October 22, 2007

This Week in Walsh University Athletics

Monday, October 22, 2007

Tues. 23 Volleyball at Ohio Dominican University 7 pm

Wed. 24 Men's Soccer at Malone College 3:30 pm

Fri. 26 Volleyball at Madonna Invitational

Madonna 3 pm/Biola University 5:15 pm

Sat. 27 Football at Ohio Dominican 12:30 pm *

Men's Soccer Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7 pm

Volleyball at Madonna Invitational

University of Michigan-Dearborn 12:45 pm/National American 3 pm

* Broadcast live on Walsh University Football Network (AM 640 News-Talk WHLO and AM 900 WCER)

FOOTBALL: Cavs Lose Fourth Straight/Travel to Unbeaten Ohio Dominican on Saturday

Walsh (3-5, 0-4 MSFA Mideast) lost its fourth straight game to a NAIA ranked opponent, falling 42-14 to the 5th ranked University of Saint Francis Cougars at Fawcett Stadium last Saturday.  For the Cavs, it is the first time in history that they have dropped four games in a row and opened league play 0-4.  They have also lost their last six MSFA Mideast games dating back to last season.  This week they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to meet third ranked Ohio Dominican University.  The high-powered Panthers are off to their best start in school history at 8-0 and 4-0 in the MSFA Mideast and are tied for first place with Malone College (7-1, 4-0).  Game time is 12:30 pm.  The game will be broadcast live on the Walsh University Football Network on News-Talk 640 WHLO and on the AM 900 WCER.  The game will also be broadcast live on the internet at www.wcer.us and www.whlo640.com

Saint Francis scored 14 points in the first quarter and 21 more in the second quarter to lead 35-7 at the half.  Daniel Carter scored on a six-yard run to give the Cougars the early lead.  Taylor Vieck then scored the first of his four TD’s, when he scored on a 15-yard run.  He would also score on runs of eight and four yards and on a 28 yard pass from Jeff Wedding.  Walsh’s first half score came on a two-yard run by Clinton Blossomgame (R-Fr., Columbus, OH/Beechcroft).  Blossomgame led all rushers with 133 yards.  Blossomgame’s TD run cut the USF lead to 21-7 with 3:32 to play in the half.  But USF then scored 14 points in the next 1:56 to lead 35-7 at the half.  Walsh’s Rob Lash (Sr., Shelby, OH/HS) scored the only TD of the third quarter on a four-yard run.  Marc Pullen (Jr., Akron, OH/Ellet) came off the Cavs bench and completed 10-19 passes for 190 yards.  Mike McGill (So., Barberton, OH/Coventry) caught five passes for 96 yards and Lash four passes for 87 yards.  Senior strong safety Craig McConnell (Sr., Massillon, OH/Washington) was all over the field, with 15 tackles, 12 solo.

For the second straight week the Cavs will face the MSFA's top offense, when they travel to Ohio Dominican.  The Panthers are averaging 48.6 points per game and have scored 62 and 64 points in their last two games.  They defeated Taylor University 62-14 on Saturday, rolling-up 683 yards of total offense.  Quarterback Cris Reisert passed for 450 yards and five TD’s against Taylor.  Justin Sayre, Jared Stace and Josh Smart each caught eight passes, with Stace catching three for scores.  Reisert leads the NAIA in passing yards (398.6 ypg) and touchdowns (34).  Sayre (60) is fourth in receiving and Stace (51) is fifth.  As a team, the Panthers are third in scoring.  Walsh leads the all-time series 3-0.  Mike McGill caught a 44-yard TD pass from Marc Pullen as time expired, to give the Cavs a 37-31 win last year.

Clinton Blossomgame is second in the MSFA in rushing, averaging 111.2 yards per game. 

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: Cavs Dominate AMC Preview Race

Walsh (40-11) won the three-team American Mideast Conference Preview Meet last Saturday over Notre Dame (2nd-52 pts.) and Point Park (3rd-87 pts).  Walsh (16 pts) will host the AMC Championships in two weeks (11/3).  The Cavs are idle this week.

Number one man Brendan McKee (Jr., Akron, OH/St Vincent-St. Mary) led the field with a first place finish in a time of 26:39.  The Cavs would capture the top four places and eight of the top ten.

Mike Groholy (Sr., Parma, OH/Valley Forge) was next for Walsh, finishing second in a time of 27:16.  Tim Geabler (Sr., Canton, OH/GlenOak) was third (27:42), Chris Zundel (Sr., Madison, OH/HS) fourth (27:50), Jon Winnyk (Jr., Strongsville, OH/Holy Name) sixth (28:15), Andrew Schulz (Sr., Sugarcreek, OH/Garaway) seventh (28:17), Adam Hrdlicka (Fr., Lakewood, OH/HS) ninth (29:01) and Matt Long (So., Mogadore, OH/Field) tenth (29:23).

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: Cavs Win AMC Preview Race

Walsh (30-24) ran away with the American Mideast Conference Preview Meet last Saturday, defeating Ursuline College (2nd-49 pts.), Notre Dame College (3rd-60 pts.) and Point Park University (4th-112 pts.).  Walsh, who captured six of the top ten places, will host the AMC Championships in two weeks (11/3).  The Cavs are idle this week.

Kristen LeFever (So., Alliance, OH/Marlington) led the Cavs, winning the race in a time of 19:36.  Andrea DiNinno (Jr., Harrison City, PA/Greensburg CC) was second (19:52), Megan Case (Fr., Louisville, OH/HS) fourth (20:12), Jackie Delameter (Fr., North Canton, OH/Hoover) seventh (20:45) and Lindsay Cooper (Sr., Canton, OH/Central Catholic) eighth (20:59).

MEN'S GOLF: Cavs 3rd at Stark County Phipps Memorial Tournament

Walsh (0-9) finished third in the 18-hole Stark County Phipps Memorial Tournament, held last Monday at Brookside Country Club in Canton.  Malone College won the event with a 309 total, with host, Mount Union College placing second with a 315.  Walsh totaled 328.  The Cavs "B" Team shot 337.

Mike Lenartowicz (Sr., Canton, OH/Perry) finished tied for 6th, and paced the Cavs with a 78.  Sam Troyer (Jr., Sugarcreek, OH/Garaway) was next, placing 12th with an 81.  Kevin Tournoux (Sr., Lakewood, OH/JHS) shot 82 (15th-T), Kyle Ren (Fr., Dover, OH/HS) 87 (25th-T) and Dominic Reolfi (So., North Canton, OH/Hoover) 90 (29th).

Nick Gallo (Jr., Wickliffe, OH/HS) led the "B" Team with an 81, which tied Troyer for 12th.  Brant Harbert (So., Uniontown, OH/Green) and Ethan Williams (Fr., Quaker City, OH/Buckeye Trail) each shot 85 (19th-T), and Jessie Green (Jr., Sugarcreek, OH/Garaway) shot an 86 (23rd-T).

WOMEN'S GOLF: Schumacher Medalist at Stark County Memorial/Cavs Place Second

Tammy Schumacher (Sr., Whitney Point, NY/HS) shot an 82, and gained medalist honors at the 18-hole Stark Memorial Golf Tournament, held at Brookside Country Club in Canton last Monday.  It is the second time this fall that Schumacher has garnered medalist honors.  She was also medalist at the Urbana University Blue Knights Invitational.  Walsh (10-13) finished second, with an overall score of 384. 

Kaley Foster (Jr., Manchester, OH/HS) was next for the Cavs, shooting 91 (4th).  Adriana Ovando (Fr., Santa Cruz, Bolivia) shot 93 (5th-T), Kaitlin Sesock (So., Uniontown, OH/Lake) 118 ((14th) and Melanie Stone (Fr., Akron, OH/Firestone) 121 (15th).

MEN'S SOCCER: Playoff Hopes Dealt a Blow at Rio Grande

Walsh's (8-6-1, 2-3 AMC S) playoff hopes were dealt a serious blow with Saturday's 5-1 American Mideast Conference South loss at the University of Rio Grande.  The Cavs have one AMC South game to play, at home against Mount Vernon Nazarene (10-4-2, 1-2-1 AMC S) on Saturday (7 pm).  The fourth place Cavs, who have six points, need to win and have Urbana University defeat Cedarville University.  The Yellow Jackets are third in the AMC South with seven points.  In a non-conference game, Walsh and Malone College (6-9-1) renew their rivalry at Malone on Wednesday (3:30 pm).  Walsh leads the all-time series 31-10-1 and has won the last four meetings.

Walsh opened the week with a hard-fought 3-2 win at Daemen College.  Casey Eck (Jr., North Canton, OH/Hoover) gave the Cavs a 1-0 lead, on an assist from Dan Harlan (Jr., Uniontown, OH/Green) two minutes into the game.  Alex Birtcher (Jr., 6-1, Napoleon, OH/HS) then scored at the five-minute mark, on assists from Lamar Skeeter (Fr., 5-10, Dayton, OH/Kettering Fairmont) and Alex Mogilnicki (Sr., Lakemore, OH/Springfield).  Jeremy Hess (Sr., Damascus, MD/St. Johns) closed the scoring for Walsh at the 22-minute mark of the half with an unassisted goal.  Daemen scored twice in the second half, on a penalty kick at the 72-minute mark, and again at the 84-minute mark.  Walsh out- shot the Wildcats 14-4.

Walsh played much better than the 5-1 final score at Rio Grande on Saturday.  After a questionable red card forced the Cavs to play a man short, Rio scored twice in the final five minutes of the first half and led 2-0 at halftime.  They would take control in the second half and led 5-0, when the Cavs avoided the shutout on Alex Birtcher’s goal with one minute to play. 

Lamar Skeeter is second in the AMC in scoring, averaging 1.67 points per game and 0.73 goals per game.  Skeeter has scored 11 goals, and leads the Cavs with 25 points.  He leads the AMC in game-winning goals with five. 

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Cavs Close Outstanding Year with 6th Straight Win/But Miss Post Season

Walsh's (13-3-2, 3-2-1 AMC S) closed an outstanding season by winning its sixth straight game, but the win was bittersweet, as they failed to qualify for the post season.  The Cavs finished fourth in the AMC South with 10 points. Mount Vernon Nazarene and Urbana each finished ahead of the Cavs with 12 points. Walsh’s 13 wins are the second most in a single season.  The 1997 Cavs won 15 games under former coach Jack Heim.  The Cavs also posted the finest road record in school history at 9-0-1.

Walsh's Abby Swope (Sr., Wadsworth, OH/HS) scored three goals and dished out two assists in the Cavs 6-1 romp American Mideast Conference South win at the University of Rio Grande on Saturday. Chrissy Summers (So., Doylestown, OH/Chippewa) opened the scoring on an assist from Swope at the 9:33 mark of the first half.  Dana Speicher (So., Stow, OH/Archbishop Hoban) then scored on an assist from Leya Spence (Jr., Mansfield, OH/Madison) at the 30:00 mark to give the Cavs a 2-0 lead.  Swope then scored an unassisted goal with just 30 seconds to play in the half to give the Cavs a 3-0 halftime lead.

Swope scored on an assist from Shayna McDermitt (So., Green, OH/HS) at the 61:34 mark to give Walsh a 4-0 advantage.  Rio Grande cut the lead to 4-1 at the 64:55 mark.  Swope then scored her second unassisted goal, at the 70:27 mark, to put the Cavs up 5-1.  Amanda Dempsey (Sr., Green, OH/HS) closed the scoring, on an assist from Swope, at the 88:27 mark.  Walsh out shot the Redwomen 16-3 and led in corner kicks 9-2.  Rachel Burcher (So., Wadsworth, OH/HS) had two saves in goal for the Cavs.

Abby Swope's big day at Rio enabled her to win the scoring title with 11 goals and 26 points.  Swope finishes her Walsh career third in goals with 32 and in points with 80.  Chrissy Summers, in her first year with the Cavs, finished second with 25 points, on nine goals and a team-leading seven assists.  Leya Spence finished third in scoring with 24 points, on ten goals and four assists.  The Cavs had six double digit scorers.  Keeper Rachel Burcher played every minute of every game, and finished with eight shutouts and 1.19 goals against average. 

VOLLEYBALL: Cavs Post 2-0 Week/Net Big Win over Cedarville on Wednesday/Play Ranked Foes at Madonna

Walsh (22-5, 6-2 AMC S) extended its modest win streak to four matches, with a big AMC South win over Cedarville University, and with a non-league victory at Notre Dame College.  This week, the Cavs host Ohio Dominican University (14-16 2-5 AMC S) on Tuesday, before heading to Michigan for a big weekend tournament.  The Cavs play at the highly competitive Madonna University Crusader Classic on Friday and Saturday.  The Cavs meet the host, and NAIA 27th Crusaders on Friday at 3 pm and NAIA 4th ranked Biola University at 5:15 pm.  On Saturday, the Cavs meet the University of Michigan-Dearborn at 12:45 pm and NAIA 7th ranked National American at 3 pm.

Walsh defeated Cedarville in five games (30-25, 25-30, 30-25, 25-30, and 15-10) in the “Bump, Set, Spike Out Cancer” match last Tuesday at Alumni Arena.  The Cavaliers were led by Jill Barry (5-5, Sr., Salem, OH/HS) with 70 assists and 14 digs. Heather Hernandez (5-9, Sr., Oakdale, CA/HS) led the defense with 36 digs, and Megan Kelly (5-10, Fr., Brook Park, OH/Holy Name) had a career-high 25 kills. Megan McDonald (5-10, Jr., Kirkland, IL/Rockford Lutheran) added 20 kills and 2.5 blocks. Caitlin Doon (5-6, Sr., Columbus, OH/DeSales) had 22 digs, with Ashley Yuhas (5-9, Fr., Elyria, OH/HS) adding 18.

Walsh had to rally to defeat Notre Dame College in five games (30-32, 30-25, 26-30, 30-24, 15-7) on Thursday. Erica Parker (6-0, Jr., Concord, OH/Mentor) led the Cavs with 26 kills and 3.5 blocks. Jill Barry dished out 77 assists and Heather Hernandez had 33 digs.

Jill Barry leads the AMC, and is third in the NAIA in assists, averaging 14.1 per game.  Erica Parker leads the AMC, and is fifth in the NAIA in hitting percentage (.427).  Heather Hernandez is second in the AMC, and 18th in the NAIA in digs per game at 6.6