Archive for October, 2009

Unbelievable

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

First off all congratulations to the seniors of both the men’s and women’s soccer teams on all their accomplishments as they were recognized during Senior Day. Unfortunately for the guys, the celebration was spoiled by No. 6 University of Rochester in the final 7 minutes of the game. Most of the men’s game was competitive but one mistake proved to be the downfall. Rochester was looking to win this game after losing to Chicago with six seconds left to play in overtime.

Women’s Soccer

The Lady Bears fought a hard battle at Francis Field. Senior Becca Heymann put the team on the board with a goal off a Rochester defender. The Yellowjackets scored just two minutes later before both defenses took charge for the remaining 69 minutes. Some of the players said punches had been throw and I noticed a few players taking the ball to the face.

Overtime proved to be just as dramatic. Sophomore Lee Ann Felder saved a ball from going out of bounds and advanced it to classmate Emma Brown on the left side. Brown dribbled it down the side and it looked like there was no shot. But Brown found Rosoff who wasn’t even looking at the goal when the ball came her way. Rosoff, who was marked, flicked the ball off her heel and up into the bar before it stopped inside the Rochester goal. The game winner was Rosoff’s tenth of the season and 41st career goal placing her one goal short of third overall.

The men’s final home game is on Friday at 7 p.m. against Berry College. The women’s last home game is on Sunday against Fontbonne University at 1 p.m. If the women win the remainder of their UAA games, they will win the conference championship outright. The men are currently in fourth place in UAA standings.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Fall Sports, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer | No Comments »

Playing sports for good

Monday, October 12th, 2009

St. Louis’ temperature took a turn for the worse with daily lows dropping into the upper 30s.  Cold wins kept most fans in their warm dorms on Sunday afternoon.

Hopefully, people will cheer on the men’s team on Tuesday night as they look to rebound from only their second loss this season. The game is a fundraiser for the Sunbeam Foundation which is dedicated towards research on rare childhood bone cancers. A Wash. U. soccer alum started the organization after his sister died due to Ewing’s Sarcoma.

As a reporter, I enjoy seeing athletes interacting with young fans and talking to them about their sports. I’m happy that various groups can use sports to help others in monetary terms or in kind. It’s really nice to see young kids having the time of their lives as they get inspired by my peers. This upcoming Saturday, members of the Olin Sports Marketing Organization will be helping out with a Football Youth Day. Last week, I covered a volleyball tournament hosted by Chi Omega that raised funds for the Make a Wish Foundation.

It’s efforts like these and others that show why sports are so important right now. The lessons learned on the field transcend those in the classroom. While playing sports, one learns sportsmanship, control, and focus.  People can also see the effect of hard work on their performance.

I’d call this past weekend a split for Wash. U. Athletics. Volleyball swept through their tournament as expected for the No. 5 program in the nation and women’s soccer beat Carnegie Mellon 1-0. The women’s soccer game was the only one I saw and from what I could see, they’ve got some very good communication on the field though there’s always room for improvement.

Football played a pretty competitive game with No. 11 Wabash thanks in large part to the defense.  When you’re up against the top offensive unit by points and you can hold them to 17 points into the end of the game, that’s pretty promising. We just need more offense and there were some big plays at Wabash so I’m sure we’ll see something against Wooster.

Men’s soccer fell 2-0 to No. 14 Carnegie Mellon but they adjusted and shut the Tartans down in the second half. Swimming and cross country are really challenging themselves by competing with Division I athletes which is great to see. This should prepare them for UAAs, Regionals and maybe even Nationals.

Here’s wishing to the success of all these charitable endeavors and for some wins this week.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Fall Sports, Football, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, Women's Soccer | No Comments »

UAA play begins

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

The wait’s over and at the mid point of the fall season, the volleyball and soccer teams have begun conference play.

Volleyball

The Red and Green continued their historic dominance over Rochester, Brandeis and Case Western Reserve. Some of the sets were close probably as a result of the week long break Wash. U. took prior to starting practice again last Tuesday. The next round of UAA play starting Oct.  16 will tell the story.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s team snapped a six game winless streak against the Eagles with a 2-0 victory. Senior John Smelcer and the defensive unit made a huge difference with Smelcer making five saves. The Wash. U. defense kept pressure on the Eagles allowing 13 shots but only five on goal.  The Bears offense produced nine shots on goal with Harry Beddo scoring the game winner and John Hengel knocking in the insurance goal. Wash. U. looks to No. 10 Carnegie Mellon this weekend.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s team battled hard against the Emory Eagles giving up the first goal. Emma Brown answered with a goal of her own as freshman Clara Jacques made a career high eight saves. Defense will be key against Carnegie Mellon this upcoming weekend. The women’s team plays Division II UMSL this Wednesday and picked up their first draw of the season this weekend.

Football

It was great to see the football time scoring several times over the weekend after being trampled against Wittenberg. The Bears have a tough opponent with unbeaten Wabash College next weekend. Congratulations to junior Jim O’Brien on passing the 1,000 yard career rushing mark. Sophomore Austin Morman continued to put the Rhodes College Lynx in a bad position whenever the Bears were forced to punt. The coverage was a lot better this weekend with the Lynx receiver being taken down without the first five yards of a reception.

Posted in Fall Sports, Football, Men's Soccer, Volleyball, Women's Soccer | No Comments »