Men’s Soccer Looks to CAC Playoffs, Women End Season On A High Note

The men’s soccer team played a grueling schedule of four matches during the course of five days. They came away with two wins, but they also dropped two matches. “Those losses,” said head coach Scott Racek, “should never had happened.”

Saturday, the Cards beat host Goucher 1-0, in junior goalkeeper Todd Magin’s fourth shutout of the season. Senior Gregg McGuirl scored the lone Cardinal goal in the 62nd minute.

The Cardinals failed to put together a consistent offensive performance the next day against Marymount, falling 2-0.

Against Villa Julie on Tuesday, Magin recorded his fifth shutout of the season by grabbing three saves. Sophomore Pat Koster put the Cards ahead to stay in the fifth minute by blasting the ball past the Mustang keeper.

Wednesday, the fatigue of the Cardinals showed as they dropped a 4-3 contest to Wesley College.

The loss drops the Cards to 9-5-2 with one game remaining in the regular season. They will host Cabrini this afternoon at 3:30 in the regular season finale.

The Cards will travel to York College on Monday for a Capital Athletic Conference quarterfinal match.

The women’s team saw their season come to an end Monday with a 4-0 loss to St. Mary’s in the first round of the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) tournament. The Cards finished the season with a record of 6-10, 3-4 in the CAC.

The Cards finished the season winning five out of eight games, recovering from a 1-7 start. “I was happy with the way they finished,” said head coach Scott Racek. “They persevered to finish the season.”

Even though they lost their last three matches, “they were against tough teams,” said Racek.

The Cards will only graduate one senior, forward Dana Tarricone. Racek is confident he can build a team around a strong nucleus, which includes junior sweeper Colleen Redlinger and freshman midfielder Jenny Aspinwall. “[They’re] great players and wonderful kids,” he said.

Vollono Explodes For 212 Rushing Yards, Cardinals Fall to HSC, 27-25

Former Catholic offensive coordinator Marty Favret walked away victorious from his first visit to CUA as head coach of the Hampden-Sydney (HSC) football squad, winning 27-25. His defense stopped senior quarterback Derek McGee on a two-point conversion attempt with 1:53 remaining.

The attempt came after junior running back James Vollono rumbled past three tackles for an eight-yard touchdown. Vollono finished with 212 yards on 28 carries, a career high.

Despite an explosion in the running game, the Cardinals fell short, falling to a record of 2-5, 0-3 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Penalties and mistakes again cost the Cards. “They didn’t win this game,” said Vollono. “We lost it.”

Senior safety Jimmy Nalls agreed. “We played great for 50 minutes, but stupid penalties gave them a chance at two scores.”

“I’m extremely disappointed with our composure,” said head coach Rob Ambrose. “It’s a matter of fixing stuff here and there.”

Catholic took its only lead of the game with 49 seconds remaining in the first quarter on a drive that began after the Cards recovered a fumble caused by junior cornerback Denis Campbell. McGee executed the play-action fake beautifully, lofting the ball over the defense to sophomore receiver Pat Truxillo, who ran in for the 71-yard score.

Hampden-Sydney answered, reeling off 17 points before the Cardinals scored again. The Tigers added a field goal and two touchdowns by quarterback Mac Russell, opening a 24-13 lead.

While Hampden-Sydney was racking up the points, the Cardinal offense sputtered. They twice failed on a fourth-down conversion in Tiger territory, fumbled the ball on a field goal attempt, and punted twice.

Catholic finally found the end zone when they drove 61 yards in just over three minutes, using only running plays. Senior Kevin Ulrich and Vollono carried the Cards on their back during the drive, which culminated in a nine-yard TD plunge by Vollono and cut the deficit to 24-19.

Early in the fourth quarter, HSC put together an impressive six-minute drive which culminated in a 30-yard field goal, extending their lead to 27-19.

After forcing a Tiger punt the offense put together a beautiful drive, moving the ball 93 yards in about three minutes for the touchdown that cut the deficit to 27-25. McGee’s quarterback draw on the two-point conversion fell short.

The Catholic onside kick attempt bounced out of the reach of senior James Parker. Three plays later, the Cards got the ball back, but McGee’s desperation heave was intercepted as time expired.

Although the Cards dropped their fifth game, they seem to be mastering Ambrose’s new offensive system.

“I think the offense has picked it up big time,” said Nalls. “The offensive line is meshing together.”

Catholic totaled 301 yards rushing on the afternoon, including 212 from Vollono. “I just followed the big kids down the field,” he said with a grin.

With three games remaining, the Cards find themselves without a shot at the playoffs for the first time in four years.

“We need to face the rest of the year with pride,” said Vollono. “If you can’t be the best, beat the best.”

Tomorrow is the annual Homecoming Game, when Catholic will host Emory and Henry at 1 p.m.

Fan Interference

Chemistry is underrated.

I’m not talking about periodic tables or the difference between entropy and enthalpy.

I’m talking about that thing that binds people together, the special magic force establishing mental and emotional bonds.

I’ve noticed that Catholic University fields a lot of athletic teams with great chemistry. The range of close-knit teams runs the gamut, from last year’s national champion basketball squad to the 2001 football team with a disappointing record of 2-5.

Rob Ambrose, the first-year head football coach, said that he has been amazed with the team unity on his squad this year. Junior cornerback Denis Campbell agreed, saying that despite the disappointing record “we have great chemistry, and we always come to play.”

Cardinal field hockey, which struggled to a 5-13 record in 2000, steamrolled through the 2001 schedule en route to a 15-3 record. They still have a chance at an NCAA berth.

The Cards made their turnaround with virtually the same core group players from the previous season. They’ve made their turnaround by bonding together as a team and working together. Coach Lisa Thompson told me on several occasions about the team unity that grew out of the Sept. 11 tragedies.

And of course, there’s the 2001 Division III Basketball National Champions. “We didn’t have the best players,” said Final Four Most Valuable Player Pat Maloney, “but we just won.”

I had the pleasure of covering the men’s basketball team during the storybook season. The Cardinals were not the best team at the Final Four last March. But with heart, grit and determination, the Cards outplayed their more talented opponents and won the national title.

Lots of teams have talent, but not every team has what it takes to succeed. Many teams have unbelievable talent but fall short of their goals. Every now and then, an average team with chemistry can soar to the top.

Cross Country Lights Up MDC’s

Saturday, the women’s cross country team finished second in the Mason-Dixon Championships at Salisbury, Md., missing first place by only three points.

Freshman Katie Hazlett was Catholic’s top finisher, placing fourth with a time of 19:51. Senior Emily Levasseur was right behind her, finishing fifth in 19:59. Senior Donna Flanagan and sophomore Rebecca Freyvogel also finished in the top ten, with times of 20:24 and 20:25, respectively.

The men’s cross country team also traveled to Salisbury on Saturday. The Cards finished third overall. Sophomore Michael Audette, Catholic’s top runner, finished second with a time of 26:48. Senior Matt McHugh finished ninth in 27:47, while freshman Kevin Slattery was right behind him in tenth place with a time of 27:49.

Field Hockey Falls in Semis, Awaits NCAA Berth

The Catholic field hockey team was eliminated in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Tournament semifinals at Mary Washington College yesterday, but the season may not be over for the Cardinals. They will learn on Sunday if they have earned a bid for the NCAA tournament, which would be the first for any women’s team in Catholic University athletics history.

On Monday, the Cardinals came from behind to defeat St. Mary’s College, 2-1, at the DuFour Center in a CAC tournament quarterfinal. The Seahawks got on the board first with a goal by Sarah Slone with 14:06 remaining in the first half. Catholic turned up the pressure on the Seahawk defense and capitalized with 11 minutes left when junior Stephanie Roselle scored. She was assisted by freshman Rebecca Clark. St. Mary’s defense became very sloppy, and the Cardinals had five corner shots off of Seahawk penalties. With 7:17 remaining, senior Andi Snyder scored, falling to the ground while hitting the ball past the St. Mary’s goalie. The Cardinals held on for the 2-1 win, advancing to the semifinals to meet the number one seed in the tournament, Mary Washington College.

The beginning of yesterday’s semifinal was dominated by Mary Washington, as the Eagles scored twice in the first 15 minutes. Adrienne Trombley tallied the first goal, on an assist by Jessica Morris, who scored the second goal unassisted. The Cardinals fought back, as junior Sondra Pires scored with 9:47 remaining in the half, and the Cards trailed 2-1 heading into intermission.

The deficit was quickly increased, as Morris, the nation’s sixth-leading scorer, put the Eagles ahead 3-1 on a goal at 33:11.

The Cardinals tied the game on two goals late in the half. Roselle scored with 13:10 remaining in regulation, and Pires took advantage of a penalty shot, tying the game at three with 9:27 left.

Overtime began with each team having four fewer players than in regulation, making play very wide-open and fast paced. The Eagles were the first team to create a scoring opportunity, and they capitalized on it, as Morris completed her hat trick with her third goal of the game at the 11:01 mark to give Mary Washington the 4-3 overtime victory.

“We almost had the game won at the end of regulation, but we just couldn’t capitalize on our scoring opportunities. Once you get into overtime, anything can happen,” said CUA coach Lisa Thompson.

Thompson remained optimistic about the team’s NCAA chances despite the loss. “We have played a very strong regional schedule, and none of our three losses was really an upset, so I think we have a good chance of making the (NCAA) tournament.” The Cardinals will find out Sunday if they have earned an ECAC or NCAA tournament bid.

Abdelrazek Gets 200th Win, Vball Rolls

This week, volleyball achieved the 200th win for head coach Nagy Abdelrazek and the 100th win for the volleyball seniors as the girls went 5-0, improving to 31-2 on the year. They narrowly beat Mary Washington (30-21, 30-25, 32-34, 20-30, 15-6) in five games on Wednesday in their last Capital Athletic Conference regular season game.

“Coach Nagy brings an extra dimension to the game. He has done unbelievable things with the [CUA] program over the past years,” said Abdelrazek’s assistant Elton Carda.

Coach Abdelrazek won his 200th game Tuesday night at DuFour, as the team celebrated senior night. Abdelrazek was presented with a plaque signed by the current members of the team and received a standing ovation. The seniors were given flowers and a gift for their hard work and dedication through the past four years.

Liz Carden, a senior captain, feels the team, especially the seniors, have put a great deal of work into the program and the cardinals will be rewarded with postseason success.

“I guarantee we will win the CAC tournament, as well as receive a bid to the NCAA Division III tournament,” said Carden, who has continued to dominate opponents.

Carden leads the team in scoring with over 300 kills on the season. Other seniors leading the team include Alexis Rollert with 350 digs and Mary Ellen Ryan with the most service aces on the team. Kelly Kings had 16 digs on senior night. Bridget Guetle has also lit up the competition by leading the team in sets with over 1100 in addition to her 300 digs.

The team played its last regular season home game on Monday, but is guaranteed home court advantage throughout the CAC tournament. “It doesn’t really seem like Senior Night because we know we have at least one more game at this arena,” said Carden, who led the team in scoring at Catholic’s own tournament this past weekend.

Catholic held its annual CUA Invitational during Family Weekend. The team breezed through, beating conference opponents Galludet (3-1), Rowan (3-0) and Eastern (3-0), to crown itself champions of their own tournament.

The Cardinals’ next challenge is the Messiah Tournament in Pennsylvania on Oct. 28. They will head to the CAC tournament quarterfinals at the DuFour center at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30. If the Cardinals win the CAC tournament, they will be guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Shameless Self-Promotion, Part II

We change our minds, we will tell you to vote for Irene and J.R. for homecoming queen and king.

This Weekend's Crusade

So, this weekend, Catholic University will take on the Wasps. Do we even need to make a joke about that?

Mystic Advice

Perhaps we could hire mind reader Craig Karges as the new Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. You’re walking down the hallway and he stops you and says, “You know, with the courses that you want to take next semester, you won’t be able to graduate on time.”

Remember When…

Is it just us, or is this campus getting nerdier? The next big on-campus program will be a version of Spring Fling called the “Fall Crawl.” No, this is not where students go from house to house with a plastic cup. It’s the normal CUA stuff – a “kickoff celebration,” a movie, “pie madness,” yadda yadda yadda. Okay, so the Capital Steps will be performing, but will they be bartending?

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