Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2005--06 > October 10, 2005
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Field Hockey (4-8, 1-3) Splits Pair of NEWMAC Games, Snaps Losing Skid
The Wheaton College field hockey team split a pair of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) games last week, losing at Wellesley College, 5-1 on Wednesday before knocking off host Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 3-2 on Saturday.
Against Wellesley, sophomore Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) tallied the game's first goal less than nine minutes in, but the Blue rallied for a NEWMAC victory. Wellesley scored with 5:01 and 3:47 remaining in the first half before netting three more goals in the second stanza. Senior keeper Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) turned aside 16 shots, becoming the third Lyon in program history with 600 career saves, while junior Shea Clarke (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) notched a defensive save. Wheaton entered the game having lost each of its first seven contests by a lone tally.
The Lyons built a 3-0 lead at WPI by scoring three times in a span of 6:32 and snapped a four-game losing streak. Clarke scored with 11 seconds remaining in the first half before senior Elizabeth Rowland (Holliston, MA/Holliston) and Ryalls converted 1:08 apart after halftime. It was the fourth straight game in which Ryalls scored a goal, and the tally stood as her second game-winner of the season. The Engineers scored twice in a 1:55 span later in the stanza, but Fiskio made the lead stand up while posting eight stops on the day. Rowland also contributed a defensive save while moving into a tie for seventh in program history with 44 career points, as well as a tie for eighth with her 18th goal and eighth assist, which she notched on Clarke's tally.
Men's Soccer (7-4-0, 3-0-0) Falls to Wesleyan, 1-0 in Only Game of the Week
The regionally-ranked Wheaton College men's soccer team lost its only contest last week, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Wesleyan University during non-conference action Tuesday at Keefe Field. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Lyons, who were tied for 10th in last week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) New England poll.
Against Wesleyan, the Lyons yielded the game's lone goal with 3:36 remaining, which snapped Wheaton's shutout streak at 335:39. Junior back Dennis Durao (West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic) came up with two goal line stops in the second half to keep the game scoreless, and classmate Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) turned aside four shots in net.
Women's Soccer (9-4-0, 4-0-0) Remains Tied for First Place in NEWMAC After 2-0 Week
The Wheaton College women's soccer team, ranked fifth in last week's NSCAA New England poll, kept its NEWMAC shutout streak intact after knocking off conference foes Wellesley College, 3-0 on Wednesday and WPI, 6-0 on Saturday in contests played at Mirrione Stadium. The Lyons, who remained in a first-place tie in the NEWMAC and haven't allowed a goal in the last 533:45, extended their conference unbeaten streak to 56 contests and are two games shy of tying the third-longest league undefeated streak in NCAA history. Wheaton entered its Wellesley match tied with Division II Franklin Pierce College for the sixth-longest NCAA conference unbeaten streak at 54, and the win tied the Lyons with Division I University of North Carolina for fifth place in NCAA annals at 55 straight.
Three different players scored as Wheaton knocked off Wellesley in a NEWMAC affair. During the 24th minute, sophomore Jenna Stiegler (Madison, WI/Middleton) converted the game-winner before classmate Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) extended the lead 13 minutes later. Freshman Jessie Landau (Pound Ridge, NY/Fox Lane) netted her first collegiate goal in the 86th minute, while sophomore keeper Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) picked up three saves.
Against WPI, the Lyons scored four times in the first 10:37 and extended their streak of consecutive shutouts to five games. The victory also marked the 15th straight regular season win in which Wheaton blanked its opponent. Sophomore Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) notched two goals and two assists during the match, including the game-winner just 42 seconds into the contest. Following an own goal at 1:53, Furr scored at 9:11 before Rabesa made it 4-0. Stiegler and sophomore Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) added second-half markers. Konopka, who entered the week as the NEWMAC's leading scorer, moved into 10th in program history during the game with 54 career points and into a tie for ninth with 21 goals.
Konopka Earns NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Accolades
Konopka was named NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, October 2. The forward notched four goals in two matches, including game-winning tallies in both contests. She collected the game's lone goal against regionally-ranked Amherst College, netting the winner in the 62nd minute. In NEWMAC play at Mount Holyoke College, Konopka recorded her first collegiate three-goal performance, collecting a natural hat trick during a 15:34 span of the first stanza. To that point, Konopka had scored six of the Lyons' last seven goals.
Women's Tennis (7-5, 4-3) Clinches Fourth Seed in NEWMAC Tournament
The Wheaton College women's tennis team clinched the fourth seed in the NEWMAC Tournament while posting a 1-2 road mark last week to complete its regular season dual match slate. The Lyons fell to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 9-0 on Tuesday before rebounding with a 6-3 conference victory over Smith College on Saturday. On Sunday, Wheaton fell at Bowdoin College, 9-0.
Against MIT, the Lyons succumbed to a sweep. Wheaton narrowly dropped a pair of 8-5 doubles matches, with junior Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker School) and sophomore Maya Milic-Strkalj (Philadelphia, PA/Friends' Central School) pairing up at the number-two spot for just the second time this fall, and junior Eden Gudonis (Manchester, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) and freshman Mallory Farmer (Washington, CT/The Gunnery) teaming at the third position. In singles play, Gudonis had the tightest match of the afternoon before falling, 6-3, 7-6 at number six.
Wheaton took down Smith in its NEWMAC regular season finale. Gudonis and Farmer paired for the Lyons' lone doubles point, an 8-6 victory at number three, before Wheaton won five of six singles matches. Junior Darby McDermott (Briarcliff Manor, NY/Hackley School), sophomore Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow), Farmer and first-year classmates Meghan Doyle (Hingham, MA/Hingham) and Samantha Schraeter (Rye, NY/Rye) each won in straight sets.
In a non-conference match at Bowdoin, the Lyons were swept by the Polar Bears. Gudonis and Milic-Strkalj played the toughest doubles point, falling by an 8-4 score at the third slot while being matched up for just the second time this season.
Jackson Named NEWMAC Singles Player of the Week
Jackson was tabbed NEWMAC Singles Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, October 2. She recorded a pair of victories at number-three singles during the Lyons' 2-0 week, helping Wheaton clinch a tournament berth. Against Clark University, Jackson breezed through a 6-0, 6-1 match as Wheaton won in a sweep. She earned a tougher point at Mount Holyoke College, dropping the first set by a 6-3 score before rallying with 6-0 and 7-6 victories for the win. Jackson was also half of a doubles tandem that took an 8-0 decision at Clark.
Women's Volleyball (7-13, 2-3) Posts Third-Place Tournament Finish to Cap 3-3 Week
The Wheaton College women's volleyball team dropped a NEWMAC match versus Springfield College, 3-0 (20-30, 13-30, 18-30) on Tuesday before rebounding with a third-place finish out of six teams at the 25th annual Crabtree Classic, hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University. On Friday, the Lyons defeated Johnson & Wales University, 3-2 (23-30, 30-17, 30-32, 30-23, 15-10) and Lasell College, 3-0 (30-27, 30-24, 30-13) before completing play on Saturday with losses to Brandeis University, 3-2 (26-30, 17-30, 30-24, 30-24, 13-15) and Eastern Connecticut State, 3-1 (25-30, 26-30, 30-25, 20-30) and a victory over Babson College, 3-0 (30-19, 31-29, 30-22). Senior Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) earned all-tournament accolades for the second straight weekend with 67 kills and 23 blocks.
The Lyons dropped their only conference match of the week against Springfield at Emerson Gymnasium. Junior Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) led Wheaton with nine kills and 10 digs, while senior Carilyn Tately (Walpole, MA/Walpole) racked up 17 digs. Junior Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) recorded 14 assists to become the fifth Lyon in program history with 1,000 career helpers.
Versus Johnson & Wales, Smith recorded 12 kills and 18 digs, and senior Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) provided 12 kills and 16 digs. Vengroff contributed 16 kills and seven blocks, and Tately added 15 digs. Liesman supplied 36 assists and moved into fourth place in program history in career assists.
Against Lasell, Reagh notched 12 kills and 14 digs, while Vengroff had a solid all-around match with nine kills, five blocks and six service aces. Liesman accounted for 28 assists and seven kills, and Tately and junior Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) had 12 digs apiece.
The Lyons trailed Brandeis by two games before rallying with a pair of 30-24 victories, only to lose in the fifth game, 15-13. Vengroff posted 18 kills and five blocks, while Reagh notched eight kills and 26 digs. Tately, Reichentahl and Smith provided 16, 15 and 10 digs, respectively, as Liesman supplied 34 assists and 16 digs.
In its fourth match, Wheaton dropped a four-game affair with the tournament hosts. Reagh stood out with a double-double performance of 10 kills and 15 digs, while Vengroff added 12 kills, seven digs and four blocks. Tately and Reichentahl contributed 13 and 10 digs, respectively, and Liesman was credited with 30 assists and eight digs.
Wheaton completed the tournament against Babson, as Vengroff and Smith led the attack with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Liesman added 32 assists and 13 digs, and junior Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) totaled six service aces. Reagh, who collected her 1,000th career dig on September 9, notched 15 digs to move within one dig of eighth place in the Wheaton annals.
Men's and Women's Cross Country Harriers Compete at All New England Championship
The Wheaton College women's cross country team finished 31st and the men placed 47th at the All New England Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Boston's Franklin Park. It was the final race before the NEWMAC Championships on Saturday, October 29, where the women will look to defend their 2004 title while the men hope to improve upon last year's fourth-place finish.
On Saturday, Wheaton's women finished ahead of five Division I teams, six Division II squads and a pair of Division III counterparts, with sophomore All-America runner Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) recording the Lyons' best finish by placing 95th out of 301 runners in a time of 19:35. The next four Wheaton runners completed the course within 14 seconds of one another, as sophomore Abbe Bosk (Narberth, PA/Springside) and freshmen Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School), Megan O'Sadnick (Evergreen, CO/Evergreen) and Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) each finished between 20:26 and 20:40.
On the men's side, senior Ben Haber (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) broke the 30-minute mark for the third time in as many races this fall with a time of 29:44.
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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)