Weekly Lyon

Women's Soccer (22-2-0) Falls to William Smith in NCAA Division III National Quarterfinal, Herons Edge Lyons on Penalty Kicks, 5-4

The Wheaton College and William Smith College women's soccer teams battled through 110 minutes of scoreless play and a pair of overtimes before the Herons edged the host Lyons, 5-4 on penalty kicks in Saturday afternoon's NCAA Division III National Quarterfinal at Wheaton's Keefe Field. Seeing its 19-game winning streak come to an end, Wheaton finishes the season at 22-2 overall.

William Smith collected the game-winning goal in the shootout, placing the ball past the diving effort of Lyon goalie Jessica Broomhead (Barrington, RI/Barrington) and into the bottom right corner of the net. Wheaton and William Smith each converted on their opening two attempts, but it was the Herons that went ahead 3-2 with two shots remaining for each team, as the Lyons missed their shot high and right on the third attempt. Lyon junior Christy McHugh (Salem, MA/Bishop Fenwick) and sophomore Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim), who returned from injury following an eight-game absence, managed to even the score at 4-4 with two successful kicks. William Smith also converted in that stretch, setting up the dramatic finish.

During regulation, the Blue and White had several scoring opportunities, but often times the Lyons saw their shots sail high or wide of the goal. Outshooting William Smith, 19-7 for the contest and 9-3 in the opening half, Wheaton was unable to capitalize on its chances. McHugh, Caromile and junior forward Tracy Prihoda (Needham, MA/Needham) all had open looks throughout the game, including a golden chance by sophomore Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep) with two minutes to play in the second overtime. Led by its goalkeeper and strong defensive core, the Herons were able to keep Wheaton's offensive attack in check, forcing the shootout. Earning a shutout on the afternoon, Broomhead finished the contest with six saves.

Men's Basketball (2-0) Opens 2002-03 Season by Capturing Hampton Inn Classic, Drops Host UMass-Dartmouth, 85-79 in Championship Game

The Wheaton College men's basketball team opened its 2002-03 season in strong fashion, defeating Bowdoin College, 82-78 in the opening round of the fourth annual Hampton Inn Basketball Classic at UMass-Dartmouth's Tripp Athletic Center Friday night followed by an 85-79 win over the host Corsairs Saturday afternoon. The Lyons' victory over UMass-Dartmouth marked the first time in the history of the tournament that the Corsairs failed to win the championship game.

Sophomore guard Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) was selected Tournament MVP, while junior transfer Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) was named to the All-Tournament team.

Against Bowdoin on Friday, the Lyons led at the break, 38-33 and then held off a second-half comeback by the Polar Bears, hanging on for the four-point victory. Vega scored a game-high 21 points, while classmate Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) and junior Richard Henninger (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) chipped in 15 points apiece to pace the Lyons. Mahan registered a double-double in his Wheaton debut, recording 13 points, a team-high 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.

In Saturday's championship game, the Corsairs held a one-point lead at the break, but the Lyons used superb foul shooting in the second stanza to pull away for good. Wheaton converted 21-of-25 free throw attempts for the game, including 15-of-17 (.882) in the second half. Vega again paced the Lyons with a game-high 23 points, while Mahan added another double-double performance with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Stanton and junior Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) netted 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Women's Basketball (1-1) Hosts Tenth Annual Wheaton College Tip-Off Tournament, Opens Season with Loss to Pine Manor and Victory over Maine Maritime

The Wheaton College women's basketball team opened its 2002-03 season by hosting the tenth annual Wheaton Tip-Off Tournament in Emerson Gymnasium. In the opening round Friday evening, the Lyons lost to Pine Manor in dramatic fashion. The 74-69 defeat marked Wheaton's first opening round loss in the ten-year history of the tournament. On Saturday, the Blue and White avenged their loss by capturing the consolation game with a convincing 65-37 victory over Maine Maritime.

Against Pine Manor, the Lyons jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, holding the Gators scoreless for the first five minutes of the game. Junior Amanda Dow-Allen (Deerfield, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham) and senior Kerry Deshefy (Clinton, CT/The Morgan School) each hit a pair of three-pointers during a 16-2 run to open the scoring. Wheaton's lead blossomed to 20 points with five minutes to play in the first stanza, as the Lyons entered the intermission with a comfortable 42-21 advantage.

The second half turned out to be a different story, as the Gators gained momentum midway through the stanza. With 11 minutes to play, Pine Manor cut the lead to ten points and eventually narrowed the margin to 50-48 at the 9:49 minute mark. Wheaton responded, led by junior Taryn Brassil's (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) four points during a 10-0 spurt that gave the Lyons another double-digit lead. The Gators however rallied a second time behind strong inside play, as a basket with three minutes to play put Pine Manor in the lead for good. Brassil led the Blue and White with 13 points, while sophomore Vanessa Savas (Belmont, MA/Belmont) added 11 points and 10 boards.

In the consolation game, the Lyons jumped out to an early lead midway through the first half. Senior Jennifer Schefiliti (Shelton, CT/Shelton) hit two successive three pointers during an 11-4 spurt that put Wheaton out in front, 19-11 with over five minutes left to play. From that point, each team mustered five points, bringing the halftime score to 24-16. Schefiliti was one of three Wheaton players with six first-half points.

In the second half, Wheaton continued to put points on the board, as the Lyons went on a 16-6 run midway through the stanza to expand their lead to 20 points with seven minutes remaining. Eight players recorded at least five points in Wheaton's balanced scoring attack, led by Schefiliti's nine points. Senior Jessica Arment (Lee, MA/Lee) and sophomore Kate Williams (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) added eight points apiece in the victory.

Women's Swimming (3-1) Suffers First Setback of Season with 121-95 Loss at Mount Holyoke

The Wheaton College women's swimming and diving team suffered its first setback of the season Saturday afternoon, as the Lyons fell to Mount Holyoke College, 121-95 in their second dual meet of the season. Sophomore Amanda Berthelette (Milford, NH/Milford) and first-year Cassie Bannell (Farmington, CT/Farmington) picked up the lone individual victories for the Lyons. Berthelette captured the 200-meter backstroke event, while Bannell was victorious in the 50-meter freestyle. Despite the team's disqualification from the 400-meter medley relay, Bannell set new pool records in the 50 and 100-meter backstroke events with times of 33.04 and 1:10.60, respectively.

Wheaton also posted a win in the 400-meter freestyle relay, which was comprised of Bannell, junior Katie Levine (Needham, MA/Needham), sophomore Blake Worrall (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and freshman Alexandra Cheney (Santa Monica, CA/Marymount). Other strong performances came from Berthelette in the 800-meter freestyle, sophomore Fiona McQuade (Pawcatuck, CT/Prout) in the 200-meter breaststroke and Levine and junior Jenna Gustafson (New Hartford, CT/St. Paul Catholic) in the 400-meter free.

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