Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (6-9, 2-4) Rises in NEWMAC Standings During 2-1 Week

The Wheaton College field hockey team moved into sixth place in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) standings after winning two of three contests last week. The Lyons fell to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2-0 on Tuesday before knocking off non-conference foe University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, 4-1 on Thursday. Wheaton completed its week with a 4-0 victory over Smith College on Sunday.

Against MIT, the Lyons yielded a pair of first-half goals 1:51 apart during a NEWMAC loss at Clark Field. Wheaton was narrowly outshot, 22-17, while senior goalie Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) made three stops and junior keeper Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) recorded nine saves in relief. Senior back Diane Trifilo (Baldwinville, MA/Narragansett Regional) picked up her fifth defensive save of the season, while sophomore Ashley Miller (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) notched the first of her career.

Sophomore Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) scored twice during Wheaton's victory at UMass-Dartmouth. After Ryalls netted her first goal, junior Shea Clarke (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) converted senior Elizabeth Rowland's (Holliston, MA/Holliston) pass off a penalty corner for the game-winner with 12:10 remaining in the first half. Rowland and Ryalls provided second-half goals, while Fiskio made seven stops in the victory. Rowland moved into a tie for fifth place in program history with 47 career points, a tie for sixth with nine assists and a tie for seventh with 19 goals.

During the Lyons' conference victory at Smith, freshmen Alisa Ardito (Branford, CT/Branford) and Lauren Connolly (Manchester, MA/Pingree School) each scored a pair of goals. Connolly's tallies were the first of her career, with her initial marker serving as the game-winner. She and Ardito iced the game by accounting for three goals during a 3:43 span of the second half. Boll turned aside three shots for her fourth shutout this fall and extended her personal shutout streak to 404:16.

Men's Soccer (8-4-1, 3-0-0) Goes 1-0-1 in Pair of Non-Conference Games

The Wheaton College men's soccer team went 1-0-1 during non-conference play last week, tying regionally-ranked Bowdoin College, 1-1 in double overtime on Monday before defeating Salve Regina University, 2-0 on Wednesday. Wheaton's match scheduled for Saturday at Clark University was postponed until Monday.

The Lyons traveled to face Bowdoin, ranked fifth in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), and came away with a tie. After the Polar Bears broke a scoreless deadlock in the 59th minute, freshman Dan Lane (Dedham, MA/Worcester Academy) buried his ninth goal of the season with less than 15 minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime. Lane's tally tied the program's freshman goals record set by Eric Reed '01. Junior Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) stopped eight shots during 110 minutes of action.

Against Salve Regina, Wheaton used a goal in each half to record a win at Keefe Field. The Lyons were awarded a penalty kick in the 37th minute, and after sophomore Borja Polo's (Miami, FL/Belen Jesuit Prep) attempt was turned aside, junior Cameron Habib (Norfolk, MA/Bridgton Academy) pounced on the rebound and netted his first goal of the season. Senior Ryan Wilson (Bedford, MA/Bedford) added his first marker this fall at 76:43. Junior David Croft (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) made two saves for his third career shutout, as the Lyons held a commanding 32-6 advantage in shots. Wheaton improved to 12-0-1 all time against the Seahawks.

Women's Soccer (11-4-0, 6-0-0) Matches NCAA's Third-Longest League Unbeaten Streak

Behind a pair of shutout victories, the nationally-ranked Wheaton College women's soccer team extended its NEWMAC unbeaten streak to 58 contests, tying for the third-longest conference unbeaten streak among all Divisions in NCAA history. The Lyons defeated Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 4-0 on Tuesday before downing Smith College, 1-0 in overtime on Sunday, extending their shutout streak to 722:19.

Wheaton, which is ranked 19th nationally and third in New England by the NSCAA, matched Division III Webster University (Mo.) with its 58-game streak and has not yielded a goal to NEWMAC opponents in 1,411:06. The Lyons have won each of their last 17 regular season games via a shutout and occupy first place in the NEWMAC, having outscored league opponents by a 23-0 margin this fall.

Sophomore Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) netted her second natural hat trick in four games during Wheaton's win at MIT. After a scoreless first half, classmate Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) played a hand in the Lyons' game-winning tally for the fourth straight contest with a marker at 48:48. Konopka followed that up with the next three goals during a span of 11:56, with freshman Jessica Bramucci (Ludlow, MA/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) picking up the lone assist each time. Bramucci became the 10th Wheaton player to record a trio of helpers in a single contest. Sophomore keeper Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) made two saves.

The Lyons needed overtime to knock off Smith in a NEWMAC contest at Mirrione Stadium. Senior Katie Hall (Longmont, CO/Niwot) netted her first career game-winner at 98:34 after her shot clipped a defender and ricocheted into the net. Konopka started the winning play with a throw-in on the far sideline and, after a give-and-go with sophomore Erin Davis (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow), sent a cross to Hall. Kronenberg stopped two shots for her eighth shutout. During the week, Konopka moved into a tie for seventh in program history with 24 career goals and a tie for ninth with 61 points.

Rabesa named ECAC and NEWMAC Women's Soccer Player of the Week

Rabesa was named Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, October 9. She played a hand in five of Wheaton's nine goals as the Lyons went 2-0. Rabesa notched two goals and three assists, while netting a game-winner herself and assisting on another. She recorded a career-high six points against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Women's Tennis (7-5, 4-3) Competes at New England Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament

The Wheaton College women's tennis team competed in all six singles and three doubles flights at last weekend's New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT), hosted by Amherst College. The Lyons completed play with one point, tying for 17th place out of 22 schools.

Sophomore Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) and freshman Meghan Doyle (Hingham, MA/Hingham) highlighted Wheaton's showing with an 8-6 doubles victory over NEWMAC counterpart Mount Holyoke College in the second position. In singles action, the Lyons played nip-and-tuck in the second and fifth slots but were unable to advance past the opening rounds, as junior Darby McDermott (Briarcliff Manor, NY/Hackley School) dropped a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4 decision to Wellesley College at number two and freshman Mallory Farmer (Washington, CT/The Gunnery) a heartbreaking 7-5, 7-5 loss to Connecticut College at number five.

As the fourth seed in this weekend's six-team, single-elimination NEWMAC Tournament, hosted by Wellesley and Babson College, the Lyons are slated to play number-five seed Mount Holyoke on Saturday to begin the two-day tournament.

Women's Volleyball (9-15, 3-3) Continues Recent Success with 2-2 Week

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team split four matches last week, knocking off NEWMAC foe Clark University, 3-2 (30-28, 30-27, 24-30, 27-30, 18-16) on Wednesday before falling to regionally-ranked Tufts University, 3-0 (23-30, 28-30, 27-30) Thursday evening. During a tri-match at Endicott College on Saturday, the Lyons defeated Western New England College, 3-0 (30-15, 30-24, 30-25) before losing to Endicott, 3-0 (27-30, 30-32, 22-30) later in the day.

In a five-game marathon, Wheaton brought home a league victory at Clark. Wheaton took the deciding fifth game by an 18-16 score, the Lyons' highest-scoring fifth set since the NCAA instituted rally scoring in 2001. Senior Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) led four Wheaton players with double-doubles by recording 25 kills and 21 digs. She became the fourth Lyon to record 25 kills in a single match, and the first since October 20, 2000. Reagh also became the second Wheaton player to attempt 65 attacks, and the first since November 4, 1999. Junior Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) was next with 17 kills and 22 digs, classmate Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) contributed 13 kills and 11 digs, and junior setter Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) supplied 51 assists and 14 digs.

The Lyons fell at Emerson Gymnasium against Tufts, ranked third in the region by the New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA). Senior Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) led the way with 12 kills and five blocks, while Smith finished with 11 kills, 12 digs and four blocks. Liesman was credited with 33 assists, while Reagh and senior Carilyn Tately (Walpole, MA/Walpole) notched 17 and 10 digs, respectively.

During a three-game sweep of Western New England, Reagh paced Wheaton with 12 kills and 12 digs, while Emerson notched 10 kills and three service aces. Vengroff contributed nine kills, three aces and a pair of blocks, Liesman provided 38 assists and Tately recorded 12 digs.

Wheaton's loss to Endicott included a pair of close decisions during a three-game defeat. After falling by just three points in the first game, the Lyons narrowly dropped game two by a 32-30 final. Reagh supplied 14 kills and 17 digs, while Smith accounted for 13 kills. Vengroff totaled nine kills and four blocks, and Liesman netted 38 helpers and 10 digs. During the week, Reagh moved into seventh in program history with 1,254 career digs and became the eighth Lyon with 2,600 attempts.

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