SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — Despite suffering its first loss of the season last week at Lebanon Valley, which is now ranked first in the latest NCAA Division III poll, the Susquehanna University field hockey team is still 8-1 and ranked ninth nationally going into a big week. Under 25th-year head coach Connie Harnum, the Crusaders hosted defending Middle Atlantic Conference champion Messiah (6-5, 4-0 MAC CC) Wednesday and play at Commonwealth Conference rival Albright (5-5, 1-3 MAC CC) Saturday.
While the women’s volleyball team has stumbled a bit as of late and is now 14-9 for seventh-year coach Bill Switala, it is 2-1 in the MAC Commonwealth Conference entering Wednesday’s match with Elizabethtown (2-16, 0-3 in MAC CC). The Crusaders will host a key conference match Saturday in their noon home finale vs. Widener (9-4, 3-0 MAC CC).
The women’s soccer team will also be looking to rebound this week as it saw its streak of five-straight shutout wins come to end with Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to regionally-ranked Elizabethtown. The Crusaders play at Dickinson (5-5) Saturday at 11 a.m.
The Crusader women’s cross country team nearly won its own eight-team invitational, coming up just eight points shy to the University of Scranton despite having three of the top five finishers. Both Susquehanna cross country teams will try and ride some momentum into the Dickinson Invitational this Saturday. Susquehanna head coach Craig Penney will return to the school he coached prior to taking the Susquehanna job this fall.
All but one of the Crusader fall sports teams are still at .500 or above heading into action this week. A complete capsule of every Crusader fall sports team, which the exception of football, follows.
THE FIELD HOCKEY REPORT
In the win over Villa Julie, junior tri-captain and forward Ali Hughes (Reading/Muhlenberg H.S.) had both a goal and an assist. Hughes is tied with team scoring leader and freshman Leah Bailor (Richfield/Middleburg H.S.) for both the team and conference lead in assists with five (0.56 per game). Bailor also has six goals for 17 points and is second in conference points per game (1.89). Fellow freshman Katie McKeever (Worcester/Methacton H.S.) leads the team with seven goals, ranking second in MAC Commonwealth goals per game (0.78) and fifth in points per game (1.56).
The seniors lead the defense in tri-captain Amanda Reigle (Middleburg/Middleburg H.S.) – a four-year starter – and Taryn Moser (Lewistown/Lewistown H.S.). The defense has posted a team goals-against average of 0.67.
Sophomore Kylie Cook (Huntingdon/Huntingdon H.S.) is the starting goalkeeper and is second in the conference in both goals-against average (0.73) and save percentage (.872). Cook made seven saves last Saturday while recording the team’s fourth shutout while she’s been in goal.
THE MEN’S SOCCER REPORT
The Crusader men’s soccer team ended its four-game losing streak with a 3-0 home shutout of the Philadelphia College of the Bible Saturday. Now 4-5 for second-year head coach Jim Findlay, the Crusader squad has a pair of non-conference matches this week – playing at Scranton (2-9) Wednesday before hosting Wilkes (5-4-1) Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
The offense broke out last Saturday behind its two returning MAC Commonwealth League
All-Stars as senior co-captain Chris Yearicks (National Park, N.J./Gateway H.S.) had a goal and an assist, while sophomore Aaron Littzi (Kingston/Wyoming Valley West H.S.) also found the back of the net. Littzi leads the team in scoring with three goals and two assists for eight points (0.89 per game), while Yearicks is now second with two goals and an assist for five points (0.63 per game). Yearicks is the school record holder for career assistswith 22.
Sophomore midfielder Luis Salgado (Neptune, N.J./Neptune H.S.) had the final goal in last Saturday’s win and is now tied for third on the team in scoring with two goals and four points.
Senior goalkeeper John Steigerwald (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan H.S.) made nine saves as he recorded his second shutout of the season vs. Philadelphia Bible. He now has a 2.40 goals-against average and .727 save percentage.
THE CROSS COUNTRY REPORT
Freshman Erin Colwell (Belleville/Indian Valley H.S.) won last Saturday’s Susquehanna Invitational, finishing first among the 85 women’s runners with a time of 21:54.83 over the 5,000-meter course. Senior captain Sarah Costello (Palmyra/Palmyra H.S.) was just behind Colwell in second last Saturday with a time of 22:18.66, while freshman Angela Luino (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills H.S.) was fifth at 22:46.11. Freshman Erin Howard (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson H.S.) was also 16th at 23:50.89.
On the men’s side, sophomore Mike Lehtonen (Laurens, N.Y./Morris Central H.S.) once again led the Crusaders by placing sixth with a time of 31:20.31 over the 8,000-meter course. Freshman Luke Peterson (Huntingdon Valley/Lower Moreland H.S.) was second among Susquehanna runners, placing 13th with a time of 32:06.67. Sophomore Jake Trevino (Danville/Danville H.S.) was just behind in 15th at 32:18.72.
THE WOMEN’S SOCCER REPORT
While the win and shutout streak ended Tuesday, the Crusader women’s soccer team has gotten back into the upper echelon of the Commonwealth Conference standings at 3-2.
Freshman goalkeeper Dorn McMahon (West Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell H.S.) kept the Crusader in vs. Elizabethtown as she made 13 saves while allowing just the two goals (.867 save percentage). That total equaled the number of saves she had in last week’s three shutout wins. She continues to lead the MAC in save percentage (now .897), ranking third in goals-against average (now 1.33). Her 131 saves this season give her the second most in a season at Susquehanna. She is 36 shy of the record (Record: 166, Maddy Pennino, 1996) with five games remaining.
Freshman forward/midfielder Kristin Abernethy (Wescosville/Emmaus H.S.) scored at least a point in each of the five-straight wins and leads the team in scoring with three goals and four assists for 10 points (1.00 ppg).
Sophomore forward/midfielder Kim Anderson (Orefield/Parkland H.S.) also broke her six-game scoring drought in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over Albright with a goal. She now has three goals this season for six points, tying her with junior midfielder Lindsay Hayes (Troy, N.Y./Tamarac H.S.), who had a goal in the 3-0 win at York (Pa.) last Thursday.
THE WOMEN’S TENNIS REPORT
The women’s tennis team of sixth-year head coach Bob Jordan has won three of its last four matches to get back to .500 at 4-4 overall, 2-4 in the MAC Commonwealth Conference. The Crusaders hosted Lycoming (3-3) Wednesday and will play at Commonwealth rival Albright (6-3, 4-2 MAC CC) Saturday at 11 a.m.
Senior co-captains Meghan McGinnis (Washington Crossing/Council Rock H.S.) and Sarah Curley (Montrose/Elk Lake H.S.) continue to lead the team at numbers one and two singles respectively. Each has gone 3-1 in the current streak, making McGinnis 5-2 this season, and Curley 4-3. The pair has teamed up for a perfect 4-0 mark at number-one doubles.
Freshman Carly Kellett (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley H.S.) and sophomore Leah Candelori (Phoenixville/Phoenixville Area H.S.) also have records of 4-4 and 3-3 while playing primarily third and fourth respectively.
THE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL REPORT
Injuries have riddled the Crusader volleyball team, which finished just sixth while going 2-3 at last weekend’s Lycoming College Warrior Classic. Seventh-year head coach Bill Switala was forced to play the fifth-place match without three of his starters due to injuries, and had just four players who were entirely healthy.
Saturday’s match could be the final one at home in the careers of the three Crusader seniors and outside hitters in co-captains Jenn Ashton (Whitesboro, N.Y./Whitesboro H.S.), Missy Kuruzovich (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop H.S.), as well as Jen Mitman (Perkasie/Pennridge H.S.).
Of that group, Mitman had the team’s best performance last week — amassing 83 kills in 26 games (3.19 per game) while hitting at a .289 clip. Mitman also had 15 digs and eight blocks (five solo) during the week. The big week allowed her to take the team lead in kills per game (2.47) while ranking second among the hitters in hitting percentage (.254). She has 469 kills in 295 career games at Susquehanna.
Kuruzovich continues to be the team leader defensively, compiling 115 digs during the week (4.42 per game). Now with 952 digs in 382 career matches, Kuruzovich is just 48 shy of becoming just the third player in program history to surpass 1,000.
The versatile Ashton continues to contribute in all areas and has 60 kills (1.11 per game) and 79 digs (1.46 per game) this season. She has 201 kills and 310 digs in 231 career games.
Freshman middle blocker Traci Sariscak (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park H.S.) continues to lead the hitters in percentage at .303, ranking third in kills per game (2.28). Fellow middle blocker and sophomore Sarah Lauro (Collegeville/Villa Maria Academy) is second in kills per game (2.39) and third in hitting percentage (.210), but continues to lead the squad in blocks with 65 (0.81 per game).
THE FALL GOLF REPORT
Without two of its starters who are studying abroad this semester, the young Crusader golf team struggled in its two matches last week — finishing 6th out of 15 teams at Moravian last Thursday, and ninth out of 12 teams at Mt. Union last weekend.
The team is now off until next Tuesday, October 12, at the Elizabethtown Tournament.
The Susquehanna golfers are five-time defending MAC champions and have made the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in three of the last four seasons. While their formal season is in the spring, the fall matches do count on their NCAA record. They are without the services of two of their three returning letterwinners this fall as juniors Hugh Leahy, III (Wilmington, Del./Archmere Academy) and Chris Sgaliotti (Allentown/Emmaus H.S.) are spending the semester in England.
Sophomore Ryan Franks (Huntingdon/Huntingdon H.S.) was the team’s top performer last season at nationals, and presently leads the squad in stroke average this fall at 78.5. Franks was tied for 10th individually at Mt. Union with a 36-hole total of 158, equaling his fall low with a 76 in the opening round.
Highly-touted freshman Ryan Reid (Chambersburg/Chambersburg H.S.) is second in stroke average at 80.4 and was number-two of the weekend with a 165.
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