Weekly Lyon

Men's Soccer (19-3-2, 5-1-0) Concludes Record-Breaking Season in Final Four

The Wheaton College men's soccer team concluded its record-breaking season by reaching the NCAA Division III Tournament national semifinal round for the first time in the 15-year history of the program. The Lyons edged New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) rival MIT, 1-0 in the national quarterfinal round on Keefe Field and then headed to Drew University in Madison, New Jersey for the round of four, as Wheaton's bid to reach the national title game was thwarted due to a 4-2 penalty kick decision to host Drew. The Lyons and Rangers played 110 minutes of soccer with the score tied at one goal apiece. Extending its program-best unbeaten streak to 15 games, Wheaton finishes the season ranked fourth in the country according to the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA).

Versus MIT, Wheaton opened the contest with multiple scoring opportunities, including a left-footed strike from senior Andrew Hench (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) that carried just wide of the net. The Lyons however took full advantage of their second chance in the ninth minute of the contest, as freshman Cameron Habib (Norfolk, MA/Bridgton Academy) posted the eventual game-winning goal to give Wheaton a 1-0 lead that would not be relinquished. Following a Barry Finnerty (Milton, MA/Beaver Country Day) corner kick and scramble in front of the net, the ball came out of the crowd near the 18-yard line, where Habib took one dribble and then rifled his right-footed shot into the upper right netting and out of the reach of the MIT goalie.

The Lyons had another golden opportunity midway through the stanza, when junior Matt Ristuccia (Newton, MA/Newton North) beat two MIT defenders on the left side of the field and drove his shot towards the upper right corner of the net, but the goalie made a huge diving save to keep the game at a one-goal margin. The Engineers best chance came with four minutes to play, when Wheaton freshman goalie Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) knocked the shot down but the ball managed to slip under the legs of Pachniuk and towards the goal line. Just before the ball crossed the line, freshman back Dennis Durao (West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic) cleared the ball out of the Wheaton zone, keeping MIT scoreless entering the half. In the second half, MIT had quality chances through the midway point of the stanza, but Pachniuk kept the Engineers at bay with clutch saves. Pachniuk recorded his 10th shutout of the season with seven saves, while Mills registered four stops in net for MIT. Wheaton and MIT finished the contest with 10 shots apiece.

In New Jersey, Wheaton snapped Drew's NCAA All-Division record 17-game shutout streak, but the Lyons succumbed to the Rangers on penalty kicks. The Drew goalkeeper saw his shutout streak snapped in the 89th minute of play, when Ristuccia lifted a cross from the left corner of the field. Hench quickly capitalized on the goalie slip to give the Lyons what they thought was the game-winning goal with 1:42 left in regulation. The Rangers answered a mere 28 seconds later, heading in a free kick to tie the game. Both of the game's goals took place with Drew playing a man down, as a Ranger player was ejected in an unfortunate skirmish in the 87th minute. Drew was forced to play a man short for the remaining 13:47 of regulation and the two eventual overtime periods.

Following a pair of scoreless overtime sessions, the teams geared up for penalty kicks. Drew nailed its first attempt, followed by a connection from Wheaton's Finnerty to even the score at 1-1. The Rangers drilled the second one past Pachniuk for a 2-1 Drew advantage. Finding revenge from the Ristuccia/Hench goal, the Drew keeper stopped the next two penalty shots by the duo, including a diving stop to his right to stop a low shot by Ristuccia and a dive to the left to hault Hench's attempt. The Rangers made their third penalty kick before Wheaton's James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) narrowed Drew's lead to 3-2 with a rocket past the hosts' goalie. Drew also connected on its fourth attempt to send the Rangers to the national title game. Drew held a slim 11-9 advantage in shots, including a 7-5 margin in the first half. The Rangers also had nine corner kick attempts opposed to Wheaton's eight, as the two teams were held without a corner opportunity in the overtime periods.

Women's Soccer (23-2-0, 9-0-0) Finishes Monumental Season at National Quarterfinal

The Wheaton College women's soccer team finished its monumental season at the NCAA Division III Tournament national quarterfinal round for the second consecutive year. The Lyons had their 19-game winning streak come to an end, falling to The College of New Jersey, 2-0 at Mirrione Stadium. That loss marked only the second setback in Wheaton's last 60 games played at Mirrione. The Lyons conclude their season ranked sixth nationally by the NSCAA in addition to finishing with a program-high tying 23 victories.

Against TCNJ, The Lyons opened the game with a couple of quality scoring chances, including their first from senior Christy McHugh (Salem, MA/Bishop Fenwick) in the sixth minute of action. Receiving a pass across the goal box from classmate Tracy Prihoda (Needham, MA/Needham), McHugh's left foot proved to be too strong as the ball carried over the crossbar. Just four minutes later, McHugh had another opportunity, but the TCNJ goalie came off of her line and managed to corral the ball to keep the game scoreless. The visiting Lions took full advantage of their first major scoring opportunity in the 13th minute, taking a 1-0 lead that would not be relinquished. Both teams had opportune chances the rest of the stanza, but probably none more noticeable than Wheaton's opportunity with 11 minutes on the clock.

Receiving a pass from freshman Jordan Pouliot (Manchester, NH/Trinity) in the middle of the goal box, Prihoda launched her shot towards the upper right netting, but not before Kacar made a tremendous diving effort to get a hand on the ball and knock the shot wide right. With six minutes to go, Prihoda was back at it again, creating a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper, but the Lion goalkeeper continued her solid play with yet another clutch save. In the second half, TCNJ doubled its lead just over four minutes into the stanza. Midway through the half, Pouliot sent a perfectly-placed cross into Prihoda, but the forward one-timed her shot just over the crossbar. Wheaton senior goalkeeper Jessica Broomhead (Barrington, RI/Barrington) finished with nine stops in the loss. TCNJ outshot Wheaton, 21-16 while the Lyons held a 7-4 edge in corner kicks.

Men's Basketball (2-1) Splits Games at Stonehill's Coca-Cola Classic, Defeats Brandeis

The Wheaton College men's basketball team began its 2003-04 season by winning two of its first three games, as the Lyons split a pair of contests at Stonehill College's Coca-Cola Classic followed by a non-conference victory at Brandeis University. Wheaton suffered a hard-fought 56-53 setback against St. Thomas Aquinas College in day one at Stonehill's Merkert Gymnasium and then responded with an 86-77 win over Rhode Island College. On Tuesday, the Lyons played in their third straight game away from Emerson Gymnasium, defeating Brandeis, 74-66 in Waltham.

Against St. Thomas Aquinas, the two teams witnessed a defensive battle in the opening half, as Wheaton held the Spartans to a mere seven field goals and 18 points. The Lyons and St. Thomas Aquinas had seven turnovers apiece in the first stanza, but it was junior guard Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) that lifted Wheaton to a 26-18 lead at the intermission. It was unfortunately a tale of two halves for the Blue and White in the second frame, as the Lyons gave up 38 points while allowing the Spartans to double their field goal total. Trailing by as many as 12 points in the second half, St. Thomas Aquinas converted 14-of-25 shots from the field, while Wheaton struggled offensively. Vega paced the Lyons with a game-high 18 points (8-10 FG) and team-high tying seven rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Senior Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) rounded out Wheaton's double-figure scoring with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Versus Rhode Island College, Wheaton put an emphasis on its offense, as the Lyons totaled 43 points in both halves to upend the Anchormen. Holding RIC to 11 field goals while forcing 11 turnovers in the first stanza, Wheaton also took advantage of its size with a 27-18 rebounding advantage. Vega, who was named to the All-Tournament team, led the Blue and White with nine points in the opening half, while Mahan and senior Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) added eight points apiece. Whall also pulled down eight boards. In the second half, the Lyons began to pull away while maintaining their defensive pressure. Wheaton's lead bulged to as many as 20 points with just over two minutes remaining, but the Anchormen refused to quit, trimming the final deficit to single figures. The Lyons outmuscled RIC on the glass, posting a significant 54-36 rebounding advantage for the game. Vega finished the game with a team-high 21 points (8-16 FG), while Mahan and Whall each posted double-double performances. Mahan totaled 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Whall had 12 points and 10 boards. Junior Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) and freshman Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) rounded out the double-figure scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

At Brandeis, four starters scored in double figures, led by Vega's game-high 26 points, as the Lyons defeated the Judges in Auerbach Arena. The contest was tight throughout a first half that featured five ties and seven lead changes. Brandeis opened the game with a 13-6 run over the first 14:04 to take a seven-point lead. Wheaton answered with six points in a row to take a 15-14 lead. The teams battled back and forth and looked to go into the break tied at 34-34, but Stanton hit a three-point bucket with 2.6 seconds left to give the Lyons a 37-34 advantage. The early minutes of the second half looked to be just as close, with the lead changing hands four more times over the first four minutes. Brandeis took a 42-41 lead at the 16:32 mark on two free throws, the Judges' first foul shots of the game. Wheaton answered by scoring the next eight points of the game, including two buckets by Whall, and the Lyons never trailed again. Vega led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the floor. Whall added 13 points and had four assists to go along with a team-high nine rebounds. Senior center Richard Henninger (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and Stanton each added 10 points. Rookie guard Zukowski had game-high totals of five assists and five steals.

Women's Basketball (1-2) Drops Pair in Wheaton Tip-Off Classic, Beats Curry

The Wheaton College women's basketball team opened its 2003-04 campaign with a pair of losses at the Wheaton Tip-Off Classic followed by a non-conference home victory against Curry College. The Lyons fell to Bridgewater State College, 74-60 in day one of the Classic and then dropped a 65-44 decision to nationally-ranked Bowdoin College on Sunday. On Tuesday, Wheaton collected its first victory of the season by knocking off Curry College, 81-67 in a non-conference contest at Emerson Gym.

Against Bridgewater, Wheaton took an early 2-1 lead but didn't hold a lead the rest of the night, as the visiting Bears shot an impressive 61.4 percent from the floor to spoil the Lyons' home opener. The game started out with a 10-4 run by the Bears. The teams continued to battle back-and-forth with Bridgewater State gradually padding its lead. Down 21-13 midway through the first stanza, the Lyons went on an 8-0 run, capped by Deverie Stover's (Kingston, NY/Hawthorne Valley) breakaway lay-up to knot the score at 21 points apiece. The Bears continued to sink shots, but Wheaton was able to quickly respond, tying the score on two other occasions. The Lyons' 25th point was their last of the half however, as Bridgewater State went on a 9-0 run to give the Bears a 34-25 lead at the intermission. Bridgewater State took control of the game in the second half. With 12 minutes to play and the Lyons trailing 53-34, freshman Michelle Portilla (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis) sparked the Lyons in triggering a 6-0 Wheaton run. The Lyons made one final attempt to claw back into the game, as Portilla once again caught fire and led the Lyons on a 9-0 spurt, scoring five points during that stretch and bringing Wheaton to within ten points at 64-54. That's as close as Wheaton would get, as junior Kate Williams (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) led the Lyons with 13 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists.

Versus Bowdoin, the sixth-ranked Polar Bears won the opening tip and never looked back, as Bowdoin led from start to finish. Williams hit back-to-back jumpers to pull the Lyons within two at 6-4, but that's as close as Wheaton would come the remainder of the game. Bowdoin put together an 8-0 run midway through the first half. The visitors hit consecutive jumpers in the closing minutes, but Wheaton hit the final three shots of the half to bring the home team to within nine, trailing 36-27 at the break. Senior guard Amanda Dow-Allen (Greenfield, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham) drilled a three-point bucket to start the second half and Wheaton got to within five points of the Polar Bears after Stover's lay-up put the score at 41-36. But Bowdoin then went on a 23-3 run that ate up most of the time in the second stanza and iced the game for the visiting team. Stover led Wheaton in scoring, tallying 12 points on the afternoon while adding four rebounds in the loss. Williams scored eight points on the day with a game-high seven rebounds. Dow-Allen chipped in five points and a game-best four assists.

Senior co-captain Taryn Brassil (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) and Williams posted career games against Curry. Wheaton came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, knocking down all four of its attempts from behind the arc to take a 16-9 lead with 12:28 on the clock. Dow-Allen drained the first two three-point buckets of the game, while Williams and Brassil hit the next two. Curry then went on a 14-5 run over a six-minute span to earn its first lead of the game. Both teams battled through five lead changes and four ties the rest of the half. Trailing 32-31 with just under two minutes to play, the Lyons closed the half on an 8-2 spurt. The hosts began the second stanza the same way they did the first, as Williams opened the scoring with yet another trey. Following a Dow-Allen steal, Brassil then pushed Wheaton's lead out to double-figures at 44-34 with 18:54 to go. The Colonels cut their deficit to six, but the Lyons then exploded for 14 of the game's next 16 points to put the game out of reach. Wheaton led by as many as 19 points at 62-43 with 12:34 remaining, thanks to a couple of free throws from freshman Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic). Curry got as close as 67-58 with 7:17 to go, but a Stover free throw extended the Lyons' lead back to double figures for good. Wheaton shot a solid 55.6 percent from the field in the half. Brassil just missed a double-double performance for the Blue and White, totaling a career-high 18 points (8-15 FG) with nine rebounds and three steals, while Williams registered a career-best 19 points (6-9 FG, 3-4 3-pt FG, 4-4 FT) and three steals. Dow-Allen rounded out Wheaton's double-figure scoring with 14 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG).

Women's Swimming (5-0) Remains Unbeaten and are off to Best Start in Program History, Men's Swimming (3-2) Continues to Have Success with Third Victory of the Season

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams continued their successful seasons in late November, as the Lyon women remain unbeaten and are off to their best start in program history while the men have already matched their win total from a season ago. In their first road dual meet of the season, Wheaton cruised past Clark University, with the men and women posting 119-72 and 134-102 triumphs, respectively. Against Bridgewater State College the night before in Balfour Natatorium, the women won in convincing fashion, 124-90 while the men's meet was decided in the final event of the evening, as the Lyons fell 127-113.

Against Bridgewater, the women shattered two school records while capturing eight individual events and two relay races to put the meet out of reach early. First-year swimmers Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) and Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) broke Wheaton's marks in the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard butterfly events, respectively. Bohn finished the breaststroke in 2:37.16 and Smith set the winning pace in the fly with a time of 2:20.17. Senior co-captain Katie Levine (Needham, MA/Needham) registered multiple-event wins in the 50-yard freestyle (26.47) and 200-yard backstroke (2:23.20), while junior Blake Worrall (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury), sophomore Lauren Pcholinski (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) and freshmen Kelly Allinson (Portsmouth, NH/Portsmouth) and Katie McNicholas (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro) were victorious in their events. Worrall, Pcholinski and Allinson won a trio of freestyle events, with Worrall in the 200-yard free (2:08.68), Pcholinski in the 1000-yard free (12:20.40) and Allinson in the 500-yard free (5:58.88) taking top honors. McNicholas topped the competition in the 200-yard individual medley (2:22.24). The Lyons also began the meet on a strong note, posting a victory in the first event of the night, the 400-yard medley relay. Smith and McNicholas joined sophomore Courtney Catalano (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) and freshman Kristen Behrens (Uxbridge, MA/Uxbridge) with a time of 4:27.92. Competing on the winning 200-yard freestyle relay was Worrall, Catalano, Allinson and sophomore Christiana Kuipers (Andover, MA/Andover), as the foursome finished in 1:52.12.

Senior co-captain Chris Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) and freshman Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) led the men with two individual event victories apiece in addition to swimming a leg on the winning 400-yard medley relay. Hurley posted wins in the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.85) and 200-yard backstroke (2:04.77), while Roberts earned top finishes in the 50-yard free (22.37) and 100-yard free (48.98). Hurley, Roberts, junior Chris Klinkow (Hollis, NH/Hollis-Brookline) and first-year Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) sided for a victory in the 400-yard medley relay in 3:48.00. Klinkow and Matt Hurley rounded out Wheaton's wins in the 200-yard butterfly (2:10.29) and 200-yard individual medley (2:07.77), respectively.

At Clark, both the men's and women's squads picked up five individual event wins and two relays apiece in addition to collecting points on the platform. Chris Hurley was the lone multiple-event winner on the men's side, collecting victories in the 50-yard freestyle (23.52) and 200-yard butterfly (2:08.06). Hurley also swam a leg on the top 400-yard freestyle relay (3:32.44), joining Klinkow, Roberts and sophomore John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall). Klinkow, Kuckens and Roberts also posted individual triumphs on the afternoon. Klinkow defeated the competition in the 500-yard freestyle (5:22.97), while Kuckens and Roberts were the top finishers in the 100- and 200- yard free events, respectively with times of 55.18 and 1:55.16. The Lyons' 200-yard medley relay earned top honors, as Klinkow, senior co-captain Patrick Sagui (Westwood, MA/Westwood), sophomore Aaron Ramsey (York, ME/Berwick Academy) and freshman Matt Hurley finished in 1:50.18. On the platform, juniors Aaron Fix (Minneapolis, MN/St. Paul Academy) and Aaron Beaulieu (Freeport, ME/Freeport) swept the one- and three-meter dive events, respectively.

On the women's side, Levine and McNicholas picked up multiple-event wins. Levine won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:08.37 and the 200-yard backstroke in 2:26.35, while McNicholas was victorious in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:39.01 and 400-yard individual medley in 5:01.27. Smith rounded out the Wheaton wins in the 200-yard butterfly (2:21.76). The Lyons also notched a pair of top performances in the 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays. Levine alongside Worrall, Behrens and sophomore Ashley Jankowski (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) posted a time of 2:05.19 in the 200 medley, while Worrall, Pcholinski, Catalano and Bohn finished the 400 free in 4:00.70. Junior Jenny Fisher (Orinda, CO/Miramonte) captured the three-meter dive event with 166.45 points.

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