Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (4-6, 1-3) Collects First NEWMAC Victory of Season

The Wheaton College field hockey team collected its first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) victory of the season Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 decision over Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at Clark Field. On Wednesday at home, the Lyons dropped a hard-fought 2-1 loss to Wellesley College, their third straight one-goal conference setback at the time.

Versus Wellesley, following a scoreless first half and nearly 10 minutes of scoreless play into the second stanza, the Lyons broke the stalemate on a Lindsay Raymond (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme) goal with 25:34 remaining. Taking a feed from classmate Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) from the right side, Raymond tallied her team-leading seventh goal. The visitors knotted the contest with 19:58 remaining and eventually posted the game-winning goal with 52 seconds to play. Sophomore goalkeeper Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) was credited with nine stops. Wellesley held a 25-15 advantage in shots and doubled Wheaton's penalty corner chances at 8-4.

Against WPI, freshman forward Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) posted her first multi-goal game of her young collegiate career. With 12:05 remaining, the Lyons recorded the lone goal of the opening stanza, as Ryalls lifted her backhanded shot over the stick of the Engineer goalkeeper. Wheaton held a 10-2 shot advantage through the first 35 minutes of play. The second half started out very similar to the early minutes of the first frame, but this time around the hosts had several scoring opportunities, reflected by their 13 penalty corner attempts and slew of consecutive chances midway through the stanza. Nearly eight minutes later the Lyons created some separation with their second goal of the contest, as Ryalls received a pass from Raymond in a crowd and managed to direct her shot out of the reach of the goalie. The Wheaton defense thwarted the WPI offensive attack all day, including limiting the Engineers to a single shot in the second half. Boll picked up her first shutout of the season with three saves, as the Lyons outshot the Engineers, 27-3 with a 16-4 advantage in corners.

Men's Soccer (11-1-1, 3-0-0) Edges Wesleyan, 1-0 in Lone Game of Week

The Wheaton College men's soccer team, ranked seventh in the country and first in New England according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), extended its unbeaten streak to eight games with a 1-0 victory at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut on Wednesday afternoon. The Wesleyan contest was Wheaton's only game this week.

Senior co-captain Andrew Hench (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) posted the game-winning goal in the 64th minute at Wesleyan. After a scoreless first half that saw the Wesleyan goalkeeper record three saves, the Lyons and Cardinals battled through nearly 19 minutes of shutout soccer in the second stanza. At the 63:50 minute mark, Hench took a pass from classmate Matt Ristuccia (Newton, MA/Newton North) on the left flank and fired his 20-yard shot just inside the right crossbar. Wesleyan had a few legitimate scoring opportunities in the game, but missed the target each time. The Lyon defense, comprised of sophomore goalie Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) senior Barry Finnerty (Milton, MA/Beaver Country Day), junior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School), sophomore Dennis Durao (West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic) and freshman Jim Ferreiro (Medway, MA/Medway), were once again stellar for the visitors. Pachniuk registered his sixth full shutout of the season. The Lyons outshot Wesleyan, 13-8 and the Cardinals held a 9-5 advantage in corner kicks.

Women's Soccer (13-0-0, 4-0-0) Continues its Second-Best Season in Program History

The top-ranked Wheaton College women's soccer team continued its second-best season in program history this week, as the Lyons remained unbeaten with a 5-1 victory at Wellesley College on Tuesday and a 4-0 shutout win at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Saturday. Outscoring the opposition by a 43-3 margin with 11 shutouts on the season, Wheaton ran its overall winning streak to 13 games and its conference winning streak to 44 games. The Lyons' conference success ranks fourth best all-time in NCAA Division III women's soccer histoy.

At Wellesley, after more than 34 minutes of a scoreless slate, senior Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim) put the Lyons on the board off of a deflected shot from classmate Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep) to take a one-goal lead. Brennan then followed with a goal of her own to give Wheaton a 2-0 lead heading into the half. Freshman Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross), who had the assist on Brennan's goal, opened the second stanza with Wheaton's third goal of the game just 30 seconds in, essentially putting the game out of reach. With a 3-0 cushion, senior co-captain Erin Duffy (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) added an unassisted goal on a penalty kick. Wellesley made the score 4-1 in the 58th minute, as the goal was the first scored on Wheaton freshman goalie Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) this year. Sophomore Jordan Pouliot (Manchester, NH/Trinity) added the Lyons' final tally of the game on a corner kick with less than 12 minutes to go. Kronenberg picked up four saves, as the Lyons outshot Wellesley, 35-7.

At WPI, the game's first goal was scored by Konopka, who took a through ball from Pouliot in the 30th minute. Finding herself all alone in front of the goal, Konopka gave the Lyons the 1-0 edge with her 12-yard shot into the bottom corner of the net. With just 1:17 to play in the half, junior Teresa LeBel (Middleton, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon) booted a 45-yard free kick over the reach of the WPI goalkeeper for a 2-0 Wheaton lead. The visitors doubled their lead in the second half thanks to goals from Brennan and Konopka in the 83rd and 90th minutes, respectively. Both Brennan's and Konopka's goals were assisted by first-year Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth). Kronenberg posted six saves in 79 minutes of action, while junior goalie Emily Lipsky (Whitestone, NY/Sacred Heart Academy) finished the final 11 minutes of regulation with no stops.

Rabesa Named NEWMAC Co-Player of the Week

Rabesa was named NEWMAC Player of the Week for the second time this season. The award was selected for the week ending on Sunday, October 3. Rabesa led Wheaton to a 2-0 week and helped the Blue and White extend their conference winning streak by defeating Mount Holyoke College, 3-0. She tallied one goal against Mount Holyoke and also scored the game winner in Wheaton's narrow 1-0 non-league win over nationally-ranked Amherst College.

Women's Tennis (6-6, 2-5) Earns Second Conference Win, Posts 1-2 Week

The Wheaton College women's tennis team completed its dual match portion of the fall regular season this week, as the Lyons recorded a 1-2 mark including Saturday's 9-0 conference sweep at Springfield College. Wheaton suffered a hard-fought 5-4 setback to Mount Holyoke College Tuesday in South Hadley and later fell 6-3 to Bowdoin College Sunday at Clark Tennis Courts.

At Mount Holyoke, sophomores Ashley Kriwinsky (Munson, OH/Hawken) and Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis Parker) started the match on the right foot at first doubles, giving the Lyons a 1-0 lead after an 8-5 victory over the Mount Holyoke tandem. MHC bounced back quickly with a pair of 8-6 wins at second and third doubles to take a 2-1 edge heading into singles play. Kriwinsky swept her opponent 6-0, 6-0 in the first singles position and Weiss defeated her counterpart in a super tiebreaker 6-7, 6-3, 11-9 in the second slot for two of Wheaton's points, but the hosts clinched the win by taking three of the remaining four singles matches. Senior captain Maris Madeira (Southwest Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) rounded out Wheaton's scoring in a super tiebreaker 4-6, 6-2, 15-13 in the fifth position.

At Springfield, Wheaton began the match with little difficulty in doubles play, as the Lyons collected 8-2, 8-5 and 8-1 finals in the top three positions. Kriwinsky and Weiss downed their opponents in the top spot, while sophomore Eden Gudonis (Mansfield, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) and freshman Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) posted a decisive victory in the third slot. The Lyons carried their early momentum into singles play, capturing six straight-set victories including a clean 6-0, 6-0 sweep from Jackson in the fourth position. Kriwinsky and sophomore Jessica Otto (Atlantic, IA/Atlantic) won 6-2, 6-0 in first and sixth singles, while Maris Madeira was victorious 6-1, 6-0 in the fifth spot. Weiss and sophomore Darby McDermott (Briarcliff Manor, NY/Hackley School) rounded out the singles wins in the second and third positions.

Against Bowdoin, the Polar Bears built a 2-1 lead after doubles play on the strength of two convincing victories in the second and third positions. Kriwinsky and Weiss salvaged a point for the hosts, as the tandem improved to 11-2 this season with an 8-5 win. In singles play, both Kriwinsky and Maris Madeira captured three-set victories in the first and fifth positions. After dropping her first set, Kriwinsky won the next two sets 6-2, 6-3, while Madeira was victorious in her first and third sets.

Women's Volleyball (9-8, 2-3) Splits Four Matches on the Week, Hosts Tri-Match

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team split four matches on the week, including posting a 1-1 mark during Saturday's tri-match at Emerson Gymnasium. The Lyons were swept by conference foe Springfield College, 3-0 (16-30, 19-30, 26-30) in Springfield Tuesday night before coming back Thursday to down Emmanuel College, 3-1 (25-30, 30-26, 30-23, 34-32) in a home non-league match. On Saturday, Wheaton swept the University of New England, 3-0 (30-17, 30-16, 30-26) in the opening match and later fell to Brandeis University, 3-0 (25-30, 26-30, 28-30) in the final contest of the day.

At Springfield, Wheaton held an early lead in game one, 6-2, but the Pride stormed back for seven consecutive points to suppress the Lyons' early momentum and win game one. The Pride led Wheaton from beginning to end in game two, winning by 11 points before putting the Lyons away for good in game three in a much narrower affair. Sophomore Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) tallied a double-double in the three-game match, picking up 23 assists and 12 digs, while classmate Jade Lee (Eagle, ID/Eagle) led the defense with 14 digs. Junior Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) topped all Wheaton players in kills with eight.

Versus Emmanuel, the Saints withstood nine ties in game one before finally defeating Wheaton in the match opener. Wheaton answered in game two however, as the score once again remained close, but the end result was a four-point win in favor of the Blue and White. The Lyons came out strong in game three thanks in large part to freshman Chelsea Fleher (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park), who rattled off four strong serves to give the Lyons an early 6-1 advantage. Though the Saints battled back to take a 16-15 lead, Wheaton tallied five straight points to take a 20-16 edge. Emmanuel got close, pushing the score to 23-21, but more strong play at the service line, this time by junior Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran), led the home team to a 2-1 lead in the match. The Lyons took a commanding 19-10 advantage in game four but couldn't close the game out as Emmanuel slowly crept back in, eventually tying the contest at 32 all before a Fleher kill and a solid serve by Liesman ended the match. Fleher led the host team in kills, digs and aces with 14, 22 and six respectively, tallying the only double-double performance of the match. Reagh, freshman Robin Child (Snowmass, CO/Basalt) and Vengroff all recorded nine kills on the night while Lee notched 15 digs.

In Saturday's tri-match, Wheaton jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in game one against New England and never looked back, as the Lyons eventually climbed to a 17-7 cushion at the first timeout. Two service aces and a kill by Vengroff made the score 24-9 en route to the Blue and White notching a 1-0 lead. Game two found the Lyons behind 7-1 as the Nor'easters began the contest with several well-placed shots, but a string of strong serves by junior Carilyn Tately (Walpole, MA/Walpole) led the Lyons to a 9-8 edge and eventually a 14-point victory. Wheaton won game three by a much smaller margin, going on a 7-3 run after a 23-23 tie to close out the match. Vengroff led the Blue and White offensively, scoring six kills and four aces while leading the team in blocks with seven. Liesman recorded 27 assists in the sweep.

In the second match for the Lyons, game one against Brandeis began with a 6-2 Judge advantage due to strong defensive play, including numerous blocks to build an early lead. Brandeis eventually led 20-10 and went on to win by five points. In the second game, the Judges jumped ahead early en route to a 16-10 cushion, but the Blue and White responded and narrowed the gap to 27-25. Brandeis, however, closed the game by scoring three of the next four points. The third game ended in similar style, with the Judges winning in dramatic fashion. Vengroff once again paced Wheaton offensively with 10 kills. Lee added another 19 digs, while Liesman was credited with 34 assists.

Cross Country Teams Compete in Boston's All-New England Championship

The Wheaton College's men's and women's cross country teams competed at the All-New England Championships Friday at Franklin Park, with the men's team finishing 35th of 48 teams with 1,011 points while the women placed 22nd of 45 teams with 600 points.

Senior All-America Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) finished with the Lyons' best time, covering the 8,000-meter course in 25:13, which was good enough for 15th place among 315 finishers. Junior Eric Richardson (East Walpole, MA/Bishop Feehan) was Wheaton's second fastest competitor with a time of 28:14. Classmate Ben Haber (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) finished 19 seconds behind Richardson at 28:33, while senior co-captain Joe Chadwick (Shelburne Falls, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) crossed the finish line in 29:23. Sophomore Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) rounded out the Lyons' runners with a time of 29:47.

The women were led by senior co-captain Erin O'Brien (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames), who finished the 5K run in 53rd place overall with a time of 19:04. Junior Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) crossed the line 18 seconds behind O'Brien in 79th in 19:22. Freshman Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) finished in 99th in 19:36, while senior Lindsay Whalen (Dedham, MA/Dedham), sophomore Jennifer Ziello (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) and junior Christina Langevin (Wilbraham, MA/Minnechaug Regional) completed the race with times of 19:45, 21:48 and 22:18, respectively.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.

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)