Weekly Lyon

Field Hockey (5-9, 2-5) Suffers Pair of Losses to Babson and Tufts to Finish Home Slate

The Wheaton College field hockey team suffered a pair of home losses on the week, as the Lyons dropped a 4-2 decision to Babson College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game on Tuesday and a 4-0 final to Tufts University in non-conference action on Thursday at Clark Field.

Against Babson, the Beavers scored the first goal just over five minutes into the contest. Four minutes later, Lyon freshman Lindsay Raymond (East Lyme, CT/East Lyme) took a pass from senior co-captain Laura Oswald (Pacific Grove, CA/Stevenson) and shoveled the ball into the corner of the cage to tie the game at one. With 14:40 left in the first stanza, the Beavers went back on top with a breakaway goal, but the lead was short-lived, as first-year Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) pulled the game even two just minutes later. The second half held little else for the Lyons, as Babson scored the game's remaining two goals in the final 11 minutes of regulation to put the contest out of reach. Junior goalkeeper Emily Fiskio (Branford, CT/Branford) posted 10 saves, as Wheaton outshot the visiting Beavers, 23-14. Babson held a 10-6 advantage in penalty corners.

Versus Tufts, the Jumbos opened the scoring late in the first half, breaking through a line of Wheaton defenders and driving a shot past Fiskio for a 1-0 lead. Tufts made the score 2-0 with 1:42 remaining in the opening stanza. The hosts narrowly averted going down 3-0 before the intermission when Fiskio saved a penalty stroke attempt with less than a minute remaining in the stanza. The visitors added a pair of insurance goals in the second half to put the game out of reach. Wheaton later collected a penalty stroke in the second half, but the Jumbo goalie knocked away the attempt by Oswald to help preserve the shutout. Fiskio recorded 11 saves, as Tufts outshot the Blue and White, 27-9 with a 15-8 advantage in penalty corners.

Men's Soccer (15-1-2, 5-0-0) Moves into First Place in NEWMAC with Victory at Babson

The Wheaton College men's soccer team, ranked fourth in the country and first in New England according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), moved into sole possession of first place in conference play with a 2-1 victory at Babson College on Saturday. Extending their unbeaten streak to 13 games, the Lyons tied Roger Williams University, 2-2 in Bristol, Rhode Island.

At Roger Williams, neither team managed to score in the first half of play, but senior tri-captain Andrew Hench (Marblehead, MA/Marblehead) put the Lyons on top 1-0 with a header past the Hawk goalie in the 63rd minute. Fellow senior tri-captain Barry Finnerty (Milton, MA/Beaver Country Day) was credited with the assist on the play. Roger Williams later tied the game, breaking up Wheaton's attempt at a fifth consecutive shutout. The tie wouldn't last long however, as the Hawks later took the lead on an own goal in the 82nd minute. The Blue and White struck back for the equalizer just seconds later, as Hench notched his second goal of the game, once again receiving the pass from Finnerty. Sophomore netminder Matt Pachniuk (Newtown, CT/Newtown) tallied five saves in the draw. The Lyons outshot the Hawks, 15-13 with a 6-5 edge in corner kicks.

Versus Babson, after a scoreless first stanza, Hench delivered a well-placed through ball to classmate Matt Ristuccia (Newton, MA/Newton North) for the first goal of the day and Ristuccia's team-leading ninth tally of the season. The goal was the first allowed by the Beavers' defense in over 544 minutes. Twelve minutes later the Lyons capitalized again, as Hench tallied a score of his own when Finnerty delivered a corner kick to freshman Ian Walker (Marblehead, MA/IMG Academy). Walker headed the ball to Hench, who pushed it over the goal line for the eventual game winner. The Beavers cut Wheaton's lead in half on their only shot of the game, a bicycle kick past Pachniuk in the 82nd minute. Pachniuk completed the game without a save, as Wheaton outshot Babson, 19-1 and held a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.

Greenslit Earns NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week Nod

Men's soccer standout James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) earned the NEWMAC Player-of-the-Week nod for the week ending on Sunday, October 17. The Lyons went 3-0 thanks in large part to Greenslit's strong defensive play. Wheaton blanked regionally-ranked Bowdoin College, 2-0, Brandeis University, 1-0 and Clark University, 6-0. Greenslit was a major factor in limiting Wheaton opponents to just over 10 shots a game on the week. Offensively, he also tallied two assists, one each against Bowdoin and Clark.

Women's Soccer (17-0-1, 7-0-1) Captures Sixth Straight NEWMAC Regular Season Title

The top-ranked Wheaton College women's soccer team captured its sixth straight NEWMAC regular season championship and extended its unbeaten streak to 17 games following a 2-0-1 week, defeating conference foe Babson College, 3-0 in Babson Park Tuesday and Bridgewater State College, 6-0 in a non-league game at Mirrione Stadium Thursday before tying the United States Coast Guard Academy, 0-0 in double overtime in New London, Connecticut Saturday. The tie snapped Wheaton's 47-game conference winning streak, which ranks as the fourth longest streak in NCAA Division III women's soccer history. The draw also marked the first time the Lyons failed to knock off a conference opponent since October 2000, when Wellesley defeated Wheaton, 2-0.

At Babson, the contest remained scoreless for almost 39 minutes before sophomore Jordan Pouliot (Manchester, NH/Trinity) fed senior Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep) for the game's first goal to break the stalemate. Brennan split two Babson defenders before beating the Beavers' goalkeeper to the bottom left corner for the 1-0 lead. Pouliot opened the second half with a goal of her own when senior Beth Caromile (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim) found her with a well-placed cross for a two-goal advantage. Freshman Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth) then scored the game's final goal on a Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) crossing attempt with roughly 11 minutes remaining in the match. Freshman netminder Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) recorded five saves in the shutout, as Wheaton held a 28-10 advantage in shots and an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.

Versus Bridgewater State, Wheaton scored early and often, jumping out to a commanding 3-0 lead through the first 9:40 of play. Konopka sent a handful of crosses into the box early and finally connected in the sixth minute, as she sped past a couple of Bear defenders and ripped a breakaway shot that ricocheted off the far post and back to Brennan, who buried the rebound for the 1-0 edge. Two minutes later, Caromile found a streaking Katelyn Brack (Lake Oswego, OR/Oregon Episcopal) alone in the box, as Brack beat the keeper to the lower left corner of the net. In the 10th minute, Brennan sent a corner kick into the box that was flicked by freshman Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) to senior captain Christy Schneider (Jonesboro, GA/Jonesboro), who then managed to find the back of the net to put the Lyons up 3-0 heading into the half. In the second stanza, Brack picked up her second goal of the game, followed by Furr on a penalty kick tally and Brennan on a corner kick goal to secure the six-goal victory. Kronenberg, who leads the nation in goals against average, made two saves.

At Coast Guard, the Lyons failed to convert on any one of 40 shots in the contest, resulting in the scoreless draw. Brennan and freshman Erin Davis (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) combined for half of Wheaton's shots in the contest, each narrowly missing a game-winning goal. Brennan rocketed one of her 10 shots on goal off the crossbar in the opening half, while Davis did the same in the first overtime. Kronenberg picked up three saves and the shutout, playing all 110 minutes in the tie. The Lyons outshot Coast Guard, 40-3 with a 10-1 margin in corner kicks.

Women's Tennis (7-7, 2-5) Upsets Smith, Falls to MIT in NEWMAC Tournament

The sixth-seeded Wheaton College women's tennis team upset third-seeded Smith College, 5-4 in the first round of the NEWMAC Tournament Saturday morning before losing to number-two seed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 5-2 in the semifinal later that afternoon. The Lyons concluded their fall season with a 7-7 overall record and a 2-5 mark in NEWMAC play.

Dropping their regular season conference match against Smith earlier this year, the Blue and White jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles play when the sophomore pairings of Ashley Kriwinsky (Munson, OH/Hawken) and Jamie Weiss (Chicago, IL/Francis Parker) and Jessica Otto (Atlantic, IA/Atlantic) and Eden Gudonis (Manchester, MA/Governor Dummer Academy) defeated the hosts' first and third tandems. Kriwinsky and Weiss won their match, 8-3 in the top slot, while Otto and Gudonis captured an 8-6 decision in third doubles. Wheaton then split singles with Smith to capture the narrow win. Kriwinsky was victorious in first singles in a super tiebreaker, 5-7, 7-6, 10-8, while senior Maris Madeira (Southwest Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) and freshman Briana Jackson (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0 and 6-2, 6-1, respectively.

Against MIT, Weiss took part in capturing both points, siding with Kriwinsky to win at first doubles, 9-7, before defeating the Engineers 6-2, 6-4 for the Blue and White's second point of the contest. MIT handed Kriwinsky her first loss in NEWMAC singles play this year, downing the standout in straight sets by scores of 6-3, 6-3.

Women's Volleyball (12-14, 3-4) Posts 1-4 Week, Competes at Hall of Fame Tournament

The Wheaton College women's volleyball team suffered a 3-0 setback to conference powerhouse United States Coast Guard Academy on Tuesday, losing in three games, 30-16, 30-13 and 30-20 before taking part in the Hall of Fame Tournament over the weekend. The team was forced to forfeit Friday's opening match against Amherst College due to travel difficulties before falling to Middlebury College, 3-0 (30-24, 30-21, 30-24). The Lyons then split two matches on Saturday, sweeping Gordon College, 3-0 (32-30, 30-23, 30-21) before falling to Bridgewater State College, 3-0 (30-18, 30-18, 30-20).

At Coast Guard, junior Marriah Vengroff, (Storrs, CT/E.O. Smith) led the Lyons' offense with eight kills, while freshman Chelsea Fleher (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park) notched 15 digs. Sophomore Alexis Liesman (Winchester, CA/West Valley) also contributed a team-high 15 assists.

Against Middlebury, Wheaton battled the Panthers to narrow six-point losses in game's one and three of its second scheduled match while dropping game two by a nine-point margin. Fleher led the way with 11 kills, while sophomore Jade Lee (Eagle, ID/Eagle) recorded 13 digs. Liesman finished the match with 31 assists.

Versus Gordon, the Lyons managed a slim two-point win over the Fighting Scots in game one, but Wheaton pulled away and emerged victorious in the second and third contests en route to its only win of the tourney. Fleher led the team at the net, notching 11 kills with 15 digs. Junior Elizabeth Reagh (Seattle, WA/Seattle Lutheran) also tallied a double-double performance with 20 digs and 33 assists.

Against Bridgewater State, Vengroff topped all Lyon offensive players with seven kills, while Reagh finished the match with 21 assists. Fleher and Lee paced Wheaton defensively with 10 and nine digs, respectively.

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