This week's stories:
By Jesse Fleming
Who says the only good thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores? The freshmen on St. Bonaventureıs womenıs soccer team have netted ten of the teamıs 12 total goals over its current four game winning streak that started on Oct. 11 with a 5-3 triumph over Temple. The streak has bolstered the teamıs overall record to 10-5, 4-3 in conference play. ³We donıt want the upperclassmen to look back at their college careers and say the freshmen werenıt willing to put everything on the line to make it to A-10ıs (playoffs) that year,² said freshman defender Lois Bennett. Bennett and freshman midfielder Kristen Walczewski each scored two goals during the streak, while freshman forward Heather MacDougall recorded four goals. Freshman midfielder Kara Fleet and freshman forward Emily Kridler both tallied a goal. MacDougallıs two goals helped the Bonnies record their first A-10 victory of the season against the Owls. Walczewski, Bennett and junior forward Lisa Nicola rounded out the scoring for the Bonnies. St. Bonaventure held a 4-1 lead at one point during the game but allowed two late Temple scores. The team hosted St. Joeıs on Oct. 13. MacDougall again recorded two goals, and Kridler tacked on the teamıs final goal as the Bonnies beat the Hawks 3-1. For her efforts, MacDougall garnered A-10 Rookie of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 14. Head coach Dan Magner said, ³Heather had a great week of practice, and an excellent weekend of games. All four of her goals were well taken.² ³As sheıs become more comfortable in games her confidence has grown, and thatıs allowed her to be successful,² he said. Magner thought the pair of wins illustrated how his team has grown and matured during the year. ³The effort against Temple and St. Joeıs was excellent. Against Temple it was a little déjà vu from the Duquesne game (the team blew a three-goal lead against the Dukes DATE) we slipped a little, but it was a testament about how our team has matured over the season. Against St. Joeıs we were able to hold the lead and maintain it,² he said. The team faced Rhode Island Friday. The Rams came into the game with a spotless 5-0 record in A-10 play. Rhode Island struck first when Megan Kasparek scored in the 34th minute. It would be the teamıs only goal of the game. Nicola tied the game with 15 seconds remaining in the first half, and Fleet knocked in the game winner with six minutes to go in the game. ³Lisaıs shot was spectacular (she scored from 20 yards out with her back to the goal). URIıs goalie is outstanding, we spoke about where we could beat her which was low in the opposite corner, and Kara buried her shot there,² Magner said. The Rams out-shot the Bonnies 17-4, but senior goalkeeper Breanne Kraly recorded seven saves to earn the 2-1 win. ³Bre(anne) played fantastically well, she was a major reason for our success,² Magner said. Senior captain Danielle Doemel sat out the URI game after sustaining a head injury against St. Joeıs. Magner said the team was inspired to play for Doemel against the Rams. ³They made me speechless on Friday, they showed me how great they really are,² Doemel said. Sunday, the Bonnies played UMASS. Kraly recorded her first career shutout as the Bonnies prevailed 2-0. Bennett and Walczewski accounted the teamıs scores. Kraly said, ³I just went into the game with the mentality that I wasnt going to let a goal in.² Bennett wasnıt surprised about downing the Minutemen for the teamıs fourth win in a row. ³We wanted to show people that beating URI wasnıt a lucky game and that we actually deserved to beat them. I donıt think they took us seriously, so we went at them hard and just never let up. I think our wins has a lot to do with how much the intensity at our practices has increased. We have a new attitude and if someone isnıt working their butt off at practice, we all try and get them back into things,² she said. The team begins its road-trip today at Xavier. ³Our practice intensity has increased so much, so yes, I am feeling very confident in our team as we head on the road. I think if we work hard and stay focused on our A-10 goal, weıll be able to win our away games. The top four teams in the A-10 move on to the playoffs and Doemel believes the team can take that next step. ³Weıre extremely confident in being able to move on to the A-10 tourney,² she said.
Lindell, SBU end season on high note
By Joe Werkmeister
After seven consecutive weeks with tournaments, the St. Bonaventure menıs golf team can finally take a breather. Ending the fall season on a high note with two solid performances, the team finished second at the Robert Morris Classic, Oct. 14-15, and took home the title at the Binghamton B.C. Open Invitational, Oct. 19-20. Jay Lindell led the charge for the Bonnies, finishing first in both tournaments. He posted a score of two-under 142 at Robert Morris, the only player to finish under par in the 65 man field. An even par score of 144 at Binghamton set the stage for his winning the Atlantic 10 Performer of the week. ³Iım real satisfied that I was able to pull it together for two straight rounds,² said Lindell. Head coach Steve Campbell felt Lindellıs performance stood as one of the best in St. Bonaventure history. ³Jay had one of the top performances in school history. To get a guy to win a tournament is a great feat. Jay has three,² said Campbell. The Binghamton tournament took place in adverse weather conditions, forcing the players to take their focus up a notch. Campbell felt especially proud of his teamıs ability to stick it out through the bad weather. ³We won the tournament last year and had the opportunity to go back and defend our title. We played real well under bad conditions. Sunday (Oct. 20) was no picnic.² Campbell was also impressed with his teamıs attitude going into the match. ³I didnıt have to tell these guys a word. You get whatıs given to you. Not one guy complained and they never wavered mentally,² Campbell said. The Binghamton victory stood as an encouraging way to cap off the season, beating out a high-quality team. ³I wouldnıt be lying to you when I say they (Binghamton) are potentially an NCAA team,² Campbell said. Freshman Josh Anderson had his best performance of the year at Binghamton, finishing third overall with a score of 149 (71-78). Junior Jeff Tracy tied for 10th with a score of 152 (76-76). Overall for the fall season, the Bonnies won three team titles and finished in the top-three of two additional tournaments. They played all but one tournament on the road for the fall season. In their only home tournament, the St. Bonaventure Leo Keenan Invitation, the Bonniesı finished second. It was mainly hit or miss, as the team either finished in the top-two or bottom-two in each tournament. Either Lindell or Tracy had the high score for the team in each of the Bonniesı tournaments. Lindell earned the high score four times and Tracy followed with three times. Averaging 76.8 in 10 rounds this season, Anderson ended third best for the Bonnies behind Lindell and Tracy. Brian Pavlock came on strong in the end finishing fourth with an average of 78.55 in nine rounds. ³Jay had a great fall and Jeff was rock solid. Josh Anderson got accommodated to college and Brian Pavlock gave us a nice stretch of golf,² Campbell said. Lindell and Tracy played all 14 rounds, the only St. Bonaventure players to do so, and will continue to be leaders on the team into the spring season. ³These guys have high goals and they want to make the team better,² Campbell said. The Bonnies now have until spring before they will return to the course.
By Jesse Fleming
The St. Bonaventure menıs swim team kicked off its season with a 136-107 victory over Syracuse University at the Reilly Center Pool Oct. 12. Senior Borut Poje, junior Morgan Hagerman, sophomore Seth Johnson and freshman Adrian Blaszczak collected multiple wins for the Bonnies. Poje won the 200-yard fly with a time of 2:00.98. He also participated in the victorious 400-yard free relay team. Hagerman won the 100-yard free and was a member of the winning 400-yard medley relay team. Johnson came in first in the 50-yard free and Blaszczak won the 200-yard breast stroke. The A-10 coachıs poll predicts the Bonnies to win the conference for the upcoming season. Hagerman thinks that the team can answer the high expectations. ³After our recent performance I believe that the coaches in the poll were justified,² he said. Johnson returns for his second year after winning A-10 Rookie of the Year last season. Poje will look to finish a successful collegiate swimming career this year. ³Seth and Borut will be contributing factors at A-10ıs this year,² Hagerman said. ³The team has a lot of potential. We just need to tap into that potential throughout the year,² he added. After his strong performance against the Orangemen, Blaszczak is considered one of the newcomers that brings great potential to the team. ³Adrian was amazing (against Syracuse). Heıs a great breastroker from Poland and heıs a very strong distance swimmer,² Hagerman said. The divers also performed well against the Orangemen. Junior Randy Kozlowski won the one-meter and three-meter diving for the Bonnies.
Road losses contribute to losing streak
By Rachel George
The St. Bonaventure menıs soccer team (6-7, 1-5) is on a five game losing streak and has lost the last four of these five on the road. The University of Massachusetts downed the Bonnies on Sunday, 7-1. The team fell behind early as UMassı Jeff Deren scored his first goal of the game in the fourth minute of the game. The Minutemen took a 2-0 lead as Ptah Meyers scored his first in the 27th minute. UMass would jump to three ahead early in the second half when Deren scored his second goal in the 47th minute. Myers also scored his second shortly thereafter, and the Minutemen took a 5-0 lead in the 61st minute after a goal by Yuri Morales. Junior midfielder Geron DuPorte scored the Bonniesı lone goal of the contest in the 69th minute. The Minutemen sealed the deal as Ernie Billittier scored in the 75th minute, followed by Jason Goleskyıs goal in the 76th minute. St. Bonaventure dropped the previous game to the University of Rhode Island on Friday, Oct. 18, losing 2-1. The Bonnies took the early lead in the 29th minute when senior midfielder Kareem Reynolds scored on a pass from Geron DuPorte. This was Reynoldsı first game this season after recovering from injuries. The Rams tied it up late in the half, as Peter Benevides scored in the 41st minute. Rhode Islandıs Sasha Gotsmanov scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the 60th minute. Junior goalie Tim Landry had six saves in the loss. ³I think we were unlucky to not get a result on Friday night against Rhode Island, who is a very good team, but UMass we just didnıt come to play and it obviously showed on the scoreboard,² said Brady. The Bonnies also fell to St. Josephıs 5-2 on Sunday, Oct. 13. The Bonniesı scoring began when junior defender Nick Blair headed in their first goal on a pass from freshman midfielder Andy Garcia three minutes into the game. The Hawks quickly recovered as Mike Gugliemucci scored their first goal in the seventh minute. St. Josephıs Matt James and Adam Duffy scored in the 22nd and 27th minutes, respectively. St. Bonaventure was down 3-1 at the half. The Hawks moved ahead to 4-1 when Lateef Turrail scored in the 69th minute. Less than a minute later, senior midfielder Johnny Phoumannyıs failed to convert on a penalty kick. Phoumannyıs rebound was blocked but the third time was the charm as he booted it in on the third shot. The teamıs attempt at a comeback was foiled as the Hawksı Tom Brislin scored in the 86th minute. Sophomore goalie Sean Eyde had nine saves in the loss. The Bonniesı hopes for a win to start the four-game road trip were shattered ,as they lost to Temple 2-1 on Friday, Oct. 11. After a scoreless first half, Phoumanny put the Bonnies up 1-0 in the 65th minute. The Owls tied it up seven minutes later as Tony Donatelliıs 20-yard shot got past junior goalie Mike Krupka. Temple scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick by Steven Wacker in the 83rd minute. While coach Brady is upset with the teamıs losing streak, he also credits the strength of the other teams in the A-10. ³I think it shows the strength of the Atlantic-10 Conference. Every game is really a battle and I think its part of our maturity,² Brady said. ³I think part of it is definitely injuries, but more than anything I think itıs just our mentality, attention to detail, the little things that are really starting to expose us,² Brady added. The team is hopeful to finish their five remaining games strong. One more win in those five would set a school record for the most wins in a season. The Bonnies will host Xavier today at 3 p.m.
SBU prepares for A-10 tournament
By Nate Dougherty
The St. Bonaventure menıs and womenıs cross country teams only have one more meet to prove themselves this season, but it couldnıt be a bigger stage. The Atlantic 10 Tournament begins on Nov. 2 and will include all of the Bonniesı 10 conference opponents. The winner of the tournament earns a berth to the NCAA tournament. Head coach Tom Hagen believes that the meet will be an opportunity for the teamıs younger runners to gain experience. ³We want to run well individually in the tournament, to achieve our peak times. Itıs going to be tough beating A-10 teams, but I want the young kids to get a feel for what we need to do to move up,² coach Hagen said. Though coach Hagen feels that winning the tournament may be out of reach for the team, he has set the teamıs sights on one opponent in particular. ³We want to take out Rhode Island,² said freshman runner Mikkel Hagen, who shares his coachıs sentiment. Other runners feel that the team does not need to win the tournament in order to be successful. ³If we can beat one other team or if we can get our best times then it will be a success,² said sophomore Mary Town. Freshman Paul Nessle believes that the teamıs goal of beating Rhode Island is well within reach. ³I think that we can beat them (Rhode Island). Itıs definitely not going to be a blowout, it will probably be close, but we have a good chance against them,² Nessle said. Last season both of the Bonniesı menıs and womenıs teams finished in last place in the meet. On Saturday the teams competed against Niagara and Canisius in the Little Three Tournament at Devilıs Hole State Park in Buffalo. The men finished second while the women finished last. Nessle led the men with a time of 21:44. He finished second overall. Freshman Brian Schultz finished fifth with a time of 22:34. Coach Hagen feels that Nessle has been a pivotal runner on the young team. ³Nessle has been a great driving force on the team this season. The freshmen have all been a great surprise for us this year,² coach Hagen said. On the womenıs side, Mary Town led the team with a time of 20:58, good for ninth overall. She was the only St. Bonaventure runner in the top 10. Town has been the Bonniesı top runner in all six meets so far this season. Coach Hagen was impressed with the teamıs performance, especially in the sloppy weather in which the meet was played. ³It was rough with the weather conditions, we had some of the girls get injured on the course that hurt the team performance a little. Overall Iıd say we did well,² coach Hagen said.
Teams to end season at Omni Regionals
By Tracy Nelson
The St. Bonaventure men and womenıs tennis teams fell short of tournament victories last week at Penn State and Youngstown state, respectively. In the Penn State Invitational Oct. 11-13, the men recorded key individual victories. On Saturday, senior Mikko Haulos defeated Rutgerıs Kevin Bienlen, 6-2, 6-2. With the win at No. 3 singles, Haulos drew the star of Penn State menıs tennis, Nathan Emge. Haulos took him to three matches, losing 6-3, 2-6,10-7. Sophomore Mario Arce also advanced to Sunday action after recording a win against Connecticutıs Mike Furman, 6-3, 6-2. Arce fell to Penn Stateıs Ryan Harwood on Sunday, 6-3, 6-5. With the exception of the victories by Haulos and Arce, the Bonnies were plagued by inexperience. ³Some of the guys in the bottom of the line-up struggled a little bit, trying to out hit their opponents instead of out play them,² said head coach Mike Bates. ³That cost them the match, so they need to get smarter out there with their strategies to win.² According to Bates, his team struggled against many of the opposing doubles teams. ³I thought we could have done a little bit better in doubles,² Bates said. ³We got a couple of tough draws against Penn Stateıs doubles teams.² Haulos and Arce will be joined by senior Vili Nurmi to participate in the Omni Regionals. Arce and Nurmi are seeded No. 3 going into doubles play. The tournament features the top players in the region on the campus of the Pennsylvania today through Sunday. ³I think they (Arce and Nurmi) are capable of beating anybody in the region on any given day,² Bates said. ³Hopefully weıll be able to go into the semi-finals, and who knows what can happen then.² The women fell to Youngstown State University, 4-3, at the Boardman Tennis Center on Sunday. The team suffered its second loss of the season overall. ³We had opportunities that we missed out on, but it was evenly matched and could have gone either way,² Bates said. At the No. 1 singles spot senior Natalie Rumpel defeated Youngstownıs Anne Marino, 6-1, 7-5. ³Natalie has been playing better and better throughout the year, and hopefully she can keep it up throughout the spring,² Bates said. Also for the Bonnies freshmen Erin Sullivan and Jasmine Jaysingh recorded their first singles matches of their collegiate careers. Sullivan downed Andrea Dixon in three matches, 0-6, 7-5, 10-5. Youngstownıs Whitney Thomas fell to Jaysingh, 6-4, 6-2. Overall, the Bonnies and the Penguins split the singles matches, while Youngstown picked up the doubles point to with the dual match. The women are also on the road for their final three-day match-up of the fall season at Harvard for the Omni Regionals beginning today. The top 96 womenıs players in the region will participate in the tournament. Rumpel will compete both in singles and doubles with her partner senior Michelle Kearney. ³Hopefully weıll get a decent draw and maybe can win a couple of rounds,² said Bates.
Send questions and comments to The Bona Venture. |