Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (8-12, 2-6) Finishes Season with NEWMAC Tournament First Round Loss

The Wheaton College field hockey team finished its 2003 season on a down note, as the Lyons suffered a 1-0 setback at Wellesley College in Wednesday's regular season finale and dropped a 2-1 decision at Springfield College in the opening round of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament on Saturday.

At Wellesley, the hosts held a 9-2 shot advantage in the opening half and tallied the eventual game-winning goal with 14:39 remaining. Junior Diane Trifilo (Baldwinville, MA/Narragansett Regional) kept the Lyons in striking distance, as she posted her sixth defensive save of the season, leaving the visitors with a 1-0 deficit at the intermission. Play was even in the second stanza, with Wellesley holding a 5-2 edge in shots, but Wheaton was unable to find the equalizer. Sophomore goaltender Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) was solid in the cage, stopping nine shots in 61 minutes.

At Springfield, the top-seeded Pride tallied two goals in the opening stanza, including the first score coming with 24:50 on the clock. Springfield later recorded the eventual game-winning goal with 15:59 remaining in the first half. The Lyons responded and held their own in the second half, as junior Melissa Busfield (Gloucester, MA/Gloucester) pulled the visitors to within a goal with 11:52 to play. Wheaton however couldn't find the game-tying goal before time expired, as the Lyons and Pride had played in three consecutive overtime contests prior to this meeting. Fiskio registered nine saves in the cage, as the Pride held a 19-10 advantage in shots and 6-3 edge in penalty corners.

Men's Soccer (13-3-0, 5-1-0) Extends Streak to Seven with Overtime Win at Springfield

The Wheaton College men's soccer team extended its winning streak to seven games this week, as the Lyons needed overtime to edge Springfield College, 2-1 in Saturday's regular season finale. Wheaton entered the week ranked 18th nationally and third in New England according to the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA). The Lyons finished second overall in the NEWMAC and will host a first round game this Wednesday against Clark University at 1:30 p.m.

Sophomore back James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) tallied both of Wheaton's scores at Springfield. Despite outplaying the Pride in today's opening half of action, the Lyons had nothing to show for it, as they held a 15-4 shot advantage and 3-1 edge in corner kicks. Following a scoreless first stanza, Springfield took a 1-0 lead not even four minutes into the second half, as Greenslit inadvertently knocked the ball into the Wheaton net for an own goal. In the 76th minute, Greenslit redeemed himself by evening the score with an unassisted goal into the right corner of the net, setting up the overtime. Just four minutes into the extra session, Greenslit took a cross from junior Barry Finnerty (Milton, MA/Beaver Country Day) and knocked home his second score. Finnerty's assist gave him a conference-best 14 helpers this fall, which shatters Wheaton's all-time single-season assist record. Freshman goalkeeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) earned the victory, posting four saves in 94 minutes of action, as the Blue and White outshot the Pride, 21-9 with a 7-5 margin in corner kicks.

Women's Soccer (19-1-0, 9-0-0) Set to Host Fourth Consecutive NEWMAC Tournament

The Wheaton College women's soccer team is set to host its fourth consecutive NEWMAC Tournament this weekend, as the Lyons wrapped up their regular season with a 4-0 victory over Wellesley College on Tuesday and then rolled past Coast Guard, 8-0 in Saturday's opening round of the conference tourney. Ranked fourth nationally and first in New England according to the NSCAA, Wheaton posted its third straight undefeated mark in the conference and has now won 15 straight games on the season. The Lyons also extended their conference winning streak to an astounding 38 games.

Against Wellesley, senior forward Tracy Prihoda (Needham, MA/Needham) tallied the first half's lone goal in the 22nd minute, when she knocked home her conference-best 19th goal of the season. Wheaton held an 18-5 shot advantage in the opening half. The game remained a one-goal margin until midway through the second half, when junior Christy Schneider (Jonesboro, GA/Jonesboro) took a cross from Prihoda and one-timed her shot for the 2-0 edge. Schneider struck again with 80:06 to play, as a ball deflected off senior Sheila Lacambra (Walnut Creek, CA/Northgate) in a crowded goal box. Just over three minutes later, junior Erin Duffy (E. Longmeadow/E. Longmeadow) added an insurance goal to complete the scoring. The Lyons finished the contest with a 30-10 advantage in shots and 6-3 edge in corner kicks. Senior netminder Jessica Broomhead (Barrington, RI/Barrington) had a monumental afternoon, as her 14th shutout of the season gave her 39 career shutouts, breaking the school's all-time record for shutouts in a career.

Versus Coast Guard, Wheaton exploded for six first-half goals, as freshman Jordan Pouliot (Manchester, NH/Trinity) got things going in the 15th minute, heading in a perfectly-placed cross from senior Christy McHugh (Salem, MA/Bishop Fenwick). Just over three minutes later, junior Erin Brennan (Mesa, AX/Xavier College Prep) converted on a penalty kick to give Wheaton a 2-0 lead. The hosts' next two goals came from rebounded shots off of the Coast Guard goalie, as McHugh and Pouliot were credited with the goals. Brennan and junior Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim) rounded out Wheaton's scoring in the first half, as the Lyons tallied their six goals in a span of 26 minutes. Pouliot led the Blue and White with six points in the opening stanza alone. Lacambra added two goals in the second half to complete the scoring. Wheaton used three goalkeepers on the afternoon, with Broomhead playing the first half and finishing with two saves. The Lyons held a 36-6 shot advantage over the Bears and a 9-2 edge in corner kicks.

Women's Volleyball (17-16, 5-4) Concludes Regular Season with Pair of Conference Wins

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team concluded its regular season in strong fashion, as the Lyons extended their winning streak to three straight matches with a 3-0 (30-16, 30-25, 30-15) victory over Babson College and a hard-fought 3-2 (23-30, 30-27, 30-23, 21-30, 15-13) decision at Mount Holyoke College. The Lyons finished fifth in the NEWMAC and will travel to New London, Connecticut for a conference tournament first round match against Coast Guard at 7:00 p.m.

Versus Babson, senior Bree Bessette (Charlestown, RI/The Prout School) recorded nine kills and four services aces, while sophomore Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) had eight kills. Senior Darcey Vertuca (Boulder, CO/Boulder) posted an all-around solid match, totaling nine digs, 26 assists, three service aces and three block assists. Sophomore Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) spearheaded the defense with 10 digs.

At Mount Holyoke, Vertuca had a monster day, totaling an astounding 32 digs and 53 assists to go along with three service aces, four kills and six blocks. Vengroff paced the offense with 18 kills and six blocks, while Bessette, who is Wheaton's all-time single-season block leader with 220 to date, added 13 kills and 14 blocks. First-year Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) tallied 14 kills, while Reagh and freshman Katie Dooley (Carpinteria, CA/Cate School) each added 11 kills. Reagh also finished with 10 digs, while senior Anna Kratky (St. Louis, MO/Villa Duchesne) was impressive with 21 digs.

Cross Country Teams Place Third at NEWMAC Meet, Pyle Named Runner of the Year

The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams each claimed third place Saturday afternoon at the sixth running of the NEWMAC Championship. Held at Hillside Park and hosted by Clark University, the men posted their highest finish to date with 80 points, while the women moved up three places from a year ago with 72 points. MIT was crowned team champion in both races.

Junior Stan Pyle (S. Portland, ME/S. Portland) continued his torrid pace, as he earned the NEWMAC Runner-of-the-Year distinction by capturing his third individual championship this season. Pyle topped the competition by eight seconds, covering the 8,000-meter course with a time of 25:14. Senior Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY/St. Anthony's) posted a NEWMAC All-Conference finish with a time of 26:28, a mark good enough for sixth place overall. Sophomore Eric Richardson (East Walpole, MA/Bishop Feehan) just missed all-conference recognition by two places, as he finished 16th in 27:32. Rounding out Wheaton's top runners was junior Joe Chadwick (Shelburne Falls, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) in 28th in 28:18 and freshman Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) in 44th in 29:05.

The women had four runners finish in the top 17 and three NEWMAC All-Conference performers, spearheaded by a impressive outing from sophomore Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional). Leith placed sixth and finished the 5,000-meter course in 18:37, a mere second away from a top five standing. Senior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) and freshman Jonatta Moore (Staten Island, NY/Curtis) earned conference laurels with 11th and 13th place finishes, respectively. Spence posted a time of 19:05, while Moore finished in 19:10. Junior Erin O'Brien (N. Easton, MA/Oliver Ames) placed 17th in 19:17, while sophomore Christina Langevin (Wilbraham, MA/Minnechaug Regional) was 25th in 19:43.

Swim Teams Host Batterman Relays to Open 2003-04 Seasons, Roberts Breaks Record

The Wheaton college men's and women's swimming and diving teams each opened their 2003-04 campaigns Saturday afternoon, as the Lyons hosted the four-team Charlie Batterman Relays in Balfour Natatorium. Finishing fourth overall, Wheaton had solid individual performances including witnessing a school record fall on the men's side. MIT, Tufts and Bentley finished in the top three spots in the men's and women's meet, respectively. The Lyon women matched last year's number with 60 points, while the men had 56 points.

Freshman Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) made his collegiate debut a memorable one for the men, as he shattered Wheaton's all-time record in the 50-yard freestyle event. Swimming a leg of the 200-yard free relay, Roberts finished with a time of 22.31, helping the Lyons place third in the event in 1:32.41. Their time was just over two seconds off the pace of team champion Tufts. Also placing third for the men was the 1,500-yard freestyle relay, as senior co-captain Patrick Sagui (Westwood, MA/Westwood), sophomore John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall) and freshman Zach Hicks (Bath, ME/Morse) posted a time of 17:04.76.

Highlighting the relays for the women was the performances on the 200-yard breaststroke event, as the Lyons finished second overall in 2:20.91. Even more impressive was the fact that three of the four swimmers were freshmen, as junior Fiona McQuade (Pawcatuck, CT/Prout) sided with first-year athletes Kristen Behrens (Uxbridge, MA/Uxbridge), Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) and Katie McNicholas (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro). Bohn and McNicholas then teamed with senior co-captain Katie Levine (Needham, MA/Needham) and junior Blake Worrall (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) in the 500 crescendo relay, which consists of freestyle intervals of 50, 100, 150 and 200-yard lengths. The foursome finished third with a time of 5:11.41.

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