Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (6-3, 1-0) Wins NEWMAC Opener During 1-1 Week on the Road

The Wheaton College field hockey team split a pair of games last week, suffering a 4-0 loss at Bridgewater State College on Tuesday before blanking host Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), 3-0 on Saturday during its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) opener. The Lyons won their first league game for the second straight year after losing their previous seven such contests. Wheaton is one of four teams tied atop the NEWMAC standings.

At Bridgewater State, the Bears scored twice in the opening five minutes. Freshman Cameron Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) made four first-half saves, while sophomore Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) turned aside four shots in the second stanza. Sophomore back Cassie Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) recorded a defensive save during the opening period.

The Lyons held advantages of 18-3 in shots and 15-1 in penalty corners at WPI, and junior Alisa Ardito (Branford, CT/Branford) tallied the eventual game-winner in the 18th minute. Senior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) helped Wheaton blow the game open late, assisting freshman Jessica Strock's (Centerville, MA/Barnstable) marker at 62:09 and sophomore Alex Block's (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) tally 1:14 later. Cameron Abel made one save.

Dimick is second at Wheaton in career points (79) and goals (30) and is tied for second in assists (19). Senior Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) is third in points (65) and goals (24) and fourth in helpers (17). Ardito is tied for sixth in points (52), tied for 10th in goals (18) and is fifth in assists (16).

Men's Soccer (6-2-2, 2-0) Blanks a Pair, Goes 2-0 Behind Power of Freshman Class

The Wheaton College men's soccer team, which is ranked sixth in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), picked up a pair of victories last week, downing Brandeis University, 1-0 in overtime on Wednesday before collecting a 3-0 win against visiting Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in a Saturday NEWMAC affair. All four goals and three assists during the week were accounted for by freshmen, and a pair of first-year keepers each posted shutouts. Wheaton is one of two teams tied for first in the NEWMAC standings. The Lyons are unbeaten in their last 19 home games against league foes.

Freshman Kyle Sye's (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro Regional) first collegiate goal came 3:42 into overtime at Brandeis, with classmate Yuri Moreira (Marlboro, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) assisting. First-year keeper Chris Smart (Brookfield, CT/Brookfield) earned his first collegiate shutout behind four saves as each team had 11 shots.

Against MIT, which is tied for 10th in the regional poll, freshmen Eric Driscoll (Lexington, MA/Lexington) and Josh Solomon (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxboro Regional) each had a goal and an assist. Driscoll netted the game-winner for his first college goal with just two seconds left in the first half, and he played a hand in Solomon's tally at 56:12. Just 28 seconds later, Solomon assisted freshman David Ferriero's (Medway, MA/Medway) marker. Classmate Cole Davidson (Needham, MA/Salisbury School) made one save for his first collegiate win and shutout.

Wheaton's freshmen have not only contributed immensely on the defensive end, as three keepers have combined to play every second this season, but the first-year class has carried the offensive load, as well. Of Wheaton's 22 goals and 22 assists, 16 goals (73%) and 15 assists (68%) have been recorded by freshmen. In 2006, Lyon freshmen accounted for two of 34 goals (6%) and two of 30 assists (7%).

Women's Soccer (8-0-1, 1-0) Remains Undefeated, Runs NEWMAC Streak to 77 Games

The Wheaton College women's soccer team, which is ranked 11th nationally by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and is tied for first in New England, edged out Eastern Connecticut State University, 2-1 in double overtime on Wednesday before downing Smith College, 3-0 in its NEWMAC opener on Saturday. The Lyons extended their unbeaten streak against league teams to 77 games, the second longest in NCAA soccer history regardless of division or gender, and pushed their regular season undefeated run to 24 contests. They are one of five first-place teams in the league.

Against visiting Eastern Connecticut State, freshman Emily Hough (Norwich, VT/Hanover) tallied with 1:12 left in the second overtime. The Warriors nabbed a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, but freshman Melida Alvarez (Saugus, MA/Loomis Chaffee School) converted the tying goal in the 76th minute. Wheaton finished with advantages of 35-14 in shots and 9-2 in corner kicks. Senior keeper Elana Cockburn (Chestnut Hill, MA/Brookline), who entered the game at halftime, made two saves in earning the win, while classmate Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) had three stops.

In a rematch of last year's NEWMAC Tournament final, the Lyons produced the identical result thanks to the same final score at Smith. Sophomore Lyndsey McManus (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield) put Wheaton up 13:20 into the contest, and senior Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) doubled the visitors' lead in the 40th minute. Junior Angelamaria Viscomi (Newton, MA/Newton North) later buried a penalty kick at 47:39. Wheaton finished with advantages of 28-4 in shots and 7-0 in corner kicks. Cockburn made one first-half save in earning the win, while Kronenberg stopped one shot in relief.

Senior Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) is fifth at Wheaton in career points (112), Rabesa is seventh (91), and senior Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) is three shy of the top 10 with 60. Konopka stands sixth in goals (41), while Rabesa is tied for seventh (30). Rabesa is tied for fifth in assists (31), Konopka is tied for seventh (30), and Furr has 24, needing one to slide into 10th. Kronenberg is third in career victories (48).

Women's Tennis (6-1, 2-1) Falls to Nationally-Ranked Wellesley, Sends Two to ITAs

The Wheaton College women's tennis team had its 10-match winning streak snapped by NEWMAC heavyweight Wellesley College, 9-0 on Tuesday before being represented by freshmen Sarah Geocaris (Newport Beach, CA/Sage Hill School) and Catherine Teague (Manchester, NH/Central) at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Tournament on Friday.

Against the three-time defending league champion Blue, which is ranked 16th nationally and sixth regionally by the ITA, Wheaton's longest winning streak in eight years came to an end. The Lyons had not lost since before winning their final four matches of the 2007 spring season. Teague put up the strongest fight on the day for the hosts, dropping a 6-4, 7-6 decision in the top singles spot.

At the ITA Regional Tournament, which was hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Geocaris picked up a 6-0, 6-1 singles victory during the opening round of the championship bracket before succumbing to the tournament's eighth seed. Teague suffered a first-round loss to the eventual champion before narrowly falling in the consolation bracket, 6-3, 4-6, 7-10. Geocaris and Teague fell in doubles play to a seeded duo before narrowly being edged in the consolation bracket, 9-8.

Women's Volleyball (11-3, 2-1) Splits a Pair of Five-Game Matches in Going 2-1

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team went 2-1 last week, including a 3-0 (30-14, 30-18, 30-16) victory at NEWMAC counterpart Clark University on Tuesday. On Saturday, the Lyons downed the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, 3-2 (25-30, 30-25, 25-30, 30-21, 15-9) before later falling in a neutral-site match to Roger Williams University, 3-2 (30-24, 21-30, 25-30, 30-20, 10-15). Wheaton is one of three teams tied for fourth place in the NEWMAC standings.

At Clark, freshman Rae Bradley (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) notched 13 kills and 11 digs, while sophomore Lauren Kraus (Westboro, MA/Westboro) contributed 10 kills, five blocks and three service aces. Freshman Sam Andreacchi (Burlingame, CA/Pinewood School) had eight digs and six kills, junior Liana Merrill (Northwood, NH/Coe-Brown Northwood Academy) tallied six kills, and first-year Kristen Hunt (Milford, CT/Jonathan Law) chipped in with eight digs. Classmate Becca Rose (Sudbury, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) collected 34 assists.

A pair of Lyons crept into the program record book at UMass-Dartmouth, as Hunt's 32 digs tied her for eighth in a match, and Rose's 52 assists tied for 10th. Bradley notched 16 kills and nine digs, Kraus had 15 kills, and freshman Natasha von Sonn (Burbank, CA/Burbank) added 14 kills and 18 digs. Junior Sarah Oster (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) had 17 digs, and Rose chipped in with 12.

Against Roger Williams, Bradley collected 16 kills, von Sonn recorded 10 kills and 21 digs, and Kraus had 10 kills, five blocks and four aces. Hunt notched 19 digs, Oster added 11, and Andreacchi tallied 10. Rose finished with 41 assists and 11 digs while recording four aces.

Brousseau Draws Women's Cross Country Weekly Honor From NEWMAC

Senior cross country co-captain Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) was named NEWMAC Runner of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, September 16. In earning the first weekly honor of her career, and the first by a Lyon since 2004, the three-time all-conference finisher placed 12th among 222 runners in 18:50 on September 15 at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Invitational. She was two seconds shy of the top 10. Wheaton was 11th among 29 teams, including six conference squads, and Brousseau was the fastest finisher out of the 57 competitors from NEWMAC institutions. The race was her first since competing at the 2006 NCAA Championship.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 9/29/07.
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News

Women's Soccer: Hough's tally sends Wheaton past Emmanuel, Leddy notches third shutout (more)

Women's Tennis: Geocaris and Teague draw weekly tennis honors from NEWMAC (more)