Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (5-2) Posts Pair of Non-Conference Wins over UMass-Dartmouth and Regis

The Wheaton College field hockey team posted a pair of non-conference victories on the week, defeating UMass-Dartmouth, 3-1 in North Dartmouth on Thursday and Regis College, 5-1 at Clark Field on Saturday.

Wheaton used three second-half goals to propel the Lyons to the two-goal victory at UMass-Dartmouth. Despite posting 10 shots in the first half, including a penalty stroke by junior Laura Oswald (Pacific Grove, CA/Stevenson), the Blue and White entered halftime with a scoreless tie. That all changed in the second stanza, as Oswald redeemed herself to open the scoring minutes into the half. Freshman Irene Coleman (Portland, ME/Deering) earned her first collegiate point with the assist on the play. The Corsairs knotted the contest at 1-1, but that's all the scoring they'd see, as the Lyons tallied two additional scores to put the game away for good. Sophomore Leigh-Anne Cioffredi (Lebanon, NH/Lebanon) registered the game-winning goal off of a penalty corner from freshman Elizabeth Reimers (Wareham, MA/Tabor Academy), while sophomore Elizabeth Rowland (Holliston, MA/Holliston) rifled a long-range for the 3-1 Wheaton lead. Wheaton held a commanding 27-7 shot advantage with a 17-1 margin in penalty corners. Freshman Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) collected her first collegiate win in the cage with three saves.

Oswald tallied a pair of goals and one assist in the opening half of play Saturday. Wheaton totaled three goals in the first half alone, led by Oswald's first score just 2:11 into the period. Midway through the stanza, Oswald assisted on a Melissa Busfield (Gloucester, MA/Gloucester) goal to give the Blue and White a 2-0 cushion. Oswald struck again with just under five minutes remaining before the intermission on an assist from Rowland. Regis posted a goal in the first minute of the second stanza, but the Lyons added two additional scores to put the game out of reach. Reimers tallied Wheaton's fourth goal with 21:16 to play, while sophomore Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) added the Blue and White's fifth tally with 2:24 remaining. Junior Mary Alice Capello (Newton, MA/Newton) picked up her first assist of the season on the Reimers goal. The Lyons outshot Regis, 27-20, while the Pride held a 14-12 edge in penalty corners. Boll improved to 2-0 on the season with 14 saves.

Men's Soccer (6-1-0) Extends Win Streak to Four with Wins over Amherst and Brandeis

The Wheaton College men's soccer team extended its winning streak to four games this week with two non-conference victories at nationally-ranked Amherst College and Brandeis University. Breaking into the national poll ranked 18th in the country and third in New England according to the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA), the Lyons edged 10th-ranked Amherst, 2-1 on Wednesday and then captured a 2-1 victory against Brandeis on Saturday.

Senior George Thomas (Canton, MA/Canton) posted the game-winning goal in the 79th minute Wednesday afternoon. Amherst struck first at the 28:08 minute mark, but the Jeffs allowed a goal in each half resulting in their first loss of the season. The Lyons knotted the contest at a goal apiece at 36:22, when first-year Ariel Tatum (Cayman Islands, BWI/Holderness) sent a header into the net on a free kick from junior Barry Finnerty (Milton, MA/Beaver Country Day). Wheaton's game-winner came in the 79th minute, also on a header, as Thomas punched home a corner kick from Finnerty. The Lyons outshot the Jeffs, 11-5 with a 9-7 edge in corner kicks. Sophomore goalkeeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) registered one save in the win.

At Brandeis, Finnerty had a goal and an assist to lead Wheaton. The Judges opened the scoring in the 24th minute, but the Lyons answered in the 36th minute when Finnerty scored his third goal of the season on a free kick deep in the Brandeis zone. Finnerty assisted the Lyons' go-ahead goal with just 1:43 left in the first half. Taking an indirect kick from five yards inside the Judges defensive end, he served the ball high into Brandeis' goalie box, where Thomas put a foot on the ball and one-timed it past the Brandeis keeper. Pachniuk finished the contest with three saves.

Mancini Earns NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Laurels

Men's soccer standout Matt Mancini (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) earned New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player-of-the-Week laurels for the week ending on Sunday, September 14. Mancini, who is a senior tri-captain and forward, led Wheaton to a 2-0 week. He posted his first career hat-trick and first goals of the season in leading the Blue and White to a 3-0 shutout over Keene State. Earlier in the week, Mancini helped Wheaton notch an identical 3-0 shutout against Bridgewater State.

Women's Soccer (7-1-0) Goes 2-0 with UMass-Dartmouth and Framingham State Wins

The Wheaton College women's soccer team posted a 2-0 week with non-conference wins against UMass-Dartmouth and Framingham State College. Ranked sixth in the country and first in New England by the NSCAA, the Lyons blanked UMD, 2-0 in North Dartmouth on Tuesday and then returned home to record a 4-1 victory against Framingham State on Saturday.

Senior Tracy Prihoda (Needham, MA/Needham) posted a goal and one assist at UMD on Tuesday. The Lyons dominated play from the game's outset, holding a 15-4 shot advantage and 5-0 corner kick edge in the opening half alone. Sophomore Teresa Lebel (Middleton, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon) posted her second goal in as many games at the 23:36 minute mark, as she used a header off of a Prihoda corner kick to give Wheaton the 1-0 edge. Prihoda accounted for the Blue and White's second goal of the contest, coming in the 50th minute of the second stanza. Taking a throw in from freshman Courtney Hale (Andover, MA/Andover), Prihoda turned to the goal and bent her shot into the netting of the far post and out of the reach of the Corsair goalkeeper. Senior netminder Jessica Broomhead (Barrington, RI/Barrington) registered three saves in 80 minutes of play. The Lyons outshot the Corsairs, 33-6 with a 10-0 advantage in corner kicks.

On Saturday, Wheaton used three second-half goals to turn a 1-1 halftime tie into a 4-1 triumph. Framingham State took advantage of its first shot of the game just 7:30 into the contest. That goal was the first regulation goal scored against the Lyons all season. With just over six minutes to play in the stanza, Wheaton's Maggie Falkenreck (Seattle, WA/Bishop Blanchet) knotted the game at 1-1. Freshman Jordan Pouliot (Manchester, NH/Trinity) was credited with the assist. In the second half, the hosts tallied back-to-back goals in the opening 15 minutes. Falkenreck registered her second goal of the day on an assist by junior Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep). McHugh, who posted her first goal of the season in the 60th minute to give Wheaton a comfortable 3-1 lead, now stands one point away from reaching the 100-point milestone. Pouliot added some extra insurance with the team's fourth goal in the 80th minute. Broomhead accounted for two saves in collecting her seventh win of the season. The Lyons held a 37-5 shot advantage and 11-0 edge in corner kicks.

Duffy Selected as NEWMAC Player of the Week

Women's soccer standout Erin Duffy (E. Longmeadow, MA/E. Longmeadow) was selected NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, September 14. Duffy, who is an All-America back, played an integral role in the Lyons' two Midwest games. She spearheaded a defense that took fourth-ranked Wheaton College (IL) to double overtime. It wasn't until the 103:40 minute mark of the second extra session that the Lyons allowed their first goal of the season. Duffy and the Blue and White redeemed themselves with a 2-0 victory over a very good Illinois Wesleyan University team. Duffy posted the game-winning goal, her first of the season, to help the Lyons split their two-game trip.

Women's Tennis (7-0, 4-0) Remains Unbeaten with Two Commanding NEWMAC Victories over Mount Holyoke and Wellesley

The Wheaton College women's tennis team remained unbeaten with a pair of conference victories to improve to a perfect 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the NEWMAC. Wheaton stands in a tie for first place in conference play. The Lyons captured a convincing 8-1 win over Mount Holyoke College at Clark Tennis Courts on Tuesday and then cruised past Wellesley College, 8-1 at Wellesley on Saturday.

Against Mount Holyoke, the Lyons posted victories in the second and third doubles positions to take a 2-1 advantage into singles play. Sophomore Mia Mathias (Boxford, MA/Pingree School) alongside freshman Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker) sided for an 8-3 win in the second slot, while senior Emily Dana (Hamilton, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) and junior co-captain Caitlin Amaral (Glocester, RI/Ponaganset) had their hands full at third doubles before prevailing 9-7. Highlighting singles play was junior co-captain Maris Madeira (Southwest Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) in the third position. Dropping her first set 6-0 and losing 4-0 in the second set, Madeira stormed back to capture a 6-4 victory in the middle set and a 10-5 super tiebreaker in the final set. First-year Ashley Kriwinsky (Munson, OH/Hawken), Weiss, Mathias, freshman Darby McDermott (Briarcliff, NY/Hackley School) and Dana all posted straight-set wins from the top of the lineup on down to complete the singles sweep.

On Saturday, Wheaton overpowered host Wellesley, as the Lyons defeated the Blue for the first time since 1994. The Lyons swept doubles play, highlighted by an 8-0 triumph in the third position. Dana and Amaral comprised the tandem of third doubles, while the first and second doubles teams battled to 8-4 and 8-3 victories, respectively. Kriwinsky and McDermott got back to their winning ways at first doubles, while Mathias and Weiss continued to shine in the second position. The Lyons then posted wins in five of their six singles matches, including three decisive straight-set triumphs in the bottom of the lineup. Mathias and McDermott each collected 6-1, 6-1 wins at fourth and fifth singles, while Dana cruised past her opponent 6-0, 6-1 in the sixth slot. Kriwinsky and Weiss also accounted for straight-set victories in the top two singles positions.

Women's Volleyball (4-6, 0-2) Drops NEWMAC Matches to MIT and Smith

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team opened conference play this week on a down note, as the Lyons dropped a pair of matches to MIT and Smith College. The Blue and White lost to MIT, 3-1 (19-30, 13-30, 30-28, 17-30) in their 2003 home opener on Tuesday and then suffered a 3-1 (27-30, 30-24, 23-30, 24-30) setback to Smith College in Northampton on Saturday afternoon.

On Tuesday, sophomore Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) led Wheaton with a double-double performance, recording 10 kills, 11 blocks and six service aces. Senior Anna Kratky (St. Louis, MO/Villa Duchesne) accounted for a team-high 16 digs, while sophomore Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) registered 11 digs. Senior Darcey Vertuca (Boulder, CO/Boulder) assisted on 20 points in the loss.

At Smith, Vertuca was solid for the Lyons with 23 digs, 41 assists, seven blocks and five kills. Senior Bree Bessette (Charlestown, RI/The Prout School) led the hitting charge with 14 kills to go along with seven digs and six blocks, while Vengroff contributed 12 kills and seven blocks. Freshman Katie Dooley (Carpinteria, CA/Cate School) rounded out the double-figure kill leaders with 10 in addition to her 10 digs, while Kratky registered 14 digs. Reagh added eight kills and 11 digs in the loss.

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