Weekly Lyon

Men's Soccer (13-4-2, 5-0-1) Claims Fifth NEWMAC Tournament Title, Earns NCAA Bid

The top-seeded Wheaton College men's soccer team won both of its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament games over the weekend at Keefe Field to capture its fifth conference championship in eight years. The Lyons also qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the third straight season and the sixth time in nine years. The Lyons first defeated number-five seed Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 2-1 in the semifinals on Saturday before blanking seventh seed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 3-0 on Sunday. The Lyons entered the week tied for sixth in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) New England poll. Wheaton is currently on an eight-game unbeaten streak and is 10-1-2 since a .500 start.

Wheaton netted a goal in each half during its victory over WPI, improving to 15-1 all time against the Engineers. Freshman Dan Lane (Dedham, MA/Worcester Academy) gave the hosts an early lift in the fifth minute of play with his 13th goal of the season, tallying off assists from sophomores Trevor Cote (Portsmouth, RI/Providence Country Day School) and Reed Hollett (Bedford, Nova Scotia/Halifax Grammar School). Lane is now tied for fifth in single-season goals at Wheaton with Jim Manganello '99, and he's one point shy of becoming the ninth Lyon with 30 points in a season. The game remained tight until the 80th minute, when junior Ariel Tatum (Cayman Islands, BWI/Holderness School) sent a through ball to freshman Mathurin Coulibaly (Ivory Coast, Africa/Saint George's School), who snuck behind the WPI defense and scored. WPI cut its deficit in half with less than three minutes remaining, but the Wheaton defense held strong for the remainder of time. Junior keeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown), who left the game with an injury following the Engineer goal, posted three saves.

Freshman Jeff Shea (Canton, MA/Canton) posted his first career two-goal game in Sunday's championship, becoming the first Lyon since Shaun Cavanaugh '03 in 2000 to record multiple tallies in a NEWMAC Tournament final. The contest marked the third time that Wheaton and MIT met for the conference crown, with the Lyons winning the two previous encounters in 2001 and 2003. Shea scored during the 49th and 72nd minutes for the first two goals of the contest before junior Chris Sentance (Concord, MA/Williston Northampton School) sent home a bicycle kick in the 84th minute. Senior defender James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) notched a pair of assists for the first time in his career. In just his third start of the season, junior keeper David Croft (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) turned aside four shots in just under 85 minutes.

The Lyons move on to face Keene State College on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Williams College. A victory would propel Wheaton into the second round against the winner of the other first round game between Williams and Worcester State College on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer (16-4-2, 8-0-1) Falls in NEWMAC Tournament Title Game Shootout

The top-seeded Wheaton College women's soccer team went 1-0-1 during NEWMAC Tournament play last week, downing number-five Smith College, 4-0 in the semifinals before tying second seed Springfield College, 1-1 in double overtime during the championship game. However, the Lyons lost a penalty kick shootout, 4-3 to the Pride with the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament up for grabs. Wheaton received an at-large bid to its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Lyons, ranked 18th nationally and third in New England by the NSCAA, are 12-0-2 since a .500 start and are unbeaten in 64 straight regular season and tournament league games.

Wheaton netted four second-half goals during its win over Smith. Sophomore Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) converted a pair of tallies during a 17-minute span off corner kicks by freshman Angelamaria Viscomi (Newton, MA/Newton North) for Wheaton's first and third goals. Sophomore Jenna Stiegler (Madison, WI/Middleton) also assisted on the Furr's second marker. In the 60th minute, senior back Teresa LeBel (Middleton, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon) assisted sophomore defender Erin Davis' (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) first goal of the season, and freshman Jessica Bramucci (Ludlow, MA/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) completed the scoring in the 82nd minute off a helper from junior Courtney Hale (Andover, MA/Andover). Sophomore goalkeeper Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) made three saves and earned her 10th shutout.

During their seventh consecutive NEWMAC Tournament championship game appearance, the Lyons tied the Pride but narrowly missed out on their sixth straight conference tournament title after falling in penalty kicks. The Lyons remained undefeated at home during conference tournament play, moving to 23-0-1. Springfield netted the game's first goal in the 39th minute, as Wheaton trailed for the first time in 1,237:03 and marked the Lyons' first deficit against a NEWMAC team in 2,132:03 since facing Springfield in 2004. Sophomore Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross), the NEWMAC's leader with 16 goals and 41 points, knotted the score during the 57th minute off a long pass from junior Bridget Furlong (Newburyport, MA/Newburyport). Kronenberg made eight saves for Wheaton, which held a 9-1 advantage in shots during the 10-minute overtime periods. LeBel made her school-record 97th career appearance in a Wheaton uniform, while Konopka became the fifth Lyon with 40 points in a season and moved into a tie for seventh in program history with 72 career points.

The Lyons will host NCAA Tournament contests for the fourth time in five years, as Wheaton is the site of a four-team regional this weekend. The Blue and White opposes Worcester State College on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in a first round match, with the winner facing the victor of Saturday's later game between Endicott College and Western Connecticut State University on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Furr Earns First Career NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Honor

Furr was named NEWMAC Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, October 30. It was the first conference award of Furr's collegiate career, as the forward netted four goals in a pair of Wheaton victories. Furr tallied twice in a 14:48 span during the Lyons' win over Clark University, which clinched Wheaton its seventh consecutive NEWMAC regular season title, and scored another pair in a span of 7:42 during the Blue and White's conference tournament victory against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Women's Volleyball (12-21, 4-5) Falls in NEWMAC Tournament During Only Action

The number-six seed Wheaton College women's volleyball team saw its season come to a close Tuesday night following its 3-0 (13-30, 25-30, 20-30) loss to the third-seeded United States Coast Guard Academy in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament. Coast Guard was ranked fourth regionally in the latest New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) poll.

Junior Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) paced visiting Wheaton with nine kills and nine digs, while seniors Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) and Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) wrapped up their four-year careers with seven kills and 10 digs, respectively. Setter Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) completed her junior campaign by becoming just the fourth Wheaton player to surpass 1,000 assists in a season, as she notched 26 helpers to finish the year with 1,011. Junior Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) contributed 15 digs, while classmate Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) added six kills and four blocks.

Men's (2-0) and Women's (2-0) Swimming Open Seasons with Pair of Victories

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams opened their 2005-06 seasons with a pair of convincing home victories over Gordon College and Roger Williams University in Friday night's double-dual meet. On Saturday, the Lyons each placed third at the Charlie Batterman Relays held at Balfour Natatorium.

The Lyon men posted scores of 160-38 and 153-117 against Gordon and Roger Williams, respectively, and won all 14 swim events. Junior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) led Wheaton by topping the field in the 50-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley. Senior John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall) placed first in the 500- and 1,000-yard free events, while junior Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) paced the competition in the 200-yard free and 200-yard breaststroke. Sophomore Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue) was first in the 200-yard back and 200-yard butterfly, and classmate Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) notched victories in the 50-yard free and 50-yard fly. Freshman Jake Maher (Newtown, CT/Newtown) picked up his first collegiate victory in the 50-yard breast event. The Lyons also accounted for wins in the 200-yard free and 400-yard medley relays. Hurley and Kuckens were joined by sophomore Ryan Patch (Lexington, MA/Lexington) and freshman T.J. Sponzo (Simsbury, CT/Avon Old Farms) in the 200-yard free relay, while Hurley, Maher and Roberts sided with freshman Chris Romilly (Washington, DC/Saint Albans) during the 400-yard medley event.

Wheaton's women defeated the Fighting Scots, 163-64 and the Hawks, 148.5-131.5, while accounting for victories in 10 events. Junior Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) was the fastest finisher in the 50- and 200-yard butterfly events, sophomore Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) bested the field in the 50-yard backstroke and 50-yard freestyle, and first-year Casey Shanley (Rumson, NJ/Suffield Academy) recorded wins in the 500- and 1,000-yard free events during her collegiate debut. Sophomore Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) won the 200-yard back and freshman Mandy Cumings (Zionsville, IN/Zionsville Community) was the meet's top finisher in the 200-yard individual medley. Like the men, Wheaton captured both relay titles, as Miller, seniors Courtney Catalano (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) and Lauren Pcholinski (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) and junior Kristen Behrens (Uxbridge, MA/Uxbridge) won the 200-yard free relay. Miller also anchored the winning 400-yard medley relay, joined by Behrens, Smith and freshman Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy).

During the Batterman Relays, each Wheaton team placed third out of four teams, with the men tying Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) for the number-three spot. The women's 200-yard butterfly team provided Wheaton's lone win on the afternoon, finishing in a time of 1:54.83. Catalano, Pratt, Smith and senior Ashley Jankowski (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) teamed up for the victory. Catalano helped the 500-yard freestyle foursome place second, as she was joined by Cumings, Pcholinski and Shanley. On the men's side, Hurley, Jordan and Roberts were instrumental in a pair of second-place finishes. The trio was joined by Fowler in the 200-yard backstroke, as the team came in just 1.36 seconds behind the winning squad. Hurley, Jordan, Roberts and Romilly placed second in the 200-yard medley.

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