This Week in Athletics

This Week in Walsh University Athletics

Monday, October 13, 2008

Tuesday 14

Men's Soccer at Cedarville 7 pm

Wednesday 15

Volleyball at Malone 7 pm

Saturday 18

Football (H) Malone 12 pm *

Cross Country (H) 11 am

Women's Soccer (H) Notre Dame 4 pm

Men's Soccer (H) Notre Dame 7 pm

* Broadcast live on AM 900 WCER, News-Talk 640 AM WHLO

FOOTBALL: Cavs (2-4, 0-1) Stop Skid/Malone Next

Walsh (2-4, 0-1) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 30-21 non-conference win over Urbana University last Saturday at Fawcett Stadium.  This week, the Cavs return to Mid-States Football Association Mideast action against rival Malone University at 12 pm at Fawcett Stadium.  This is Walsh's home game.  The game will be broadcast live on the Walsh University Football Radio Network (News-Talk 640 AM WHLO, AM 900 WCER) and on the internet at www.wcer.us and www.640whlo.com.  The game will also be televised on tape delay at 8 pm on Saturday and on Sunday at 10 pm on the following: Time Warner Cable Digital (365), WVIM TV 52, WIVN TV 29, Tuscarawas County, Holmes County, Carroll County Channel 99, Massillon Cable (21) and Clear Picture Wayne County (21).

Walsh climbed back into the win column with a hard-fought 30-21 win over visiting Urbana University.  Urbana scored in three plays on the games' first possession, driving 88 yards in less than one minute to take a 6-0 lead.  The PAT failed.  Walsh got on the board in the second quarter when Tim Cox (Jr., Minerva, OH/HS) scored on a two-yard run.  Eric Buchanan's (So., Green Cove Springs, FL/Clay) extra point gave the Cavs a 7-6 lead at the 13:57 mark.  Urbana regained the lead at the 12:04 mark, when Jason Conner returned a Walsh punt 84 yards for a score.  The two-point conversion pass failed and Urbana led 12-7.  Walsh rallied on the next possession, when Jim Shiplett (Fr., Canal Fulton, OH/Northwest) threw a 19-yard TD pass to Clinton Blossomgame (So., Columbus, OH/Beechcroft) to cap-off a 66-yard drive at the 9:18 mark.  Walsh's two-point try failed, and the Cavs took to a 13-12 lead into the locker room.

Walsh extended the lead to 20-12 at the 11:13 mark of the third quarter, when Shiplett and Mike Garden (Sr., Akron, OH/Copley) connected on a 30-yard pass play.  It was Garden's first career TD catch.  Buchanan then converted the extra point.  Urbana then came roaring back, as Kirk Hannah scored on a 71-yard run on the next possession to close to within 20-18.  The pass attempt for two points to tie the game failed.  Urbana regained the lead at the start of the fourth quarter; when Matt Hausheer kicked a 30-yard field goal to give the Blue Knights a 21-20 lead with 14:45 to play.  Walsh then returned the favor at the 4:48 mark, when Buchanan booted a 46 yarder, for a 23-21 advantage.   The Cavs then put the game away, when Shiplett scored on a one-yard plunge with 52 seconds to play.

Shiplett, making his second straight start, completed 12 of 17 passes for 158 yards.  Garden was his favorite receiver with six catches for 103 yards.  John Rutan (Jr., Hartville, OH/Lake) also caught four passes for 36 yards.  Blossomgame rushed for 82 yards, but left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury to his left knee.  He is scheduled for a MRI on Tuesday.  Blossomgame still leads the MSFA in rushing, averaging 116.7 yards per game.

Brian Williams (Jr., Canton, OH/McKinley/Findlay) leads the MSFA in kick returns (30.3), while punter J.C. Heighway (Sr., North Canton, OH/Hoover) is second in punting (41.5).

Walsh and NAIA 25th ranked Malone (3-1, 2-0) meet for the 14th time in the annual battle for the Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy on Saturday.  Malone edged the Cavs 42-35 in overtime last year and has won the last two meetings.  Walsh, however, leads the all-time series 8-5.  Malone won its third straight game last Saturday, downing Taylor University 42-17 in an MSFA Mideast contest.  MSFA Mideast Player of the Week, quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh, completed 21 of 27 passes for 420 yards and five TDs.  Orsagh is second in the MSFA in passing yards per game (309.0) and TD passes (15).  He has thrown only one interception.  One of his favorite targets, Derek Deardorff, is second in the MSFA, averaging a little over seven catches per game.  Tyler Davis caught three of Orsagh's five TD passes in the Taylor game.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: Cavs 10th at UW-Parkside Lucian Rosa Invitational

Walsh (39-21) finished a strong 10th at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Lucian Rosa Invitational, held Saturday in Kenosha, WI at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course.  Indiana Tech (36) won the Invitational. 

Walsh's (320) Mike Groholy (Sr., Parma, OH/Valley Forge) provided the best Cavalier finish (26:30), placing 18th.  David Leary (Fr., Northwest, OH/Canal Fulton) finished 62nd (27:49), Brendan McKee (Sr., Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) 70th (27:57), Dan Opeka (Fr., Louisville, OH/St. Thomas Aquinas) 82nd (28:12) and Jordan Johnson (So., Louisville, OH/HS) 88th (28:17). 

This Saturday, the Cavs host the Walsh University Invitational at 11 am.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: Cavs 14th at UW-Parkside Lucian Rosa Invitational/DiNinno 16th

Walsh (46-23) performed well, finishing 14th at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Lucian Rosa Invitational, held today at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Cross in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  Ferris State University (98) won the 5k race.

Walsh's (382) Andrea DiNinno (Sr., Harrison City, PA/Greensburg CC) continued her superb season, with a 16th (316 participants) place finish in a time of 19:07.  Megan Case (So., Louisville, OH/HS) was next for the Cavs with a 54th place finish (19:56).  Jackie Delamater (So., Uniontown, OH/Hoover) finished 84th (20:31), Kim Swartz (Fr., Tiffin, OH/Calvert) 106th (20:48) and Katie Laughlin (Fr., Malvern, OH/Canton South) 122nd (21:09).

This Saturday, the Cavs host the Walsh University Invitational at 11 am.  Walsh received one vote last week in the NAIA rankings.  New rankings will be released on Tuesday.

WOMEN'S GOLF: Cavs (35-16) 5th at Allegheny, 6th at Wittenberg Invitational

Walsh (35-16) closed out the fall season with 54 holes of golf last week.  The Cavs finished fifth at the Allegheny Invitational on Thursday and sixth at the Pat Clouse Invitational at Wittenberg University on Saturday and Sunday.

Nikki Kulasa (Fr., Amherst, OH/Amherst Steele) finished tied for fourth, and paced the Cavs at Allegheny, with an 82 (40-42).  Kim Smith (Fr., Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central Regional) tied for 13th with an 87 (44-43), Katy Collins (Fr., Youngstown, OH/Ursuline) tied for 18th with an 88 (44-44), Mackenzie Smith (Fr., Magnolia, OH/Canton Central Catholic) tied for 29th with a 92 (47-45) and Abbey Kimar (Fr., Canton, OH/Jackson) tied for 38th with a 96 (46-50).  Courtney Klemens (Fr., Mentor, OH/HS) finished 44th with a 104 (54-50).

At Wittenberg, Kim Smith and Katy Collins tied for 16th place, with a 168.  Smith shot a couple of 84's, while Collins shot an 89 on Saturday, before bouncing back with a 79 on Sunday.  Nikki Kulasa finished tied for 34th with a 175 (86-89), Mackenzie Smith tied for 47th with a 182 (94-88) and Abbey Kimar finished 52nd with a 185 (98-87). 

MEN'S SOCCER: Cavs (6-6-1, 4-3) Back to .500

Walsh (6-6-1, 4-3) climbed back to the .500 mark, with wins over rival Malone University and Grace College last week.  The Malone win, also an American Mideast Conference triumph, moved the Cavs into sixth place with 12 points.  This week, the Cavs have a pair of AMC games, at Cedarville University on Tuesday (7 pm), and home to Notre Dame College on Saturday (7 pm).  The Yellow Jackets are 5-7-1 overall and 2-3-1 in the AMC.  Notre Dame, ranked 14 nationally, stand 11-2 overall and 6-0 in the AMC, good for second place.

Walsh snapped a two-game losing streak their 6-0 AMC whitewash of Malone last Wednesday.  The Cavs led 2-0 at halftime and out shot Malone 23-6.  Ben Truax (Fr., Mansfield, OH/St. Peters), Nathaniel Milhoan (Fr., Hartville, OH/Lake) and Alex Birtcher (Sr., Napoleon, OH/HS) each scored two goals.  Milhoan added an assist, as did Adam Greenwood (Fr., Blackpool, ENG/Lytham St. Annes).  Ben Pflum (Sr., Napoleon, OH/HS) and John Brubach (Fr., Canton, OH/Jackson) combined in goal for the shutout. 

Walsh pulled back to even on the season, with a 2-0 non-conference win over visiting Grace College at home on Saturday.  Ben Truax opened the scoring at the 11:20 mark of the first half on an assist from Alex Birtcher.  Ben Latimer (So., Sunbury, OH/Big Walnut) then tallied an unassisted goal at the 61-minute mark of the second half.  Ben Pflum stopped three shots in goal and recorded the shutout.  Pflum lowered his goals against average to 1.25.

Alex Birtcher leads the Cavs with ten goals and one assist for 21 points.  Ben Truax has four goals and two assists, good for 10 points.

WOMEN'S SOCCER: Cavs (8-5-1, 6-2-1) Split AMC Games/Host Ranked Notre Dame on Saturday

Walsh stayed near the top in the American Mideast Conference, despite going 1-0-1 last week.  Walsh and rival Malone University battled to a 1-1 overtime tie on Tuesday night, before the Cavs notched a 4-1 win at the University of Rio Grande on Saturday.  The Cavs have 19 points and are tied with 21st ranked Notre Dame College, who comes to Walsh on Saturday for a 4 pm AMC match-up.  Houghton leads the AMC with 22 points and owns the tie-breaker over the Cavs.  A win on Saturday over Notre Dame gives the Cavs sole possession of second place.

Malone rallied late in the game, coming back from a 1-0 deficit and sending the match into overtime, with a goal in the final four minutes.  Stephanie Sussman (So., Wadsworth, OH/HS) scored Walsh's lone goal at the 47:00 mark, on an assist by Leah Wilklow (Fr., Rochester, NY/Nazareth Academy).  Jill Zanney (Fr., Brunswick, OH/HS) recorded four saves. 

On Saturday, Walsh scored three second half goals in a 4-1 victory over the Red Storm.  Junior Amanda Patrick (Medina, OH/Cloverleaf) dished out two assists and Mollie Vanover (Fr., Tipp City, OH/Tippecanoe) notched a goal and an assist in the second half.  Stephanie Sussman once again initiated the scoring, tallying Walsh's first half goal at the 14:57 mark on a corner kick.  Leya Spence (Sr., Mansfield, OH/Madison) and Niki Vengrow (Sr., Akron, OH/Firestone) also scored in the second half, on assists from Vanover and Theresa Boyne (Fr., Strongsville, OH/Padua). 

Amanda Patrick leads the Cavs in scoring with 14 points, on three goals and a team-leading eight assists.  Spence has 11 points on four goals and three assists.

VOLLEYBALL: Cavs Lead AMC/at Malone on Wednesday

NAIA No. 25 Walsh (18-8, 7-0) has taken over sole possession of first place in the American Mideast Conference, after winning three conference matches, coupled with Malone's (16-8, 5-1) loss in five games to Cedarville last week.  This week, the Cavs and Pioneers meet at Malone's Osborne Hall in a big AMC match at 7 pm on Wednesday. The Pioneers bested the Cavs, in a non-conference match on September 9 at Walsh. 

Walsh swept NAIA #RV Mount Vernon Nazarene University in three games (25-19, 25-22, and 25-11) on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers were led by middle blocker Hilary Dattilo (5-10, Sr., Mason, OH/HS), with 14 kills and Jessica Schmidt (5-8, Fr., Michigan City, IN/HS) with 43 assists.  Amy Police (5-5, Jr., Perry, OH/HS) and Ashley Yuhas (5-9, So., Elyria, OH/HS) each added nine digs. Megan McDonald (5-10, Sr., Kirkland, IL/Rockford Lutheran) contributed 13 kills.  Erica Parker (6-0, Sr., Concord, OH/Mentor) added eight kills and a match-high five service aces.

Walsh then won twice in upstate New York on Friday (Daemen) and Saturday (Houghton).  Walsh defeated Daemen College in four games (25-15, 25-13, 22-25, 25-15) to start the weekend. Megan McDonald paced the Cavs with 13 kills and 16 digs.  Jessica Schmidt handed out 43 assists and Amy Police led with 19 digs.  Caitlin Whealy (6-2, Sr., Avon Lake, OH/HS) and Megan Kelly (So., Brook Park, OH/Holy Name) each had 11 kills.  Whealy also added 3.5 blocks.  Walsh then swept Houghton in three games (25-9, 25-17, and 25-23) on Saturday.  Megan McDonald paced the Cavs with 16 kills and two blocks.  Jessica Schmidt handed out 33 assists and Amy Police led with 15 digs.  Erica Parker added four aces.  Walsh also earned a forfeit win over SUNY-Canton on Saturday. 

Megan McDonald leads the AMC, averaging 4.0 kills per game.  Erica Parker is fifth in attack percentage (.350).