Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (8-12, 3-5) Finishes Season with 1-1 Week, Including Tournament Loss

The Wheaton College field hockey team completed its 2005 season last week, knocking off Clark University, 3-0 on Thursday in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match before falling Saturday at Wellesley College, 3-1 in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament.

Wheaton and Clark entered their regular season finales at Clark Field tied for sixth in the NEWMAC, but Wheaton came away with a victory to clinch the sixth seed in the conference tournament and knock Clark down to seventh. With 6:29 gone in the second period, sophomore Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) scored the first of her two goals off a pass from junior Shea Clarke (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham). Ryalls later tallied her 10th goal of the season with 8:48 to go off junior Rachel Sminkey's (White River Junction, VT/Hartford) helper, and Sminkey netted a goal of her own with 2:58 left by tipping in freshman Alisa Ardito's (Branford, CT/Branford) shot from the right post. The Lyons outshot the Cougars, 39-2 for the game and edged Clark, 25-5 in penalty corners. Junior keeper Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) made one save for her fifth shutout.

In a NEWMAC Tournament first round game, the Lyons saw their season come to an end at the hands of third-seeded Wellesley for the second straight fall despite commanding the majority of offensive opportunities. Wheaton broke on top first, as Ardito tallied her eighth goal of the season off a penalty corner with 8:51 remaining in the first half thanks to a helper from Ryalls. However, the Blue scored with 18 seconds remaining in the opening half and tallied twice during a 1:25 span midway through the second period. Wheaton held advantages of 32-15 in shots and 13-6 in penalty corners. Boll made nine saves.

Men's Soccer (11-4-2, 5-0-1) Clinches Fifth NEWMAC Regular Season Title in Only Match

The regionally-ranked Wheaton College men's soccer team clinched its fifth NEWMAC regular season title in eight years after a 3-0 win over Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during each team's final league contest Saturday at Keefe Field. It was the only contest of the week for the Lyons, who were celebrating Senior Day and were tied for seventh in New England in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. Wheaton is 8-1-2 since a .500 start.

Entering the day, Wheaton and Clark University were tied for the NEWMAC lead, but Clark fell in double overtime to Babson College in those teams' NEWMAC finale, opening the door for Wheaton to clinch. The Lyons broke a scoreless stalemate in the 13th minute, as junior Ariel Tatum's (Cayman Islands, BWI/Holderness School) free kick found the net. Wheaton put the game away with a pair of second-half markers. After MIT's keeper and freshman Dan Lane (Dedham, MA/Worcester Academy) challenged for a loose ball near the upper left corner of the box, first-year Jeff Shea (Canton, MA/Canton) gained possession and sailed an arcing shot over the defense into the far right corner at 46:48. Lane tacked on his 12th goal of the season in the 79th minute, breaking Eric Reed's '01 freshman points record of 26. Junior Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) made five saves in the win. Lane, who also set the Wheaton freshman goals standard this season, is tied for sixth in single-season goals.

After receiving a first-round bye in the NEWMAC Tournament, Wheaton will host the semifinals and championship game next weekend, beginning the hunt for its fifth conference title Saturday at 10:30 a.m. against the winner of Wednesday's game between the United States Coast Guard Academy and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Lane Corrals Second NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Honor

Lane garnered NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week accolades for the second time this fall when he earned the award for the week ending on Sunday, October 23. The freshman forward was instrumental in the Lyons' 2-0-1 week, as he scored two of Wheaton's four goals. During a 1-0 win against regionally-ranked Roger Williams University, Lane tallied the game's lone marker in the 53rd minute for his 10th goal of the season, a school record for freshmen. In a key NEWMAC battle with Babson College, his 37th-minute score helped Wheaton to a 1-0 lead during a game it eventually won, 2-1.

Women's Soccer (15-4-1, 8-0-1) Finishes First in NEWMAC, Wins Tournament Opener

The nationally-ranked Wheaton College women's soccer team won its seventh consecutive NEWMAC regular season title this week thanks to a 7-1 win Wednesday at Clark University before knocking off Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 5-0 on Saturday in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament. The Lyons, ranked 18th nationally and third in New England by the NSCAA, are 11-0-1 since a .500 start and stand unbeaten in 62 straight NEWMAC regular season and tournament contests.

Thanks to five second-half goals, Wheaton blew open a one-goal game against Clark and won its seventh league title in the NEWMAC's eight-year existence. The visitors wasted little time getting on the board, as sophomore Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) scored 12 seconds into regulation. After Clark knotted the score in the 33rd minute, Wheaton took the lead for good with 4:34 left in the first half on sophomore Julie McLane's (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan) game-winner. Wheaton put the game out of reach with four goals during a 19:33 span of the second half. McLane and classmates Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth), Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) and Katelyn Brack (Lake Oswego, OR/Oregon Episcopal) each scored during the flurry, and Furr tacked on her second tally during the 79th minute. McLane finished with two goals and two assists, and second-year keeper Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) was credited with three stops.

Top-seeded Wheaton dispatched number-eight seed WPI in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament, as the Lyons are now 22-0 at Mirrione Stadium during conference tournament play, posting the last eight wins via a shutout. Freshman Angelamaria Viscomi's (Newton, MA/Newton North) first collegiate goal at 8:14 served as the game-winner for Wheaton, which held a 35-1 advantage in shots. Viscomi lent a hand to the next two goals, assisting Konopka's league-leading 15th tally at 15:29 and teaming with Rabesa to help out on Furr's first goal at 56:43. The assist was Rabesa's 10th, which leads the NEWMAC. Konopka recorded her conference-best 39th point with a helper on Furr's second goal at 64:25, and senior Kate Miller (Williamstown, MA/Mount Greylock Regional) finished the scoring at 69:33 thanks to a pass from McLane. Kronenberg accounted for one save in 76:50 of action, while senior Emily Lipsky (Whitestone, NY/Sacred Heart Academy) went untested in the final 13:10.

As the top seed of the NEWMAC Tournament, the Lyons will host the semifinal and championship games for the sixth consecutive season on Saturday and Sunday. Wheaton squares off against fifth-seeded Smith College in Saturday's first semifinal contest at 10:30 a.m.

Women's Volleyball (12-20, 4-5) Completes Regular Season with 2-1 Week

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team went 2-1 to complete its regular season slate this past week. The Lyons knocked off WPI, 3-0 (30-16, 30-12, 30-13) on Tuesday before defeating Emmanuel College, 3-2 (16-30, 30-25, 26-30, 30-25, 15-11) in a non-conference marathon on Thursday. The Blue and White dropped their NEWMAC finale to regionally-ranked Wellesley College, 3-0 (25-30, 15-30, 21-30) on Saturday.

Wheaton celebrated Senior Night with a victory over WPI at Emerson Gymnasium. The Lyons racked up a .425 hitting percentage, the sixth-highest single-match percentage in program history. It marked the first time the Lyons broke .400 since October 15, 2002, and it was their best hitting performance since October 22, 1999. Junior Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) led Wheaton with 13 kills and .444 hitting, while senior Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) netted 10 kills, eight digs and hit .529. Junior Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) contributed eight kills and hit .727, while classmate Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) provided 34 assists. Senior Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) paced the defense with 11 digs.

The Lyons remain unbeaten in four matches with Emmanuel since 1990 by rallying for a road victory over one of last year's NCAA Tournament participants. Emmanuel took a 2-1 lead before the Lyons came back for the non-conference win. Smith recorded 13 kills, including the 500th of her career, to go along with nine digs. Reagh finished with 12 kills to move into ninth on the school's all-time list and posted 14 digs, while Vengroff notched 10 kills, seven digs and five blocks. Emerson accounted for 10 kills and four blocks, and senior Carilyn Tately (Walpole, MA/Walpole) totaled 16 digs. With 46 assists and 12 digs, Liesman became the fourth Lyon to collect 1,500 helpers for a career, and Liesman also became the fourth Wheaton player to surpass 950 assists in a single season.

In their regular season finale, the Lyons fell at Wellesley, which was ranked seventh in the region by the New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA). Smith notched 10 kills and seven digs, Reagh had eight kills and 11 digs, and Vengroff registered nine kills. Liesman had 24 assists and 13 digs.

Wheaton, which will be the sixth seed in the NEWMAC Tournament, opens its postseason run at third-seeded United States Coast Guard Academy in a first-round match Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

Women's Cross Country Places Second at NEWMAC Championship, Men Take Seventh

The Wheaton College women's cross country team posted a second-place finish at the 2005 NEWMAC Championship meet, as the Lyons fell just short of defending their 2004 title at Smith College's course on Saturday. On the men's side, Wheaton took seventh overall.

Sophomore All-America runner Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) garnered her second NEWMAC All-Conference accolade with a runner-up finish. Bettering her 2004 standing by seven places, Brousseau covered the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19:03. A trio of Wheaton runners finished within three seconds of each other, as freshmen Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) and Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) and senior Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) placed 18th, 19th and 20th, respectively. Sophomore Abbe Bosk (Narberth, PA/Springside) completed the Lyons' team scoring with a 24th-place result.

For the men, sophomore Pat Benson (Foxboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) led the charge with a 28th-place finish. Benson crossed the finish line of the 8,000-meter course in 27:51, while junior Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) wasn't far behind in 30th with a time of 27:59.

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