three consecutive goals late in the second half to give Wheaton the come-from-behind victory. First-year Elizabeth Rowland (Holliston, MA/Holliston) tallied her first career hat-trick for Wheaton, as she opened the game's scoring midway through the first half. The Engineers found the equalizer before the intermission to knot the contest at one goal apiece. Following another MIT goal early in the second stanza, Wheaton reeled off three consecutive goals in a span of 20 minutes. Sophomore Laura Oswald (Pacific Grove, CA/Stevenson) tied the game at two with an unassisted goal, followed by a pair of tallies from Rowland to put the game away for good. Junior Nicole Marchetto (Amherst, MA/Amherst) and Oswald earned the assists. Freshman goalkeeper Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) registered seven saves for the Blue and White, as the Lyons held a 31-7 advantage in shots and 18-3 margin in penalty corners.

On Saturday while playing through a driving rain, Wheaton and Smith went scoreless through the first half of play. Following the intermission, the Lyons were able to open the scoring at the 28:43 minute mark, when sophomore Melissa Busfield (Gloucester, MA/Gloucester) received a pass from Oswald and found the back of the cage for the 1-0 lead. Wheaton added an insurance goal at 19:12, as senior Katherine Sciolto (Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep CDS) slid an unassisted goal past the Smith goalie for the two-goal advantage. Senior Amy Haller (Pittsburgh, PA/Western Reserve Academy) picked up her second shutout of the season, stopping six shots on the afternoon. The Lyons outshot the Pioneers, 17-6 and held a 10-3 advantage in penalty corners.

Men's Soccer (14-3-0, 4-1-0) 18-Game Conference Winning Streak Snapped

The Wheaton College men's soccer team ran a roller coaster ride this week, as the Lyons saw their home winning streak extended to 25 games at Keefe Field, followed by their 18-game conference winning streak coming to a halt. Wheaton, ranked first in New England and sixth in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), edged Roger Williams, 1-0 in a non-league game on Wednesday, before falling 4-0 at WPI on Friday night.

In Wednesday's game with Roger Williams, sophomore forward Matt Ristuccia (Newton, MA/Newton North) scored the game's lone goal at the twelve minute mark to propel Wheaton to a non-conference victory over the Hawks. Wheaton wasted little time attacking Roger Williams, as junior Matt Mancini (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) sent a crossing pass to Ristuccia at the top right corner of the penalty box. The game remained scoreless as both teams had decent looks at the net, but were unable to capitalize. In the 88th minute, Roger Williams made one final effort to find the equalizer, but the shot went wide right of the goal. Senior goalkeeper Mike Henninger (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) was credited with the shutout for the Lyons. Wheaton outshot Roger Williams, 17-7, with the Hawks holding a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Suffering its first loss in 11 meetings with WPI and snapping an 11-game winning streak in the process, Wheaton was left stunned in Worcester Friday night. The Engineers started their scoring 9:10 into the game, as WPI carried a 1-0 edge into the half. In the second stanza, the Engineers tacked on three goals to seal the win. Wheaton freshman Max Hellman (Oklahoma City, OK/Casady) finished with six saves. The Lyons outshot WPI, 17-10 while the corner kicks were even at three attempts apiece.

Mancini Tabbed NEWMAC Player of the Week

Mancini was the third Lyon in as many weeks to receive NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week laurels for the week ending on Sunday, October 20. A forward for the Lyons, Mancini helped lead Wheaton to a pair of victories on the week. Against Clark on Thursday, he assisted on Wheaton's lone first half goal and then added the game-winning tally less than 30 seconds into the second stanza. Mancini then played well against Brandeis, helping the Lyons reel off their tenth straight win by defeating the Judges, 3-2 in double overtime. Through 15 games, he is among the conference leaders with six goals and 16 points. Mancini also has four assists on the season.

Women's Soccer (16-1-0, 8-0-0) Runs NEWMAC Winning Streak to 24 Games

The Wheaton College women's soccer team ran its conference winning streak to 24 games (including tournaments) this week with two wins over MIT and Smith. The Lyons blanked the Engineers, 4-0 on Tuesday and then defeated the Pioneers, 5-1 in Northampton on Saturday. Ranked first in the region and fourth in the country according to the NSCAA, Wheaton also extended its current unbeaten streak to 13 games.

On Tuesday, the Lyons exploded for four first-half goals in a span of 20 minutes en route to the shutout victory over visiting MIT. Wheaton didn't waste any time getting on the board, as junior Christy McHugh (Salem, MA/Bishop Fenwick) drove home a rebound just over a minute into the game. Seven minutes later, sophomore Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep) lofted a shot past the Engineer goalkeeper to make the score 2-0 in the eighth minute of play. At 9:10, freshman Teresa Lebel (Middleton, MA/Northfield Mt. Hermon) used a header into the upper right netting for the 3-0 cushion. Wheaton's lead would expand one more time in the 22nd minute, when junior Tracy Prihoda (Needham, MA/Needham) beat the keeper to extend the advantage to 4-0 midway through the first stanza. Junior goalkeeper Jessica Broomhead (Barrington, RI/Barrington) turned away three shots in 77 minutes of play, while freshman Emily Lipsky (Whitehead, NY/Sacred Heart Academy) played the final 13 minutes to complete the shutout for the Lyons. The shutout marked Wheaton's third straight and fifth in their last six games. The Lyons outshot the Engineers, 18-4 with a 7-1 edge in corner kicks.

At Smith, the Lyons opened the scoring in the 14th minute, when sophomore Carolyn Wills (Salt Lake City, UT/East) bent her shot into the left corner of the net for her first goal of the season. Classmate Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim) picked up the helper on the play. A little over eight minutes later, the Lyons struck again, as Prihoda found McHugh for the 2-0 Wheaton advantage. Prihoda and McHugh would hook up again at the 55:35 minute mark, as McHugh fed Prihoda her conference-leading 23rd tally of the season, giving Wheaton a commanding 3-0 lead. Sophomores Erin Duffy (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) and Brennan rounded out the scoring for the Blue and White, with Lebel and Prihoda picking up the assists. Broomhead stopped three shots on the afternoon, as the Lyons outshot the Pioneers, 16-4.

Prihoda Earns NEWMAC Honor for Third Consecutive Week

Prihoda earned NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week honors for the third consecutive week, this time ending on Sunday, October 20. A junior forward with the Lyons and 2001 NEWMAC Player of the Year, Prihoda led Wheaton to a pair of conference victories, strengthening its first-place lead in the NEWMAC. In a 4-0 win at Babson last Tuesday, Prihoda recorded a goal and an assist. In a 3-0 victory Saturday at WPI, she tallied all three goals, registering her 10th career hat-trick. Prihoda currently leads the conference in all majoring scoring categories, including goals, assists, points, goals per game, assists per game and points per game. As of October 13, she held national rankings in both points per game and goals per game. Presently Wheaton's all-time leading scorer, Prihoda has totaled 67 goals and 31 assists for 165 points in 60 games played.

Women's Tennis (6-6, 3-5) Drops First Round Match at NEWMAC Tournament

The sixth-seeded Wheaton College women's tennis team saw its season come to a close Saturday afternoon, as the Lyons suffered a 5-0 loss to third-seeded Wellesley in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament held at Mount Holyoke College. In the doubles portion of the match, Wellesley took the upper hand by winning all three matches, including a hard-fought 8-6 victory at the top position. Senior Tanya Soares (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) and freshman Mia Mathias (Boxford, MA/Pingree School) put forth a valiant effort, before falling to the Wellesley tandem. At second doubles, Wheaton junior Emily Dana (Hamilton, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) and sophomore Caitlin Amaral (Glocester, RI/Ponaganset) fell 8-3, while senior Joline Jacques (Portland, OR/Riverdale) and sophomore Whitney Sirois (Presque Isle, ME/Presque Isle) dropped an 8-4 decision in the third slot. With a 3-0 advantage, Wellesley only needed a pair of singles victories to capture the match by decision.

Women's Volleyball (13-15, 2-5) Falls to Wellesley, Finishes 2-2 at Hall of Fame

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team opened the week losing to conference foe Wellesley, 3-2 (20-30, 33-31, 19-30, 30-25, 10-15) and then finishing with a 2-2 record at this weekend's Hall of Fame Tournament, hosted by Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith and Springfield Colleges. On Friday, Wheaton dropped a pair of contests at Amherst. Opening against Colby, ranked eighth in New England, the Lyons lost, 3-0 (26-30, 26-30, 27-30) before dropping a 3-1 decision to Brandeis (28-30, 30-28, 25-30, 23-30) in the nightcap. Switching venues to Mount Holyoke on Saturday, the Blue and White bounced back to defeat a pair of conference opponents in Clark, 3-1 (18-30, 30-20, 30-23, 30-21) and Mount Holyoke, 3-0 (30-16, 30-20, 30-23).

On Tuesday, the Lyons gave visiting Wellesley all it could handle before dropping a hard-fought decision in Emerson Gymnasium. Wheaton and Wellesley played nip-and-tuck through the majority of the opening match, but the visitors pulled away for a 1-0 advantage. Game two featured even play for both squads, as the Lyons battled to a 33-31 victory to knot the match at one game apiece. Following a 30-19 loss in game three, Wheaton controlled play in the fourth contest, holding leads of 19-12 and 25-14 before sending the match to the tiebreaker game. The Lyons held their own in game five, trailing 10-7 and 12-9, but Wellesley prevailed in posting three of the game's next four points to escape Wheaton's upset bid. Senior Melissa Jamin (Cold Spring, NY/Haldane) was impressive on both sides of the ball, leading the Lyons with 11 kills and 23 digs. Freshman middle hitter Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) added nine kills, a pair of service aces and three blocks, while junior setter Darcey Vertuca (Boulder, CO/Boulder) posted an all-around solid performance with 11 digs, 24 assists, four kills and two service aces.

Highlighting the Hall of Fame Tournament for the Lyons was Vertuca, as she recorded the first triple-double of the season, registering 10 kills, 12 digs and a season-high 50 assists versus Clark. In Friday's first contest against Colby, Wheaton was unable to take a game from the White Mules, losing three consecutive hard-fought battles. Vertuca led the Lyons with 15 digs and 31 assists, while junior Bree Bessette (Charlestown, RI/The Prout School) notched a team-best 12 kills. Jamin accounted for 25 digs for Wheaton. Against Brandeis, first-year Katie Stephens (Santa Barbara, CA/Dos Pueblos) had a team-high 10 kills, while Jamin, junior Anna Kratky (St. Louis, MO/Villa Duchesne) and freshman Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) had 30, 21 and 20 digs, respectively. Vertuca added 35 assists.

In Saturday morning's opener versus Clark, aside from Vertuca's triple-double, Vengroff led the hitting charge with 14 kills. Jamin and Bessette had 13 kills each, while Kratky and senior Stacey Mann (Brockton, MA/Brockton) added 17 and 16 digs, respectively. In the final match against host Mount Holyoke, all 12 players on the roster saw action, led by nine kills from senior Morgan Paprocki (Candia, NH/Manchester Central). Jamin and Bessette contributed eight kills, while Vertuca added team-high's of 35 assists and 16 digs.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
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