Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (5-11, 2-6) Completes Season with NEWMAC Tournament Loss at Wellesley

The Wheaton College field hockey team completed its season with an 0-2 week, as the Lyons suffered a hard-fought 3-2 overtime loss at Clark University in Tuesday night's regular season finale and dropped a 3-0 decision at Wellesley College in the opening round of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament on Saturday.

At Clark, after being held scoreless through the first half of play, Wheaton took a 2-1 second-half lead but couldn't hang on, as the Lyons finished their regular season with the loss. Clark carried a 1-0 lead into halftime, but Wheaton junior Elizabeth Rowland (Holliston, MA/Holliston) opened the second stanza with an unassisted goal to tie the contest. Rowland and freshman Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) helped put the Lyons up 2-1 at the 12:42 minute mark, feeding junior co-captain Leigh-Anne Cioffredi (Lebanon, NH/Lebanon) for the go-ahead goal on a penalty corner. The Cougars knotted the game at two with less than seven minutes remaining, setting up the dramatic finish. Junior goalie Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) made 25 saves, as Clark outshot Wheaton, 30-12.

At Wellesley, the hosts scored all three of its goals over a four-minute span in the first half to eliminate the Lyons. Wellesley began the scoring with 25:22 remaining in the opening period and tacked on two additional goals that put Wheaton in a quick 3-0 hole. The Lyons had plenty of scoring chances over the course of the afternoon, as evidenced by their 32 shots and 22 penalty corners, but were unable to capitalize on their opportunities. Wellesley didn't help Wheaton's cause, as the Blue accounted for a pair of defensive saves to help keep the Lyons scoreless. Fiskio had nine saves in the cage, as Wheaton held a 32-20 shot edge and an aggregate 22-2 margin in penalty corners.

Men's Soccer (15-2-2, 5-1-0) Ends NEWMAC Regular Season in Three-Way Tie for First

The Wheaton College men's soccer team, ranked fourth in the country and first in New England according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), had its 13-game unbeaten streak snapped and in the process fell into a three-way tie for first place in the NEWMAC following Saturday's 3-0 loss to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the regular season finale. Tied with MIT and Babson College, a series of tiebreaking formulas were used and it was determined that MIT won the rights to host the conference tournament as the top seed, while the Blue and White took second, leaving Babson at number three. Wheaton will host number-seven seed Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in the first round on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

At MIT, Wheaton had its first opportunity to get on the scoreboard with a corner kick one minute into the game, but the Engineers stopped the early threat and started its own offensive attack. Tech controlled the ball for the majority of the minutes in the half, holding a 5-4 advantage in shots with several attempts narrowly missing the goal. Neither team was able to capitalize, as the Lyons and Engineers entered the half with no score. MIT ended the scoreless affair just 2:09 into the second frame. The Lyons had a chance to tie the game seven minutes later, but a shot by senior tri-captain Gabe Margolis (Brookline, MA/Beaver Country Day) was stopped by the MIT goalie. The ball came loose, but the netminder managed to pounce on the ground and prevent Wheaton from taking another shot. The Engineers added a goal in the 71st minute to lead 2-0 and then added a successful penalty kick three minutes later to put the game out of reach. Sophomore goalie Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) totaled four saves in the loss, as shots were even at nine apiece.

Women's Soccer (19-0-1, 8-0-1) Set to Host Fifth Straight NEWMAC Tournament

The Wheaton College women's soccer team, ranked second in the country and first in New England according to the NSCAA, is set to host its fifth straight NEWMAC Tournament this weekend. The Lyons knocked off Clark University, 4-0 in Tuesday's NEWMAC regular season finale at Mirrione Stadium and then blanked visiting Mount Holyoke College by the same score in the first round of the conference tournament Saturday. Tying its all-time unbeaten streak record with 20 straight games without a loss, Wheaton ran its shutout streak to eight games, which also ties a program mark. The Lyons will host number-four seed Babson College in Saturday's first semifinal round game at 10:30 a.m.

Against Clark, the Lyons wasted no time getting on the board, as freshman Erin Davis (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) sent a rebound from her own corner kick right to the head of senior Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim), who directed the ball into the far corner of the net just 46 ticks into the game. Wheaton continued to dominate play, and in the 27th minute first-year Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) worked the ball deep into the right corner of the box and then rolled it to a wide open Caromile, who beat the goalkeeper low for her second tally of the game. Wheaton looked to add to its lead early in the second half, as freshman Katelyn Brack (Lake Oswego, OR/Oregon Episcopal) sent a ball to the top of the box where senior Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep) one-timed the pass into the upper netting. Wheaton ended the scoring with 9:27 to go, when junior Kate Miller (Williamstown, MA/Mount Greylock) distributed a corner kick to senior Carolyn Wills (Salt Lake City, UT/East), who pushed the ball into the back of the net for the game's final goal. Freshman netminder Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) made one save in 75 minutes.

Versus Mount Holyoke, Wheaton built a 3-0 lead through the first 45 minutes of play, as the Lyons took a 1-0 edge in the 13th minute on a left-footed strike from sophomore Jordan Pouliot (Manchester, NH/Trinity). Pouliot took the centering pass from junior Teresa LeBel (Middleton, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon), spun off of her defender and drove her shot out of the reach of the Mount Holyoke goalkeeper and into the bottom left corner of the net. The Lyons maintained their offensive pressure and doubled their lead in the 29th minute, when senior Erin Duffy (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) took a Brack rebound off the crossbar and tucked her shot into the back of the net. Wheaton tacked on its third goal with just under four minutes to go in the half, as freshman Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) capitalized on a pass from Caromile. In the second half, Brennan converted a corner kick from Davis to complete the game's scoring. Kronenberg went untested in 78 minutes, as the Lyons held a 41-0 advantage in shots and a 21-0 margin in corner kicks.

Women's Volleyball (13-15, 4-5) Concludes NEWMAC Regular Season with Split

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team concluded NEWMAC regular season play with a split against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Wellesley College. The Lyons swept the Engineers of WPI, 3-0 (30-19, 30-20, 30-19) on Tuesday in Worcester before falling to Wellesley, 3-0 (28-30, 27-30, 26-30) in Emerson Gymnasium on Saturday. Finishing sixth in the NEWMAC standings, Wheaton will travel to number-three seed Springfield College in the first round of the conference tournament on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

At WPI, the Lyons topped the Engineers for double-digit wins in all three games. Freshman Chelsea Fleher (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park) sparked Wheaton's offense, scoring 12 kills and four service aces in the match, while junior Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) recorded 24 assists. Sophomore Jade Lee (Eagle, ID/Eagle) was the visitors' defensive leader with 17 digs.

Against Wellesley, Wheaton took an early 3-0 lead in game one on the strength of consecutive serves from sophomore Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) and maintained a 12-9 lead midway through the contest. The visitors then went on a 6-0 run to take a 15-12 edge and a lead that was not relinquished. Game two witnessed eight ties and six lead changes, as both teams battled back and forth throughout the contest's entirety. The Lyons led 20-15, but the Blue responded and went on an 11-4 run to lead 26-24 and hold on for the win. The third and final contest proved to be the tightest of the afternoon with 10 ties and a pair of lead changes. The hosts trailed 6-3 in the early going, but then reeled off five unanswered points to take an 8-6 lead. Wheaton held onto a 21-20 edge late in the game but was unable to hang on, as Wellesley used a 6-0 run to pull away for the win. Junior Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) paced the Lyon offense with 11 kills and five blocks, while Lee and Fleher accounted for 13 digs apiece. Reagh added nine digs and 24 assists in the loss.

Women's Cross Country Captures First NEWMAC Championship, Men Finish Fourth

The Wheaton College women's cross country team captured its first-ever conference championship Saturday afternoon, as the Lyons edged Wellesley College in dramatic fashion to claim the 2004 NEWMAC title at Harkness Memorial State Park. Hosted by the United States Coast Guard Academy, Wheaton tallied 56 total points to Wellesley's 57. Placing in the top three in three of the four previous conference meets, the Lyons became the first institution other than Wellesley and MIT to win the meet since 1992. On the men's side, Wheaton placed fourth in the seven-team field with 100 points. MIT was crowned team champion for the seventh straight year.

The women garnered an outstanding four NEWMAC All-Conference honors on the afternoon, as the Lyons saw four of their runners among the top nine finishers. Having all four runners cover the 5,000-meter course in 18:50 and under, Wheaton was led by senior Erin O'Brien (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames) and junior Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional). O'Brien took fourth overall with a time of 18:40, while Leith was right on her heels in fifth place at 18:41. Senior Lindsay Whalen (Dedham, MA/Dedham) finished eighth in 18:47 and freshman Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) was ninth in 18:50. Sophomore Jennifer Ziello (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) clinched the Wheaton victory by placing 30th overall with a personal-best time of 19:55.

On the men's side, senior All-America Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) led the way with a second-place finish. Last year's NEWMAC Runner of the Year, Pyle covered the 8,000-meter course in 25:54. Pyle helped give the Wheaton cross country programs a school-best fifth NEWMAC All-Conference honor in the same season. The Lyons had three runners place in the top 20, including Pyle, junior Eric Richardson (East Walpole, MA/Bishop Feehan) and freshman Alex Cook (Hanover, MA/Hanover). Richardson placed 17th overall in 27:24, while Cook was the 19th runner to cross the line in 27:25. Senior Joe Chadwick (Shelburne Falls, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional), junior Ben Haber (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) and sophomore Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) rounded out Wheaton's field of competitors, finishing 37th, 45th and 53rd, respectively.

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