Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2006--07 > October 2, 2006
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Field Hockey (10-3, 2-0) Hits 10-Win Plateau for First Time Since 1997 During 2-0 Week
The Wheaton College field hockey team continued its best start since the 1991 season with a pair of victories last week, first knocking off host Wesleyan University, 2-1 on Wednesday before defeating Smith College, 3-1 during a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest on Saturday over Homecoming weekend. The Lyons are 2-0 in league play for the first time since the 1995 season and have 10 wins for the first time since 1997. By notching their 10th win on Saturday, the Blue and White is one of three among the NCAA Division III's 157 members to reach 10 victories this fall, and Wheaton is one of just 15 NCAA teams out of 260 to reach double-digit victories thus far.
At Wesleyan, the Lyons snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Cardinals, defeating them for the first time since 1995 and on the road for the first time since 1988. Down 1-0, Wheaton began a comeback when senior Rachel Sminkey (White River Junction, VT/Hartford) tipped home classmate Shea Clarke's (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) blast 5:50 into the second half. With just 1:08 remaining, junior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) took sophomore Alisa Ardito's (Branford, CT/Branford) breakaway pass and netted the game-winner. Senior Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) stopped 15 shots, and freshman backs Cassie Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) and Andria Laroche (Skowhegan, ME/Skowhegan Area) each recorded defensive saves.
Wheaton also erased a 1-0 deficit against Smith, as Sminkey and Dimick scored 2:59 apart late in the first half to give the Lyons a lead for good. Ardito assisted Sminkey's tally before tipping in a Dimick shot with less than four minutes to go in regulation. Boll turned aside two shots.
With five points last week, Dimick became the second Lyon to reach the 30-point milestone in a season, and the first since Maureen Reynolds '88 in 1987. Her eight assists are a single-season program record, and Dimick is now tied for ninth at Wheaton with 44 career points. Dimick and Sminkey each have 11 goals this season and are the first pair of 10-goal scorers in program history.
Men's Soccer (6-3-2, 2-1) Goes 1-0-1, Lane Scores All Three Wheaton Goals During Week
The Wheaton College men's soccer team went 1-0-1 for the second consecutive week, stretching its unbeaten streak to four behind a 1-1 tie with host Roger Williams University on Tuesday and a 2-0 victory over visiting NEWMAC foe Springfield College on Saturday during Homecoming weekend.
In their fourth double-overtime contest of the season, the Lyons finished in a deadlock with the Hawks. Sophomore Dan Lane (Dedham, MA/Worcester Academy) tallied the contest's first goal with 1:19 to go in regulation, but the hosts knotted the match 60 seconds later. Wheaton remained undefeated against Roger Williams with an 8-0-3 series record. Senior keeper David Croft (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) made a pair of stops in his second straight start.
The Lyons took down Springfield for their second straight conference win, and Wheaton is 10-1-1 in its last dozen games against NEWMAC counterparts since November 2004. Lane tallied both of the game's goals, scoring at 48:34 and 57:40 to up his season total to eight. Sophomore Jeff Shea (Canton, MA/Canton) assisted the first goal, and junior Dan Chong (Miami, FL/Coral Reef) contributed to the second. Senior Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) made five saves and now has 49 career wins and 25 shutouts, each of which is one shy of the program's career records.
Lane now has 21 career goals, matching Greg Bowman '94 for 10th on Wheaton's career list. During his 29 career games, Wheaton has scored 50 times, and he has played a hand in 27 of those markers (21g, 6a). The Lyons have 18 wins in games he has played, and Lane has netted the game-winning goal in eight of those victories.
Women's Soccer (10-1, 2-0) Picks Up Victory in National Battle During 2-0 Week
The Wheaton College women's soccer team, ranked 13th nationally and second in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), extended its winning streak to seven games thanks to a 1-0 home victory over 18th-ranked Amherst College on Wednesday and a 5-0 triumph during a NEWMAC contest at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Saturday. The Lyons have yielded only one goal during the past 668:40 and are 24-2-2 dating back to last September.
Against Amherst, junior Jenna Rabesa's (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) 64th-minute tally decided Wheaton's victory, which marked the fourth straight season in which the Lyons took a regular season game from the Lord Jeffs by a 1-0 final. Rabesa's winner came off assists from junior Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) and freshman Rosie Levy (Torrance, CA/Chadwick School). Junior Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) made one save in the first half before freshman Abby Isaac (Larchmont, NY/Proctor Academy) picked up the win with a scoreless second stanza.
The Lyons extended their unbeaten streak against NEWMAC teams to 66 contests with a win over MIT. Rabesa again provided the game-winner, in the 14th minute off freshman Lyndsey McManus' (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield) helper, before McManus assisted junior Erin Davis' (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) 43rd-minute tally that gave Wheaton a 2-0 edge. Senior Bridget Furlong (Newburyport, MA/Newburyport) and freshman Kathleen Carroll (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz Central) scored 24 seconds apart during the second half to blow the game open. Kronenberg made five saves in nearly 65 minutes, while Isaac went untested the rest of the way.
Konopka and Rabesa continued to ascend Wheaton's career charts. Rabesa scored twice last week to move into a tie for eighth in career goals (24) with Beth Caromile '05, while Konopka's pair of assists helped her climb into 10th at 22, moving just past Rabesa and her 21 helpers. Konopka is currently sixth in points (90), while Rabesa is ninth (69).
Men's Tennis (0-0) Completes Fall Season as Three Compete at ITA Regional Tournament
The Wheaton College men's tennis team finished up its fall season over the weekend as seniors Brian Danishevsky (Hamden, CT/Hamden Hall Country Day School), Brad Dressler (Cranston, RI/Cranston West) and Payum Payman (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) each competed at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Regional Tournament at Williams College.
Danishevsky highlighted Wheaton's showing in singles play, advancing all the way to the quarterfinals thanks to wins over athletes from Trinity College and Amherst College. Dressler downed a United States Coast Guard Academy competitor in the first round, while Payman advanced all the way to the consolation semifinals after victories against Bates College and Amherst players. Payman will enter the spring season with 96 career wins between singles and doubles play.
Women's Tennis (7-1, 3-1) Matches Last Season's Fall Win Total with NEWMAC Victory
The Wheaton College women's tennis team downed Mount Holyoke College, 6-3 on Saturday to match its win total from the 2005 fall season. With at least four matches remaining, the Lyons have a shot at reaching 10 victories for the second time in their last seven fall seasons.
In their lone match of the week, the Lyons started by taking two of three doubles matches during a Homecoming weekend contest. Senior Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker School) and freshman Katherine Knies (Purdys, NY/North Salem) combined for a top-spot win, while senior Darby McDermott (Briarcliff Manor, NY/Hackley School) and junior Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) followed suit at number two. During singles action, McDermott yielded only one point during a win at number three, while Knies picked up a victory at the fourth position. Weiss and junior Maya Milic-Strkalj (Philadelphia, PA/Friends' Central School) each rallied for three-set victories after first-game losses in the second and sixth positions, respectively.
Women's Volleyball (2-14, 1-3) Has Dooley Named All-Tournament at Wesleyan Invite
The Wheaton College women's volleyball team went 0-4 last week, beginning with a 3-0 (8-30, 13-30, 15-30) loss at United States Coast Guard Academy on Tuesday. At the Wesleyan Invitational, the Lyons fell against Trinity College, 3-1 (30-28, 18-30, 26-30, 21-30) on Friday before losing to Wesleyan University, 3-0 (11-30, 16-30, 16-30) and Amherst College, 3-0 (9-30, 9-30, 12-30) on Saturday. Senior Katie Dooley (Carpinteria, CA/Cate School) was named to the six-player all-tournament team.
At NEWMAC foe Coast Guard, senior Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) and freshman Marianne Honeycutt (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlowe) had three kills each, freshman Lauren Smith (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and senior Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) dished out seven and five assists, respectively, and senior Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) registered eight digs.
Dooley led the Lyon offense with 13 kills versus Trinity while adding eight digs and four service aces. Liesman recorded 22 assists, Reichentahl notched 19 digs, and sophomore Sarah Oster (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) had nine digs. Emerson and sophomore Julia Dekermendjian (Cambridge, MA/Rindge and Latin School) tallied three blocks apiece. At Wesleyan, Dooley posted a team-high five kills to go with eight digs, Liesman had nine helpers, and Reichentahl turned in 12 digs and three aces. Dekermendjian added three blocks. Dooley notched three kills against Amherst, while Emerson added five digs. Liesman and Lauren Smith contributed four helpers apiece, Reichentahl recorded 11 digs, and senior Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) had three blocks.
Men's and Women's Cross Country Place Five in Top 10 at Keene State Invitational
The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams competed at the Keene State College Invitational on Saturday, as the Lyon women finished second out of four teams and the men were fourth of five. Five Blue and White runners placed among the top 10 during their respective races.
Junior Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) had the Lyon women's top placement for the third straight meet, finishing fourth in a time of 19:17. Sophomore Amanda Rawson (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional), senior captain Jennifer Ziello (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) and sophomore Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) held down the seventh through ninth spots, respectively. For the men, junior Pat Benson (Foxboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) turned in Wheaton's top time for the third consecutive meet, as he placed eighth in 26:58.
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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)