Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (3-5, 0-2) Drops Pair of Road Games to Wesleyan and Mount Holyoke

The Wheaton College field hockey team dropped a pair of road games last week, including a setback to the defending New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) champions. The Lyons fell 9-1 in a non-conference game at Wesleyan University on Wednesday and then took conference foe Mount Holyoke College to double overtime before succumbing 4-3.

At Wesleyan, Wheaton saw the host Cardinals explode for seven first-half goals and never recovered, as the Lyons yielded nine goals in the game. Wesleyan built a 7-0 cushion through the first 35 minutes of play, including scoring five goals over a nine-minute span. Wheaton was held without a shot in the opening half, but did manage to notch 13 shots in the second stanza. Following two Cardinal goals to make the score 9-0, senior Laura Oswald (Pacific Grove, CA/Stevenson) tallied the Lyons' only score with 29:21 remaining. Junior Rebecca Lawrence (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) picked up the assist on the play. Junior goalkeeper Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) recorded 15 saves in the first half, while sophomore Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) was credited with five stops.

At Mount Holyoke, Wheaton battled for over 86 minutes, but the hosts walked away with the victory after valiant play from both teams through regulation and just over one overtime period. Sophomore Shea Clarke (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) struck first for the Lyons, scoring her second goal of the year on a penalty corner from first-year Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) with 27:36 left in the opening half. Less than a minute later however, Mount Holyoke pulled the game even at one. Freshman Lindsay Raymond (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme) put the Lyons in front for the final time at the 18:33 minute mark of the first half on an unassisted goal, leaving Wheaton ahead at the break, 2-1. Mount Holyoke made its move in the second half with a pair of goals to pull ahead 3-2, but Raymond struck back once again on an assist from Clarke to knot the contest at three. The first overtime passed with no resolution, but in the second extra session Mount Holyoke netted the game winner just 1:26 into the period. Boll made 16 saves, as the visiting Lyons outshot Mount Holyoke, 22-18 with a 15-7 advantage in penalty corners.

Men's Soccer (10-1-1, 3-0-0) Stays Perfect in League, Extends Unbeaten Streak to Seven

The Wheaton College men's soccer team, ranked 18th in the country and third in New England in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, remained perfect in conference play and extended its unbeaten streak to seven games. Off to their best start to a season since the fall of 2001 when the Lyons won 21 of their first 22 games, the Blue and White blanked Rivier College, 7-0 in Nashua, New Hampshire on Tuesday and then edged conference foe United States Coast Guard Academy, 2-1 at Keefe Field on Saturday. Wheaton is unbeaten in 26 of its last 27 games.

At Rivier, the Lyons needed just over eight minutes to score their opening goal, as senior co-captain Gabe Margolis (Brookline, MA/Beaver Country Day) netted his first goal of the year to put the Lyons up 1-0. Twelve minutes later Margolis struck again, this time feeding classmate Matt Ristuccia (Newton, MA/Newton North) for the goal. Ristuccia, in turn, assisted sophomore Jared Bane (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) six minutes later on a well-placed through ball to make the score 3-0. Also scoring in the first half were freshmen Dan Chong (Miami, FL/Coral Reef) and Dan McGuire (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead). Wheaton managed to score two more goals in the second half, one each by freshman Reed Hollett (Bedford, Nova Scotia/Halifax Grammer) and senior Greg Ferriero (Medway, MA/Medway). The Lyons totaled 35 shots on the evening, including 22 in the first half, while Rivier managed only seven. Sophomore netminder David Croft (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) tallied four saves on the night in his first win of the year.

Versus Coast Guard, the Lyons came out firing early and often, as they outshot the Bears, 11-4 in the first half, but despite the ample scoring opportunities neither team managed a goal. The game remained scoreless until the 55th minute when senior co-captain Andrew Hench (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) fed Ristuccia for the first goal of the day. Ristuccia broke through the wave of Coast Guard defenders and beat the CGA goalkeeper to take the early lead. Coast Guard was quick to retaliate however, as the Bears notched their only goal of the day less than 10 minutes later. The match went another 24 plus minutes without a goal before Ristuccia nailed the game winner from 20 yards out with only five seconds remaining in regulation. Sophomore Ariel Tatum (Cayman Islands, BWI/Holderness) was credited with the assist, as he launched a perfect through ball following a foul to set up Ristuccia for the shot. Sophomore goalkeeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) collected four saves, as the Lyons outshot Coast Guard, 23-7 with a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.

Women's Soccer (11-0-0, 2-0-0) Remains Perfect, Extends Conference Winning Streak

The Wheaton College women's soccer team, ranked second in the country and first in New England according to the NSCAA, ran its winning streak to 11 games overall and its conference streak to 42 games with a 2-0 record last week. The Lyons edged 11th-ranked Amherst College, 1-0 at Mirrione Stadium on Wednesday and blanked conference foe Mount Holyoke College, 3-0 at home on Saturday. Winners in 30 of its last 31 games, Wheaton has outscored its opponents, 34-2 with 10 shutouts.

Against Amherst, the Lyons won the battle of New England's top collegiate women's soccer teams with a 1-0 victory over the previous unbeaten Jeffs in a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament New England Regional championship game. Defeating the Jeffs for the fourth consecutive time over the last three years, Wheaton posted its fourth victory over a nationally-ranked team this season. Wheaton and Amherst battled back and forth through 35 minutes of scoreless play to open the first half, but in the 36th minute the Lyons tallied what would prove to be the game's lone goal. The Lyons broke the stalemate with 9:09 remaining in the half, when freshman Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) took an Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep) cross from the right side and headed the ball towards the upper left corner of the net. In the second half, the Jeffs had multiple scoring opportunities, as indicated by their 11 shots, but Amherst had a goal nullified due to an offside call and hit the crossbar twice down the stretch. Freshman goalkeeper Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) posted four saves in the win, as Wheaton held a 17-16 shot advantage with a 9-5 edge in corner kicks.

Versus Mount Holyoke, the hosts opened the scoring in the 11th minute, when senior Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim) headed a cross to sophomore Bridget Furlong (Newburyport, MA/Newburyport) for what would serve as the game-winning goal. Caromile struck for Wheaton's next goal in the 39th minute, converting on an Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) pass to put the Lyons up 2-0. Rabesa finished the scoring for the Blue and White, adding the only goal of the second half in the 66th minute. Caromile was credited with the helper on Rabesa's goal, finishing the game with one goal and two assists. The Lyons controlled the game both offensively and defensively, as they managed to fire off 39 shots while allowing Mount Holyoke only one. Wheaton also held a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks. Kronenberg went virtually untested, picking up one save in the shutout.

Caromile Rewarded with NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Laurels

Caromile was rewarded with NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week laurels for the week ending on Sunday, September 26. A senior forward with the Lyons who returned to the lineup following a mild injury, Caromile totaled a pair of goals and two assists in Wheaton's 2-0 week. With four seconds left in Wheaton's double-overtime thriller against nationally-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University, Caromile knocked in the game-winning goal to lift the Lyons to a dramatic 1-0 victory. Caromile contributed further in Wheaton's second win of the week by notching a goal and two assists in a 5-2 decision over Springfield College in the NEWMAC opener for both teams.

Men's Tennis (1-0) Sends Four Players to ITA New England Regional

The Wheaton College men's tennis team sent four players to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Regional Tournament last weekend, as junior Matt Sheers (Beacon, NY/Beacon), sophomores Brian Danishevsky (Hamden, CT/Hamden Hall Country Day) and Payum Payman (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) and freshman Sean Daly (Miami, FL/LaSalle) traveled to MIT to compete in the singles and doubles flights.

In the first round of singles play, Payman eliminated his opposition from Bates College by winning in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 and then went on to defeat his counterpart from Amherst College 7-5, 6-3 to move on to the round of sixteen by Friday's end. On Saturday, Payman's run came to a halt, as the seeded player from Middlebury College defeated Payman in three sets 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. Sheers also won his first round singles match against his opponent from Roger Williams University 6-1, 6-0 but later fell to Middlebury in the second round 6-1, 6-4. Danishevsky rounded out singles play, as he dropped a straight-set decision in the first round to Williams College 6-2, 6-0. Payman and Sheers sided in doubles play, winning their first match over Brandeis, 8-6 before losing to Tufts in the second round, 8-5. Danishevsky and Daly also teamed up in the doubles flight, falling to Trinity, 8-6 in the opening round.

Women's Tennis (5-4, 1-4) Loses Pair of NEWMAC Matches to MIT and Smith

The Wheaton College women's tennis team lost a pair of NEWMAC matches last week, as the Lyons dropped a 6-3 decision to MIT in Beard Field House on Tuesday before narrowly falling to Smith College, 5-4 in Northampton on Saturday.

Versus MIT, sophomores Ashley Kriwinsky (Munson, OH/Hawken) and Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis Parker) gave the hosts an early edge at first doubles with an 8-3 victory, but the Engineers took the second and third matches for a 2-1 lead heading into singles play. MIT won 8-5 in the second slot and were victorious 8-3 in the third position. Kriwinsky and Weiss carried the Lyons to a pair of critical points in the top of the singles lineup, but the Engineers captured victories in two through six on the strength of two tiebreaker matches and a three-set victory. Kriwinsky and Weiss had little difficulty in their straight-set decisions at first and second singles, respectively.

At Smith, Kriwinsky improved her dual match singles record to a perfect 9-0 this season by taking first singles 6-0, 6-2, while freshman Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) had similar success at fourth singles, winning 6-3, 6-1. Team captain Maris Madeira (Southwest Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) earned the Lyons' third point of the day, as she also emerged victorious in singles play 6-1, 7-5. Knotted at three entering doubles play, Kriwinsky teamed up with Weiss to knock off Smith's top pairing, 8-5, but the Pioneers fought back to pull the match even in second doubles with an 8-6 win. The Pioneers then won the match in third doubles with an 8-6 final.

Women's Volleyball (7-6, 2-2) Sweeps St. Joseph's (ME), Falls to NEWMAC Foe Smith

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team used a 1-1 week to stay above the .500 mark, as the Lyons lost to NEWMAC opponent Smith College, 3-1 (24-30, 30-27, 27-30, 25-30) in Emerson Gymnasium on Tuesday before rebounding to sweep St. Joseph's College (ME), 3-0 (30-19, 30-16, 30-18) in Emerson on Saturday.

Against Smith, the Pioneers started the match with a strong 9-3 lead before Wheaton closed the gap to get to within two points at 11-9. Solid blocking by Smith gave the Pioneers a 17-11 edge, which was followed by a 13-7 run to close the game. The evening's second game ended in a win for the Lyons, but not before the two teams battled through numerous lead changes. Game three resulted in more defensive displays from both teams, as sophomore Jade Lee (Eagle, ID/Eagle) and freshman Chelsea Fleher (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park) combined for 52 digs on the night. After its three-point victory in game three, Smith won another close battle in game four to close out the match. Fleher posted a double-double performance with 15 kills and 22 digs, while junior Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) finished with 13 kills and four blocks. Lee added 30 digs, while sophomore Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) contributed an impressive 54 assists, which stands sixth best in Wheaton program history.

Versus St. Joseph's, Wheaton jumped out to an early 5-1 lead thanks to a string of serves by sophomore transfer Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley). The lead was one they wouldn't relinquish, as the Lyons were up 14-7 at the first timeout. Liesman's consistent serving helped put the Lyons up 20-11 and eventually 22-14 at the second timeout. The Blue and White went on to win the first game by an 11-point margin. The Lyons continued their impressive performance through games two and three, as the offense carried the hosts to a pair of convincing double-digit victories. Three Wheaton players finished the day with a 1.000 hitting percentage, while sophomore Ashley Emerson (Ashford, CT/E.O. Smith) notched a .560 hitting percentage. Among the heavy hitters was Vengroff, who finished the match with an outstanding 10 kills in 10 attempts. Emerson and Fleher added five kills each, while sophomore Tonia Smith (White Plains, NY/Alexander Hamilton) finished the match with four kills. Liesman notched 24 assists, four digs and two aces and Lee led the team with 12 digs.

Pyle Tabbed NEWMAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week

Men's cross country standout Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) was tabbed NEWMAC Runner of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, September 26. Pyle continued his winning ways at MIT's Harrier Classic, emerging victorious for the second consecutive week. Defending his championship at Boston's Franklin Park, Pyle covered the 8,000-meter course with a time of 25:37. Outdistancing his next closest competitor by nearly 10 seconds, the reigning All-America and NEWMAC Runner of the Year led Wheaton to a second-place finish with 88 points in the 12-team field.

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