Paul Messana ’17 helped the Men’s Cross Country team take first place in its host invitational on Saturday.
Claremont, Calif. (October 6, 2014) This week in Sagehens Athletics saw the Men’s Cross Country win its own invitational, the Volleyball team go 3-0, and the Men’s Soccer and Women’s Soccer teams both take sole possession of first place in the SCIAC with 2-0 weeks.
Men’s Cross Country easily defeated the competition at its sixth annual Invitational, finishing with 35 points, while the two teams tied for second (Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Marcos) with 70 points. Paul Messana ’17 earned a top-10 finish by crossing the line in ninth place overall out of 182 runners with a time of 25:41.9. On the women’s side, Camille Matonis ’15 earned a top-20 finish with a time of 22:58.1, good for 17th place.
Volleyball went 3-0 on the week, defeating Redlands 3-0, Chapman 3-1 and Caltech 3-0. Samantha Quesada-Diaz ’17 had a big week with 10 kills in both the Chapman and Caltech matches, while tallying a total of 22 kills in 40 attempts, including .909 (10-11) in the Caltech match. Ellen Yamasaki ’15 also had 10 kills against Chapman, as well as 16 digs. The Sagehens host three matches this weekend out of the SCIAC as part of the La Verne Invitational.
Men’s Soccer improved to 5-1-1 in the SCIAC with a pair of 1-0 wins, defeating Chapman on Monday and Caltech on Wednesday. Andrew Lind ’14 set up the game-winning goal against Chapman with a 50-yard pass that put teammate Voja Maric PO ’17 in alone behind the defense. The Sagehens host Cal Lutheran on Wednesday and La Verne on Saturday as they will look to defend their home turf and remain in first in the conference.
Women’s Soccer also moved into first place in the SCIAC with two wins, defeating Chapman 2-1 on Wednesday and then edging Whittier 1-0 on Saturday. Sofia Barsher ’18 scored the first goal of the match against Chapman to stake the Sagehens to an early lead that they would not relinquish. Nicola Ying Fry ’16 and Sara Ach ’15 earned starts as well, while Lindsay Piwinski ’18 and Mary Stafford ’16 earned significant playing time. Women’s Soccer will travel to CMS on Wednesday in a battle between the top two teams in the conference standings, then host UC Santa Cruz on Friday and travel to La Verne on Saturday.
Men’s Water Polo hosted the annual Gary Troyer Memorial Tournament and went 2-2, defeating Division I Iona 14-12 and Washington & Jefferson 9-7, while falling in close contests to No. 18 Harvard (7-3) and Fresno Pacific (7-5). Daniel Diemer ’18 capped off the weekend with a strong effort in goal for the Sagehens, tallying 11 saves in the win over Washington & Jefferson. Stephen Vint ’15 had five goals on the weekend, including two apiece against Iona and Fresno Pacific, while Timothy Hardman ’17 had three, including two in the Washington & Jefferson win. The Sagehens will host Mercyhurst on Friday evening in a non-league match.
Football dropped its SCIAC opener to Redlands, but received another solid performance from linebacker Nick Urban ’17, who had 10 tackles. Cameron Tyus ’18 added three tackles and Bulolo Jonga ’17 added two (one for a loss) to help the defense, while Sean Mulcahy ’16, Colton Coss ’17, and Robert “Bobby” Ciafullo ’18 started on the offensive line, with Mulcahy catching two passes as a tight end. The Sagehens travel to Chapman this weekend for a 7 p.m. contest.
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This Week’s Schedule
Home Events In Bold
Wednesday, Oct. 8
Men’s Soccer vs. Cal Lutheran (H), 4 p.m.
Women’s Soccer at CMS, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 10
Women’s Soccer vs. UC Santa Cruz (H), 4 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Nazareth (H), 6:30 p.m.
Men’s Water Polo vs. Mercyhurst (H), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 11
Men’s Soccer vs. La Verne (H), 11 a.m.
Volleyball vs. Widener (H), 11 a.m.
Volleyball vs. Endicott (H), 4 p.m.
Women’s Soccer at La Verne, 7 p.m.
Football at Chapman, 7 p.m.
