Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (5-7, 2-4) Splits Pair of Conference Games with MIT and Smith

The Wheaton College field hockey team split a pair of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) games this week, as the Lyons responded from a 2-1 loss at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tuesday night to edge Smith College by the same score Saturday afternoon at Clark Field.

At MIT, Wheaton scored just three minutes into Tuesday's match, but it wasn't enough to fend off the hosts as the Engineers downed the Lyons by a single goal. First-year Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) put the Blue and White on the board early, breaking up an Engineer clearing attempt before knocking the game's first goal by the MIT goalkeeper. Following an Engineer goal in the 20th minute of play, the hosts posted the game winner with just under six minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Junior goalkeeper Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) faced 29 MIT shots and finished the game with 23 saves. The hosts outshot the Lyons, 29-22 with a 12-9 advantage in penalty corners.

Against Smith, freshman Lindsay Raymond (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme) tallied two goals to lead Wheaton to victory. Smith scored the game's first goal at the 18:58 minute mark, when a penalty corner ended in a scramble in front of the Lyon goal. The Pioneers swept the ball by Fiskio to put Smith in front 1-0. Raymond knotted the contest at one goal apiece 12 minutes later, as she collected the ball among a cluster of Smith defenders and beat the Pioneer keeper for the game-tying goal. Raymond then scored the game winner 10 minutes into the second half, as she pounded away at a loose ball underneath the sprawling goalie until finally driving it into the back of the cage. Fiskio faced 13 shots and finished the game with seven saves, as Wheaton outshot the Pioneers, 24-13 with a 22-12 advantage in corners.

Men's Soccer (14-1-1, 4-0-0) Extends Shutout Streak to Four with Three Straight Victories

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), continued its second-best start in program history with three more wins this week. Extending their unbeaten streak to 11 games with 10 shutouts to date, the Lyons blanked Bowdoin College, 2-0 on Monday, Brandeis University, 1-0 on Wednesday and Clark University, 6-0 on Saturday. All games were held at Wheaton's Keefe Field.

Versus Bowdoin, the contest was a tale of two halves, with the hosts holding the upper hand for most of the opening stanza. The Lyons got on the scoreboard in the 26th minute, when freshman Colin Igoe (Weston, MA/Weston) took a cross from senior tri-captain Andrew Hench (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) and rifled a shot into the lower left corner of the net. Sophomore goalkeeper Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) and the Lyon defense thwarted the Polar Bear attack, limiting the visitors to three shots and one corner kick through the first 45 minutes of action. In the second half, the Bowdoin offense had its chances, but two Pachniuk saves coupled with a goal nullified due to an offside call kept the Polar Bears at bay. In the 60th minute, Bowdoin had a golden opportunity after one of its players was taken down in the box, but on the ensuing penalty kick the shot went wide left and the game remained at a one-goal margin. Just five minutes later, Wheaton picked up a penalty kick of its own and capitalized, as senior tri-captain Barry Finnerty (Milton, MA/Beaver Country Day) drove his left-footed strike into the netting for a 2-0 advantage. Pachniuk finished the contest with seven saves.

Against Brandeis, Wheaton posted the game's lone goal in the 33rd minute, as the Lyons fended off the Judges the rest of the way. Senior tri-captain Gabe Margolis (Brookline, MA/Beaver Country Day) started Wheaton's scoring play on a throw-in from the right side. Collecting the pass in the middle of the field, classmate Matt Ristuccia (Newton, MA/Newton North) drove his shot past the Brandeis goalkeeper. The Lyons held a 12-3 shot advantage through the first 45 minutes of play, but that all changed in the second half when the hosts were held without a shot or corner kick opportunity. On the other hand, the Judges strung together a pair of legitimate offensive chances in the opening minutes but were unable to capitalize. Totaling eight shots and five corner kicks in the second half, the visitors had one final opportunity on a corner with five seconds to play, but a header attempt sailed over the crossbar to end the game. Pachniuk accounted for five saves, as the Lyons held a slim 12-11 edge in shots. The Judges accounted for five corners to Wheaton's one.

Versus Clark, Wheaton totaled four goals in the second half alone to overpower the Cougars on Senior Day. Wheaton built a 2-0 lead in today's opening half, with Finnerty playing a part in both tallies. The first goal was on a penalty kick in the 29th minute, as Finnerty planted his shot in the bottom right corner of the net for the 1-0 edge. With just over seven minutes remaining in the half, Finnerty assisted sophomore Cameron Habib (Norfolk, MA/Bridgton Academy) on a free kick at the top of the box. In the second half, the hosts piled on four goals including three tallies over an eight-minute span to put the game out of reach. Ristuccia knocked in a cross from freshman Dan McGuire (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) to extend Wheaton's lead to 3-0 five minutes into the frame. Sophomore Ariel Tatum (Cayman Islands, BWI/Holderness Day) made the score 4-0 on a Finnerty corner, while junior Ryan Wilson (Bedford, MA/Bedford) completed the scoring with two goals. The Lyons had three goalkeepers in action, led by Pachniuk's one save in the opening half.

Women's Soccer (15-0-0, 6-0-0) Posts Two Shutouts over MIT and Smith to Stay Perfect

The top-ranked Wheaton College women's soccer team extended its winning streak to an outstanding 15 games with two conference shutouts this week. Upping their shutout string to 13 on the season, the Lyons tied their fifth-highest mark in program history after defeating Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 1-0 on Tuesday at Mirrione Stadium and Smith College, 4-0 on Saturday in Northampton. Winners in 34 of its last 35 games, Wheaton extended its NEWMAC winning streak to 46 games. The Blue and White have outscored the competition by a 48-3 margin.

Against MIT, senior co-captain Erin Duffy (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) tucked a perfectly-placed penalty kick past the MIT goalie in just the ninth minute of play to put the Lyons on top for good, as both teams squandered scoring opportunities as the game proceeded. The second half opened with six consecutive corner kicks for the Lyons, but the hosts failed to capitalize, as MIT deflected shot after shot out of bounds. The opportunity for an insurance goal came again just minutes later, as the Engineer keeper blocked numerous Wheaton shots in a logjam in front of the Tech goal, but the ball eventually rolled harmlessly out of bounds for a goal kick. With 37 seconds remaining in the game, the Engineers made one final push for the game-tying goal but their shot was lifted above the crossbar, all but ending MIT's chances at tying the match. Junior goalie Emily Lipsky (Whitestone, NY/Sacred Heart Academy) made three of the home team's four saves, combining with freshman goalkeeper Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) to notch a Wheaton shutout. The Lyons outshot the Engineers, 26-10 with a 17-0 advantage in corner kicks.

At Smith, senior midfielder Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim) posted her first career hat-trick to lead the Lyons. The visitors opened the day's scoring at the 9:48 minute mark, when freshman Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) fed sophomore Jordan Pouliot (Manchester, NH/Trinity) for an early 1-0 lead. The Pioneer goalie managed to get a hand on the crossing attempt, but the deflection wasn't enough to prevent Pouliot from chipping the ball into the back of the net. Three minutes later, Pouliot assisted Caromile on her first of three goals, as Caromile drove her left-footed shot into the opposite corner of the net. She struck again in the 20th minute on a through ball from freshman Erin Davis (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow), as her shot hit both the left and right post before crossing the goal line. Caromile then capped off her scoring for the day in the 29th minute on a pass from freshman Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross). Kronenberg recorded three saves and her ninth full shutout of the season, as Wheaton held a 20-3 advantage in shots and a 4-1 edge in corner kick attempts.

Konopka Garners NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Accolades

Konopka garnered the first NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week award in her career for the week ending on Sunday, October 10. Konopka totaled seven points to lead Wheaton to a 2-0 week, as the Blue and White defeated conference opponents Wellesley College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). She tallied one goal and one assist at Wellesley before scoring two goals against WPI.

Women's Tennis (6-6, 2-5) Finishes in a Tie for 10th at NEWITT Tournament

The Wheaton College women's tennis team took part in the 2004 New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) this weekend at Amherst College, as the Lyons collected nine points overall to finish the tournament in a tie for 10th place with Wesleyan University.

Sophomores Ashley Kriwinsky (Munson, OH/Hawken) and Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis Parker) began doubles play with an 8-0 victory over Salve Regina. The Blue and White tandem eventually fell to Middlebury, 8-5. The second doubles pairing of senior captain Maris Madeira (Southwest Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and freshman Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) led 6-1 in their match against Trinity before surrendering 9-7. In third doubles, sophomores Jessica Otto (Atlantic, IA/Atlantic) and Eden Gudonis (Manchester, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) posted an 8-5 win over Mount Holyoke before falling 8-0 to number-one seed Wellesley.

In singles play, Kriwinsky, seeded third in the first flight, received a first-round bye before defeating Connecticut College 6-4, 6-2 and Bates 6-1, 6-1. She eventually lost to the number one-seed and eventual champion from Tufts, 6-1, 6-3 in the semifinal round. In second flight action, Weiss defeated Babson 6-4, 6-3 before losing 6-1, 6-4 to Williams. Sophomore Darby McDermott (Briarcliff Manor, NY/Hackley School) succumbed to the second seed from Wellesley, 6-0, 6-0 in third singles. In flight four, Jackson dropped 6-0, 6-0 sets to Bates, while Madeira won 2-6, 6-3, 10-5 in a third-set super tiebreaker over Mount Holyoke before losing to Connecticut College 6-2, 6-4. In sixth singles, Otto lost to the second-seeded player from Middlebury 6-0, 6-2.

Women's Volleyball (11-10, 3-3) Registers 2-2 Week, Defeats Clark and WNEC

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team recorded its second straight 2-2 week to remain above the .500 mark, as the Lyons defeated Clark University and Western New England College while falling to regionally-ranked teams Tufts University and Endicott College. Wheaton swept Clark, 3-0 (30-20, 30-22, 30-26) in Emerson Gymnasium Tuesday and were later swept by Tufts, 3-0 (24-30, 23-30, 12-30) on Thursday in Medford before splitting with WNEC, 3-1 (33-35, 30-14, 30-23, 30-17) and Endicott, 3-1 (21-30, 32-30, 22-30, 19-30) in Saturday's non-conference tri-match in Beverly.

Versus Clark, Wheaton grabbed a commanding 12-6 lead early in game one and never looked back. The Cougars got to within four at 21-17, but numerous strong kills from junior Marriah Vengroff (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) and classmate Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) sealed the Blue and White's first victory. Clark came back from a 14-8 deficit midway through game two thanks to six straight serves, but Wheaton sophomore Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) answered with six serves of her own to propel the Lyons to a 20-14 lead, and eventually an eight-point win. The Cougars bolted out to a 6-0 lead to start the third game, forcing Wheaton to play catch-up through most of the contest, but the tide eventually turned, as the Lyons overcame a 26-24 deficit with six consecutive points to prevent a fourth game. Vengroff and freshman Chelsea Fleher (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park) led Wheaton with nine kills each, while sophomore Jade Lee (Eagle, ID/Eagle) recorded 11 digs. Liesman notched an additional 32 assists in the winning effort.

At Tufts, the Blue and White made games one and two narrow contests, losing by only six and seven points, respectively before succumbing to an efficient Jumbo attack in game three, ending Wheaton's night in a double-digit loss to complete the three-game sweep. Vengroff led the Lyons' offense with eight kills, while Reagh recorded 12 digs in the Blue and White's defensive efforts. Liesman led the team in assists with 23.

On Saturday against WNEC, Wheaton battled Western past the 30-point mark in game one before finally succumbing to the Golden Bears, but the Lyons fought back from the narrow defeat to win three consecutive games. Fleher fell three service aces short of a triple double, leading the Lyons with 16 kills, 13 digs and seven aces. Lee topped all Blue and White players with 24 digs, while Liesman tallied 49 assists. Vengroff and Reagh made significant contributions as well, tallying 14 kills apiece.

The Lyons fought Endicott for four games in their second match before eventually dropping the day's final contest to the Gulls. Sophomore Katie Dooley (Carpinteria, CA/Cate School) led Wheaton's offense with 10 kills and Liesman finished the match with 33 assists. Four Lyons finished the match with double-digit dig totals, including Lee with 20, Liesman with 12, Fleher with 10 and sophomore Allison Reichentahl (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire) with 10.

Women's Cross Country Takes Third at Twin Brook Invitational, Men Place Ninth Overall

The Wheaton College's men's and women's cross country teams competed at the Twin Brook Invitational II Saturday afternoon, as the Lyon harriers ran at the Twin Brook Recreational Area in a meet that was hosted by the University of Southern Maine. The women's team captured the bronze in the 12-team field with 105 points, while the men placed ninth of 12 squads with 240 points.

The women had three of the meet's top seven runners, led by senior co-captain Erin O'Brien (North Easton, MA/Oliver Ames), who completed the 5,000-meter course in fourth place with a time of 23:09. Junior Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) wasn't far behind in sixth with a time of 23:30, while freshman Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) was right on Leith's heals in seventh place in 23:31. Senior Lindsay Whalen (Dedham, MA/Dedham) finished the race in 31st with a time of 24:56 and sophomore Jennifer Ziello (Litchfield, CT/Litchfield) turned in a time of 26:45.

For the men, senior All-America Stan Pyle (South Portland, ME/South Portland) covered the 8,000-meter course in 28:19, good enough for 27th out of 153 finishers. Freshman Alex Cook (Hanover, MA/Hanover) recorded the Lyons' second best time at 28:37 to place 40th, while junior Eric Richardson (East Walpole, MA/Bishop Feehan) crossed the line in 54th place in 29:00. Senior co-captain Joe Chadwick (Shelburne Falls, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) completed the race in 29:55 and sophomore Matt Peirce (Lincoln, MA/Lincoln-Sudbury) finished in 30:10.

O'Brien Earns NEWMAC Women's Runner-of-the-Week Honors

O'Brien earned NEWMAC Runner-of-the-Week honors for the week ending on Sunday, October 10. O'Brien, a two-time member of the NEWMAC All-Conference team and 2001 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, was Wheaton's top finisher at the All-New England Championship meet, leading the Lyons to a 22nd-place team standing at Boston's Franklin Park. Finishing 53rd overall among 302 competitors, O'Brien covered the 5,000-meter course in 19:04.

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