Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2006--07 > September 18, 2006
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Field Hockey (6-3) Advances to Seven Sisters Tournament Final During 2-2 Week
The Wheaton College field hockey team went 2-2 last week, highlighted by advancing to the Seven Sisters Tournament championship game at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. The Lyons opened play with a 3-2 overtime loss to University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth before traveling to Swarthmore, where the Blue and White downed the host, 3-2 in a Saturday morning game before picking up a 6-2 win over New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) counterpart Smith College during an afternoon session. Wheaton fell to Wellesley College, 4-1 in Sunday's title tilt.
Wheaton regrouped from a two-goal deficit during a home contest with UMass-Dartmouth before falling in the extra session. The Lyons tied the contest during a 1:38 span right before halftime. Freshman Hanna Landis (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) fired home her first collegiate tally following junior Lyndsie Ryalls' (Branford, CT/Branford) touch on a penalty corner, and Ryalls sent a shot over the Corsairs keeper with 5:31 to go in the period. However, the visitors controlled overtime before scoring 8:03 into the first extra stanza. Senior Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) made 15 saves, including four during overtime.
During the opening round of the Seven Sisters Tournament, the Lyons rallied twice to knock off host Swarthmore. Down 1-0, junior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) brought Wheaton even 2:11 before halftime off sophomore Alisa Ardito's (Branford, CT/Branford) penalty corner feed. The Garnet went back on top in the 49th minute, but sophomore Lauren Henderson (Marblehead, MA/Newman School) tipped home senior Shea Clarke's (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) pass 4:31 later for her first collegiate goal. With 6:38 remaining in regulation, freshman Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) tallied her first career game-winner, with Ryalls assisting. Boll had eight saves.
Despite completing its morning contest only a couple hours earlier, Wheaton showed plenty of early energy against Smith, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes. Ryalls netted the first of her two goals after just 6:19 off Dimick's assist, and senior Rachel Sminkey (White River Junction, VT/Hartford) tallied 3:23 later on Block's helper. Smith chipped away but never tied the game, as Ryalls converted another Dimick assist during the opening half, and Henderson scored off Block's second helper to give Wheaton a 4-2 halftime lead. Sminkey assisted on both of Wheaton's second-half markers, as Landis scored her second goal of the year before Dimick knocked in her eighth just five minutes later. Boll stopped three shots in nearly 65 minutes, and sophomore Jackie Riccio (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) made two saves during her first action of the season.
The Lyons fell in the Seven Sisters final to Wellesley, as Sminkey tallied off Ardito's helper with less than six minutes remaining to break the Blue's shutout bid. Boll made 12 saves. Dimick, Ryalls and junior back Kim Anson (Washington, CT/Shepaug Valley) were each named to the all-tournament team, as Wheaton had the most all-tournament players among the eight-school field.
Ryalls continues to dart up the career lists at Wheaton, as her six assists this season are the most by a Lyon since 2001 and are one shy of the program's single-season mark. She is also now tied for second in career assists (13), tied for third in points (53) and tied for sixth in goals (20). Clarke is also tied for second in school history with 13 helpers, as she and Ryalls stand six shy of the school mark.
Men's Soccer (4-3, 0-1) Drops Three Straight for First Time in Seven Years
The nationally-ranked Wheaton College men's soccer team went 0-3 last week, scoring only once in three games as it suffered three straight losses for the first time since the 1999 season. The Lyons, who were ranked sixth nationally and first in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), began the week by dropping 1-0 contests to Western New England College in double overtime on Tuesday and at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Saturday during their NEWMAC opener. On Sunday, Wheaton dropped a 5-1 decision at 19th-ranked Williams College.
Against visiting Western New England, the Blue and White suffered its first overtime loss on Keefe Field since 1997 as the Golden Bears scored in the 109th minute, just 62 seconds before the game would have been called a draw. It also snapped Wheaton's 11-game overtime unbeaten streak since September 2003. Senior goalkeeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) made seven saves.
Wheaton saw its eight-match conference unbeaten streak snapped at WPI. The Engineers scored the game's lone goal in the 35th minute as the Lyons lost to a NEWMAC foe for the first time since the 2004 conference tournament. It was WPI's second win in 17 meetings. Pachniuk stopped four shots.
The Lyons yielded five goals for the first time since 1996 and suffered their worst loss in four years during their match at Williams, which was ranked third in New England. Junior back Reed Hollett (Bedford, Nova Scotia/Halifax Grammar School) scored his first goal since 2004 off classmate Connor Erickson's (Canton, MA/Canton) 84th-minute assist to break the Ephs' shutout bid. It was Erickson's first point since 2004 after missing last season due to injury. Pachniuk made 10 stops in more than 71 minutes, while senior David Croft (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) finished the game.
Lane Corrals ECAC and NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Nods
Sophomore Dan Lane (Dedham, MA/Worcester Academy) earned Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week laurels for the week ending on Sunday, September 10. Lane drew the NEWMAC accolade for the second straight week for his first outright honor of the season. Lane played a hand in all three of Wheaton's goals during the week to help the nationally-ranked Lyons remain perfect. At Bridgewater State College on September 6, he assisted on the game's lone tally during the 62nd minute. On the road against 17th-ranked Keene State College on September 9, Lane tallied a game-tying marker during the 40th minute before depositing the winner in the 105th minute of a 2-1 overtime victory.
Women's Soccer (6-1) Blanks Three Opponents During Perfect Week
The Wheaton College women's soccer team, ranked 23rd nationally and fourth in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), won three games by virtue of a shutout last week. The Lyons won their first two games by 1-0 finals at home, downing nationally-ranked Tufts University on Tuesday and Worcester State College on Thursday, before picking up a 2-0 win at University of Maine at Farmington on Saturday.
Sophomore Angelamaria Viscomi's (Newton, MA/Newton North) 76th-minute tally lifted Wheaton over number six Tufts, avenging the Lyons' loss in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Junior Erin Davis (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) assisted, and classmate Elana Cockburn (Chestnut Hill, MA/Brookline) stopped one shot for her second collegiate shutout and first as a Lyon.
Wheaton completed its run of facing five straight 2005 NCAA Tournament opponents, during which time it went 4-1, as junior Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) tallied the game's lone goal in the 48th minute against Worcester State. It was her first of the season and seventh career game-winner. Classmate Katelyn Brack (Lake Oswego, OR/Oregon Episcopal School) assisted, and junior Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) made three saves.
Kronenberg extended her shutout streak to 218:40 by notching her school-record 27th career complete-game shutout during a win over UMaine-Farmington, making six saves to surpass Emily Boeing's '02 previous program mark of 26 shutouts. Rabesa provided much of the offense with a goal and assist, as she and Brack assisted on sophomore Jessica Bramucci's (Ludlow, MA/Wilbraham and Monson Academy) game-winner in the 23rd minute. Rabesa is now in sole possession of 10th place in Wheaton history with 62 career points and tied for 10th with 21 goals.
Men's Tennis (0-0) Captures Pair of Singles Titles at Wheaton Invitational
The Wheaton College men's tennis team hosted the Wheaton Invitational on Sunday, as seniors Brian Danishevsky (Hamden, CT/Hamden Hall Country Day) and Payum Payman (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) swept the singles flights from a four-team field which included Colby-Sawyer College, Wesleyan University and Division I College of the Holy Cross.
Payman captured the top singles crown, defeating a Holy Cross player in the opening round and shutting out a Wesleyan competitor in the final. At second singles, Danishevsky edged a Holy Cross player before also downing a Wesleyan participant for the championship. In top doubles action, seniors Brad Dressler (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) and Will Stoddard (Huntington, VT/Mount Mansfield Union) downed a Colby-Sawyer tandem before dropping a three-set decision to Wesleyan in the final.
Women's Tennis (6-0, 2-0) Runs Winning Streak to Eight Matches, Longest Since 1999
The Wheaton College women's tennis team won its only match of the week, an 8-1 decision at conference foe Springfield College. The Lyons have won eight straight matches dating back to the spring, their longest winning streak since a 10-match run in the fall of 1999. The Blue and White has outscored opponents 46-8 this year and 64-8 during the streak.
Senior Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker School) moved to 6-0 in singles play, and junior Maya Milic-Strkalj (Philadelphia, PA/Friends' Central School) improved to 5-0 as each yielded one point apiece during straight-set wins. Junior Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow), sophomore Oriana Federico (Andover, MA/Lawrence Academy) and freshman Katherine Knies (Purdys, NY/North Salem) rounded out Wheaton's singles winners. Milic-Strkalj led a doubles sweep, joining sophomore Mallory Farmer (Washington, CT/The Gunnery) for an 8-0 decision in the third spot. Knies and Weiss won in the top position, while Jackson and senior Darby McDermott (Briarcliff Manor, NY/Hackley School) collected a victory at number two.
Women's Tennis Duo Draws Weekly NEWMAC Honor for Second Straight Week
Jackson and McDermott combined to be named NEWMAC Doubles Team of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, September 10, marking the second straight week a pair of Lyons drew doubles honors from the conference. The tandem won three matches during the week while allowing a total of three points and improved to 5-0 for the season at second doubles. On Labor Day, the pair picked up an 8-1 win over Gordon College, and the duo blanked Clark University during Wheaton's NEWMAC opener on September 9. The next day, Jackson and McDermott combined for an 8-2 win against Union College.
Women's Volleyball (1-9, 1-1) Notches First Win, Ends Week Tied for Third in NEWMAC
The Wheaton College women's volleyball team picked up its first win under first-year head coach Ben Read while posting a 1-2 mark on the week. On Tuesday, the Lyons earned a NEWMAC victory at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 3-1 (23-30, 30-17, 30-23, 30-19) before dropping their home opener on Thursday to Salve Regina University, 3-2 (26-30, 30-23, 30-24, 24-30, 10-15). The Blue and White continued conference play with a 3-0 (17-30, 10-30, 22-30) loss at Springfield College Saturday.
Wheaton's triumph over WPI marked its 18th straight over the Engineers and snapped its nine-match losing skid dating back to last October. Senior Katie Dooley (Carpinteria, CA/Cate School) notched nine kills and 11 assists, classmate Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) collected eight kills and 12 digs, and sophomore Liana Merrill (Northwood, NH/Coe-Brown Northwood Academy) contributed eight kills. Senior Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) recorded 21 digs, while classmate Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) turned in 17 assists and seven digs. On the defensive end, sophomore Sarah Oster (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) had 10 digs.
Against Salve Regina, the Lyons fell in their first home contest under Read. Dooley nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with a match-high 23 kills to go along with eight assists and eight digs. Smith notched 17 kills and 13 digs, while Liesman tallied 30 assists and 11 digs. Oster provided nine digs, and freshman Lauren Kraus (Westboro, MA/Westboro) played a hand in five blocks.
The Lyons fell to .500 in the NEWMAC following a loss at Springfield. Kraus and senior Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) notched four kills apiece, Dooley had nine digs and six assists, and Liesman tallied five helpers. Reichentahl and Smith recorded 14 and 11 digs, respectively.
Women's Cross Country Places Ninth at UMass-Dartmouth Invitational, Men Finish 16th
The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams took part in the 34th annual University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday, as the Lyon women placed ninth out of 33 teams and the men were 16th out of 29.
Junior Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) paced the women for the second straight week and for the seventh consecutive team race in which she ran, finishing 17th out of 229 finishers in a time of 19:07. Wheaton's next five runners were each within 10 places and 20 seconds of one another, as senior captain Jennifer Ziello (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield), junior Abbe Bosk (Narberth, PA/Springside), sophomores Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) and Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional), and freshman Katie Pratt (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) each completed the course between 20:18 and 20:38.
Junior Pat Benson (Foxboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) completed the 196-finisher men's race at 23rd in a time of 26:28. Senior captain Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional), junior Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue), sophomores Scott Hafferkamp (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) and Dan Libon (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro), and freshman Andrew Brunhofer (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) were the next five Wheaton runners to finish.
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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)