Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (6-4, 0-1) Falls to Wesleyan in Non-Conference Contest

The Wheaton College field hockey team suffered its second straight defeat Wednesday afternoon, as the Lyons fell to Wesleyan University, 2-1 in a non-conference game at Clark Field.

Wesleyan jumped out in front just five minutes into the contest. Goaltender Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) stopped 10 Cardinal shots in the first half, as Wesleyan held an 11-4 advantage in shots and 7-6 edge in penalty corners. The visitors extended their lead to 2-0 midway through the second stanza. Wheaton halved the Cardinal cushion on a penalty corner just five minutes later, as freshman Elizabeth Reimers (Wareham, MA/Tabor Academy) was credited with her fourth goal of the season. Sophomore Elizabeth Rowland (Holliston, MA/Holliston) and first-year Rachel Sminkey (White River Junction, VT/Hartford) registered the assists. The Lyons had their opportunities to tie the contest in regulation, highlighted by its 12 penalty corners, but a defensive save and solid play by the Wesleyan goalie kept the hosts at bay. Fiskio finished the game with 15 saves. The Cardinals held a 21-8 advantage in shots, while Wheaton had 18 penalty corners to Wesleyan's 10.

Men's Soccer (8-3-0, 1-1-0) Registers Pair of 3-0 Shutouts over Rivier and Coast Guard

The Wheaton College men's soccer team registered a pair of shutouts on the week, including a 3-0 triumph over Rivier College Wednesday at Keefe Field and a 3-0 victory at Coast Guard on Saturday. Ranked seventh in New England according to the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA), the win over Coast Guard marked the Lyons first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) victory of the season.

Against Rivier, Wheaton got back to its winning ways, as senior George Thomas' (Canton, MA/Canton) pair of first-half goals lifted the Lyons to victory. Thomas broke the stalemate in the 16th minute, finishing a cross from senior Matt Mancini (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) to give Wheaton a 1-0 edge. Mancini again set up Thomas in the closing minutes of the first half, as Thomas headed home his team-leading ninth goal of the season. The Lyons carried their 2-0 lead into the intermission. Junior Matt Ristuccia (Newton, MA/Newton North) added an insurance goal midway through the second half, scoring off a rebound from an Andrew Hench (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) shot. First-year goaltender David Croft (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) earned his first collegiate shutout with two saves. Wheaton held a 28-5 advantage in shots and 10-0 margin in corner kicks.

At Coast Guard, the Lyons jumped out early and never looked back, tallying all three of their goals in the opening 43 minutes of play. Junior Barry Finnerty (Milton, MA/Beaver Country Day) landed his fourth goal of the season at 13:17, as he hit a perfectly-placed free kick from 25 yards out into the upper right corner of the net. Just over three minutes later, Mancini converted off a rebound from a Ristuccia shot to give Wheaton a 2-0 advantage. Mancini later recorded his second goal of the contest, taking a feed from freshman Brendan Cavanaugh (Newtown, CT/Salisbury School) minutes before halftime. Cavanaugh's assist marked his first collegiate point of his young career. Wheaton outshot Coast Guard, 9-2 in the first half alone. Freshman goalie Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown), who went untested for most of the day, registered his fourth shutout of the season. The Lyons outshot Coast Guard, 11-5, while corner kicks were even at seven apiece.

Women's Soccer (11-1-0, 2-0-0) Extends Win Streak to Seven Games

The Wheaton College women's soccer team extended its win streak to seven games and shutout streak to four contests, as the Lyons blanked regionally-ranked Amherst College, 1-0 on Wednesday followed by a 9-0 triumph over Coast Guard to open their NEWMAC home slate on Saturday. Ranked fifth nationally and first in New England according to the NSCAA, Wheaton has outscored its opponents by an aggregate 42-2 to go along with its ten shutouts.

At Amherst, the visiting Lyons netted a goal early in what turned out to be the only scoring of the contest. About 15 minutes into the game, Wheaton sent a corner kick to senior captain Tracy Prihoda (Needham, MA/Needham), who flicked the ball into the middle of the box where sophomore defender Teresa Lebel (Middleton, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon) put home the game's lone goal. Amherst mustered only eight shots in the loss. Senior keeper Jessica Broomhead (Barrington, RI/Barrington) had four saves, as the Lyons held a 13-2 advantage in corner kicks.

On Saturday, Wheaton had an astounding ten players figure in its scoring. The Blue and White put the game away early, as junior Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep) began the scoring parade with the first of her two tallies coming just 2:34 into the contest. The Lyons extended their lead to 5-0 at the intermission on goals from freshman Jordan Pouliot (Manchester, NH/Trinity), Brennan, Prihoda and junior Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim). The second stanza served similar to the opening half, highlighted by a pair of goals from senior Sheila Lacambra (Walnut Creek, CA/Northgate). Rounding out Wheaton's goal scorers included sophomore Katie Hall (Longmont, CO/Niwot) and freshman Maggie Falkenreck (Seattle, WA/Bishop Blanchet). Brennan and Lacambra each had two goals, while Prihoda and freshman Melissa Johnson (Dedham, MA/Dedham) led the Blue and White with a pair of assists apiece. Wheaton used three goalies, as sophomore Emily Lipsky (Whitestone, NY/Sacred Heart Academy) got the starting nod with one save in 45 minutes, while Broomhead and freshman Clara Wolverton (Mansfield, OH/Madison) shared time in the second half.

Women's Tennis (8-2, 5-2) Splits Pair of NEWMAC Matches, Sweeps Clark

The Wheaton College women's tennis team split a pair of NEWMAC matches this week. The Lyons swept Clark University, 9-0 in Worcester on Tuesday and then suffered their second loss of the season with a 6-3 setback to Smith at home on Saturday.

At Clark, freshman Ashley Kriwinsky (Munson, OH/Hawken) set the tone with a 6-0, 6-0 triumph at first singles. Junior co-captain Maris Madeira (Southwest Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) was well on her way to sweep third singles at 6-0, 3-0, but her opponent was forced to retire due to an injury. Rounding out the singles winners included first-year Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker) in the second position, senior Emily Dana (Hamilton, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) in the fourth slot, junior co-captain Caitlin Amaral (Glocester, RI/Ponaganset) at fifth singles and freshman Eden Gudonis (Manchester, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) in the sixth spot. In doubles play, Kriwinsky and Weiss sped to an 8-1 victory in the top position, while Dana and Amaral cruised past their opponents, 8-0 in the second slot. At third doubles, Madeira and junior Whitney Sirois (Presque Isle, ME/Presque Isle) posted an 8-2 triumph to complete the sweep.

Against Smith, Wheaton suffered its second defeat of the season inside Beard Field House. Similar to their earlier loss this season, the Lyons began doubles play with a 3-0 deficit. Wheaton's best match of the afternoon took place in the third position, as Dana and Amaral battled before falling 8-6. Smith also won 8-4 at number one doubles and 8-3 at second doubles. Down 3-0, the hosts were forced to win five of their six singles matches in order to capture the team victory. Wheaton however ended up splitting singles play with the Pioneers, as Kriwinsky, Madeira and Dana collected the lone victories. Weiss and freshman Darby McDermott (Briarcliff, NY/Hackley School) were on their way to victory by winning their first sets at second and fifth singles, respectively, but both Weiss and McDermott dropped their final two sets en route to a pair of losses.

Kriwinsky Again Named NEWMAC Player of the Week

Kriwinsky was named NEWMAC Co-Player of the Week for the second time this season, this time for the week ending on Sunday, September 28. Kriwinsky played spectacular tennis at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Tournament at Bowdoin College. She downed an All-America from Williams College 7-6, 6-2 in the opening round of play and then cruised past the number-five seed from Bowdoin 6-1, 6-1 in the second round. Advancing to Saturday's quarterfinal round against the number-two seed from Amherst College, Kriwinsky battled tooth and nail, falling 6-3 in the opening set and then dropping a hard-fought 7-6 tiebreaker set. She also played doubles on Friday, as the Wheaton tandem suffered an 8-4 setback to the number-two Amherst seed. Earlier in the week, Kriwinsky defeated the top player from Babson College 6-3, 6-1 at number-one singles and also dropped an 8-5 decision at first doubles.

Women's Volleyball (8-10, 1-3) Posts 2-1 Week, Blanks Clark and St. Joseph's (ME)

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team posted a 2-1 week. On Tuesday, the Lyons picked up their first conference win of the season by sweeping Clark University, 3-0 (30-17, 30-19, 30-22). Wheaton then split a pair of matches at Saturday's tri-match hosted by Western Connecticut State University, as the Lyons fell to host Western, 3-1 (30-28, 25-30, 20-30, 13-30) and then swept St. Joseph's College (ME), 3-0 (30-24, 30-25, 30-19).

At Clark, Wheaton had little difficulty posting its conference win, as seniors Darcey Vertuca (Boulder, CO/Boulder) and Bree Bessette (Charlestown, RI/The Prout School) led the way. Vertuca registered yet another double-double performance with a team-best 13 digs and 35 assists, while Bessette was just as impressive on the offensive end with 16 kills and eight blocks. Sophomore Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) contributed eight kills and 11 digs, while classmate Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) added eight kills and five blocks. Senior Anna Kratky (St. Louis, MO/Villa Duchesne) rounded out the double-figure dig totals with 10.

Over the weekend at Western, Bessette continued her solid play with 16 kills and five blocks against the Colonials. Reagh spearheaded the defense with 20 digs, while Vertuca added 14 digs and 26 assists. Vengroff had nine kills and seven blocks versus Western, while freshmen Katie Dooley (Carpinteria, CA/Cate School) and Jade Lee (Eagle, ID/Eagle) rounded out the double-figure dig totals with 15 and 14, respectively.

In the afternoon's second match, Vengroff led the hitting charge with 16 kills and four blocks. Bessette and Dooley each contributed six kills, with Bessette adding four blocks and Dooley eight digs in the victory. Reagh paced the defense with 10 digs, while Vertuca accounted for seven digs, 23 assists and four service aces.

Pyle and Spence Garner ECAC & NEWMAC Weekly Cross Country Awards

Men's cross country team standout Stan Pyle (S. Portland, ME/S. Portland) was selected as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Male Athlete of the Week for the second time this season in addition to being named NEWMAC Runner of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, September 28. Senior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) was also tabbed NEWMAC Runner of the Week on the women's side.

Pyle captured the individual championship at the Harrier Classic in Boston's Franklin Park in only his second collegiate meet in two years and in the process led the Lyons to the collegiate team title. He covered the 8,000-meter course in 25:48, 13 seconds faster than the next closest competitor. Placing four runners among the top 23 finishers, Wheaton totaled 88 points to claim its first team championship of the season.

Competing in only her second collegiate cross country race, Spence made the most of her opportunity by leading Wheaton to the collegiate team title at the Harrier Classic. Spence finished fourth overall among 155 runners and covered the 5,000-meter course with a time of 19:02, which was just over a second faster than her next closest competitor. She was one of three Wheaton runners to finish in the top 12.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.

News

Men's Tennis: Men's tennis players Beekman and Hudgins named ITA Scholar-Athletes (more)

Women's Soccer: Hough's tally sends Wheaton past Emmanuel, Leddy notches third shutout (more)