October 8, 2007

This Week in Walsh University Athletics

Monday, October 8, 2007

Tues. 9 Women's Golf at Allegheny Invitational 12:30 pm

Wed. 10 Women's Soccer at Malone College 4 pm

Thurs. 11 Volleyball at Mount Vernon Nazarene 7 pm

Sat. 13 Football at Malone College 1 pm *

Volleyball (H) Indiana Tech/Urbana 11 am/3 pm

Women's Soccer at Urbana 12 pm

Men's Soccer at Urbana 2 pm

Cross Country at Wisconsin-Parkside

* Broadcast live on Walsh University Football Network (AM 640 News-Talk WHLO and AM 900 WCER)

FOOTBALL: Cavs Lose 9-6 at Urbana/Look to Rebound at Malone

Walsh (3-3, 0-2 MSFA Mideast) dropped its second straight game, falling 9-6 at NAIA No. 24 Urbana University (5-1, 2-0 MSFA Mideast) on Saturday.  The loss leaves the Cavs 0-2 in the Mid-States Football's Mideast for the first time in school history.  Walsh looks to snap its two-game losing streak at NAI A No. 19 Malone College (5-1, 2-0 MSFA Mideast) at 1 pm on Saturday, in the annual battle for the Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy.  The game will be broadcast live on the Walsh University Football Network on News-Talk 640 WHLO and on the AM 900 WCER.  The game will also be broadcast live on the internet at www.wcer.us and www.whlo640.com.

For the second straight week, the Cavs struggled offensively.  Eric Buchanan (Fr., Green Cove Springs, FL/Clay) gave the Cavs a 3-0 lead, with a 25-yard field goal at the 12:25 mark of the second quarter.  Urbana would take the lead at the 7:23 mark, on a five-yard run by Kirk Hannah.  The Blue Knights would then miss the extra point, and led 6-3.  Walsh tied the game (6-6) with 1:32 to play in the half, as Buchanan kicked a 36-yard field.  The game remained tied until 2:53 in the fourth quarter, when the Blue Knights drove 58 yards in 12 plays, and won the game on Jacob Harfman's 22-yard field goal.  Walsh totaled only 150 yards of total offense.  Tailback Clinton Blossomgame (R-Fr., Columbus, OH/Beechcroft) rushed for 82 yards, more than half of the Cavs' total.  The Blue Knight's defense sacked Walsh quarterback Marc Pullen (Jr., Akron, OH/Ellet) a record ten times.  Craig McConnell (Sr., Massillon, OH/Washington) had two interceptions for the Cavs.  The Cavs defense has allowed only 19 points and two touchdowns in the last two games.

Malone comes into Saturday's rival game on a four-game win streak.  They rolled over Taylor University 33-14 at Fawcett Stadium last Saturday, totaling a record 673 yards total offense.  Quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh passed for 380 yards and two scores.  Wide receiver Derek Deardorff caught nine passes for 162 yards and two TD's, while tailback Bernard Payton rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown.  Malone is averaging 37.8 points per game, while allowing 23.2.  Orsagh has completed 66% of his passes for 1,544 yards and 14 touchdowns.  Deardorff has 33 catches for 577 yards and eight touchdowns.  Payton has rushed for 653 yards (4.9 avg.) and eight touchdowns.  Payton is third in the MSFA in rushing and Orsagh is second in passing (257.3 ypg). 

Malone handed Walsh its second loss of the season last year, upsetting the Cavs 20-10 at Fawcett Stadium.  The loss also snapped Walsh's seven-game series win streak.  Malone's Bernard Payton rushed for 277 yards and scored a touchdown.  Walsh leads the all-time series 8-4.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY: Cavs 6th at All-Ohio Championships

Walsh (27-21) finished sixth at the All-Ohio Championships at Ohio Wesleyan University on Friday.  This week the Cavs will run at Wisconsin-Parkside.

Andrea DiNinno (Jr., Harrison City, PA/Greensburg CC) led Walsh with a 25th place finish in a time of 21:39.1.  Megan Case (Fr., Louisville, OH/HS) was next finishing 33rd (22:16.1), Lindsay Cooper (Sr., Canton, OH/Central Catholic) placed 37th (23:01), Kristen LeFever (So., Alliance, OH/Marlington) 40th (23:09.6), Jackie Delameter (Fr., North Canton, OH/Hoover) 47th ((23:46.6), Jen Birney (Fr., Dover, OH/HS) 52nd (24:47.4) and Erin Koppel (Jr., McDonald, OH/HS) 56th (25:11.6).

WOMEN'S GOLF: Cavs 5th at ODU/Schumacher, Foster on All-Tournament Team

MEN'S SOCCER: Cavs Blanked Twice, Look to Rebound at Urbana

Walsh (6-5-1, 1-2 AMC S) was shutout twice last week, 1-0 in a non-conference game by Seton Hill University, and 3-0 in an American Mideast Conference South game by NAIA No. 11 Ohio Dominican University on Saturday.  This week, the Cavs play one game, at Urbana University (2-7-2, 0-2 AMC S) on Saturday at 2 pm.  The Cavs are tied for fourth place in the South, and need a win to keep their post season hopes alive.

Seton Hill's Tom Bennett scored on penalty kick with ten minutes left in regulation; to give the Griffins a 1-0 win over the Cavs last Wednesday.  Walsh out shot the visitors 11-8 and led in corner kicks 9-4.  Walsh keeper Ben Pflum (Jr., 6-1, Napoleon) had seven saves.

NAIA No. 11 Ohio Dominican University (10-1, 1-0 AMC S) scored three second half goals, on their way to 3-0 victory.  The Panthers led 2-0, when the lights went out with 11:20 to play.  After a 20-minute delay, play resumed and ODU scored on a penalty kick to close the scoring.  The Panthers opened the scoring eight minutes into the second half on a goal by Shan Wade.  Wade then scored three minutes later to give ODU a 2-0 lead.  Peter Fink tallied the final ODU goal.  The Cavs were out shot 17-9. 

Lamar Skeeter leads the Cavs in scoring with ten goals and 21 points.  Alex Birtcher is next with 13 points, on four goals and five assists. Keeper Ben Pflum has a 1.78 goals against average.

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Cavs Bounce Back in Style, Sweep Three-Game Week/Spence Scores Four Times

Walsh (10-3-2, 1-2-1 AMC S) snapped a three-game win-less streak, with wins over Seton Hill University (3-2), Case Western Reserve University (3-2) and Ursuline College (5-0).  This week, the Cavs play rival Malone College on the road on Wednesday (4 pm) and at Urbana University in an important American Mideast Conference South contest on Saturday (12 pm).  The Cavs are tied for fourth place in the South and need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Leya Spence (Jr., Mansfield, OH/Madison) had two goals and an assist in the Cavs win at Seton Hill last Tuesday.  Spence scored on an assist from Abby Swope (Sr., Wadsworth, OH/HS), to give Walsh a 1-0 lead at the 11:25 mark of the first half.  Seton Hill then tied the game at the 15:48 mark, before Walsh regained the lead on a goal by Chrissy Summers (So., Doylestown, OH/Chippewa), on an assist from Spence, at the 20:44 mark.  Seton Hill would strike again, and tie the game at 2-2, with a goal at the 57:10 of the second half.  Spence would then score the game-winner, unassisted, at the 81:19 mark.  Walsh keeper Rachel Burcher (So., Wadsworth, OH/HS) recorded six saves.

For the second straight day, Walsh was victorious by a final score of 3-2.   All of the games' five goals were scored in the first half, in the non-conference win over Case Western Reserve University.  Chrissy Summers opened the scoring, on an unassisted goal, at the 4:50 mark of the first half.  Case then tied the game at the 12:11.  Leya Spence, who tallied twice in Tuesday's win, then gave Walsh the lead for good at 2-1, at the 24:28 mark, on an unassisted goal  Abby Swope then added an insurance goal at the 42:23 mark.  Case cut the Cavs' lead to 3-2, with 15 seconds to play in the first half, in the games final tally.

Five different Cavaliers scored in Walsh's non-conference win over Ursuline College on Saturday.  Abby Swope opened the scoring, with an unassisted goal, at the 26:10 mark of the first half.  Walsh led 1-0 at the half.  The final 45 minutes was all Walsh.  The Cavs would score three times in less than 14 minutes to increase their lead to 4-0.  Amanda Patrick (So., Medina, OH/Cloverleaf) gave the Cavs a 2-0 lead at the 48:29 mark, on an assist from Chrissy Summers.  Chrissy Perna (Jr., Alliance, OH/Marlington) scored three minutes later on an assist from Rachel Naumann (Fr., Hinckley, OH/Highland) to extend the lead to 3-0.  Leya Spence scored her fourth goal of the week, on a penalty kick, to give Walsh a 4-0 advantage.  Chelsea Saunders (So., Hinckley, OH/Highland) then closed the scoring, with an unassisted goal at the 86:54.  Keeper Rachel Burcher recorded her sixth shutout of the season.

Leya Spence and Chrissy Summers lead the Cavs balanced scoring attack with 17 points.  Spence leads the Cavs with eight goals, while Spence has dished out a team-best five assists.  Abby Swope is next with 16 points, on seven goals and two assists; Rachel Naumann has 14 points, Amanda Patrick 12 and Chrissy Perna 11.  Rachel Burcher has a 1.35 goals against average.

VOLLEYBALL: Cavs Wins 2/3, Singleton Wins 100th Career Match

NAIA No. 19 Walsh (18-4, 4-1 AMC S) won two out of three matches this past week. They swept arch-rival Malone College in a non-conference match on Tuesday, bested Ohio Dominican University in five games in an American Mideast Conference South match on Thursday, but then lost their first AMC South match, in four games at Cedarville University on Saturday.  This week, the Cavs face AMC South leader Mount Vernon Nazarene University (20-1, 6-0 AMC S) on the road on Thursday, then host Indiana Tech (11 am) and Urbana University (10-10, 3-3 AMC S) on Saturday (3 pm) in a tri-match.

Walsh swept rival Malone College 30-27, 30-26, and 30-12, at home on Tuesday night.  Walsh was led by Jill Barry's (5-6, Sr., Salem, OH/HS) 36 assists and 11 digs.  Heather Hernandez (5-9, Sr., Oakdale, CA/HS), had a team-high 20 digs and two service aces. Megan McDonald (5-10, Jr., Kirkland, IL/Rockford Lutheran) and Hilary Dattilo (5-10, Jr., Mason, OH/HS) led the offensive attack with 11 kills each. Junior middle blocker, Erica Parker (6-0, Jr., Concord, OH/Mentor) had a team-high two blocks and two service aces, while Caitlin Doon (5-6, Sr., Columbus, OH/DeSales) also added two service aces and 10 digs.

Walsh won its eighth straight match, defeating Ohio Dominican University in five games in an AMC South Division road contest on Thursday.  The win was also career win number 100 for Head Coach Krista Singleton.  After winning games one and two, 30-24 and 30-28, Ohio Dominican evened the match with wins in games three (30-18) and four (30-26).  Walsh then won then 15-6 in the deciding game.  Erica Parker and Megan McDonald led the Cavs with 21 kills each, with Hilary Dattilo adding 18 kills.  AMC assist leader, Jill Barry dished out a career-high 77 assists and Heather Hernandez had 33 digs.  Parker and Caitlin Whealy (6-2, Jr., Avon Lake, OH/HS) each had two blocks.

Cedarville University (15-7, 4-1 AMC S) handed Walsh its first AMC South loss of the season, defeating the Cavs in four games on Saturday.  The loss snapped Walsh's eight-game win streak.  The Yellow Jackets won 30-23 and 35-33, before Walsh rallied for a 30-27 win in game three.  Cedarville then won the match, with a 30-25 victory in the fourth game.  Megan Kelly (5-10, Fr., Brook Park, OH/Holy Name) paced the Cavs with 16 kills.  Megan McDonald and Caitlin Whealy added 15.  Jill Barry dished out 63 assists and Heather Hernandez had 30 digs.  Erica Parker had three blocks and two aces.

Jill Barry leads the AMC in assists (13.9) and Erica Parker in hitting percentage (.450). Heather Hernandez is second digs (6.7) and Megan McDonald is fifth in kills (4.0).