This Week in Walsh University Athletics
Monday, October 26, 2009
Mon. 26
This Week in Walsh University Athletics (FOX Sports 1350 AM)
Tues. 27
Women's Soccer at Cedarville University 4:30 pm
Men's Soccer at Cedarville University 7 pm
Volleyball at Cedarville University 7 pm
Thurs. 29
Football (H) St. Xavier University 6 pm (AM 900 WCER, NewsTalk 640 WHLO)
Volleyball (H) Lake Erie College 7 pm
Sat. 31
Women's Soccer (H) Carlow University 1 pm
Men's Soccer (H) University of Rio Grande 7 pm
Volleyball Daemen/at University of NW Ohio 1/3 pm
FOOTBALL: Cavs (6-2, 3-1) Return Gallagher Trophy to Walsh, Defense, Special Teams Key Win at Malone, Williams Earns Special Teams Player of Week Honors
NAIA No. 20 Walsh (6-2, 3-1) proudly returned the Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy to campus, after defeating rival Malone University 31-14 in a Mid States Football Association Mideast game last Saturday at Fawcett Stadium. The Cavs kept their post season hopes alive with the win, while also snapping a three-game skid against the rival Pioneers. This week, they play Thursday night against high-scoring Saint Xavier University in a key MSFA match-up at 6 pm at Fawcett Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on AM 900 WCER (www.wcer.us), and on NewsTalk 640 WHLO (www.640whlo.com), starting at 5:45 pm with the pregame show.
Walsh's defense, special teams and a third quarter explosion keyed the come-from-behind win over Malone. Walsh scored 24 unanswered points to erase a 14-7 halftime deficit. Walsh held Malone to 105 yards total offense and six first downs in the second half. Walsh also controlled the clock, holding the football for over 21 minutes in the second half.
Walsh drove 99 yards in 12 plays on their first possession to take the early lead when Joe Morgan (Jr., Canton, OH/McKinley/Illinois) caught a 20-yard TD pass from Jim Shiplett (So., Canal Fulton, OH/Northwest). The point after gave the Cavs a 7-0 lead. Malone answered the Walsh score on their next possession and tied the game at 7-7 on a one-yard TD run. The drive was set-up by a 60-yard kick return. Malone then grabbed the halftime lead (14-7) on another one-yard plunge with four minutes to play in the half.
The second half was all Walsh. With the fans barely settled back into their seats, Brian Williams (Sr., Canton, OH/McKinley) returned the second half kick-off 87 yards to the Malone five-yard line. Clinton Blossomgame (Jr., Columbus, OH/Beechcroft), then scored on a five-yard run to close the Cavs to within a point. Eric Buchanan's (Jr., Green Cove Springs, FL/Clay) point after then tied the game at 14-14. Malone fumbled the ensuing kick-off, but Walsh failed to capitalize when Buchanan missed from 40 yards out. After Malone went three and out, Walsh marched 42 yards in 12 plays and regained the lead at 17-14 on a 42-yard Buchanan field goal with 5:276 to play in the quarter. Walsh would add two more scores in the third quarter, the first on an eight-yard run by Toba Olarewaju (R-Fr., Youngstown, OH/Christian) with 1:13 to play which put Walsh on top 24-14 after Buchanan's PAT. On Malone's next possession, Justin Brown (Fr., Youngstown, OH/Ursuline) picked-up a Malone fumble and raced 23 yards to pay-dirt with eight seconds left in the quarter to give Walsh a commanding 31-14 lead. Neither side would score in the fourth quarter.
Clinton Blossomgame rushed for 103 tough yards, but had plenty of help. Toba Olarewaju rushed for 57 yards, Joe Morgan 38 yards on an end around, Robert Wigfall (R-Fr., Youngstown, OH/Hubbard) 36 yards and Kevin Beichler (Jr., Orrville, OH/Smithville) carried once for 26 yards. Walsh rushed for 257 yards. Brian Williams earned MSFA Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Williams returned three punts for 64 yards, with a long of 32 and the second half kick-off for 87 yards.
Mike Welce (Jr., Columbiana, OH/HS) and Aaron Donze (So., Stow, OH/Tallmadge) led the attacking defense, which forced three fumbles, and recorded seven sacks. Walsh held Malone to 276 yards total offense.
Walsh meets MSFA Mideast co-leader Saint Xavier University this Thursday night. The Cougars are 9-0 overall and 5-0 in the Mideast. They are averaging 51.4 points per game and have scored 66 points in each of their last two wins. They lead the MSFA in scoring and are third overall in the NAIA. They have scored 50 points or more in a single game seven times. They are currently ranked number eight, but should move-up when the latest poll is released today. After scoring 66 points against Malone on 10/17, they repeated the effort in a 66-6 thrashing of Iowa Wesleyan last Saturday. The Cougars led 52-0 at halftime. The big play offense recorded three touchdowns of over 35 yards and returned a punt 52 yards for a score. Quarterback Anthony Kropp passed for 267 yards and five TDs. He leads the NAIA with 34 TD passes. Mike Maher has caught 12 TD passes and Xavier Torres 11. The Cougars are averaging 524.6 yards per game total offense, over 335 coming through the air. Saint Xavier leads the all-time series 3-2 and has won the last three games.
Clinton Blossomgame leads the MSFA and NAIA in rushing with 1,267 yards. He leads the MSFA and is tied for the lead in the NAIA with 15 TDs. Blossomgame leads the MSFA and is second in the NAIA in rushing yards per game at 158.4. Brian Williams is second in the MSFA and sixth in the NAIA in kick return average (30.0). Mike Welce in second in the MSFA with eight sacks.
CROSS COUNTRY:
Men: Cavs Second in Walsh Invitational
The men’s cross country team finished second in their final home meet of the season in the Walsh Invitational this past Saturday. Their “A” team finished with a score of 58 points. Rival Malone easily took the event finishing with 19 points. Others in the race were Hiram College and Geneva College who tied for third with 91 points, Point Park who finished fifth with 122 points, and Walsh’s “B” squad placing sixth with 154 points.
Matt Long (Sr., Mogadore, OH/HS) crossed the finish line first for the Cavs at 27:48 and seventh place overall. The rest of the first team wasn’t too far behind with the Luke Immel (Jr., Sugarcreek, OH/Garaway) finishing second for Walsh with a time of 28:04, good for 13th overall. Jordan Groubert (Fr., Hartville, OH/Lake) finished third for the team and 15th overall with a time of 28:34. He was immediately followed by Dan Bauman (So., Paris, OH/St. Thomas Aquinas) at 28:45 and Phil Kress (So., Canton, OH/St. Thomas Aquinas) at 28:50 to round out the team scoring at 16th and 17th overall. Also on running for the first squad was Adam Hrdlicka (Jr., Lakewood, OH/HS) finishing 19th overall with a time of 29:03.
The “B” team was led by Kevin Sellers (Fr., Canton, OH/Central Catholic) with a time of 29:29, good for 21st overall. Following were Lukas Slipski (Fr., Canfield, OH/HS) at 29:53, Adam Stilgenbauer (Fr., New Philadelphia, OH/Tusky Central Catholic) at 30:43, Nick Reed (So., Wadsworth, OH/Hoban) at 31:29, and Caleb Stevanhajon (Fr., Manchester, OH/HS) at 32:55.
The cross country team will next compete at the AMC championships Saturday, Nov. 7 at Cedarville University with a scheduled start time of 9:30 a.m.
WOMEN: Cavs Third in Invitational
Walsh's women finished third in a pack of eights schools at the Walsh Invitational this past Saturday. The Cavaliers totaled 86 points, just two shy of second place held by Ashland University. Malone won the event with a clean sweep of the top five runners.
Finishing first for Walsh and 16th overall was Katie Laughlin (So., Malvern, OH/Canton South) with a time of 20:16. Nicole Culler (So., Beloit, OH/West Branch) was second with a time of 20:39, good for 20th. Others scoring points for the Cavaliers were Kim Swartz (Fr., Tiffin, OH/Tiffin Calvert) at 26th overall with a time of 20:53, Megan Case (Jr., Louisville, OH/HS) at 32nd with a time of 21:09 and Lisa Yoder (Fr., Cortland, OH/Maplewood) with a time of 21:12.
Others running for the Cavs were Amber Cross (Fr., Mineral Ridge, OH/HS) at 34th with a time of 21:19, Kristen LeFever (Sr., Alliance, OH/Marlington) at 40th with a time of 21:41, Rachelle Miller (So., Uniontown, OH/Lake) at 45th with a time of 21:56, Emily DePalmo (Fr., Minerva, OH/HS) at 47th with a time of 21:58, Tara Smith (Fr., Sugarcreek, OH/Garaway) at 53rd with a time of 22:44, Ashley Smith (So., Norwalk, OH/St. Paul) at 57th with a time of 23:15, Brittany Wile (Fr., Hudson, OH/HS) at 60th with a time of 23:40, Melissa Moziejko (Jr., Columbiana, OH/Bishop Hartley) at 61st with a time of 23:44, Kelly Vigars (Fr., Uniontown, OH/Lake) at 67th with a time of 24:35, and Erin Clark (So., Stow, OH/Hoban) at 82nd with a time of 28:47.
The cross country team will next compete at the AMC championships Saturday, Nov. 7 at Cedarville University with a scheduled start time of 9:30 a.m.
MEN'S SOCCER: Cavs Roll to Fifth Straight Conference Win
Walsh (10-5, 5-3) crept closer to an American Mideast Conference playoff berth with two more conference wins last week. Walsh won at Point Park University 4-1, and then came from behind to defeat Mount Vernon Nazarene University 3-2 in a thriller at Walsh on Saturday. After starting the season 0-3 in conference play, the Cavs have won five straight AMC games. The red-hot Cavs have won seven of the last eight games with two games to play. On Tuesday the Cavs play their final AMC game at Cedarville University (10-3-3, 5-0-2). On Saturday, the Cavs play their final regular season home game against the University of Rio Grande. Rio Grande (12-2-1) is ranked second in the NAIA.
Ben Truax (So., 6-0, Mansfield, OH/St. Peters) scored Walsh's (9-5, 4-3) first two goals the 4-1 win at Point Park University on Tuesday night. Truax scored at the 13:14 and 15:02 marks on assists from Broc Sutek (Fr., 6-0, Minerva, OH/HS) and Chad Flath (So., 5-10, Wadsworth, OH/HS) to give the Cavs a 2-0 lead. Flath then scored on an assist from Truax and Matt Bly (Fr., Bellbrook, OH/HS) to give the Cavs a 3-0 halftime lead. Jordan Semple (Fr., 5-7, North Canton, OH/GlenOak) scored an unassisted goal with 1:01 to play for the final tally. Mike Kelley (Fr., 6-0, Chagrin Falls, OH/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) recorded three saves.
After spotting Mt. Vernon a 2-0 lead, Matt Bly (Jr., 5-10, Bellbrook, OH/HS) scored off of a rebound with two seconds remaining in the first half to cut the lead in half. Just seven minutes into the second half, Ben Truax scored the equalizer on an assist from Camden McCreary (Sr., 6-5, Massillon, OH/Jackson). With less than a minute remaining, Mount Vernon Nazarene was called for a foul just outside the box. Truax took the free kick and sent it into the back of the net for the game-winning goal in one of the most exciting games in team history. Mike Kelley stopped five shots in goal.
Mike Kelley has 1.20 goals against average on the season with five shutouts. Matt Bly has put together a fine freshman season and leads the team with ten goals and 24 points. Bly is fourth in the AMC in scoring (1.60) and second with ten goals. Ben Truax has nine goals and 21 points. Truax is seventh in the AMC in scoring (1.40).
WOMEN'S SOCCER: Cavs Split, Win 6-0 at Point Park
Walsh (3-7-3, 3-5) split two road games last week. Last Tuesday, the Cavs shutout Point Park University 6-0 in a conference battle, but fell at Ohio Dominican University 2-1 in a non-conference game on Saturday. The Cavs are tied for eighth place with Malone University in the AMC. The Cavs close the season this week with two AMC games. On Tuesday (4:30 pm) the travel to Cedarville University (7-6-2, 5-2-2), then host Carlow College (4-11, 1-8) in the season finale on Saturday (1 pm).
Carley Adams (Fr., Louisville, OH/HS) scored twice in the 6-0 win at Point Park University. Adams tallied the first of her two goals to give Walsh a 1-0 lead five minutes into the contest on an assist from Erin Naumann (Fr., Hinckley, OH/Highland). Abbie Sullivan (Sr., Canton, OH/GlenOak) then scored on an assist from Adams 9:59 into the first half to give Walsh a 2-0 lead. The Cavs would then tally four second half goals in their largest output of the season. Molly Martin (Fr., 5-7, Canfield, OH/HS) scored on assists from Naumann and Gina Pinzone (Fr., 5-6, Cleveland, OH/Padua Franciscan) at the 59:41 mark. Amanda Patrick (Sr., 5-7, Medina, OH/Cloverleaf) tallied on an assist from Erin Naumann at the 61:44 mark to put Walsh up 4-0. Adams then scored her second goal on an assist from Martin at the 63:27 mark to give the Cavs a 5-0 lead. Maggie Vinopal (Fr., Boardman, OH/Cardinal Mooney) scored the final goal, on an assist from Holly Repas (Fr., Stow, OH/HS) at the 85:12 mark.
Walsh lost a heartbreaker in the final two minutes at NAIA No. 25 Ohio Dominican. ODU took a 1-0 lead at the 7:51 mark, and carried the lead into halftime. Walsh tied the game at 58:27 mark, as Molly Martin scored an unassisted goal. The Panthers' Becky Williams then scored the game-winner with 1:50 to play in regulation. ODU outshot the Cavs 19-6 and led in corner kicks 7-2. Walsh's Jillian Zanney (So., 5-11, Brunswick, OH/HS) had nine saves. Zanney has sparkled in goal the Cavs, with a 1.51 goals against average.
VOLLEYBALL: Cavs Still Second in AMC; O'Donnell Named to All-Tournament Team at Madonna
Walsh (24-5, 7-1) won its only American Mideast Conference match last week and stands alone in second place with four conference matches to play. This Tuesday (7 pm), the Cavs travel to Cedarville University (11-19, 5-3) for an AMC match, before heading to the University of Northwestern Ohio (24-10, 5-2) on Saturday to battle the Racers (3 pm) and Daemen College (16-13, 4-4) (1 pm) in a pair conference matches.
Walsh swept Ursuline College (25-25, 25-19, 25-13) last Tuesday night at home. Natalie Phillips (5-10, So., Wooster, OH/HS) led the Cavaliers with her second double-double in a row. Phillips led with 14 kills and 11 digs and a team-high 1.5 blocks. Hannah Duran (5-9, Fr., Grafton, OH/Midview) also had a double-double with 36 assists and 12 digs. Kristen Rohlfs (5-8, So., Loveland, OH/Mount Notre Dame) had a team-high 16 digs and a career-high five service aces. Natalie Borland (6-0, Sr., Kent, OH/HS/Kent State) added four service aces and eight kills on a .533 hitting percentage. Jenna Golic (5-10, Fr., Mentor, OH/HS) and Brittany Morris (5-11, Fr., North Royalton, OH/Padua) each added six kills on the night.
Walsh then headed to the Madonna Crusader Classic in Michigan over the weekend, where they dropped three of four matches.
Walsh faced #20 Taylor in the first match on Friday and lost by scores of 21-25, 24-26, 19-25. Julianne O'Donnell (5-10, Fr., Willowick, OH/Lake Catholic) had a double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs, her eleventh double-double on the year. Hannah Duran had 35 assists and 13 digs. Natalie Phillips led with a team-high 19 digs and Kristen Rohlfs and Jenna Golic (5-10, Fr., Mentor, OH/HS) contributed 14 and 13 digs, respectively. Brittany Morris had a team-high and career-high three service aces. In match two, Walsh could not rebound from a two set deficit in losing to Indiana Wesleyan University by the scores of 21-25, 22-25, 27-25, 25-13, 12-15. O'Donnell had another double-double with 14 kills and 16 digs. Duran added 47 assists and 9 digs. Amy Police (5-5, Sr., Perry, OH/HS) and Golic led in digs with 18 apiece and Phillips chipped in 11 digs. Natalie Borland led with 17 kills and Morris had a team-high three blocks.
Walsh split a pair of matches in the final day of the Crusader Classic. Walsh pushed #18 Madonna University to four close sets before losing 30-32, 18-25, 25-21, 29-31. Walsh had four players in double-digit kills, with Julianne O'Donnell leading the way with 20 kills and adding 8 digs. Natalie Borland added 17 kills and a team-high three blocks. Brittany Morris chipped in 10 kills and 2.5 blocks. Natalie Phillips had a double-double with 13 kills and 20 digs and Hannah Duran led the offense with 52 assists and also added 14 digs against the Crusaders. Amy Police had a team-high 24 digs in the loss. Walsh then swept UM-Dearborn in the final match by the scores of 25-18, 25-17, 25-18. Duran had 39 assists and Morris had a team-high 2.5 blocks. Borland hit .842 with 16 kills and also added 1.5 blocks. Police led in digs with 12. O'Donnell was named to the Crusader Classic All-Tournament Team.
Brittany Morris is second in the AMC in attack percentage (.388) and Natalie Borland is third (.367). Julianne O'Donnell is fifth in kills per game (3.6) and Hannah Duran is tied for first in the AMC in assists with 11.4 per game.
