The Behrend Beacon
Furko ties school goals record in win over Alfre
by Bob Palivoda
staff writer
The Behrend women remain steaming hot
in conference play after they smoked Pitt-
Bradford 2-0 on Sept. 26.
Senior Laura Furko scored first for the
women. This goal gave Furko five on the year
and left her one away from tying Behrend's
all-time scoring record of 31. This goal also
put Furko on top of the all-time points list for
Behrend
The second goal of the game came from
freshman phenomenon Niki Clouse, who is
third on the team in scoring.
Michelle Malatesta, the senior goaltender,
picked up yet another shutout, her fourth of
the season.
On Friday, the women were back home to
play Alfred in a non-conference game.
Behrend's record was now an overall 4-6-1 and
3-0 in the AMCC.
It was on a cool, wet, mostly cloudy day like
Friday where the Lions needed only one goal
to defeat their opponent. This was not just an
ordinary goal. however. This goal would be
one that will echo throughout the Behrend
history books.
Furko scored the only goal in the game in
the first half and put herself one goal away from
standing alone as the all-time leading
goalscorer for the women's soccer program.
Furko has now scored 31 career goals.
Furko's goal is all Behrend needed as
Malatesta denied every shot she faced that
added up to her fifth shutout of the year
a•lulul..ulM a gu, u V%) all WS., .)U ICU Vll ISIS..
year.
Coach Dan Perritano is happy with the
women, but he feels now that the second half
Tennis
before
by Mike Bello
sports editor
You gain some; you lose some. The women's
tennis team found out last week how true this
can be as it began a stretch of seven games in
nine - days. The Lions secured back-to-back
conference wins but lost all momentum when
they dropped the next two games. The Lions
bounced bad. we.diic,ddy to improve their record
to 5-9.
The first game of the week, which occurred
on Sept. 27 after being rained out the day before,
was against Pitt-Greensburg. As it turned out,
the Lions had little difficulty handling
Greensburg.
Senior Angela Albertson began play with 6-3
and 6-1 wins right before Lennys Redondo
played her best match of the year. Redondo
defeated her opponent 6-0 and 6-1, the first time
all year any player had lost only one set during
two- match play. The third senior of the day,
Michelle Brendel, took care of her opponent
without a problem in 6-2 and 6-3 wins.
The Lions hit a small snag in the middle when
senior Carrie Reedy and Maggie Venema lost
their sets. Reedy dropped a 6-3 decision followed
by a 6-2 loss, while Venema lost 6-3 before giving
her opponent a run for her money in a 7-5 loss.
The last singles player of the day, Becky Snyder,
helped the team rebound with match-wins of 6-2
and 6-4.
Albertson and Redondo began doubles play
by cruising to an 8-3 win over their Greensburg
opponents, but in the second match Venema and
Snyder could not overcome Greensburg's
number one and three players. The Lions were
defeated by an 8-4 score, but it mattered little
since Behrend had already won the game.
Brendel and Reedy finished out the day by
winning 8-4.
On Saturday, the Lions had to work a lot harder
to pull out a win against Frostburg. Albertson
won the first match 6-2 and 6-0 on a day when
neither team would hold a lead greater than one.
Redondo lost the first set of her match 6-1, but
rebounded with a 6-3 win. Redondo wasn't able
to do the same in the third set, losing by a 6-2
score. Freshman Kimmy Asada picked the Lions
up with consecutive 7-5 wins, but Frostburg
owned the next two matches.
Brendel lost to her opponent 6-3 and 6-2, and
then freshman Christie Leininger dropped both
of her sets, 6-2 and 6-1. Reedy came to the rescue
by securing wins of 6-4 and 6-1 in between a 7-
loss.
The Lions pulled one match ahead when
Albertson and Redondo combined to win 8-6,
but Asada and Snyder lost doubles match number
two 8-2 which meant the team that won the last
match would be the game winner. It was up to
Brendel and Leininger, both of whom had lost
their singles matches, to secure the win for
Behrend. They did not disappoint, defeating
Frostburg's third doubles team 8-5, improving
the Lions' conference record to 3-I.
The next day the Lions played at Penn State
Altoona, a team no one has defeated yet this year.
They came as close as possible to winning
without actually winning. Albertson won 6-3 and
6-2 with a 6-4 loss in the middle to start things
off right for Behrend, but Altoona came back
strong, winning the next two matches. Redondo
PHOTO BY MIKE BELLO
Senior Michelle Malatesta gets ready to punt the
ball downfield in a recent home game at the
Behrend Fields. Malatesta has allowed only 19
goals in 11 games, good for a 1.56 goals against
average. Malatesta hasn't allowed a goal in all
five of Behrend's wins this season.
of their season will be underway, they will play
JI.A.L.GI.
With the victory against Alfred, Behrend's
record moved to 5-6-1 (3-0 AMCC).
team starts off week great
'dropping the ball'
PHOTO BY ROB WYNNE
Senior Michelle Brendel returns a shot to her Edinboro opponent on Monday. Brendel
won three of four singles matches and three of four doubles matches during the
dropped 6-1 and 6-2 sets, while Asada lost to
her opponent by scores of 6-2 and 6-3.
Brendel and Leininger picked up where they
left off last game, as both won their three set
matches. Brendel won 6-3, lost 7-5, and then
squeezed through a 7-6 win. Leininger then lost
6-4 before winning 6-4 and 7-6 to give Behrend
a one-match lead. Reedy couldn't carry the
momentum over though, losing 6-0 and 7-5.
With the singles games over and both teams
dead even at 3-3, Albertson and Redondo gave
the Lions the lead again with an easy 8-0 doubles
win. Asada and Snyder couldn't do the same,
losing 8-2, which meant once again the winner
of the last match would be the winner of the
game. It was once again up to Leininger and
Brendel to save the day, which they almost did.
It was a nail biter to the end, but the Lions just
could not finish off Altoona, a team the Lions
lost to 6-3 a week before, losing the last doubles
set 9-8.
After this heartbreaking loss to the AMCC's
number one team, the Lions returned home to
play a Monday afternoon game against fellow
Erie County school Edinboro. The Lions got off
to a rather poor start, losing the first three
matches. Albertson lost 6-1 and 6-3, Snyder lost
6-0 and 6-1, and Asada too lost 6-0 and 6-1.
Momentum can shift though and it certainly did,
as the Lions then won the final three singles
matches.
Brendel handled her opponent easily in 6-3
and 6-2 wins, while Leininger won a close one
7-6 before dominating in 6-0. Reedy followed
suit by winning 6-2 and 7-6. Albertson and
Ai. 4.4
On Wednesday, the Lions played against
\lik'.** ;lil ° * N. ,
..
* -
SPORTS
,
1 1 f,.
i 4
, ,;,-.,-,
' : ,
lose ' . t ~,
,„ 44 - `
v --
.s: —
..
1 1
Redondo began doubles play by losing 9-7,
which gave Edinboro a one-match lead. Venema
and Snyder couldn't stop the Toro from gaining
the win, as they dropped their match 8-6. Brendel
and Leininger finished off the day's matches with
an 8-4 win.
The Lions got a much needed day off Tuesday,
but then they had to hit the road again on
Wednesday at La Roche. Behrend did not mind
La Roche had home court advantage, because
the Lions cruised to their easiest win of the
season, 7-0.
Albertson won 6-3 and 6-1 and Asada followed
that up with dominating 6-1 and 6-0 wins.
Brendel cruised to wins of 6-1 and 6-0, while
the next two players didn't lose a single set.
Venema and Snyder both defeated their
opponents 6-0 in straight sets, the first time
Behrend has done that all season. They then
teamed up to defeat La Roche in doubles play 8-
3. Sophomore Jenny Zhang and freshman Zoe
Rose finished out the day with an 8-4 doubles
win.
Behrend was scheduled to play at Thiel
Thursday afternoon. The Lions come home to
play Pitt-Greensburg today at 4 p.m. They follow
that up with an easy week, as they play only one
game during those seven days, that being
Wednesday at Hiram. The Lions will only have
two other games after Hiram to get ready for the
AMCC championships. Considering how close
they came to defeating Altoona, the Lions know
a fifth straight title is closer than ever before.
Friday, October 5, 2001
Allegheny at home, a game that was
originally scheduled the day before at
Allegheny. Despite having the home
field advantage now, the Lions were
unable to get anything going.
Behrend did not get anything going
on the offensive side of the ball, as they
failed to put one shot in goal.
Allegheny, on the other hand, had a
much easier time putting shots past
Behrend. Allegheny scored five goals
on the day to send Behrend to their
seventh loss of the season.
With the big fall break coming up,
many students are looking forward to
kicking back and relaxing. However,
the women's soccer team looks at the
fall break as an opportunity to better
themselves.
They traveled to California Thursday
and will not be back until Tuesday.
During this stay in California they will
compete against Redlands on Saturday
in one game and Claremont on Monday
in another game (both at Claremont
University).
Perritano explained that he likes the
trip because it gives his players a
"broader experience."
For recreation, the women will be in
the audience of the "Price is Right ".
If luck goes their way, one of the
players may even appear as a guest and
get on national TV.
On Oct. 13, Behrend will play Pitt-
Greensburg at home for a conference game
starting at s:st) p.m. then on Oct. 17, La Roche
will travel to Behrend for another conference
match up. This game will start at 4:30 p.m.
Women's volleyball succumbs
1 to Altoona, bounces back to slam
Frostburg, Pitt-Bradford
1
by Diane Holtsford
staff writer
Last weekend the Behrend women's
volleyball team played two grueling matches
at home against two very skilled teams: Penn
State Altoona and Frostburg.
Behrend did not start off the weekend well,
dropping a five-game heartbreaker to
Altoona. The Lions lost the first game 30-
27 but fought back to win the second game
30-20. After dropping a very close third
game 31-29, the Behrend team again refused
to give up by clinching the fourth game 30-
25. But a determined Altoona team walked
away with the match by taking the fifth game
15-9.
Kel lie Diehl's team gave Altoona a battle,
but their hard work was not enough to get
the win. "We played well at times, but we
beat ourselves at times," said Diehl about
Friday's match.
Jessica Niedermeyer amassed 23 kills and
17 digs alongside teammate Sarah Peterson
who had 15 kills and 24 digs. Brianne
Engelbert, with 55 setter assists, contributed
eight kills and 16 digs. Excellent
performance was also displayed by Danielle
Bemis with 16 digs and Lauren Senkevich
with 19 kills.
, Behrend bounced back from Friday's loss
/ with a huge win over Frostburg. Behrend
I took out its aggravation in three games, 30-
I 26, 30- 23, and 31-29
iL
Cross country teams excel in
`first-class' Loyola Invitational
by Jason Snyder
staff writer
Going into last weekend's Loyola Invite
in Chicago, cross country coach Dave Coo
per realized that a nine-hour trip the day be
fore could make his teams' muscles a little
"sluggish." But instead, the traveling
seemed to bring out the best in the Lions as
many runners on both teams had their best
times of the season.
"The Loyola Invite went very well," said
Cooper. "(The meet) was first-class in ev-
ery sense of the word - top competition, fes
tive atmosphere, etc." More than 378 run
ners competed in both races.
Kevin Ritzert continued his improvement
this season, posting a season best time of
27:18, which placed him 62nd in the meet.
Dan Croft continues to hold down the sec
ond spot for the Lions, finishing the race in
112th with a time of 28:44. Teammates Tim
Schultheis (29:09), Clayton Kirschner
(29:20), and Dan Alvis (29:29) all finished
within one minute of Croft, giving the Li
ons a strong core of runners, which could
help at the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Conference Championships on Oct. 27.
The men's team finished 20th of the 27
Division HI teams that competed in the
highly competitive meet, and 30th of the 38
total teams that raced.
Jessica Knapp and Andrea Sanko continue
to give the women's team a one-two punch
at the front of the field. The two women
have swapped the finishing order between
themselves three times in the past three
races.
"Jessica and Andrea are handling the com
petition between themselves in a very posi
tive and supporting way," said Cooper. "It
is only making them both better."
Both of them got better this past week
end. Knapp finished in 76th place with a
time of 20:52, only six seconds off her best
time of the season at the Buffalo State Invi
tational. Sanko finished right behind her
with a time of 20:58, placing her in 80th.
Susie Szafran and Lindsey Boor closed
behrcolls@aol.com
"We played an excellent game against
Frostburg; we played better all around," said I
Diehl.
Niedermeyer led the way with 19 kills and
22 digs. while Engelbert added 12 digs along
with her 37 setter assists. Also contributing
to Behrend's win were Bemis and Peterson
,with 16 digs each.
Last Tuesday, Behrend played another
tedious five-game match against Pitt
Bradford. The Lions were down two games,
30-27 and 33-31, and three match points in
the third game, but the determined Behrend
team overcame Bradford 34-32. After two
and a half hours of play, Behrend defeated
Bradford in the last two games 30-25 and
15-8.
Bemis led the team with 13 kills and 35
digs, with Peterson adding 11 kills and 23
digs, Niedermeyer with 12 kills and 14 digs. I
Engelbert contributed 13 digs alongside her I
46 setter assists.
Diehl was proud of her team's persistence I
at that match.
"We started slow, but we came together I
to play well and to keep the game close,"
said Diehl.
The Behrend Lions continue their streak
of road games for two weeks. This weekend
the Lions play Fredonia and Pitt-
Greensburg, with Lake Erie next week. The
following week they will face La Roche and
Altoona and Frostburg.
PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY
the gap between themselves and Knapp and
Sanko, finishing with times of 21:27 and
21:30, respectively.
The women finished 17th of the 27 Divi
sion 111 schools that competed, and 28th of
the 41 total teams that competed.
Cooper wants both teams to be ready for
the AMCC Championships at the end of the
month.
"We need to become more confident in
going out at the right race pace so that we
have plenty of energy throughout the race,"
said Cooper. "They are starting to hit it
right."
This weekend's Frostburg meet was can
celled, which would have given the Lions a
better sense of the competition they will see
at the championships. "We're scrambling
to fill that date," said Cooper.
If the Lions can't fill it, then their next
race will be their last before the AMCC
Championships. Behrend will next compete
at the Rennselear Poly Institute Invitational
on Oct. 20.
Freshmen Tara Burgess, left, and
Susie Szafran head back up to the
Junker Center after a long jog around
the streets of Behrend.
Page
Sophomore
Lauren Senkevich,
center, stretches
to reach for the
ball in the Lions'
game against
Penn State
Altoona on Friday
Also pictured are
Behrend players,
from left to right,
senior Sarah
Peterson, senior
Brianne Engelbert,
sophomore
Jessica
Niedermeyer,
and junior Danielle
Bemis.