Raiders Roll Past Georgetown, 34-14
Season-High Rushing Total Aids Solid Defensive Effort; McCarney Moves into Rare Company
By John Painter
(Washington DC – Oct. 26, 2013) That’s nine straight Patriot League wins and counting for Colgate after the Raiders dismantled Georgetown 34-14 on Saturday.
Colgate improved to 2-0 in this year’s conference race and climbed atop the standings alongside Lafayette (more on that later in this story).
Gavin McCarney tossed three touchdown passes for just the second time in his career and also rushed for a score as Colgate compiled a season-high 309 yards on the ground. McCarney’s previous three-TD passing game also came against the Hoyas, last year in Hamilton.
“Coming off last week we had a great first half today,” McCarney said, referencing the comeback at Holy Cross. “We stepped back a little in the third quarter, but the defense helped us out. I’m very pleased with what we’re doing offensively.”
McCarney completed 20 of 28 passes for 248 yards, and added another 109 on the ground. Early Saturday, McCarney topped 5,000 career passing yards to become just the third quarterback in FCS history to eclipse that mark along with 2,500 rushing yards.
The senior from Jefferson Township, N.J., has 5,243 yards through the air and 2,676 on the ground, joining Appalachian State’s Armanti Edwards (2006-09) and Morehead State’s David Dinkins (1997-2000) as the only three to meet both standards.
McCarney topped 300 yards of total offense (359) for the 11th time to extend his Colgate career record. He’s now third in career total offense at 7,919 and fifth in passing.
“He’s a great player,” Colgate head coach Dick Biddle said. “He was a Walter Payton Award candidate last year and he’s a Walter Payton candidate this year in my opinion. We’ve asked him to do much more this year than he did last year and that’s a tribute to him.
“He’s one of the best to ever play at Colgate and he’s going to have a lot of records.”
Taking Care of Business
Colgate’s win was Biddle’s 80th in Patriot League competition against 24 losses. He also improved to 10-1 against Georgetown and avenged the only blemish to that record from two years ago at Multi-Sport Field.
“Any time you win on the road, you’re taking care of business,” Biddle said. “We did the things we needed to do to win. We were able to run the ball and we were able to stop the run. You do that and you’ve got a great chance at winning.”
Colgate scored touchdowns on four of its five first-half possessions, with drives covering 78, 69, 85 and 91 yards. The final march pushed the Raiders in front 27-7 heading into intermission and was capped by McCarney’s 5-yard TD pass to freshman John Maddaluna III.
McCarney found nine different receivers in the game. Maddaluna led the way with seven receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns – all season-high numbers. Brian Lalli added three for 39 and C.J. Stempeck caught his first TD of the season.
“A lot of the older guys are banged up, so I’m just trying to do what I can do,” Maddaluna said. “The line played great and gave Gavin time to sit back and throw the ball. We’ve just got to make plays.”
The offense also got a boost from a healthy Demetrius Russell at tailback. The sophomore has been limited by an ankle injury suffered in practice late last month, but he appeared back to form with 138 rushing yards on 29 tries against the Hoyas.
“Yeah, it felt good,” said Russell, who scored the game’s first TD. “We had a good rhythm going and the O-line just blew them off the ball. The offense goes as far as the offensive line takes it, and they were just blowing them off the ball. We were rolling in that first half.”
Colgate converted six of seven third-down tries during those opening 30 minutes.
Limiting Damage
Sloppy play throughout the third quarter kept the Raiders from riding to a more comfortable margin. For the first three drives of the period, Colgate missed a short field goal, fumbled a punt return attempt and then threw an interception. The latter play set Georgetown up for a short TD drive that trimmed the Raiders’ lead to 27-14 with 2:29 left in the third.
“The only reason the game was anywhere near close was because of mistakes we made in the third quarter that gave them field position,” Biddle said. “Most of the things in this game that hurt us were self-inflicted.
“We need to clean those things up.”
Colgate’s defense limited the damage, holding Georgetown to just 54 rushing yards and 311 total. It’s part of an encouraging trend for the Raiders heading into the heart of their Patriot League schedule.
“We’re gelling as a unit,” said Demitri Diamond, who tied for team tackle honors with nine and also pounced on a fumble. “Each week is about building that cohesiveness and chemistry together. We have great athletes, but that doesn’t mean anything if the guys don’t play together. That’s something we’re focusing on as a unit.”
The season’s first four games saw Colgate allow an average of 334.3 rushing yards, but that number is down to 108.5 over the last four. Not surprisingly, the Raiders have won three of those four.
“It comes down to coaching and getting every guy prepared for every level of the game, from the starters to the backups to the guys on the bench,” Diamond said. “Everyone’s into it and everyone’s focused.”
Vinny Russo tied Diamond with nine tackles and added a sack, while Adam Bridgeforth made eight tackles. Kris Kent and Bobby Stup chipped in five tackles apiece, with Wendell Lewis braking up four passes.
“There were a couple of times we had sudden changes and just went out there with some enthusiasm,” Russo said. “We knew if we stopped the ball, we would be OK.
“No matter where we are on the field, it’s just another chance to play football.”
Saturday’s win improved the Raiders to 3-5 overall and 2-0 in the Patriot League. Georgetown dropped to 1-7 and 0-2.
Colgate’s nine-game winning streak in Patriot League play dates to the end of the 2011 season, when the Raiders defeated Bucknell to finish that year on a positive note. The Bison (3-4, 1-2) are next on Colgate’s schedule and will arrive at Andy Kerr Stadium playing their best football of the season.
While Colgate was knocking off Georgetown, Bucknell was surprising Lehigh in Lewisburg by a 48-10 count. Lafayette also won in impressive fashion with a 41-23 triumph at Holy Cross.
Kickoff next Saturday is 1 p.m.
Raiders Take Care of Lehigh, 1-0
By Kat Castner
(Bethlehem, Pa. – Oct. 26, 2013) Colgate tallied a goal in the 80th minute to hand Lehigh a 1-0 loss Saturday night in a Patriot League women’s soccer matchup.
“Lehigh always plays so tough, and I mean that in a really good way,” Colgate head coach Kathy Brawn said. “They were well-prepared for us and we knew it would be a battle, as they are still fighting for a spot in the tournament.
“This game gave us some specificity of what we need to work on. We know we are in the tournament but we don’t want to rest on that. Everyone’s battling for something different at this point and we want to have momentum heading into the Patriot League Tournament. We want to go into the tournament with good habits and that’s what we will be looking to do.”
Colgate (9-5-1, 5-2-1 PL) received its goal from sophomore Jenna Panepinto, who converted on the penalty kick. Junior captain Caroline Brawner also had some good looks on net for the Raiders, notching two shots on goal throughout the contest. Rookie Brenna Mason recorded three saves in the victory.
Lehigh (4-10-2, 2-6-0 PL) was led by Danielle Salans, who posted six shots in the game. Murphee Greeley also added three shots to the Mountain Hawks total while Ashley Blanks registered four stops.
After a slow opening 30 minutes, the Mountain Hawks earned a good look on net when Salans connected with Katie Centeno. Salans played Centeno the ball in behind the Colgate back four, where the sophomore crossed it into the box finding the foot of Greeley. Before the senior could try her luck on goal, the flag went up for an offside call stopping the play before it could do any damage.
Emily Manoogian gave the Raiders a dangerous chance on net a few minutes later when she sent a free kick from the right side of the field deep into the box. Her cross was grabbed out of the air by Blanks, however, before Colgate could put it away.
With less than 10 minutes to play in the opening 45, Greeley struck the ball towards goal from the top of the 18-yard box. Mason made the routine save though to keep the Mountain Hawks out of the net.
Colgate was back on the attack when Chelsea Roche played the ball into the box from a set piece. Sidney Parodie flicked the cross on with her head but the Raiders couldn’t finish it off as the Mountain Hawks cleared it out and away from danger.
The best chance of the half for either team came went to Colgate with less than two minutes to play. Sophie Lederer teamed up with Klara Jenkins in the middle of the field. The senior captain then found Brawner, who was making a run behind the defense. Brawner took one touch before firing one on goal. Her attempt ricocheted off the crossbar, but gave the Raiders another great look on goal.
Early in the second half Salans found an opening at the top of the box off a free kick. Her driven shot was blocked by Emily Pullen, keeping the Mountain Hawks out of the goal.
A few minutes later, Colgate almost took the lead when Brawner found herself with the ball inside the box. Kelsey Hough started the play by sending a great pass over to Catherine Williams on the wing. The reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year then slotted the ball to Brawner through traffic, where she tried her luck on goal. Her shot to the lower right-hand corner of the net was stopped by Blanks, saving a potential Raider goal.
With 16 minutes remaining in the game, Brawner worked the ball around the top of the box, getting fouled along the way. Roche stepped up to take the free kick and struck a hard driven shot towards net that skimmed off the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
Five minutes later, Pullen played a long ball over to Williams on the left wing. Williams collected the ball out of the air and took two touches before playing it over to Brawner inside the box. Brawner was taken down, which awarded the Raiders a penalty kick opportunity. Panepinto was the player to take it, shooting the ball past Blanks into the left side of the net, lifting the Raiders to a 1-0 advantage.
In the final minute of play Lehigh sent a dangerous cross into the box almost finding the head of Laura Courtney but Mason came jumping out to make the save and to ultimately secure her shutout.
The Mountain Hawks held the advantage on shots 15-10 and on corner kicks 4-1.
Colgate takes the pitch again Tuesday when the Raiders welcome Princeton for their last non-conference game of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Van Doren Field.
Schilling Nets Game-Winner Over Bucknell
By Kat Castner
(Lewisburg, Pa. – Oct. 26, 2013) Junior Tanner Schilling’s first goal of the year was a big one as it lifted the Colgate men’s soccer team 2-1 over Bucknell in a Patriot League matchup on Saturday afternoon.
“I could not be happier for this group,” Colgate head coach Erik Ronning said. “We battled and earned three important points. It is hard to win on the road in this league, and all the credit goes to the players. Even after they scored, we kept battling and believing.
“Now we will move forward and prepare for an important game against Boston U. on Wednesday.”
Colgate shifts to 2-3-1 in the league play with an overall record of 3-11-2. Rookie Ethan Kutler also netted one for the Raiders grabbing his second of the season. Freshman Ricky Brown notched three saves in the victory.
Bucknell (8-5-1, 2-3-1 PL) recorded one goal in the contest, coming 1:10 after Colgate placed one in the back of the net. Jesse Klug scored his seventh of the season on the play. Mike Lansing earned the start in goal for the Bison posting one save.
After a scoreless opening 40 minutes, Schilling notched the game’s first real chance on net when he riffled one off the crossbar. The Coralville, Iowa, native saw an opening and fired the ball towards goal. His attempt looked as though it was going in but ricocheted off the crossbar and out of bounds.
A few minutes later, Zach Pagani tried his luck on net but Lansing came up with the grab before he was able to finish it off.
Kutler and Schilling both tallied hard shots before the break but weren’t able to find the back of the goal.
In the opening minutes of the second 45, the Bison had a good look on net when Klug found an opening. The Raiders held strong on the defensive side, however, coming up with the huge block before the shot was able to do any damage.
Colgate recorded the game’s opening goal in the 59th minute of play. Senior vice captain Nick Arpey sent a through ball to a running Kutler behind the Bucknell back four. The rookie then tapped it in past the keeper and into the back of the net for the 1-0 Raider advantage.
Before Colgate could blink the Bison equalized off a rebound at the 60:03 mark. Brown came up with the initial stop but was unable to field it cleanly as it bounced away from him allowing Klug to finish off the rebound to knot the score at 1-all.
The Raiders didn’t let up as they turned up their offensive pressure in the remaining minutes. Colgate’s efforts paid off when Schilling struck one past Lansing for the game-winner. Schilling started the solo play when he stripped the ball from the Bison back four on the left side of the field. He dribbled towards goal before finding an opening and striking it past the keeper from the corner of the 18-yard box, ultimately securing the Raider victory.
Colgate was able to hold off any Bison attack in the final minutes to grab its second win of conference play.
Bucknell held the slight advantage on shots 9-8 and corners 3-1.
The Raiders are back on Van Doren Field on Wednesday, hosting newly joined PL member Boston U. at 7 p.m.
Colgate’s Furious Comeback Falls Short
Kyle Baun tallied a pair of goals for Colgate against St. Cloud State in a non-league game. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
By Matt Faulkner
(Hamilton, NY – Oct. 26, 2013) The 10th-ranked Huskies jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first period and withstood a furious comeback by the Colgate men’s hockey team to escape campus with a 4-3 win.
Colgate (2-4-1) saw Kyle Baun score two goals with one coming on the power play, while Mike Borkowski added two assists in the tough loss. Darcy Murphy got the Raiders to within two with his first of the season in the middle frame. Eric Mihalik got the start and made eight saves in the first period. Spencer Finney relieved Mihalik in the second and didn’t give up any goals on 25 shots in the next two periods.
St. Cloud (3-0-1) remains unbeaten on the season with Niklas Nevalainen leading the way with three points on a goal and two assists. Ethan Prow added two helpers and Kalle Kossila recorded a goal and an assist. Ryan Faragher posted his third win of the year with 27 stops.
The Huskies came ready to play in the second game of the series and scored four goals in the first 20 minutes. The goals started with a power play goal from Nevalainen with the goal coming two minutes into the game. He fired a shot from the point that got through traffic and beat Mihalik short side. Ryan Papa then increased the lead to 2-0 with a put back on a rebound in front with 11:34 remaining in the opening frame.
Kossila made it 3-0 with 6:46 left in the period. Prow and Joey Benik hooked up with Kossila on a nice tic-tac-toe play in the offensive zone. Colgate then gave up its first shorthanded goal of the season with Nic Dowd scoring on a 2-on-1 chance with Kevin Gravel. The two connected on a give-and-go with Nic Dowd finishing at the far post.
The Raiders forgot the first period as they came out in the second and had moments of domination, outshooting the Huskies 17-12. The pressure resulted in the first goal for Colgate, which was from Baun on the power play. After receiving a cross-ice pass from Borkowski, Tyson Spink went back to Borkowski’s side looking for his brother Tylor Spink, but Baun got in the way. The sophomore was in the right spot and tipped home a shot past Faragher, who committed to the cross-ice pass from Tyson Spink.
Colgate continued to hold the momentum and Murphy put the Raiders to within two at 4-2 with4:20 left in the middle frame. Borkowski was involved again as he slid the puck to Joe Wilson, who found Murphy in the slot. He was able to lift a backhander past Faragher. Murphy almost netted his second of the night after swatting at the puck a couple of times in front, but somehow Faragher made the stop. The play was reviewed, but it was determined to be no goal.
The Raiders kept the pressure on in the third period and Baun scored his second goal of the game, three minutes into the frame. He got a pass up ice from Borkowski and fired a quick wrister from the right circle that beat Faragher under the bar to cut the led to 4-3.
Colgate had a couple of chances late in the game on the power play, but Faragher was able to stop a couple of short range shots to preserve the 4-3 win for St. Cloud.
The Raiders are back in action next weekend at Starr Rink for Silver Puck Weekend, featuring Princeton and Quinnipiac.
Colgate Stands Strong Against No. 5
Junior Brittany Brooks made an impressive 44 saves against nationally-ranked Clarkson Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
By Kat Castner
(Hamilton, NY – Oct. 26, 2013) Despite dropping a 2-0 contest to the Clarkson Golden Knights, the Colgate women’s hockey team played a great defensive game against the No. 5 team in the nation.
“She was phenomenal,” Colgate head coach Greg Fargo said of his netminder’s performance on the day. “She kept us in the game by giving our team a chance to get a goal there in the first two periods to tie it up and that’s all you can ask of your goaltender every night. You just want to give your team a chance to win and for someone who hasn’t seen a whole lot of minutes in her time at Colgate she went in there without fear and competed super hard today. I’m really proud of Brittney.”
Colgate (2-6-0, 0-2-0 ECAC) saw Brittney Brooks made a career-high 44 saves in her first start of the year. Taylor Volpe and Stephanie Giannopoulos led the Raider attack tallying four and two shots throughout the game, respectively.
#5 Clarkson (6-2-1, 1-1-0 ECAC) received goals from Jamie Lee Rattray and Carly Mercer in the first and third period. Erica Howe registered 11 stops in her sixth victory of the season.
In the opening minutes of the game, the Golden Knights fired four shots on target, two of which came from the stick of Mercer, but each time Brooks was there to make the save.
Giannopoulos tallied the Raiders first real chance on net a few minutes later when she saw an opening on goal but Howe came up with the save to push the puck away from danger.
The Golden Knights broke through 8:11 into the period when Rattray intercepted the puck at center ice. She took on a Colgate defender before shooting low to the stick side, past Brooks for the game’s first goal.
Clarkson was on the power play for 1:15 to start the middle frame after the Raiders’ were called for slashing in the closing minute of the first period. Colgate held strong, however, killing off the man-up advantage.
The Raiders had a great look on net when Jocelyn Simpson skated down the right wing with the puck. The senior played it over to rookie Cat Quirion, who shot one-time on net but unfortunately Howe was there to make the stellar stop.
Colgate was called for tripping six minutes into the period and despite a great two great shots from Vanessa Gagnon, Brooks stayed solid in net deflecting any real chance on goal, as the Raiders were able to kill off the Golden Knights’ second extra skater opportunity.
Giannopoulos intercepted the puck a few minutes later and fired a shot on net but Erin Ambrose came sliding in to block the attempt, saving a potential Raider goal.
Colgate was called for two quick penalties, which gave Clarkson a 5-on-3 man-up opportunity with four minutes remaining in the period. The Raiders came up with a great defensive effort led by Nicole Gass and Brooks to kill off both penalties not concede another goal.
Early in the final frame, the Golden Knights extended their advantage to 2-0 after Mercer found the puck in a scramble in front of the net. Just inside the blue line Vanessa Plante fired a shot towards goal. Brooks made the initial stop but wasn’t able to find rebound as Mercer poked the puck in with her stick through traffic.
Colgate looked to break through when they were handed an extra skater opportunity after a Clarkson interference call with 8:42 remaining in the game. The Golden Knights held off any Raider attempt on net ultimately securing their win.
The Raiders take the ice next on Friday and Saturday when they faceoff with #8/9 Quinnipiac and Princeton. Colgate is in Hamden, Conn., on Friday for a 7 p.m. puck drop followed by a matchup with the Tigers on Saturday in Princeton, N.J., at 4 p.m.
Field Hockey Can’t Hold Off Lafayette
By Matt Faulkner
(Easton, Pa. – Oct. 26, 2013) With a chance to stay alive in the hunt for a Patriot League Tournament spot, the Colgate field hockey team had a 2-1 lead at half, but Lafayette came away with the 4-3 win on Saturday.
The Raiders (3-13, 1-4 PL) got goals from Halle Biggar, Katie Sullivan and Whitney Jones. Biggar and Sullivan gave Colgate a 2-0 lead in the first half and Jones scored in the final minute. Amanda DiDomizio posted seven saves in the game.
Lafayette (6-9, 3-2 PL) clinched the final spot in the Patriot League Tournament with the win, joining American, Boston University and Bucknell. Brittany Blass tallied two goals both in the second half to lead the Leopards, including the gamewinner.
Colgate did what they have done all season long, scored first and early. The Raiders jumped out to a 1-0 lead in a must-win game just seven minutes in with Katie Sullivan scoring her second goal of the season. She took a shot that beat the goalie short side.
Biggar increased the lead for the Raiders with her team-leading 11th goal of the season and sixth in the last five games. The senior was able to get by a defender on the endline and took it right to goalie Jessica Duestch for the 2-0 advantage with 15 minutes left in the half.
Lafayette got one back before the half to cut the lead to 2-1 as Kelsee Gula dove to deflect a pass in front of DiDomizio for the score. Haley Keenan put the pass into the middle and Gula sprawled out to make the redirection work and got the Leopards on the board.
The Leopards came all the way back to tie the game at 2-2 in the first three minutes of the second half with a shot by Kelsey Meade from the center of the circle. The ball got under the stretched out pad of DiDomizio to knot the game. Lafayette took its first lead of the game with just under 20 minutes remaining with a shot from Brittany Blass on a penalty corner to take the 3-2 lead.
Blass then added another score, which turned out to be a big one to make it 4-2 with less than two minutes remaining in the game. The deflections continued as Blass put a pass through the pads of DiDomizio for the two-goal advantage.
Colgate tried to get back in the match with Jones scoring on a penalty corner on a nice redirection in front to cut the lead down to 4-3, but the goal came with 12 seconds left in the game and the clock ran out as Lafayette earned the win.
Colgate will close out the season next weekend as the Raiders travel to Holy Cross.
Pictured: Allie Dyer had 14 digs in Colgate’s 3-0 win over Lafayette Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Bob Cornell)