Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2005--06 > October 24, 2005
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Field Hockey (7-11, 2-5) Completes 1-2 Week with Homecoming Victory
The Wheaton College field hockey team went 1-2 last week, losing its only New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest. The Lyons dropped a pair of road affairs, losing to Babson College, 7-0 on Tuesday and Tufts University, 1-0 on Thursday before defeating Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 7-0 during a Homecoming weekend match on Saturday. With eight one-goal losses this fall, Wheaton is tied with Division I La Salle University for the most among teams in the NCAA's three divisions.
Babson, ranked 20th in the country by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), remained the NEWMAC's lone squad with a perfect league record by defeating the Lyons. Senior Leigh-Anne Cioffredi (Lebanon, NH/Lebanon) recorded a defensive save, while junior keeper Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) turned away 16 shots. Babson's first tally broke Boll's personal shutout streak at 408:02 dating back to last season.
The Lyons limited Tufts to just a second-half goal during a non-conference loss. Boll made 10 saves, while juniors Shea Clarke (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) and Elizabeth Reimers (Wareham, MA/Tabor Academy) each notched defensive saves. The contest completed a four-game road trip, Wheaton's longest since 1998.
On Saturday, the Lyons scored their most goals since October 18, 2003 during a non-conference contest at Clark Field. Sophomore Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) and freshman Lauren Connolly (Manchester, MA/Pingree School) each scored twice, while Clarke, senior Elizabeth Rowland (Holliston, MA/Holliston) and junior Rachel Sminkey (White River Junction, VT/Hartford) each provided a goal and an assist. Boll went untested in one half of action, and freshman Jackie Riccio (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) stopped a pair of shots in the second half. Wheaton outshot the Monks, 37-3. With the performance, Clarke and Rowland each moved into a tie for fourth in school history with 10 career assists, and Rowland rose to fifth with 50 points and a tie for sixth with 20 goals.
Men's Soccer (10-4-2, 4-0-1) Stretches Unbeaten Streak to Five Games with 2-0-1 Week
The Wheaton College men's soccer team moved into a tie for first place in the NEWMAC by stretching its unbeaten streak to five games thanks to a 2-0-1 record last week. The Lyons have gone 7-1-2 since splitting their first six games and started the week with a 1-1 double-overtime tie at regionally-ranked Clark University on Monday. During a pair of home games, Wheaton knocked off regionally-ranked Roger Williams University, 1-0 on Wednesday before defeating regionally-ranked Babson College, 2-1 on Saturday. The Lyons' Homecoming win over Babson gave them 10 wins for the 14th consecutive season.
On Monday, the Lyons ended Clark's perfect NEWMAC run with a conference tie. Sophomore Trevor Cote (Portsmouth, RI/Providence Country Day School) tallied for Wheaton less than 10 minutes into the contest before Clark, ranked sixth in New England last week by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), knotted the game seven minutes before halftime. Junior keeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) stopped three shots.
Freshman Dan Lane (Dedham, MA/Worcester Academy) netted his fifth game-winning goal during the Lyons' win on Wednesday over Roger Williams, which tied for seventh in the most recent NSCAA New England poll. Lane tallied in the 53rd minute for his 10th goal, a Wheaton freshman record, and snapped Roger Williams' shutout streak at 559:01. Pachniuk finished with a pair of saves.
The Lyons moved one step closer to defending their NEWMAC regular season title on Saturday by knocking off Babson. Lane put Wheaton on top in the 37th minute, and after the Beavers, who entered the game ranked ninth in the region, knotted the game two minutes into the second half, first-year Justin Hart (Ashland, MA/Ashland) netted the game-winner at 63:26. Pachniuk picked up the victory.
With a win in its regular season finale this coming Saturday against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Wheaton clinches at least a share of the NEWMAC regular season title. The Lyons are already assured of a home playoff game.
Women's Soccer (13-4-1, 7-0-1) Maintains NEWMAC Lead During 2-0-1 Week
The nationally-ranked Wheaton College women's soccer team maintained its hold on first place in the NEWMAC during a 2-0-1 week. The Lyons, ranked 19th nationally and third in New England by the NSCAA, posted a double-overtime tie versus Babson, 2-2 on Tuesday before taking a 1-0 road decision from local non-conference foe Bridgewater State College on Thursday. Wheaton returned home and knocked off United States Coast Guard Academy, 7-0 during Homecoming weekend on Saturday. The Lyons finished the week riding a 10-game unbeaten streak after a 4-4 start.
In a game against Babson at Mirrione Stadium, sophomores Jenna Stiegler (Madison, WI/Middleton) and Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) pushed the Lyons to a 2-0 lead before the Beavers rallied with a pair of second-half goals to force overtime. Babson's first goal snapped Wheaton's shutout streak at 799:46 and was the first tally by a NEWMAC opponent against the Lyons in 1,488:33. Sophomore keeper Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) made four stops. Konopka became the seventh Lyon with 25 career goals.
Freshman Jessica Bramucci's (Ludlow, MA/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) first collegiate marker stood as the game's lone tally in Wheaton's win over Bridgewater State. During the 37th minute, Bramucci received a feed from sophomore Katelyn Brack (Lake Oswego, OR/Oregon Episcopal School) and, with her back to the goal, turned and delivered a ball out of the reach of Bridgewater State's keeper. Kronenberg made three saves.
Sophomores Julie McLane (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan) and Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) each collected two goals and an assist as 11 players recorded a point during Wheaton's win over Coast Guard. Bramucci, sophomore Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) and freshman Jamie Smith (Kensington, CT/Saint Paul Catholic) also scored for the Lyons, with Smith netting the first goal of her collegiate career. Stiegler recorded a pair of assists as the hosts outshot the Bears, 38-1. With an assist, Konopka moved into eighth at Wheaton with 64 career points. The contest was the 93rd of senior Teresa LeBel's (Middleton, MA/Northfield Mount Herman) career, tying her for second in school history with assistant coach Erin Duffy '05. LeBel is three games shy of tying the program mark.
With a win at Clark on Tuesday, Wheaton will clinch its seventh consecutive NEWMAC regular season championship. The Lyons are already guaranteed a home playoff game.
Konopka Garners Second NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Honor This Fall
Konopka was named NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, October 16, the second time she has been honored as the league's top player this fall. The sophomore forward tallied seven points during Wheaton's 2-0 week, scoring three goals for the second time this season in the Lyons' 4-0 victory at MIT and assisting on the game-winner in a 1-0 overtime win versus Smith College. Konopka's second-half goals at MIT came within a span of 11:56.
Women's Tennis (7-6, 4-3) Completes Fall Season at NEWMAC Tournament
The fourth-seeded Wheaton College women's tennis team completed its fall season with a 5-0 setback to number-five seed Mount Holyoke College in the opening round of the NEWMAC Tournament Saturday at Wellesley College.
Wheaton began play with a pair of 8-5 losses at second and third doubles, respectively, in addition to dropping an 8-4 decision in the top position. Sophomore Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) and freshman Meghan Doyle (Hingham, MA/Hingham) sided at second doubles, while junior Eden Gudonis (Manchester, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) and sophomore Maya Milic-Strkalj (Philadelphia, PA/Friends' Central School) paired up in the third slot. In singles play, Mount Holyoke captured victories at the first and third positions to solidify its win, as the remaining four matches were not completed due to the match being played to decision.
Women's Volleyball (10-19, 3-4) Turns in 1-4 Week, Eighth-Place Finish at Tournament
The Wheaton College women's volleyball team went 1-4 last week, losing to regionally-ranked NEWMAC foe United States Coast Guard Academy, 3-0 (28-30, 19-30, 22-30) on Tuesday before earning an eighth-place finish out of 16 teams at the Hall of Fame Tournament, where the Lyons fell to three regionally-ranked squads. During Friday's first day of competition, the Lyons lost to Smith College, 3-0 (17-30, 20-30, 24-30) before knocking off Brandeis University, 3-0 (30-24, 35-33, 30-15). By finishing second out of four teams in its pool, Wheaton advanced to Saturday's championship bracket, where the Blue and White fell to Colby College, 3-0 (24-30, 29-31, 21-30) and Bridgewater State College, 3-0 (17-30, 26-30, 19-30).
Against Coast Guard, which was ranked fourth in the region by the New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA), junior Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) led the way with nine kills and 11 digs. Senior Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) totaled seven kills and 16 digs, classmate Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) collected eight kills and junior setter Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) supplied 27 assists and 16 digs. Senior Carilyn Tately (Walpole, MA/Walpole) contributed 14 digs.
At the Hall of Fame Tournament, Vengroff was named all-tournament during the third consecutive tournament in which Wheaton participated thanks to totaling 44 kills, 25 digs and six blocks.
Against Smith, ranked sixth by the NEWVA, Vengroff had 13 kills, while Reagh and junior Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) notched 14 and 12 digs, respectively. Liesman had 24 assists. The Lyons picked up their first win with a sweep over Brandeis, just two weeks after Wheaton lost in five games to the Judges. Reagh notched a double-double with 15 kills and 15 digs, while Liesman tallied 27 assists and 10 digs. Vengroff registered 10 kills, seven digs and three blocks, junior Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) totaled six kills, seven digs and three blocks, and Reichentahl accounted for 13 digs and three service aces.
Wheaton played a pair of closely contested matches with Colby, ranked first by the NEWVA, including a 31-29 final during the second game. Vengroff accumulated 13 kills, while Reagh notched nine kills and 14 digs. Liesman recorded 36 assists and seven digs, as Emerson and Reichentahl each had 11 digs. Emerson also picked up three blocks. In Wheaton's final match, the Lyons fell to local foe Bridgewater State, which was ranked ninth by the NEWVA. Vengroff totaled eight kills and 10 digs, while Reagh accounted for 20 digs and Liesman had 18 assists.
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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)