The Behrend Beacon Women's soccer team dominates in conference play by Bob Palivoda staff writer The women's soccer team started its conference schedule in a blaze as they smoked past their first two official conference opponents during the past week. First, the women traveled to Penn State Altoona last Saturday. They scored a convincing 6-0 victory which boosted their overall record to 2-5 as the Lions started conference play undefeated. Senior Diane Holtsford set the tone for the victory when she scored 25:12 into the first half. This one goal would have been enough for Behrend to defeat Altoona, however, the pouncing did not stop there. Lisa Danwalder, a sophomore, provided Behrend with its second goal of the day. Sophomore Aubrey Nicksich took four shots and scoring on two of them. Nicksich scored her first goal in the first half. The second half of the battle proved to be no more promising than the first half for Altoona. The Lions came onto the field with the same vigor they had at the beginning. Freshman Nikki Clouse took her first shot of the day and scored, upping the margin to 4-0. Nicksich came through Women's tennis team experiences highs, lows in only two days by Mike Bello sports editor After struggling in its first week of play, the women's tennis team showed signs of improvement this past weekend. The Lions hosted the Behrend Invitational Tournament on Saturday at the Behrend Tennis Courts and then began the conference part of their schedule the next day against Frostburg. The Frostburg game also marked the start of a two week stretch where the team plays AMCC opponents in five of their next six games. The Lions opened up the Behrend Invitational with a game against the All-Stars, a mixture of players from different teams competing in the tournament. Seniors Angela Albertson, Lennys Redondo, and Michelle Brendel each won their individual matches to give Behrend the early lead. Albertson held on to defeat her opponent 8-6. Redondo had a somewhat easier time in her 8-5 win, while Brendel demolished her opponent by an 8-1 Senior Carrie Reedy nearly added a fourth Behrend singles win, but couldn't quite overcome her challenger as she lost by an 8-7 score. In doubles action, freshmen Christine Leininger and Maggie Venema came up short in an 8-5 loss, but the Lions still gained their first victory of the season on the strength of their seniors. The next match of the day pinned Behrend against Bethany College. The Lions gave it their all, but in the end lost all four of their singles matches and their doubles match. Albertson held together for a while but lost 8- 5, and Redondo followed that up with an 8-4 loss. Venema lost the third match of the game Freshmen cross country runners Claire Manelick, right, and Suzanne Szafran, cen ter, jog with sophomore Lyndsey Boor around the Behrend Tennis Courts to prepare for their next tournament, the Slippery Rock Invitational on Saturday. Freshman midfielder Carrie Smock, left, and head coach Dan Perritano prepare for a late afternoon practice a day before the Lions took care of Lake Erie by a 4-0 score. 8-3, while Reedy came the closest to a Lion win but still lost by an 8-6 score. Brendel and Leininger combined to drop an 8-4 match against Bethany's doubles team. In the last match of the day for Behrend, the Lions faced off with John Carroll University. Like the previous match, the Lions struggled with their game. Albertson dropped an 8-3 decision against her opponent, while Redondo and Brendel both lost by 8-4 scores. Leininger provided the only positive aspect of the match, defeating her opponent 8-5. Venema and junior Becky Snyder finished off the day for Behrend with an 8-3 doubles loss. The loss to John Carroll dropped the Lions' record to 1-6, but things improved the next day against Frostburg State University, which a day earlier had taken part in the Behrend Invitational. The Lions got off to a great start, as Albertson downed her opponent in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-3. However, Redondo and Brendel followed up their teammate's win with losses that set the Lions down with two other singles matches left. Redondo lost 6-0 and 6-4, while Brendel came a little closer to victory. Brendel dropped the first set by a 7- 6 score, came back to win 6-1, then was unable to generate anything in a 6-0 loss. Leininger and Reedy then came on the court and saved the day for the Lions. Leininger defeated her opponent by 6-2 and 6-2 scores, and at the same time Reedy knocked off her opponent 6-1 and 6-2. Albertson and Redondo came together to easily handle Frostburg's doubles team in an 8-0 win, and secure the win for the Lions in their first conference game. Brendel and Leininger finished up play with an 8-6 loss to Frostburg's other doubles team, but by that time the Lions had already gained their second win this season. SP ..-.*'.'.':. RTS Friday, September 21, 2001 For her performances this week, Albertson was named as the AMCC's "Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week". The Lions had been scheduled to play Buffalo State on Thursday Sept. 13, but that game was postponed due to inclement weather, as was the Behrend game at Pitt-Greensburg scheduled for Wednesday. PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY Senior Angela Albertson returns the ball to one of her opponents during the Behrend Invitational. The Lions lost two games and won one on Saturday in the invitational. Cross country team reflects on start of season while preparing for Slippery Rock Invitational by Kate Levdansky Petrikis assistant sports editor The Behrend cross country team improved greatly from the first to the second meet, ac cording to head coach Dave Cooper. "The difference in team performance is largely due to the competition involved," said Cooper. "As the season goes on and we corn pete against more Division 111 schools and fewer Division I and Division II schools, we will tend to fare better. What we are looking at now is how we are doing in comparison to previous years against the same competition and that is looking good at this point." This will be Behrend's first time at Slip o`lo:yhat we are looking at now is how we are i'.:` 4, Ldbing in comparison to previous years looking good at this point." PHOTO BY KRISTIN ROD with her second goal of the day. Then another freshman, Maria Gahagen, scored the final goal of the game, leaving the women with their 6-0 victory. That victory against Altoona felt good, but the Lions knew that they could not let their guard down against their next conference challenge, Lake Erie. This game did not start off as easily for the Behrend Lions. Nicksich scored Behrend's only goal in the first half. This women took this narrow 1-0 lead into the second half. Nicksich widened the Lions' lead with her fourth goal of the year, and second goal of the game. Clouse then stepped into the limelight, scoring her second goal of the year. Senior Laura Furko, who assisted on two goals, took her turn on the field and blazed one into the net. With Furko's last goal, the women left Lake Erie with a 4-0 victory and an undefeated conference record of 2-0 (3-5 overall). Behrend's women were scheduled to play Carnegie Mellon in a non-conference game on Thursday in Pittsburgh. On Monday the women will host a non-conference game against Grove City. Then on Wednesday, the Lady Lions will travel to Pitt-Bradford for their third conference game. The Lions will hope that their game hasn't rusted when they play Penn State Altoona (2- 0) on Saturday at 10 a.m., their first game in a week. The Lions also play on Wednesday at Fredonia, a team the Lions lost to by a 4-2 score in the Allegheny Tournament on Sept. 8. pery Rock University. Behrend is going be comes its own invitational was cancelled due to the construction on the Behrend Fields area. "The competition at Slippery Rock will prob ably be tough again like the Buffalo State In vitational," said Cooper. Kevin Ritzert leads the men's team, but Cooper looks for all the guys to pull closer to him each week. Dan Croft and Matt Heidecker have been steady while freshmen Dan Alvis, Clayton Kirschner, Tim Schultheis, and Mike Barlett are also challenging. On the girls' side, several runners have ex celled. "Jessica Knapp has been leading to this point but Andrea Sanko has been pulling closer to give us a great one-two punch," said Cooper. "Susie Szafran and Claire -Coach Dave Cooper Now, I'm not saying I hate Bonds, because he is one of the best who has ever plaved. he tends to he flashy on the Field And there is definitely no media circus surrounding him like there was with McGwire. I tried looking on the MLB website for updated information on Bonds and it wasn't until the bottom of the page shmked up that I actually found something on him The player who is about to break the record doesn't bother me: it's the record itself and the concept of the home run that irks me. Maris record was special in the world of baseball. No, I need to correct myself. It was sacred. because the home run is the most glorified aspect of the game So when one person broke it, and then two. sse were witnessing a once in a lifetime moment No, that lifetime has turned into a less years Atter standing for more than 30 years, and then for ,;7. the home- run record is about to be broke in three . Manelick have been solid three and four positions with Lyndsey Boor around af ter a rough start this season. We are looking for steady improvement everybody." behrcolls@aol.com Bonds' chase for home-run record can only hurt baseball's future Before you begin to read this story ell, you . already started so I guess that's a stupid opening). there are two things you need to know. first. I ;1111 a big baseball fan. I grew up watching at ternoon Cubs games on WGN and e‘ ening games oil ESPN, and it didn't take long at all for me to become addicted to the sport. Secondly, unless you've been living in hole in the ground or have been in a coma the last month or two 1 if you \Acre I doubt you'd be reading this paper), Barr \ Bonds is approaching Mark McGwire's home run record So what, you may ask, does that have to do with anything? Well, for beginners, when Mc( iw ire was attempting to break Roger Maris' home-run record three years ago, the whole country, including myself, was rooting for him Now, I don't know about the rest of America, hut I am definitely NOT rooting for Bonds to break the record. Why would I root for McGwire to break the record but not Bonds? Simple. These placrs. and not just Bonds, are destroying the hin!est thillL' baseball has that can attract tans. are ruining the aura of the home run. When McGwire was homerim2 closer to the record in '9B, I wanted to sec him break it bet the record had stood for 37 years and because it helped raise baseball out of the shadow of the 'O4 strike that cancelled the World Series Besides, MeGwire represented c‘ewhiti2. baseball player should he. He accepted less ink:ncy to stay in St. Louis than he could have gotten on the free agent market because the Luis were so supportive of him. He downplayed whit he was doing by saying Sammy Sosa, who ‘k a s rioll behind him in the chase. is a better ;ill around player. He also handled the media circus that followed him in a very classy v, ay . How can the home run he so special to baseball if it's so easy to accomplish the teat? It v+as uric thing for McGwire and Sofia to break the record once, but then they did it again the next year. Five years ago, nobody in their wildest dreams ( which don't include Mariah Carey) would have thought 70 home runs was possible. What would they think if someone was about to go over that mark Many people may not care about boss extraordinary the home run is, hut to the Inoue than-average baseball fan, turning something that used to happen about twice a game into something that often happens four or more times a game lessens that feeling you get in your stomach ss hen it does occur. Pretty soon, fans will he ho hum when it comes to the home run, it the already, and without it, the next biggest thing that can get fans through the gates are the pla et s themselves. With $252 million athlete,, thn only n care what happens to them and not the teani. and with ballplayers who have hall the anitude Al hert Belle used to have (he retired hecauw of a hip injury, good riddance), baseball . , tutu,' isnl looking too bright. Add onto that the possibi this winter of another labor strike, similar to the one that occurred in '94, and it looks as it baseball is headed down that same dark path it went t ttu2ll in '94 and '95. I've gotten a little off track here. The main point is that the degradation of the home run is jut one more example of how baseball may soon run itull right out of business if, that is, the widening cap between the have and the have-not teams doesn't do that sooner. If baseball seems intent on alienating many tans now, just wait until the mess with the labor unions arrives this winter. As ,ou know, $252 million just doesn't buy as man \ condos and small island countries as it used to. As for Bonds, who is currently at 64 home runs he can do whatever he wants to, just don't expect me to cheer for him. Bonds would he a little clost r to the record, but baseball, in a very verse nose. postponed all games from Sept. I I through Sept. 16 after the terrorist attacks. So instead, Bonds has till Oct. 7 to break the record and destroy the concept of the home run and baseball along with it. As Craig Kilborn used to say about the home run, "It's baseball's special moment." Well Craig, it ain't special i;io more. Oh wait, you're not on ESPN anymore, you anchor an inferior-to-Conan- O'Brien late night talk show. Sorry about that Page 3B onal find ike Hello
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