Sea-Hawks Weekend Summary Oct. 17, 2010

Memorial University varsity teams in soccer, volleyball and basketball combined to participate in 16 games this weekend. The soccer teams hosted Saint Mary's with the men losing the first game of the series 2-0 before rallying to battle the Huskies, the tenth ranked team in the country, to a 0-0 draw Sunday. The women were unable to find any points, dropping both games 2-0. The men's volleyball team finished 1-3 at the RMC Invitational exhibition tournament while the women's volleyball played Grenfell in an exhibition game of their own, winning 3-0 in Corner Brook. The women's basketball team hosted Queen's in three locations, winning two of three. The men's basketball team finished their weekend 1-3 in exhibition play at the Naismith Classic in Waterloo.

 

Soccer

Women's Soccer

Game #1- Saturday October 16th vs. Saint Mary's Huskies (1-4-3)

The Sea~Hawks women's team welcomed a number of players back from competition at the senior and under 18 nationals last weekend. Conditions were cold, wet, and windy in what would turn out to be a very tiring day for both teams on the pitch. Coach Mavin made some tactical changes to his lineup prior to the game, inserting senior Ashley Dawe into more of an attacking position. In the opening minute the Sea~Hawks created a great chance on a partial break from Alex White-Dzuro. However, the Huskies goalkeeper Justine Caldwell came out to make the save.

 

In the seventh minute, Samantha Hansford who came into the game with a deep bruise on her right leg, proved she was a warrior when she collided heads with SMU's Lindsay Millet. Walking on under her own power, Hansford and the rest of the Sea~Hawks managed to continue on and have a great scrimmage in front of the Huskies net.

 

Shortly after this chance, SMU went on a run out to the Sea~Hawks zone. Melissa Yates kicked a long shot from well out of the box which caught Memorial keeper Simone Quinlan off guard. The shot found the back of the net, making it 1-0 Huskies

 

Memorial's best chance of the half came five minutes later when Heather Williams connected to Dawe on a great cross. Dawe had a chance to head one past Caldwell, but the Huskies defense was able to thwart the effort.

 

The field conditions worsened to start the second half as the rain really started to come down hard onto the pitch. The women's defense held the Huskies in check, challenging the Huskies forwards on plays down the wing throughout the second half.

 

In the 72nd minute Kelly Burgess of the Huskies would trickle another one in.

 

The Memorial side would continue battling, creating many opportunities in the waning minutes of the second half.

 

This best chance came in the 90th minute on a corner from White-Dzuro.

End score: Saint Mary's 2- Sea~Hawks 0

 

Game #2- Sunday October 17th vs Saint Mary's (2-4-3)

Conditions were much improved on the pitch for Sunday's rematch against the Huskies, as the weather cooperated with low winds, partial overcast, and mild temperatures. To start the game, the Huskies began the first fifteen minutes dominating ball control and possession. The Sea~Hawks would finally get the ball rolling in their favour itowards the middle of the half.

 

Two great opportunities came midway through the half for Memorial. In the 24th minute Hansford created a beautiful cross to Williams. Unluckily, Williams was caught with a hand ball on her shot attempt.

 

In the 32nd the Sea~Hawks were awarded a free kick just outside the Huskies box. Memorial rookie Jennifer Burry took the shot, and just edged it wide left of the goal post.

 

First half score 0-0.

The score sheet was opened up in the second half when Heidi Pentz of the Huskies took a corner kick in the 53rd minute. This corner led to the opening goal by Monica Diab.

 

The Huskies forwards would continue their offensive pressure throughout the second half limiting the Sea~Hawks chances, and peppering Simone Quinlan with plenty of shots.

 

The Sea~Hawks best chance for a goal in the second half came in the 83rd minute when senior Leighanne Tobin crossed it to Williams for a spectacular shot on target.

 

The Huskies' Burgess would add another late goal in the 90th minute.

 

End score Huskies 2- Sea~Hawks 0.

 

The Sea~Hawks end the weekend disappointed, with a record of 0-8-1.

 

Upcoming Action

The Sea~Hawks will travel to Charlottetown to play a two game series against UPEI who are second in the AUS with a record of 6-0-3.

 

Men's Soccer

Game #1 October 16th vs Saint Mary's (5-2-1)

The action in the men's game started early and often in what would prove to be a very intense game. The first chance of the match came in the fifth minute when SMU's Peter Garonis' shot would hit the right post and almost dribble back inside the Sea~Hawks net.

 

This chance was matched within two minutes by the men's side, when rookie Jonathan Scribner provided an excellent shot, only to be knocked away by the Huskies' keeper Jordan Spencer.

 

Saint Mary's Elvir Gigolar would put the Huskies ahead with a goal in the sixteenth minute.

 

In the waning minutes of the first half Memorial rookie Alec Benson would create a partial breakaway which led to a shot on net which Spencer once again handled.

 

Two yellow cards were given in the first half, one to Sea~Hawk Benson, and the other to Husky Nils Webber.

 

Half time score Huskies 1- Sea~Hawks 0.

 

Second half action would be opened up by a very aggressive Sea~Hawks team. Right out of the gates, an early opportunity was formed when Benson booted a pass to Steven DeLong. Delong would be denied on a great shot.

 

In the 68th DeLong would be given the team's best chance for a goal, as the Sea~Hawks were awarded a penalty kick from a foul in the box. DeLong's shot would be denied again.

 

In the 82nd minute, Jhonattan Cordoba would add to the Huskies lead scoring a goal past Sea~Hawks keeper Luke Olmstead.

 

Tempers would begin flaring late in the game as 5 yellow cards and 1 red card would be given out before the end of the match.

 

End score Huskies 2- Sea~Hawks 0.

 

Game #2 October 17th vs Saint Mary's (6-2-1)

Conditions on the pitch were foggy for the second game of the double header on Sunday lakeside at King George the Vth. The Sea~Hawks would have another day of great scoring opportunities. In the first half the men's side produced some entertaining moments in the 20th and 31st minutes.

 

In the 20th, the opportunity would come when rookie Daniel Rowe took it deep down the right side into Husky territory. Rowe would cross to Brock Fraser who nearly headed it into the Huskies' net.

 

In the 31st, the men's side would get a fast two-on-two break with Scribner and DeLong. DeLong would cross right in front of the net, pulling out Huskie keeper Spencer in the process. Scribner could not put a good boot on the ball and put his shot just wide left.

 

To close out the first half, the men's side would be thankful to go into the locker room tied as a goal by the Huskies was called offside in the 41st minute.

 

In the second half, SMU's Ian Coke was able to run past the 'Hawks defense and create a breakaway. Memorial's keeper Olmstead was able to knock down the shot.

 

The chemistry between Scott Woodfine and DeLong was on display in the 68th minute, as DeLong kicked it deep for Woodfine. Woodfine, would be able to make a great shot that would go just wide right of the post.

 

A final heart-stopping moment for the men's team occurred in the 83rd minute, as SMU's Kevin Madani took a finely struck shot from far back that managed to hit the upper crossbar square.

 

Other game highlights were Memorial defender Chris Pope's play. Pope was able to shut down the Huskies offensive star player Cordoba throughout the game. Olmstead was also great in net, with a clean sheet.

 

End score Sea~Hawks 0- Huskies 0

 

Upcoming Action

The men's soccer team will play UPEI twice in Charlottetown with their playoff chances on the line. The Sea~Hawks are 3-4-2 while UPEI are 3-5-1. The top six teams in the AUS will qualify for the AUS championship to be played in Moncton November 5th to 7th. Right now a logjam exists in the middle of the standings with only two points separating position four through eight.

 

Basketball

Women's Exhibition Basketball

The Memorial Sea~Hawks women's basketball team hosted Queen's University in a three-game series held in three different locations on the Avalon Peninsula.

 

Friday, Memorial 54 Queen's 44

In the exhibition opener at the MUN Gym Memorial hosted their annual Go Pink Series game, in which female varsity teams at Memorial raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

 

The Sea~Hawks opened the match with five returning players in their starting lineup, Brittany Dalton, Grace Fishbein, Emily Jameson, Jennifer Parsons, and Kim Devison. In the first quarter the women's side managed to jump to an early 16-6 lead. The team showed great board control and created many turnovers with their pressure defense.

 

The second quarter showed a different side of Queen's as they were able to overcome their slow start to creep within one at half. At the half, Dalton was leading the Sea~Hawks with nine points.

 

Half time score Sea~Hawks 25 Gael's 24.

 

Early in the second half, the Gaels would take the lead off the first layup 26-25. This lead would be short lived however, as Coach Doug Partridge's team would not relinquish control ending the 3rd quarter with a score of 39-33.

 

The women's side would open the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run that spanned close to three minutes. This quarter was orchestrated by fourth year vet Dalton as she forced several turnovers for the Sea~Hawks and capitalized on a number of shots. Dalton would end the game with 18 points and 6 rebounds, both team-highs.

 

End score Sea~Hawks 54- Gaels 44.

 

Saturday, Memorial 67 Queen's 59

On Saturday evening the Sea~Hawks and Gaels travelled to Placentia to play in the brand new gym at Laval High School.

The Sea~Hawks overcame a dreadful start to win 67-59. Third year Grace Fishbein played very well on her way to a team-high 17 points in the win. Queen's held a lead for the majority of the first half but the Memorial defense seemed to cause the Queen's players to run out of gas in the second half.

 

Sunday, Queen's 68 Memorial 60

On Sunday morning in the cozy confines of the CityStars gym at the YMCA the Queen's Gaels stepped up their defensive pressure to give the Sea~Hawks fits in the early going, forcing several turnovers on their way to a 23-16 lead after the first quarter.

 

The second quarter did not get any better for the home team as turnovers and missed shots plagued the 'Hawks. On the other side of the ball the Gaels took advantage of their offensive opportunities with rookie Rachel Urosevic stepping up to make a couple of big shots.

 

By halftime the Gaels had built a 15-point lead, 45-30.

 

Whatever happened in the locker room at half time worked as the Sea~Hawks were an entirely different team in the third quarter, dominating in every facet of the game. Jennifer Parsons started a huge Sea~Hawks run early in the third with a smooth, left-handed shot with the shot clock winding down that cut the lead to 12.

An Emily Jameson bucket cut the lead under ten, before rookie Kelia Pond hit a three to make it 49-44, forcing a Queen's timeout.

 

The large crowd seemed to cause the Sea~Hawks to pick up the intensity to another level as they forced a shot clock violation out of the timeout. Jamieson then found Pond on a dandy cut that led to a layup.

 

A Queen's missed shot and a Grace Fishbein drive to the hoop gave the Sea~Hawks a 50-49 lead after the third.

 

Through the third quarter Memorial showed what they are capable of, outscoring the visitors 20-4.

 

In the fourth, the game went back and forth until Queen's Paige Robinson hit a nice spinning shot off the glass to give Queen's a two-point lead. This was followed up by another big shot by Liz Boag that gave Queen's a five-point lead with two minutes left.

 

In the final two minutes Memorial had a chance to cut into the lead but missed a couple of tightly contested shots. After a couple of fouls the final was 68-60.

 

Head coach Doug Partridge was clearly not pleased with his team's performance, particularly in the opening half.

 

He will look for the team to find consistency as they travel to Ottawa to participate in the Metro-Glebe Tournament hosted by Carleton October 22 to 24.

 

Men's Exhibition Basketball

Thursday, Western 82 Memorial 59

Before Memorial travelled to Waterloo for the Naismith Classic they made a trip to London for an exhibition game against the Western Mustangs.

 

Western jumped out to an early lead, 24-12 after the first quarter, and did not look back, winning 82-59.

 

Ryan Barbeau led the winners with 18 points. Memorial's leading scorers were Will Bradbury and Ryan Brockerville with 12 each.

 

Three of Brockerville's points came on a highlight reel underhanded heave from three-quarter court to end the half. The shot made TSN's top ten plays of the day, coming in at fifth. This was Memorial's first appearance on the TSN plays of the day since 1997 when Shane Harte inadvertently punched referee Fred Wakeham in celebration of a jump shot in the corner of the MUN gym.

 

Friday, Memorial 75 Waterloo 70

The Sea~Hawks kicked off their tournament against the host team, Waterloo Warriors on Friday night. The Sea~Hawks played with great intensity and battled on the glass to take a big road win against Waterloo in their own barn, 75-70.

 

Fourth year guard Mark Woodland was on fire in the first half, keeping Memorial in the game with 18 points, on his way to a team-high 24. Not including Woodland, Memorial shot only 4 of 19 in the half. Captain Jason Shepherd was also a big contributor in the win as he did his usual yeoman's work with 15 points before fouling out. Despite shooting poorly Bradbury's defensive effort was a game changer for Memorial.

 

Head coach Peter Benoite was extremely pleased with the win. He said, "We played very well for this point in the season. We moved the ball well and our defensive intensity was there."

 

Saturday, Ryerson 79 Memorial 47

After a big win against Waterloo Memorial came out flat and could not muster any hint of a comeback, losing to Ryerson 79-47.

 

Memorial's offense looked out of sorts with a lot of poor shots, particularly late in the shotclock. Jason Shepherd led Memorial with 20 points.

 

Coach Benoite was disappointed with the effort. He said, "We need to find some consistency. We have a lot to work on as we get ready for the regular season."

 

Sunday, Laval 100 Memorial 70

In the Naismith tournament finale Memorial loss to a talented Laval team 100-70.

The game was Memorial's fourth in four days. The team will return home after having mixed results and plenty to work on as they gear up for the season opener at the Field House on November 6th and 7th against the always dangerous Capers.

 

Volleyball

Women's Volleyball

Volleyball teams from all over the Western region of the province converged on Corner Brook this weekend for VolleyWest. The women's volleyball team made the trip to participate in the festivities and play against Grenfell in an exhibition match on Saturday night.

 

The Sea~Hawks played well, giving the large crowd a entertaining match, winning 3-0. Set scores were 25-21, 25-11 and 35-33. The team also played another set for the fans with the youngest players on the team taking center stage.

 

The team now gears up for the home openers against the reigning AUS champion Saint Mary's Huskies on October 30 at 7:30pm and October 31 at 11:00 am at the Field House.

 

There is a positive energy around the team this year with high expectations to compete in a wide-open AUS conference.

 

Men's Volleyball

The men's volleyball travelled to Kingston this weekend to participate in the five-team RMC Invitational at the Royal Military College. The Sea~Hawks have developed a good relationship with RMC after hosting the Paladins in a three-match exhibition series last fall. The tournament would be physically demanding, seeing the Sea~Hawks play four games in three days.

 

Friday, Windsor 3 Memorial 0

In the tournament opener Memorial battled a talented Windsor side that competes in the OUA. Memorial played well in the early going but it was Windsor winning in straight sets 25-19, 25-11 and 25-17.

Saturday, Ryerson 3 Memorial 0

On Saturday morning Memorial looked to rebound against Ryerson. The Sea~Hawks, featuring a number of new faces, looked to hit their stride against the Rams. Despite losing in straight sets the Sea~Hawks were in every point and showed their potential. Set scores were, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19.

 

Saturday, Memorial 3 RMC 1

The Sea~Hawks played very well against the host team on Saturday evening. Nathan Tilley and Drew Stephens led the way with set scores of 25-23, 25-22, 11-25, 25-22. Brad Pitcher and Alex Barrett also made big contributions in the win.

 

Sunday, Laurier 3 Memorial 1

The Sea~Hawks finished the grueling tournament with a competitive, entertaining match against Laurier. With only a few points determining the first two sets, Laurier won 3-1 with set scores of 25-21, 19-25, 25-13, 25-17. The long schedule seemed to catch up to the Sea-Hawks as they were the only team in the tournament from outside Ontario.

 

Head coach Luke Harris and his Sea~Hawks will once again be competing in the competitive three-team AUS. The team will open their season at the Interlock tournament against teams of the Quebec conference on October 30th and 31st hosted by Laval University.