SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — The Susquehanna University campus may be closing for the Fall Break this weekend, but you wouldn't know it by the Crusader fall sports teams. In addition to the football team's home game with Widener, the field hockey and men's soccer teams will also be hosting Saturday contests, while the women's soccer and cross country teams will be in action on the road this weekend.
Of the home contests Saturday, the field hockey team's noon MAC Commonwealth Conference game against Moravian (2-11, 0-5 MAC CC) has a great deal of importance despite their opponent's lowly record. Under 25th-year head coach Connie Harnum, Susquehanna is still ranked ninth in the latest NCAA Division III coaches' poll at 11-1, and tied for second in the MAC Commonwealth Conference at 4-1. The top two teams in the conference make the conference playoffs — making Saturday's game big.
The Crusader women's soccer team will also also try and end a two-game losing streak and get back over .500 for rookie head coach Jim Findlay with its 11 a.m. game at Lebanon Valley (6-5-1, 1-3-1 MAC CC). Susquehanna is presently 6-6 overall, 3-2 and in fourth in the Commonwealth Conference.
The cross country teams and new head coach Craig Penney will also get "sneak peeks" Sunday at the course where they will run the MAC Championships in two weeks as each will compete in the Allentown College Invitational Sunday. The women had a solid 11th place finish out of 28 teams last Saturday at the Dickinson Invitational, while the men were 21st.
A complete capsule of every Crusader fall sports team, with the exception of football, follows.
THE FIELD HOCKEY REPORT
The Crusader field hockey team won its fourth-straight game Tuesday with a 2-0 victory at Wilkes — a team which is tied for first in the MAC Freedom League and a possible first-round opponent for Susquehanna should it make the playoffs. Among the other victories was 1-0 overtime decision over defending MAC champion Messiah — marking the first time the program beat Messiah in the 25 seasons under Harnum.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kylie Cook (Huntingdon/ Huntingdon Area H.S.) is the MAC Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week as she posted a 0.45 goals-against average and .950 save percentage in last week's two conference wins. Despite never being a goalkeeper before last season, she has a 0.60 goals-against average and .909 save percentage this season. She was second in the conference in both categories a week ago.
The team's only two senior starters have led the defense in front of Cook. Tri-captain Amanda Reigle (Middleburg/Middleburg H.S.) is a four-year starter who has started all 63 games in her career. Taryn Moser (Lewistown/Lewistown H.S.) has been a starter both seasons since electing to come out for the team last year. Susquehanna has a team goals-against average of 0.57.
Freshmen Leah Bailor (Richfield/Middleburg H.S.) and Katie McKeever (Worcester/ Methacton H.S.) continue to lead the offense.
A 1998 all-state selection, Bailor has nine goals and six assists for 24 points. She was tied with junior teammate Ali Hughes (Reading/Muhlenberg H.S.) for first in conference in assists in the last rankings, although Bailor now leads (0.50 per game). She is also second in MAC Commonwealth scoring (now 2.00 points per game).
McKeever also has nine goals – ranking second in the conference in goals (now 0.75 per game) – and is fifth in conference scoring with 18 points (now 1.50 per game). Bailor's had three goals and an assist in the team's last two wins, while McKeever has scored two goals.
While Hughes has not scored in three games, it has been determined that she now has the school record for career assists with 13, with fellow junior co-captain and midfielder Danielle Wenger (Hamburg/Hamburg H.S.) just behind with 12. Wenger had an assist in last Saturday's win at Albright and now has four on the season.
THE MEN'S SOCCER REPORT
Last week was not one to remember for the Crusader men's soccer team and Findlay as the squad dropped a pair of matches, while losing its second player to a broken leg this season. Sophomore defender Aaron Zeisloft (Bloomsburg/Millville H.S.) was the victim this time, sustaining the season-ending injury in last Wednesday's loss at Scranton.
The squad has now dropped six of its last seven to fall to 4-7 overall, 0-3 in the MAC Commonwealth Conference.
The Crusaders were outscored 8-1 on the week, with sophomore scoring leader Aaron Littzi (Kingston/Wyoming Valley West H.S.) being the team's lone goal scorer – upping his team scoring lead to four goals and two assists for 10 points (0.91 points per game).
Senior John Steigerwald (Toms River, N.J./Monsignor Donovan H.S.) saw the bulk of work in goal and now has a 2.90 goals-against average.
THE CROSS COUNTRY REPORT
Senior captain Sarah Costello (Palmyra/Palmyra H.S.) recaptured the women's team's number-one position last Saturday at Dickinson, placing 39th out of 237 runners with a time of 20:16.74. Both freshmen Erin Colwell (Belleville/Indian Valley H.S.) and Angela Luino (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills H.S.) were in hot pursuit of Costello, finishing 42nd (20:21.10) and 43rd (20:21.55) respectively. Luino's time was a season best for her over the 5,000-meter course.
On the men's side, sophomore Mike Lehtonen (Laurens, N.Y./Morris Central H.S.) continues to be the leader, placing 54th out of the 215 runners at Dickinson with a time of 27:57.07 over the 8,000-meters. Freshman Luke Peterson (Huntingdon Valley/Lower Moreland H.S.) was second for a second week in a row, finishing 115th and falling just six second shy of his season best time with a 29:16.09 Saturday.
THE WOMEN'S SOCCER REPORT
The Crusader women's soccer team failed to score Saturday at Dickinson, continuing its unusual trend of either winning or losing by a shutout. Susquehanna has shutout its opponents in five of its six wins this season, but been shutout in all six losses.
Although just one goal was scored by Dickinson Saturday, it wasn't a game freshman goalkeeper Dorn McMahon (West Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell H.S.) would like to remember as she left the contest at halftime with an injury. She made six saves while allowing the lone goal in the first half, still leaving her 30 saves shy of the school single-season record as she now has 137 (Record: 166, Maddy Pennino, 1996) with four games remaining. McMahon leads the MAC Commonwealth Conference in save percentage (now .895), ranking third in goals-against average (now 1.36).
McMahon's injury forced junior forward Lauren Brown (Glenelg, Md./Glenelg H.S.) to come from the offensive side of the field, to defense as the team's emergency goalkeeper. Apparently Brown felt at home in net as she didn't allow a goal while making 16 saves in the final 45 minutes. She is the young program's career assist leader with 11, also scoring 11 goals in her career for 33 points.
Of course, Brown's effort Saturday was helped by the Crusader defense, which is led by senior sweeper Nicole Forino (Reading/Reading Holy Name H.S.). Susquehanna has posted a team goals-against average of 1.30.
THE WOMEN'S TENNIS REPORT
The women's tennis team of sixth-year head coach Bob Jordan won one more match then it has in each of the previous two 3-9 seasons, finishing 4-7 overall, 2-5 in the MAC Commonwealth Conference. Unfortunately, the Crusaders dropped their last three matches over the final week with tight losses to quality opponents Lycoming (3-6), Albright (4-5) and undefeated Scranton (3-6). The team will now have some time off until three members will compete at the MAC Individual Championships at Moravian on Friday and Saturday, October 22-23.
Senior co-captain Meghan McGinnis (Washington Crossing/Council Rock H.S.) finished with the team's top record while playing first singles this season as she went 6-4. Now 16-16 at the top of lineup during her Susquehanna career, McGinnis will be the team's singles representative at MACs.
Fellow senior co-captain Sarah Curley (Montrose/Elk Lake H.S.) also had a successful final season, finishing 5-4 primarily playing at number-two. Curley won her final home match Tuesday vs. Scranton, closing her Crusader singles career at 23-16. Curley and McGinnis teamed up to go 4-2 at number-one doubles.
Curley will team up with freshman Carly Kellett (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley H.S.) as the squad's doubles representative at MACs. Kellett posted a respectable 5-6 record while primarily playing number-three singles this season. While Curley and Kellett lost both matches they played together this season, Kellett was 3-2 in doubles when playing with fellow freshman Kelly Moritz (York/York Suburban H.S.).
THE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL REPORT
After playing so well Saturday in a tough four-game win over Widener, the volleyball team suffered a critical MAC Commonwealth loss Tuesday as it was swept at Messiah. The loss dropped the team to 16-10 overall, 4-2 and presently a game out in the loss column for the fourth and final MAC playoff spot.
Junior setter Erin Leslie (Exton/Villa Maria Academy) led the team vs. Widener, posting 41 assists and a team high 17 digs with a pair of service aces. Leslie leads the team in both assists (498/6.21 per game) and aces (48/0.60 per game) — ranking second in the Commonwealth Conference in aces per game.
Seniors and outside hitters Jenn Ashton (Whitesboro, N.Y./Whitesboro H.S.), Missy Kuruzovich (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop H.S.), and Jen Mitman (Perkasie/Pennridge H.S.) also played key roles in the win in the final home matches of their Susquehanna careers. Mitman had 17 kills and hit at a .448 percentage in the Widener win, while Ashton had 10 kills and nine digs, and Kuruzovich added 16 digs.
Mitman leads the team in kills per game (2.49) and is second among the hitters in percentage (.247), while Kuruzovich continues to lead in digs with 264 (2.87 per game). Now with 982 digs in 392 career games, Kuruzovich is just 18 shy of becoming just the third player in program history to surpass 1,000.
Freshman middle blocker Traci Sariscak (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park H.S.) continues to lead the hitters in percentage at .292, ranking fifth in the conference.
THE FALL GOLF REPORT
Tenth-year head coach Don Harnum continues to roll the dice with his fall golf lineup, since two of his starters are studying abroad in London this semester. The Crusaders, who start a sophomore and four freshmen in the fall, finished 10th out of 19 teams at the Elizabethtown Blue Jay Classic Tuesday with a 336.
Despite the middle of the pack finish, sophomore Ryan Franks (Huntingdon/Huntingdon H.S.) had his low round of the fall with a 74 — lowering his team low stroke average to 77.6 for five rounds. Franks was tied for third individually at Elizabethtown.
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