Kevin O’Connell caught a 35-yard touchdown pass for Colgate against
Bucknell Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Bob Cornell)
Raiders Fall 28-7 to Bucknell
Patriot League Title Still Within Reach; Colgate Needs Wins Next Two Weeks over Lafayette, Lehigh
By John Painter
(Hamilton, NY – Nov. 2, 2013) Colgate didn’t damage its Patriot League title hopes with Saturday’s 28-7 loss to Bucknell, but the bruises may be felt for a while.
The Raiders were held to just 194 total yards in losing for the first time at home to Bucknell since 1999. Colgate had won six consecutive against the Bison at Andy Kerr Stadium and six straight overall in the series.
Colgate’s nine-game Patriot League winning streak dating to 2011 also came to an end.
“Give Bucknell credit,” Raiders head coach Dick Biddle said. “They came to play, they hit, they played with enthusiasm, they played with a purpose and they were well-coached. I did not do a very good job. Our team was not prepared to play and then we got a few guys banged up.”
Senior wide receiver Dan Cason was injured in the first half and is lost for the remainder of the season. Among the other injuries – defensive back Wendell Lewis did not finish the game and quarterback Gavin McCarney was banged up and missed some playing time early in the second quarter.
McCarney never appeared to be 100 percent after his return, although the Bison defense gets plenty of credit on that account.
Trailing 10-7 at halftime, Colgate in its first three series to start the second half stayed on offense for one play, four plays and one play while Bucknell was tacking on the game’s final 18 points. The Raiders in the third quarter had the ball for just 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Time of possession for the game was 38:37 to 21:23 in the Bison’s favor.
“We’re in a situation where we can’t make any mistakes and get ourselves in a hole,” Biddle said. “We had a fumble and an interception and then we get a penalty – bang, bang, bang – and we can’t recover. We’re down in numbers and we’re not a good enough football team to overcome those mistakes.”
Bucknell, meanwhile, solidified its status as perhaps the Patriot League’s top team at the moment. The Bison won their third straight to level their record at 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the Patriot League. They still need help to claim the title, though, after a pair of earlier losses to Lafayette and Holy Cross.
Colgate is now 3-6 overall following its fourth home loss in as many tries. The Raiders are 2-1 in conference play and still control their fate in the title race heading into next week’s game at Lafayette (3-5, 3-0). Lehigh (6-2, 1-1) visits Hamilton Nov. 16.
Helter-Skelter Offense
Bucknell built a 10-0 lead on Derek Maurer’s 28-yard field goal in the first quarter and quarterback Brandon Wesley’s 1-yard bootleg midway in the second. But the Raiders rallied for their best football of the day and nearly scored twice before the halftime horn.
McCarney capped a six-play, 65-yard drive by hitting Kevin O’Connell on a 35-yard post pattern TD that cut the lead to 10-7 with 3:13 left before intermission. Colgate got the ball back with2:08 left and drove another 52 yards to the Bucknell 26 before the clock ran out.
“At halftime, we had a shot because it was a one-possession game,” Biddle said. “But we never could generate anything on offense. We were too helter-skelter.”
Colgate’s game rushing total of 36 yards was its lowest of the season by far (previous 113 vs. Stony Brook). Only three Raiders carried the ball, led by Demetrius Russell with 10 attempts for 21 yards, Jake Melville added three for 9 yard in relief of McCarney, who toted it 10 times for 6 yards.
McCarney was 11-of-14 passing in the first half for 133 yards before finishing 16-of-24 for 158. Saturday, the senior became the just the third player in Colgate history to top 8,000 yards of total offense. His total of 8,101 stands 431 yards behind second-place Steve Calabria (1981-84) at 8,532. Ryan Vena (1996-99) is first with 9,435.
Nat Bellamy was the favorite Colgate receiver, posting six catches for 61 yards. Russell added four for 29, with O’Connell, Ed Pavalko and John Quazza catching two apiece.
Mike Armiento led the Raiders in tackles for the fourth time this season, posting nine solos and 12 overall stops. Kris Kent was next with 11, and Austin Dier and Kyle Diener added eight apiece.
“Obviously, it’s a disappointing loss,” said Dier, who had a 2-yard sack. “Give credit to Bucknell; they came out and played more physically than we did, controlled the clock and played good defense.
“It is nice that we still control our own destiny. We’ve just got to get rolling and come out against Lafayette and be more physical. We just weren’t very physical up front on either side today.”
Colgate’s game at Lafayette kicks off at 3:30 p.m. The Raiders then host Lehigh and Fordham to close out the campaign pending a postseason berth.
“If we win the next two – we’ll see what happens,” Biddle said.
Raider Reel: Saturday was an Ependymoma Awareness Game sponsored by Colgate’s Uplifting Athletes chapter. Six-year-old Colin Hayward has survived the rare type of brain cancer, and Saturday he and his family were the team’s special guests all day. Family members in attendance with Colin were father, Ian Hayward; mother, Tamika Toland; and 10-year-old brother, Aidan.
Colgate Overtakes Army for 7th-Straight Win
Volleyball Has Won 20 Sets in a Row
By Matt Faulkner
(West Point, NY – Nov. 2, 2013) In pivotal match with tournament implications in the Patriot League, the Colgate women’s volleyball team left no doubt it is one of the top squads in the league with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) sweep of Army on its home court.
The Raiders (18-7, 10-1 PL) continue to roll into November and it looks like no team can stop them. Diane Seely and Lindsay Young led the offense with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Kaylee Fifer added 32 assists, while Allie Dyer posted 17 digs. Kathleen Harris had seven kills from the backline, along with 16 digs.
Army (12-10, 9-3 PL) was led by Kerry Horan with 11 kills and Vanessa Edwards added 33 helpers and 10 digs. D.J. Phee had a team-high 15 digs.
“I am really pleased with our serving and defense,” head coach Ryan Baker said. “Our game got better as the match went on, which is a testament to the type of team we are. This was a huge win for our team against well-coached Army team. Allie Dyer, Caitlin Cremin and Lexi Finger were outstanding from the backline.”
In the opening set, Colgate took an 8-5 lead with a small run with kills by Kenzie Hume and Harris. The Black Knights fought back and earned a 16-14 lead with three-straight kills. The lead didn’t last long as the Raiders climbed back in front with a 5-1 run with kills from three different players, along with an ace from Cremin to make it 19-17. That two point lead was never relinquished and Colgate took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-21 win.
The Black Knights erased an early deficit in the second set and the teams were tied at 9-9. However, the grabbed the momentum back to take a 12-9 lead with kills by Young and Kate Reilly and a Fifer ace. Colgate held off a couple of Army chances to get back in the set and then opened up a five-point lead at 20-15 after a strike by Harris. The Raiders put away the set with Fifer adding a kill to win the set, 25-18, and Colgate took a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
The teams traded points in the first 20 points of the third set and it was tied at 10-10. The Raiders took the set by the horns with four-straight to open up a 14-10 lead. Once again it was a team effort with three kills by three different players to get the advantage. The run continued with bad play from the Black Knights and Colgate took a 19-12 lead and Army couldn’t recover. The Raiders scored the final four points of the set to earn the 25-17 win and take home the sweep.
Raiders Stay In Post Season Hunt With Win
O’Neill Nets Game Winner and First of Career in 2-0 Victory over Lehigh
By Kat Castner
(Bethlehem, Pa. – Nov. 2, 2013) Rookie Colin O’Neill notched his first career goal and game winner in Colgate’s 2-0 victory over Lehigh on Saturday night in this men’s soccer matchup.
“Great overall effort by everyone tonight,” Colgate head coach Erik Ronning said. “The team understood the importance of the game, played with urgency throughout, and delivered a huge win on a field that is very difficult to get a result at.
“It was a must win game and we have another one of those on Saturday verse a very strong American team. We are all looking forward to the challenge.”
With the win, the Raiders stay in the hunt for a post-season berth. Heading into the final week of the regular season Colgate currently holds the final spot in the Patriot League tournament with a league record of 3-4-1.
Colgate (4-12-3) registered two goals in the second 45 minutes to earn the win. O’Neill and Evan Heroux were the two Raiders to get on the stat sheet with their first and third marker of the year, respectively. Ricky Brown and Liam Stapleton split time in net for the Raiders. Stapleton earned the start making two saves in the first half while Brown finished the game posting four saves.
Lehigh (2-13-1, 1-7-0 PL) was led by James Meyerkord, who tallied two shots in the contest. The Mountain Hawks saw Jacob Gottwald play the majority of the game, making seven saves before Kevin Motylewski came in for relief.
Despite a scoreless first half, Colgate held the advantage on shots 13-5.
In the 16th minute of play Barrett Metzger found an opening on net following a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. His attempt, however, was saved by Gottwald to keep the game goalless.
A few minutes later Lehigh fouled Colgate in the box, awarding the Raiders a penalty kick opportunity. Rookie Zach Pagani stepped up and fired a hard shot on net that Gottwald pushed off the crossbar and back into play. Pagani tried finding the goal again on the rebound but his shot was again saved by Gottwald
Early in the second 45 minutes, O’Neill beat three defenders before striking one at the top of the 18 into the lower right-hand corner of the goal, lifting Colgate to the 1-0 advantage.
In the 62nd minutes, Heroux extended the Raider advantage to 2-0. Pagani found Heroux inside the box, where the junior shot into the right-hand corner of the net ultimately securing the Colgate victory.
The Raiders held strong in the remaining minutes to grab their third win in league play.
Colgate held the advantage on shots 16-11 and on corner kicks 2-1.
The Raiders are back on Van Doren Field on Saturday for their last regular season matchup against American at 4 p.m. Prior to the game the team will acknowledge five senior players.
Simpson, Drubel Tally Markers in Loss
Colgate Falls 6-2 to Princeton in ECAC Hockey Matchup
By Kat Castner
(Princeton, NJ – Nov. 2, 2013) Both Jocelyn Simpson and Miriam Drubel added to their season goal total by netting markers in Colgate women’s hockey’s matchup with Princetonon Saturday afternoon, but it was the Tigers who notched the 6-2 win.
Colgate (2-8-0, 0-4-0 ECAC Hockey) received goals from Simpson and Drubel throughout the contest. Simpson also recorded a helper on Drubel’s marker along with rookie Kayla Haus. Susan Allen posted 20 saves, including a game-high 10 in the final frame.
Princeton (2-2-0, 2-2-0 ECAC Hockey) saw Rose Alleva register two of its six goals in the game. Olivia Mucha, Jaimie McDonell, Cassidy Tucker, and Ali Pankowski also added to the Tigers’ total with markers in the contest. Ashley Holt notched her first win of the season after making 20 stops as the netminder.
Following a scoreless opening period, the Raiders tallied the game’s first goal when Simpson shot into the top corner past Holt, following a beautiful pass from Rachel Walsh. The marker gave Colgate the 1-0 advantage 10 minutes into the middle frame.
Early in the final period Mucha’s goal knotted the score at 1-all when she placed one past Allen 1:50 into the frame.
The Tigers grabbed the go-ahead goal just 1:21 later when McDonell found the back of the net.
The Raiders would not go away, however, as Drubel’s goal evened the score at the6:08 mark. The played originated after a series of great Colgate chances. Drubel saw an opening and fired one past Holt for her team-leading fourth of the year.
Under two minutes later the Tigers took back their one-goal lead following a short-handed breakaway tally from Tucker.
Colgate was on the attack 9:19 into the period when it was on the power play after a Princeton tripping penalty. Despite some good looks on net Colgate was unable to find the equalizer.
The Tigers grabbed three more goals, including two on an empty net in the final minutes of action to ultimately secure their victory.
Colgate was 0-for-2 on the power play with Princeton going 0-for-1. The Tigers held the advantage on shots 26-22.
The Raiders are back in action Friday and Saturday when they host Union and Rensselaer in Starr Rink. Friday’s game against Union is scheduled for a 7 p.m. puck drop followed by Saturday’s match against Rensselaer at 4 p.m.
Colgate Secures Third Seed in PL Tournament
Raiders Earn 2-1 Come From Behind Victory on Senior Day
By Kat Castner
(Hamilton, NY – Nov. 2, 2013) Six special Colgate women’s soccer seniors did not only have a 2-1 victory over American to celebrate on Saturday night, but they also got to enjoy locking in the third seed for the upcoming Patriot League Tournament.
“It was really just a matter of sticking with our game plan,” Colgate head coach Kathy Brawn said. “We cranked things up a little bit after we went down because we didn’t want to lose what we had gone out to do and we were able to bring home a win for our seniors tonight.”
With the win, the No. 3 Raiders will host the No. 6 seeded Bucknell Bison in a quarterfinal game on Van Doren Field on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“That was a big part of the goal going in,” Brawn said of the senior day victory. “It was also our last regular season game on Van Doren Field, which was a little bit of an emotional thing. We just wanted the whole thing to be wrapped up nicely and to take some momentum into Tuesday’s game.”
The night’s honorary coach and Colgate’s current Dean of Admission, Gary Ross, watched his Raiders (10-6-1, 6-2-1 PL) receive two goals from Emily Manoogian andSarah Coy. Rookie Brenna Mason was solid in net again for Colgate making four saves throughout the contest.
American (6-11-1, 4-4-1 PL) tallied its lone goal in the 43rd minute thanks to Kelly Donovan’s marker. Junior goalie Charlene Belanger came up with five stops in the loss. The Eagles finish as the No. 5 seed in the tournament and will travel to No. 4 Army on Tuesday.
The Raiders jumped out to a solid start just two minutes into the game when they had a great look on net. Following a short corner kick, Manoogian played a simple pass over to senior captain Kelsey Hough, who then found fellow captain Caroline Brawner inside the box. The junior sent the ball across the face of the goal but Colgate was unable to finish it off.
With less than 30 minutes to play, American tested Mason when MacKenzie Kerrgan sent a deep corner kick into the back of the box. Her attempt was denied by Mason, however, as she came jumping up to push the shot out of play.
On the next possession Mason came up big yet again when she made a goal saving stop on Kirsten Eriksen’s header. The rookie just got her hand on the shot to keep the Eagles out of the goal.
A few minutes later Jenna Panepinto beat two defenders on the right side of the field, earning herself a breakaway. She saw an opening and fired a shot towards goal from outside the 18-yard box but Belanger was able to come up with the save.
The Raiders earned another corner kick opportunity with 22 minutes to play in the half. Hough found herself with the ball and struck it on frame. Belanger made a kick save on her initial shot and then fell on the rebound before Catherine Williams was able to put it away.
Brawner started another Raider attack when she flicked the ball over the Eagles back four to a running Coy with less than 20 minutes to play in the opening 45 minutes. The freshman collected the ball and then beat her defender with some great footwork before sending a cross from the end line to a waiting Williams on the back post. The reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year couldn’t redirect her volleyed attempt on goal as Belanger grabbed the shot.
Two minutes before halftime the Eagles took the 1-0 advantage following a shot that took an unlucky Raider bounce. Michaela Garcia crossed the ball into the back of the box, finding the foot of Kelly Donovan. The sophomore shot one-time towards goal and with the help a deflection from a Raider player found the back of the net.
Early in the second half, Taryn Tomczyk tried to equalize when she collected a loose ball inside the 18. She fired a low driven shot but it sailed just wide of the goal.
In the 55th minute Colgate knotted the score at 1-all when Manoogian placed one past Belanger. Williams started the play by beating two defenders at the top of the box. She then found an opening and sent a through ball into Manoogian, who one-timed it into the lower left-hand corner.
There was less than 15 minutes to play when Lexi Panepinto earned a great look on net. The sophomore made a great turn with the ball inside the box and struck it towards goal. Belanger, however, came up with a brilliant save to push it out for a corner.
As the clock hit the 80th minute, it was Coy who tallied the game-winner, ultimately securing the Raiders 2-1 victory. Coy sent a cross into the 18 from the right side of the field that took a deflection off an Eagles defender and into the back of the net.
The Raiders held strong in the final 10 minutes to take the come from behind win.
Colgate outshot American 17-13 and held the advantage on corner kicks 8-3.
The Raiders next host Bucknell on Tuesday for a Patriot League quarterfinal matchup on Van Doren Field at 7 p.m.
Raiders Victorious in Final Game
Seniors Gibson & Biggar Score in Last Career Game
By Matt Faulkner
(Worcester, Mass. – Nov. 2, 2013) The Raiders scored three unanswered goals, including two late in the first half to earn a 3-1 win at Holy Cross in field hockey’s final game of the 2013 season.
The Raiders (4-13, 2-4 PL) sent its seniors off on a high note with the win. Meredith Gibson and Halle Biggar both scored in their final game, while Eliana Brown tallied her 11th of the season, which finishes one behind Biggar for the team best. Amanda DiDomizio wasn’t challenged much during the game and made six stops to earn the victory.
Holy Cross (5-12, 1-5 PL) also played its final game of the season as both teams didn’t make the Patriot League Tournament. The Crusaders got their lone goal from Katy Cronin with an assist to Carly Grimaudo. Kate Matchett got the start in net and made 12 stops.
Holy Cross took the early lead just under eight minutes into the game with Cronin scoring on a breakaway after being set up nicely by Grimaudo with a pass from the midfield to Cronin for her fifth of the season.
Colgate answered with two goals in the final 13 minutes to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. The tying score came from Gibson off a rebound in front. Brown fired a shot on net that Matchett pushed aside, but Gibson put home the rebound during a scramble in front to tie the game at 1-1 with 12:25 left in the half.
Biggar gave the Raiders their first lead of the contest with 3:48remaining in the opening half. Once again it was a tough goal in front with Biggar and her teammates fighting through a scramble. The ball squirting out to Biggar, who was to the left of the traffic and she hit the open net.
The Raiders had a 9-5 lead in shots at the half and did not allow Holy Cross a single penalty corner the entire opening 35 minutes.
Colgate continued to keep the ball on its offensive side of the field and it paid off with a blast from the top of the circle from Brown to give the Raiders some much-needed insurance at 3-1 with 14 minutes left. It was a nice counter attack that resulted in the goal and Biggar did a nice job getting in the way of Matchett to block her vision on the goal.
The Raiders were able to keep Holy Cross off the board the rest of the way to earn the 3-1 win. Colgate outshot the Crusaders 18-13 and had a 6-2 advantage in corners.
Raiders Keep Rolling
Volleyball Extends Win Streak to Eight
By Matt Faulkner
(Worcester, Mass. – Nov. 3, 2013) The Colgate women’s volleyball team kept its set streak alive thanks to a come-from-behind win in the third as the Raiders defeated Holy Cross by a 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 28-26) score.
The Raiders (19-6, 11-1 PL) were down 23-14 in the third set and responded with a 14-3 run to come all the way back to earn the 28-26 win.
Colgate has now won 23 consecutive sets, which dates back to the Loyola match at home on Oct. 12. The Raiders move to 7-2 on the road with the win and is unbeaten away from Cotterell Court in conference play at 6-0.
“Wins come in all different shapes and sizes,” head coach Ryan Baker said. “This certainly wasn’t our best performance, but we found a way to win. Jackie Macy did a great job coming in and settling the match down.”
Kathleen Harris led the way with a double-double on 11 kills and 10 digs. Kaylee Fifer added 21 helpers and Caitlin Cremin posted 14 digs. A big difference in the match was Colgate’s 22.1 hitting percentage to the Crusaders’ three percent efficiency at the net.
Holy Cross (7-17, 2-12) was led by Mandy Sifferlen, who recorded seven kills and Katie McKernan added 18 assists and three aces. Emily Popp was the leader on the backline with 13 digs.
The Raiders jumped out to an early 12-4 lead and had a quick 8-1 run that helped the cause. Diane Seely had three of her seven kills on the day in the first 12 points, while Allie Dyer, Macy and Harris had aces. The Crusaders climbed back in the set with five consecutive points to cut the Colgate advantage down to 16-12. Seely then added two more kills and contributed to the 22-13 lead, but Holy Cross chipped away once again. The Crusaders got to within four points, however three errors down the stretch did them in and Colgate took the 1-0 lead with a 25-18 win.
In the second set, the Raiders kept the momentum and earned a 15-7 advantage thanks to a 7-1 run with kills from Lindsay Young and Kenzie Hume, while Lexi Finger got on the stat sheet with an ace. Holy Cross had no answer for Colgate after the fast start and the Raiders cruised to a 25-12 win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The drama in the third set began with the score 23-14 in favor of the Crusaders.
Holy Cross had no answer for the Raiders during a run of seven consecutive points, which cut the lead to 23-21. Kate Reilly and Young had some big strikes to get Colgate back in the game. The Crusaders were able to get set point at 24-21, but couldn’t close out the Raiders.
The set continued with four-straight points, highlighted by another ace from Finger and a pair of errors from Holy Cross. Colgate had match point at 25-24 and then lost it after two quick points from the Crusaders. With the set on the line, Harris and Reilly delivered two strikes to get match point back and then Emily Oliver’s attack sailed over the heads of the Raiders to give Colgate the 28-26 win and the sweep.
“The third set comeback was really impressive,” Baker said. “We got some big swings at crucial times, which is what was needed.”
Colgate is back at home next weekend as the Raiders face Navy and Lehigh in the final home matches of the regular season.