Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2006--07 > October 9, 2006
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Field Hockey (11-3, 3-0) Downs 2005 NEWMAC Regular Season Champion Babson
The Wheaton College field hockey team extended its winning streak to five games, the Lyons' longest since 1995, while continuing the program's best start since 1983 with a 2-0 victory over Babson College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest on Tuesday. Wheaton is off to its first 3-0 league start since 1994 and reached 11 wins for the first time since 1995.
In its only game last week, the Blue and White snapped an eight-game losing streak to Babson, defeating the Beavers for the first time since October 6, 1998, and for the first time at home since October 22, 1996. Senior Rachel Sminkey (White River Junction, VT/Hartford) tipped home classmate Shea Clarke's (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) long hit 3:03 into the contest for the only goal the Lyons would need. Just 8:35 later, junior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) scored off sophomore Alisa Ardito's (Branford, CT/Branford) assist. Senior Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) stopped seven shots for her third shutout of the season and ninth of her career.
Dimick and Sminkey each lead the team with 12 goals, the most ever scored by a Wheaton player other than Maureen Reynolds '88. With 32 points, Dimick is two shy of matching the second-best single-season total in program history. For the year, Ardito and Dimick each have eight assists and have surpassed the former school record by one. Boll's 11 wins place her second in a season at Wheaton, as she trails only Maribeth Burke's '87 record of 13 set in 1983.
Men's Soccer (7-3-3, 3-1) Extends Unbeaten Streak to Six During 1-0-1 Week
The Wheaton College men's soccer team went 1-0-1 for the third consecutive week to extend its unbeaten streak to six games. The Lyons tied nationally-ranked Wesleyan University, 0-0 on Tuesday before downing NEWMAC counterpart United States Coast Guard Academy, 3-2 on Saturday in another overtime contest, Wheaton's fourth during the streak. The Blue and White, which is tied for 10th in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) regional poll, has matched a 1996 school record by playing seven extra-session contests this fall.
During a game limited to one overtime session due to darkness, the Lyons battled host Wesleyan to a scoreless draw. Behind eight saves, senior keeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) matched Jon Girolamo '98 for the program's career complete-game shutout mark at 26.
Against visiting Coast Guard, sophomore Dan Lane (Dedham, MA/Worcester Academy) tallied 5:34 into overtime for his fourth game-winner of the season. During a back-and-forth affair, junior Trevor Cote (Portsmouth, RI/Providence Country Day School) scored in the 15th minute and classmate Dan Chong (Miami, FL/Coral Reef) in the 60th, but each time Coast Guard countered to knot the game. Seniors Dennis Durao (West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic) and Ariel Tatum (Cayman Islands, BWI/Holderness School) each notched two assists, while classmate David Croft (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) posted one save in nearly 81 minutes of relief.
Lane reached the 50-point plateau for his career on Saturday, as he now has 22 goals and six assists in 31 career games. Nine of his tallies have been game-winners. He is also tied for ninth in program history for career goals with Jeremy Long '99.
Women's Soccer (12-1, 4-0) Runs Winning Streak to Nine Behind Pair of NEWMAC Wins
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 nine games behind a pair of NEWMAC victories. The Lyons downed host Springfield College, 2-1 on Tuesday before defeating visiting Wellesley College, 4-1 on Saturday. The Blue and White pushed its conference unbeaten streak to 68 games dating back to 2000.
In a rematch of the 2005 NEWMAC Tournament title tilt, Wheaton knocked off Springfield. The contest marked just the Lyons' sixth one-goal victory during their unbeaten league run. Freshman Rosie Levy (Torrance, CA/Chadwick School) tallied her first collegiate goal during the 27th minute before the Pride drew even 39 seconds after halftime, but junior Jenna Stiegler (Madison, WI/Middleton) broke the deadlock with a 55th-minute marker. Junior Elana Cockburn (Chestnut Hill, MA/Brookline) stopped two shots during a scoreless first half before classmate Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) made three saves in the second stanza for her sixth victory of the season.
Four different players scored as the Lyons overcame an early deficit against Wellesley. Junior Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) knotted the score in the 41st minute, freshman Kathleen Carroll (New Paltz, NY/New Paltz Central) netted the game-winner during the 59th minute, and Levy and junior Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) scored 59 seconds apart late. Konopka added two assists. Kronenberg made three saves, while Cockburn registered one and picked up the win in relief.
Konopka and Rabesa continue to make their move in the Wheaton career top 10 lists. Konopka remains sixth in each career points (94) and goals (35) but recently moved into ninth in assists (24). Rabesa is eighth in goals (25) and ascended into a tie for eighth in points (72) with Jean Conley '86.
Women's Tennis (7-3, 3-3) Drops a Pair of NEWMAC Matches During Winless Week
The Wheaton College women's tennis team dropped a pair of NEWMAC home matches last week, first bowing to conference heavyweight Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 7-2 on Tuesday before narrowly falling to Smith College, 5-4 on Saturday.
Against conference co-leader MIT, the Lyons earned their first point of the day when junior Maya Milic-Strkalj (Philadelphia, PA/Friends' Central School) and sophomore Mallory Farmer (Washington, CT/The Gunnery) won at third doubles. In singles action, freshman Katherine Knies (Purdys, NY/North Salem) picked up Wheaton's lone point at number four.
The Lyons took a 2-1 lead against Smith after winning the top two doubles matches, as senior Darby McDermott (Briarcliff Manor, NY/Hackley School) and junior Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) won at the top spot, while Milic-Strkalj and senior Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis W. Parker School) were victorious at two. McDermott and sophomore Oriana Federico (Andover, MA/Lawrence Academy) notched singles victories at the third and sixth positions, respectively, to knot the match at four, but the Pioneers pulled out the final singles point for the team win.
Women's Volleyball (2-19, 1-4) Suffers Five Defeats, Including NEWMAC Loss to MIT
The Wheaton College women's volleyball team went 0-5 last week, starting with a 3-0 (16-30, 17-30, 10-30) loss to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in a Tuesday NEWMAC match. At the Midcoast Classic over the weekend, Wheaton lost to Bates College, 3-1 (25-30, 30-17, 22-30, 21-30) and Colby College, 3-0 (18-30, 24-30, 17-30) on Saturday before succumbing to the University of New England, 3-0 (25-30, 26-30, 21-30) and Rivier College, 3-1 (30-18, 25-30, 16-30, 18-30) on Sunday.
At MIT, senior Katie Dooley (Carpinteria, CA/Cate School) tallied nine kills and classmate Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) finished with eight. Senior Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) and freshman Lauren Smith (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) distributed nine and seven assists, respectively, senior Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) had 14 digs, and sophomore Sarah Oster (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) added 12.
Sophomores Caitlin Farr (Yarmouth, MA/Dennis-Yarmouth Regional) and Liana Merrill (Northwood, NH/Coe-Brown Northwood Academy) each notched a career-high nine kills against Bates. Dooley, Tonia Smith, and senior Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) added seven kills each, Liesman contributed 28 assists, while Reichentahl tacked on 13 digs.
Emerson and Tonia Smith notched six kills apiece versus Colby, Lauren Smith had nine assists, and Liesman turned in eight helpers. Reichentahl and Dooley added 16 and 11 digs, respectively.
Dooley led the Lyons with nine kills and eight digs against the University of New England. Freshman Marianne Honeycutt (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Ludlowe) added six kills, while Emerson tacked on five. Liesman had 27 assists and 13 digs, and Reichentahl notched 21 digs.
Liesman highlighted the Rivier match with 26 assists, eight service aces and seven digs, turning in the most aces by a Lyon since September 13, 2002. Dooley recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs, while Tonia Smith also had 10 kills. Merrill chipped in with six kills, Emerson collected five kills and three solo blocks, and Reichentahl had 21 digs.
Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams Compete at All New England Championship
The Wheaton College men's and women's cross country teams competed at the All New England Championship on Saturday at Franklin Park in Boston, as the Lyon women finished 35th of 46 teams from NCAA divisions I, II and III, and the men placed 39th of 45 squads.
Sophomore Lily Calderwood (Harvard, MA/Bromfield School) and senior captain Jennifer Ziello (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) led the women with 154th- and 158th-place finishes, respectively, as the pair was two seconds apart. For the men, junior Pat Benson (Foxboro, MA/Bishop Feehan) finished 135th and was followed by senior captain Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional).
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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)