Stony Brook vs. Boston University highlights the opening day of men's soccer conference action

After a month of non-conference action, the eight men's soccer teams in the America East kick off conference play today.

While there are four great games on the schedule (click here for previews) the highlight game of the opening day is certainly Boston University visiting Stony Brook. The Terriers and Seawolves, who were picked to finish first and second, respectively, both enter the game playing tremendous soccer. Boston University has won two straight, including an impressive 2-0 victory over No. 20 Harvard. Stony Brook has found tremendous consistency in the past couple of weeks, as it has an unbeaten streak of six games.

Both teams possess explosive offensive options and have no trouble lighting up the scoreboard. Junior forward Ben Berube has been a tremendous surprise for the Terriers, scoring three goals and dishing out an assist during the two-game winning streak. Prior to this season, Berube had only scored three goals in his entire career. Senior forward Aaron O'Neal is a highly-skilled offensive option for the Terriers. O'Neal currently leads the team with four goals and he has the experience of succeeding in huge America East games.

There is no shortage of attacking players for Stony Brook. Junior midfielder Wilber Bonilla and sophomore midfielder Leonardo Fernandes form one of the most versatile midfield duos in the conference. Sophomore forward Berian Gobeil is playing some of the best soccer of his young career, as he is currently on a three-match goal scoring streak.

This should be a tremendous match up and it will certainly provide great momentum to whichever team is able to walk away with the victory. With many of the men's soccer teams having such impressive non-conference performances, there will not be a shortage of great games over the course of America East play.

Hitting the Links:10/1/2010

Good afternoon, AExtra.

Can you believe that it's already October? Where has the time gone. I suppose now, it is actually time to embrace fall. Though the weather in some areas of the America East footprint may betray the fact that even late summer has said its farewells, with summerlike storms riddling the northeast, it is, in fact, fall. At least the conference scheduling says so.

That's right. There is even more conference action heating up this weekend. While women's soccer is now into its conference slate, field hockey, volleyball and men's soccer get underway this weekend. And this weekend starts tonight!

With the start of conference play tonight in volleyball comes another start of sorts: the start of Providence College's first America East action as an associate member of the conference for volleyball. The Friars host the Stony Brook Seawolves in Providence this evening at 6 p.m. So congratulations and good luck to Providence as it embarks on its initial run as an America East volleyball team. For more on the Friars' first America East game, check out AmericaEast.com tomorrow for reactions from the Providence College team.

Along with volleyball, field hockey opens the conference season this afternoon. Men's soccer kicks off at 1 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. For the latest on conference play, check out AmericaEast.com.

Women's soccer, on the other hand, is in its full conference swing already. There were four games on the schedule last night. Boston U., Hartford and Stony Brook all managed to remain unbeaten in conference play. Maine also won yesterday.

These games received their fair share of coverage in the media. Boston U.'s 1-0 win over UMBC earned some ink in Retriever Weekly, the UMBC student newspaper, which recapped the game and gave extra analysis of the Retriever performance. Hartord's 1-0 win over Binghamton made it into the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin as well as the Binghamton University Pipe Dream. And Maine's 2-1 comeback victory over Vermont made it into the Burlington Free Press. For more on Stony Brooks 2-0 spoiling of Albany's home opener, check out goseawolves.org.

Finally, big news for America East men's basketball. ESPN has released the schools that will be participating in its annual BracketBusters event. Five America East teams will be participating in this year's event: Boston U., Maine, New Hampshire, Stony Brook and Vermont. For more on the BracketBusters, you can check out stories published in the Burlington Free Press, Bangor Daily News or the special article at AmericaEast.com.

That's it from the Links this Friday afternoon. Enjoy all of the conference play and don't forget to check back to AExtra for all that is America East.

Postgame Interview with Hartford Women's Soccer Head Coach John Natale

Hartford Athletics caught up with women's soccer head coach John Natale following the 1-0 victory over Binghamton.

Retriever Reels - Levi Houapeu

The second season of Retriever Reels begins with excerpts from an interview conducted with UMBC Men's Soccer standout Levi Houapeu. The written story is coming soon to UMBCRetrievers.com

Highlights from Stony Brook vs. Albany

Here are some highlights courtesy of Albany athletics from the conference opener for both teams. Stony Brook picked up a 2-0 road victory.

Stony Brook Loses to Tommy Brenton to Knee Injury

This update on the injury to Tommy Brenton is courtesy of Gene Morris from the Stony Brook Independent.

By Gene Morris

The Stony Brook men’s basketball team took a hit after junior forward Tommy Brenton injured his knee during a pickup basketball game last week. The injury will keep Brenton out indefinitely, jeopardizing the team’s chances at repeating as America East champions.

Brenton underwent successful surgery, but the knee is still swollen. He was seen on crutches as recently as a few days ago.

“He’s not playing basketball any time soon,” Head Coach Steve Pikiell said.

Brenton led the America East conference last season with 9.7 rebounds per game and was second in steals, averaging almost two a game.

Brenton averaged only 7.6 points per game, but that stat is misleading. He was a large part of the returning nucleus the Seawolves hoped to put on the floor this season, which included guards Bryan Dougher, Chris Martin and forward Dallis Joyner.

With Brenton out of the lineup, sophomore guard/forward Preye Preboye and junior forward Danny Carter should see increased playing time.

Pikiell said it was too early to think about what the team would do in the event of Brenton's return near the end of the season to aid a title run.

“The important thing is he’s on the road to recovery,” Pikiell said.

Hitting the Links: 9/30/2010

Good afternoon, America East fans.

Happy Thursday! How could it not be a happy Thursday? Like every Thursday for the remainder of the America East soccer season, this Thursday brings with it conference matches on the pitch. Thursday and Sunday belong to the women and, starting with the conference openers on Saturday, Wednesday and Saturday will have men's soccer match-ups.

Now, as you already know, we here at AExtra do not need a specific day to point out a sport, player or story.

For example, The Baltimore Sun published an article today about the schedule announcement for the Face-Off Lacrosse Classic to be held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore this spring. One game in the Classic's tripleheader will be UMBC squaring off against Johns Hopkins. The game will be the first ever played by the Retrievers at M&T Bank Stadium. The stadium was the site of last year's lacrosse Final Four, an event which UMBC hosted.

Another non-soccer story today is out of the Philadelphia area in Montgomery News, which ran an article recently profiling the new head coach of the Hartford men's basketball team, John Gallagher. Gallagher, a Philadelphia-area native who was an assistant coach at Penn, recently returned to the area for a talk/celebration of his new post. Gallagher's Hawks have many ties to the city; six players on this year's squad hail from the City of Brotherly Love.

While there are things going on off the pitch, there is no shortage of happenings on it. In men's soccer, Binghamton, Vermont and Stony Brook all won matches last night. The Bearcats won in historic fashion, erasing a 2-0 deficit to beat Niagara on the road. The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin covered the historic comeback. The Catamounts had a comeback of their own, coming back from a loss to Brown to top Siena, 2-0. As reported in the Burlington Free Press, the win ended a four-game winless streak for Vermont. Stony Brook, as reported by WUSB 90.1, dispatched Iona, 1-0.

Those same Seawolves will play Boston U. at home on Saturday. That game, and the Terriers' prospects in the match, are previewed in the Boston University Daily Free Press.

On the women's pitch, which houses four conference matches today, Albany has been led this season by sophomore transfer student Shayla Bergeron. Bergeron, a transfer from Duquesne, leads the Great Danes with five goals scored. According to the Albany Student Press, Bergeron has been key to Albany's success, getting out to one of the best starts in the program's history.

Maine is another of the America East women's teams that has gotten out to a solid start in 2010. This afternoon, the Black Bears host the Vermont Catamounts in league action. The game was previewed by BoxScoreNews.com.

Finally, New Hampshire is the only America East women's soccer team not scheduled on the slate of games today. Instead, the Wildcats headed to Providence to take on Brown last night. New Hampshire earned a draw against its Ivy League foe, 2-2. The Wildcats are now 1-1-1 against opponents from the Ivy in 2010.

That will do for the Links this Thursday afternoon. Be sure to check in tomorrow when the Links will get you prepared for all the America East Conference action this weekend.

Catamounts on Campus: Men's Soccer Transfers

CatamounTV spoke with Nick O'Neil, Juan Peralta, Connor O'Brien, Xan Rousselle, and Zach Paul in this great video that profiles the impact that these transfers have made so far this season. This video gives great insight into why these student-athletes decided to continue their careers at Vermont.







Catamounts on Campus takes a closer look at the Men's Soccer teams' transfers and the direct impact they've had on the positive results on the pitch. CatamounTV spoke with Nick O'Neil, Juan Peralta, Connor O'Brien, Xan Rousselle, and Zach Paul.

Collegiate Power Rankings From The NCSA

The college athletics recruitment process is a complicated one for prospective student-athletes, coaches, parents and many others. Because of the demand, and importance, for the education on the process, there are a multitude of online resources out there, including one by the name of National Collegiate Scouting Association, or NCSA. As is so popular for any other high school student looking to find the right college by browsing the Princeton Review's list of best schools, NCSA keeps the "NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings" for potential student-athletes trying to find the best all-around schools for athletics. The basis of the rankings come from several sources, including Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings, NCAA student-athlete graduation rate and the U.S. News & World Report ranking.

The reason you'll find this information on AExtra is that four of the league's schools landed on the Division I top-100 list for 2010, making them a popular destination for recruits. The highest-ranking America East school is Boston University at #28, followed by University of Vermont and University of New Hampshire at #46 and #49, respectively. Binghamton University also makes the cut with a ranking of #90. Stanford, Princeton and Duke topped the list. To see the full list, you can check it out here.

2010 NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings
28. Boston University
46. University of Vermont
49. University of New Hampshire
90. Binghamton University

Transfers Raise Expectations at Boston University

This upcoming season will certainly be a year of transition for the Boston University Terriers. Gone are nine seniors, many of whom played an integral role in helping the Terriers advance to the America East Conference championship game and into the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational. While head coach Pat Chambers welcomes a highly-touted seven-man recruiting class to the program, it’s the potential impact of three transfers that has fans believing that the Terriers can still challenge for a conference championship.

While Patrick Hazel (Marquette), Matt Griffin (Rider) and Darryl Partin (La Salle) were each able to practice with the Terriers last season, the fact remains that all three have been away from NCAA level competition for over a year. For this reason, Chambers knows that despite the credentials the transfers have arrived with, it will still take some time before they are totally comfortable playing at the speed of Division I basketball.

“I’ll tell you what; it’s very difficult,” Chambers said about making an impact after missing a year of action. “These guys love to play basketball. To sit out a year and not play any games, for a kid that is between 18-22, is incredibly difficult. It’s probably one of the most challenging things in their lives at that point in time.”

One of the keys to making sure that Hazel, Griffin and Partin remained competitive during the year off was incorporating lots of scrimmages and competition into practice.

“We really just tried to keep it competitive,” said Chambers. “Obviously, they were allowed to practice. We setup scrimmages as often as we could so they could be in game-like situations. Sometimes we would bring in referees to give them that game-like feel. We really tried to incorporate them in a lot of things that we did as a team. You want to keep their attention and you want to keep them out of trouble, so you have to come up with some creative ideas to keep them motivated throughout the year.”

While each of the transfers possesses a strong basketball background, with all three coming from schools with an impressive tradition, Chambers is quick to emphasize that the only way to justify all the expectations is to earn the trust of their teammates and a spot in the rotation.

“These guys haven’t played in a game in over a year,” emphasized the second-year coach. “We all say as coaches that we like to try and simulate game-like conditions in practice, but there is nothing like playing in a game. I know that their expectations are high and I think that is true no matter what school you are at. But I think you need to taper that a little bit. They just need to try and get better every day, work on their habits and set a standard of excellence for each guy, and this team as a whole.”

Having lost nine seniors to graduation, playing time is certainly available for Hazel, Griffin and Patrin. However, each of the guys needs to earn their minutes with a strong performance in practice when the season gets started.

“I always say you have to earn your minutes and earn your time. I see them playing significant minutes, but they have to earn it. Just because you are coming from Marquette, La Salle and Rider, it doesn’t matter. You have to work hard, you have to earn your minutes and bring it in practice every day, and you have to show the coaching staff and your teammates that you are committed and will do whatever it takes to benefit the program and not just yourself.”

With so many new faces to incorporate into the program this season, Chambers is focused on the daily development and improvement of his team.

“If we can focus on developing excellence, and not on winning and losing, or getting to the NCAA Tournament, it will benefit everyone and especially these three redshirts”

UNH overcomes weather to defeat Fairfield

The UNH men's soccer team defeated Fairfield University, 1-0, on Tuesday at Lewis Fields, overcoming heavy downpours and wind to secure the win in its last non-conference game of the season. The Wildcats improved to 5-0-2 on the season behind senior forward Dylan George's first goal of the season. According to George, UNH refused to let the poor weather affect their effort.

"We play hard in any type of weather," George said. "Last year, we had a horrible game on this field as well. We know what to expect; the bounces, the skipping, the ball's not going to do exactly what you expect. So you just have to play hard."

The Wildcats were able to grab the lead early in the game when, in just the sixth minute of action, George passed the ball to senior Marcus Barr at the left side of the box. Barr shot the ball on goal, but Fairfield goalkeeper Michael O'Keeffe saved it, deflecting the ball to the middle of the box. A streaking George ran onto the ball and fired it into the back of the net, providing all the scoring the Wildcats would need to win.

UNH applied even more pressure throughout the rest of the first half, outshooting the Stags 9-1 in the initial 45 minutes. But George's goal was all the scoring that the Wildcat offense could provide, setting the stage for a tension-filled second half.

"I do think we had an edge early in the game," UNH head coach Rob Thompson said. "We got the goal, we had other chances, we probably should have been up 2-0."

In the second half of play, Fairfield created more opportunities for themselves, putting the pressure back onto UNH. Senior goalkeeper Colin O'Donnell and the Wildcat defense buckled down,  not allowing any of Fairfield's 12 second half shots to find the back of the net. O'Donnell ended the day with  five saves and his fourth shut out of the year.

"As the game wore on, I thought they got a little bit of an edge in the game, and put us under pressure, but we bent without breaking. Colin had a good game," Thompson said.

With their undefeated record on the season (5-0-2), UNH stands atop the America East heading into conference play.  But as Dylan George pointed out, the non-conference record is mostly irrelevant once conference-play begins.

"We have to keep this going because none of these games mean anything if we don't win in conference, that's the real season," George said. "We just have to buckle down, stick to what we're doing and play hard and hopefully we'll get the same results."

The Wildcats will open up their conference schedule this Saturday when take on the University of Vermont up in Burlington. Game time is slated for 2 P.M.

Hitting the Links: 9/29/2010

Good afternoon, all you AExtra visitors out there.

We have reached midweek and, so far, the sports schedule in America East has been fairly light. Not too many games have been played as of yet since the weekend. Only a handful of programs have taken to the field/court/trail, but that certainly does not mean that they have not taken to the presses. Let's take a nice leisurely stroll through all that is America East this week (now

with a sleeker look!).

We start in Albany, where the wet weather could not dampen the spirits, nor the play, of the Great Dane field hockey team. The 17th-ranked Great Danes rolled in a rain-soaked afternoon matchup against cross-town rival Siena. Albany topped the Saints, 9-1, coming back from a 1-0 hole and scoring nine straight goals. The Great Danes have won their last four games, outscoring opponents, 19-2, in the process.

In Binghamton, the Bearcat volleyball team, which is the defending America East champion, was selected by the coaches in the conference to repeat as champions. However, last year's tournament MVP Lindsey Mueller was sidelined with an injury. What to do? That's where junior setter Julie Chambers. Chambers has done her best to fill the void left by Mueller's absence. Her journey into the Bearcat starting lineup is chronicled in "Setting Up For Success," at bubearcats.com.

From Boston University, men's soccer player Ben Berube grabbed the Offensive Player of the Week honor from the ECAC. He was also named this week's America East Player of the Week. Berube scored three goals in two games, including the game winner against No. 20 Harvard on Sunday.

In Hartford, another Hawk team has stepped up to help the community. The Hartford lacrosse team (pictured) has helped an effort to start a youth lacrosse program in the local town of Bloomfield, Conn. The Bloomfield program will start with a team for fifth and sixth graders and will expand to accommodate a team for seventh and eighth graders. The Hawks got together to run a skills clinic for the local youth.

Up in Maine, one Black Bear athlete who was a two-sport athlete has decided to narrow her focus and concentrate on just one. Jessica Bond, according to the Bangor Daily News, has decided not to play ice hockey this season and instead work on her skills with the javelin. The Bond note is buried in the article a bit, it is an article about women's ice hockey and not abut track & field, but it is there. Bond is the defending America East outdoor champion in the javelin.

At UMBC, the women's soccer team has started its conference schedule on a high note. The Retrievers topped Vermont, 2-0, on Sunday. With the win, freshman keeper Lauren Kadet earned her first-career shutout. Kadet's shutout earned her a mention in Potomac Soccer Wire.

In New Hampshire, the Wildcats volleyball team made a clean sweep of the America East weekly awards for the sport. This feat was covered in The New Hampshire, the student newspaper for the university. New Hampshire was not the only school to take out the sport brooms. Boston U. grabbed both men's soccer awards, Albany swept field hockey and Maine swept the cross country honors.

Stony Brook, as was featured yesterday in AExtra, is in the process of upgrading its athletic facilities. The renovation will be primarily for track & field, but will also serve as a practice facility for men's and women's soccer, men's and women's lacrosse and football. Stony Brook's athletics website has the latest on the project, including a story and photos of the construction. Most of the construction should be completed by Dec. 1.

Finally, the Vermont Catamount women's basketball team continues to add to its roster for the 2011-12 season. According to the Burlington Free Press "On Campus," the Catamounts add two former Vermont high school teammates in Kelli Hier and Katie Dorey. Hier, a senior, played two and a half seasons at Vermont. She rejoins the Catamounts after leaving midway through last season for personal reasons. Dorey is a transfer from St. Anselm, a Division II school.

Well, that will do it for the Links this Wednesday afternoon. You're halfway there, now finish strong with a push towards the weekend and, dare I say it...more America East conference play!

In The Polls - Wednesday, September 28

In the Polls is back for another week to report on the movement in both the regional and national rankings.

Several men's soccer teams made an impact regionally, while knocking #20 Harvard out of the NSCAA national poll. Boston U. (5-3-1 record), which upended the Crimson on Sunday, and Stony Brook (5-4-1), which tied the Ivy-Leaguers, are deadlocked alongside conference foe New Hampshire (4-0-2) for 10th in the Northeast Region Poll. The Seawolves and Terriers could break that tie as they face-off against one another on Saturday on Long Island in their league-openers. The Wildcats face Vermont in Burlington earlier that day.

Field hockey also gets league play started this weekend, still with two teams in the NFHCA national rankings. Albany (7-2) had a big week with three straight wins, including a 2-1 win over UMass, which had been ranked earlier this season. The Great Danes earned themselves a promotion of two spots, up from #19 to #17 this week. Despite a loss to Old Dominion, Boston U. (6-3) held steady at #11. The Terriers have outshot all nine of their opponents this season, including 56-18 combined in their three losses. Those ladies will have to finish their scoring chances as they enter conference play, beginning on the road at Vermont on Friday afternoon. Albany will also travel for their league opener at Fairfield on Saturday.

Stony Brook women's cross country is inching closer to a national ranking, claiming the last spot just outside of the top-25 with 24 votes. They remain third in the Northeast Region. Maine (#11) and New Hampshire (#14) swapped spots after the Black Bears defeated the Wildcats in a dual meet last weekend. Albany women stayed at #15, while there was no movement on the men's side as Binghamton (#7), Albany (#13) and Maine (#14) stayed put.

And to wrap up this week's edition of In the Polls, the Boston University women's soccer team (6-5) started the conference slate 1-0 with a win over UNH, and finds itself up one spot to #5 in the NSCAA Northeast region.

As always, congratulations to our teams receiving recognition!

Stony Brook Adding to its Impressive Facilities

Stony Brook Athletics announced details surrounding the construction of a new state-of-the-art outdoor Track & Field and FieldTurf practice facility. Here are some quotes from Director of Athletics Jim Fiore and Track & Field/Cross Country head coach Andy Ronan: 

“This is another great step for our athletic program,” Director of Athletics Jim Fiore said. “This new venue will continue to help our championship program attract some of the finest track & field athletes from across the country and internationally, while also providing our field sports a high quality practice facility which will give Stony Brook the opportunity to make a significant impact at the conference, regional and national levels.

“It is an exciting time for the past, present and future members of the Stony Brook Track & Field/Cross Country programs,” head coach Andy Ronan said. “We are thrilled about the construction of the new track facility as it will allow us to develop into a more complete track program. Our sprinters, jumpers and throwers will now have the same opportunity as our middle distance and cross country athletes to develop into conference, regional and NCAA champions.”

Be sure to check out the Stony Brook Athletics website for pictures of the construction project. 

Hitting the Links: 9/28/2010

Good afternoon, AExtra fans!

And a big afternoon as well. It is so big for America East, in fact, that today requires only one link. However, it is a link that must be hit, and must be hit hard.

AmericaEast.com is all new!

That's right, America East has upgraded its website with a "sleek new look." The web address is still the same, americaeast.com, and the site will still provide coverage of all America East sports and events.

So what is new, besides the look?

Well there is more easy-to-access multimedia coverage through the "All-Access" feature. There is also a dedication to social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and of course, yours truly, AExtra!

So check it out! Explore the reaches of the new AmericaEast.com. Tell us what you think of the new website by posting a comment here on AExtra.

And please, don't forget about the Links and AExtra while you're getting lost in your exploration.

Enjoy!

Boston University Men's Soccer vs. #20 Harvard Highlights

Highlights are courtesy of Boston University Athletics.

Binghamton Men's Basketball Program Rallies Around Community Support

When Mark Macon was named interim head coach of the Binghamton men's basketball program prior to the start of the 2009-10 season, he inherited a program that was in transition. Numerous suspensions and dismissals presented Macon with an inexperienced roster that many outside of the program figured to be devoid of talent. However, after laboring to a 5-10 record in non-conference play, the Bearcats demonstrated tremendous resilience and character during America East play. Binghamton surprised many observers by putting together an 8-8 conference record, which included home victories over Vermont and Stony Brook.

As he prepares to enter his second season as the head coach, Macon is not looking to rest on the achievements of last season. Instead, Macon is gaining an understanding for all of the duties and responsibilities that come with running his own program.

"It's personal and daily growth. That's the best way to explain it," Macon said about entering his second season as head coach. "It's something that you grow into everyday and you learn new things everyday. You learn about different aspects away from basketball. You really just want to stay focused on basketball, but you have a lot of other things that you are dealing with".

One of the unique aspects of being a head coach, which often isn't discussed, is how much time and effort is dedicated to doing things away from the court and away from the team. 

"You're dealing with publicizing the team and making sure that you promote the team and the university," explained Macon. "That's part of the learning curve that I didn't see most of the time as an assistant coach. You hear about it, but when I was an assistant coach, I wasn't with the head coach at the fundraisers and things like that. I love stuff like that. I don't like being out too long, but I love going out and being around the community and the people who are so fond of this team and this university."

Despite some of the issues that the program has recently faced, the Binghamton community has maintained support and passion for the entire men's basketball program.

"It's extremely important," Macon said of the support from the community. "We knew that coming here, if the community saw great kids, they would almost embrace the team like their own family. This is a college town, so we have kids that are from here and go to school here. We have families that take a strong interest, not only in their kids at the school, but in the athletic programs. These families embrace our athletes like they are their kids as well."

The family atmosphere that the local community has created has helped the men's basketball program stay united throughout the adversity it has faced.

"This community is about these kids," Macon emphasized. "It's truly about letting these kids know that they have people behind them and that care about them as if they were their own. The community is not ashamed to come out and speak if something unacceptable is going on. But, they are also the kind of the people that are forgiving and will stand behind us if we keep working hard and doing what we are supposed to do."

Hitting the Links: 9/27/2010

Happy Monday, AExtra. I hope you all had a great weekend and are ready to get back to the tasks at hand.

Before we get deep into the week, though, let's run back the weekend with a recap of the women's America East soccer openers through the media coverage of the four matches.

In one of the games that kicked off at noon, UMBC shed its winless streak with a 2-0 victory over Vermont in Burlington. This game was covered from many angles, including the local paper, the Burlington Free Press, and the local NBC affiliate, WPTZ, and a regional online soccer publication, NewEnglandSoccerNews.com.

The other game that kicked off at noon, which saw Maine visiting Binghamton, was covered with a similar media presence. This match, a 1-0 victory for the host Bearcats, received ink in Maine (The Portland Press Herald) and Binghmaton (Binghamton Press Connects), and also grabbed some eyes on the local television news (WBNG).

Note: The Binghamton men's soccer score against Cornell also snuck into the Press Connects article. The Bearcats tied the Big Red, 0-0.

The Boston University women also started their conference slate with a victory, topping the New Hampshire Wildcats, 2-0. Boston U., which has won its last three matches, won this one with a Spain-like display of ball control, according to Boston University's Daily Free Press writer Mike Petkov. New Hampshire freshman goalkeeper Erica Correa recorded a career-high 12 saves in the loss, as you can here (you have to dig just a bit, but it is there, I promise) in the SeacoastOnline.com "Sports Shorts."

In the last America East match of the day, Hartford and Stony Brook played to a 1-1 draw. This marks the fourth time in the last five meetings between the clubs that the score has been tied after 110 minutes.

Albany will open its conference schedule on Thursday at home against the Seawolves.

Finally, a quick tip if the cap to a trio of America East men's soccer teams. Boston University topped No. 20/21 Harvard last night, 2-1, as covered by NewEnglandSoccerNews.com. Stony Brook overcame a 2-0 deficit to top Quinnipiac, 3-2, yesterday, netting the team some press on BigAppleSoccer.com. Seawolves sophomore forward Berian Gobeil Cruz was named the sites Player of the Week. Finally, New Hampshire remained undefeated on Saturday with some last minute heroics by Jon Harris as the Wildcats topped UMass, 1-0 in double overtime. The win was the third straight Wildcat win, all of which have come in extra periods.

That will do to kick of the week with the Links. As always, check in tomorrow for all that is America East.

2009 Conference Champion Terriers Defeat UNH 2-0

Video courtesy of Boston University Athletics.



Conference play is upon us. The Boston University women’s soccer team took the first step to defending its America East crown with a 2-0 victory over the University of New Hampshire Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field. The win propels the Terriers to 6-5-0, 1-0-0 in America East play, and drops UNH to 4-5-2, 0-1-0.

Sunday's win extends the Terriers’ home conference win streak to 15 games. The last time Boston University lost at Nickerson Field was a 1-0 defeat to the University of Hartford in the 2007 season. The Terriers dominated the pace and possession of the game for nearly the entirety of the contest, and finished the game with a 30-4 shot advantage.

“I think Boston University is a very talented team,” UNH coach Michael Jackson said. “They’ve had a lot of strong teams and I think that is among some of the better ones. They attack very well and play for 90 minutes so credit to BU. They are defending champions and they played like champions.”

Senior Corie Halasz and graduate student Lisa Kevorkian had two great opportunities to put the Terriers up a goal fifteen minutes into the match. A shot from Halasz from beyond the box hit off the crossbar and went straight up into the air. Kevorkian went up strongly for the rebound, but her header went over the crossbar.

Five minutes later Kevorkian made up for her error as she added to her goal total on a one-on-one breakaway with UNH freshman keeper Erica Correa. Freshman Emma Clark found a streaking Kevorkian, who managed to stay onside, and get behind the Wildcats’ defense. Kevorkian calmly snuck the ball into the bottom left corner past a sliding Correa.

“I saw an entry pass and tried not to be offsides, [because UNH] has a tendency pull that trap,” Kevorkian said. “I just ran across the line and darted through. It was a great weighted pass and took a couple touches and found the corner.”

Kevorkian currently leads the conference in goals with seven and in points with 16. The Arcadia, Calif. native played three previous season of college soccer at the University of California Berkley where she amassed 19 goals in her tenure.

“If I said give me a player for one year and you have a chance to design her, I pretty much would design that [referring to Kevorkian],” Boston University coach Nancy Feldman said. “We just got lucky. BU academically had the program she wants. I thank BU for being such a terrific academic institution because she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that fact.”

Even with a 15-3 advantage in shots the Terriers only found themselves up a goal against a very game and competitive UNH team. Junior Jessica Luscinski provided the home team with an insurance goal less than five minutes into the second half.

The America East All-Conference First Team player netted her fifth goal of the season off a set piece from 22 yards out. Luscinski is proving to be a threat off restarts. Last season she scored the game winning goal off a restart in the America East Championship game against Binghamton.

“It was a combination of the wind, going back post, and just the conditions worked out that it caught the goalie by surprise and snuck in upper 90,” Luscinski said. “I’ll take it.”

The margin of defeat could have been much worse for the Wildcats, but impressive saves from Correa kept the visitors in striking distance. Correa finished with a career-high 12 saves, including a few that made even Boston University fans tip their hats.

“Erica [Correa] is a freshman and she’s been having a good season for us,” Jackson said. “This was another day where she saw a lot of shots. She made a couple of big saves that kept the score line where it was.”

A goal coming off a breakaway and another from a free kick is proof that the Terriers’ offense can score in multiple ways. An America East season-high of 30 shots, including seven from Kevorkian, sent a message to the rest of the teams in America East that this offense means business. Six different players had at least one shot on goal Sunday afternoon for Boston University.

“We’ve been definitely trying to mix [our style of attack] up in practice a bit, so we don’t become one-dimensional and predictable during the game,” Kevorkian said. “I thought it translated pretty well on the field today. I thought we really controlled the tempo and possession. We had a lot of chances we should have put away. I feel like the game should have been more than 2-0.”

Boston University coach Nancy Feldman had little to criticize about her team’s performance and attributed the win to a recent realization that her team found in practice.

“I think we realized we could be a little bit more patient in attack while we were aggressive,” Feldman said. “I thought today the practice transferred. We had to take that step where we believed if we kept the ball and we kept it moving we’re going to open up better opportunities. I thought we did it in practice yesterday and I thought we did it in the game today.”

As the three-time defending America East champion, the Terriers consistently have a target on their backs when they face conference opponents. Coach Feldman shared some words of wisdom about her coaching style and about never underestimating an opponent.

“I can get very focused on what’s in front of me,” Feldman said. “I am looking at the next thing in front of me and maybe that’s just become our way because it is my way. It is the only way I know to be successful consistently.”

“It is a bunch of clichés, but it is really one game at a time. You can’t look past anyone or you are going to get bit and the older players have experienced this. I don’t take anybody lightly. They practice every day, they work hard, their coaches are excellent so how disrespectful would it be for me to come in the next game, UMBC, and say we just need to show up.”

“The next opponent stresses me out because they want what we have. What we have is we won the conference three years in a row. They want that and they want to knock us off. Maybe my stress gets passed down to the kids. I say stress, my anxiety that if we rest for a second we are going to get dethroned.”

Boston University continues conference play Thursday September 30th at UMBC, while the Wildcats travel to Brown University in their last non-conference contest of the season.

Boston University Men's Soccer Post Game Interviews

Videos courtesty of Boston University Athletics.

Boston University Men Back on Track

Coming into Friday, the Boston University men’s soccer team was on a three-game losing streak with losses to St. John’s University, Boston College, and Brown University. During that span the Terriers were outscored 8-1, and Boston University coach Neil Roberts was by no means a happy camper.

“I don’t think we had given up four goals all year, and then we do it in 10 minutes in a very big game,” Boston University coach Neil Roberts said. “Obviously BC is good, but they’re not that good.”

Going into Friday’s contest against the University of Rhode Island, Coach Roberts felt the need to shake things up and make a statement to his team. His decision was to bench seniors Aaron O’Neal, junior Stephen Knox, and junior Michal Bustamante, and let other players get a chance to impress. In addition, he moved junior Ben Berube from the outside mid position to playing up top.

“I’m not happy with the leadership that they’re showing,” Roberts said. “We’ve got a very young team, we’ve got a lot of freshmen and we need those older guys to be leaders, to make good decisions to help these young kids figure out what college life is about. We need those older kids to be doing that and we didn’t think they were.”

Roberts’ decision proved to be genius as Boston University defeat both Rhode Island 3-0 and No. 20 Harvard University 2-1 and improved their record to 5-3-1. In addition,  Roberts found what may prove to be a huge weapon come conference play. Coming into Friday’s contest Berube had zero goals this season. The Chelsea, Mass., native ended the weekend with three goals to his credit.

Boston University used a Berube goal off a free kick to break its two-game scoreless streak. Until Friday, the Terriers were struggling to create offensive opportunities off of set pieces. Berube’s shot deflected off a URI defender and snuck past keeper Peyton Warwick in the bottom right corner.

“It was right outside the box and I saw a good opening and I went in to hit it,” Berube said. “Luckily, it deflected off somebody and went into the opposite side of the net. I mean, it’s a goal, so it works.”

It looked as if Rhode Island would escape the first half only down one goal, even though it was being outshot, 12-2, but the Akinsanya brothers had something to say about that. As the last 20 seconds of the half were winding down, senior Temi Akinsanya found himself one-on-one with Warwick. His shot was saved by the keeper, but the rebound went straight to sophomore Ade Akinsanya whose shot beat an out of position Warwick.

Berube would tally one more goal, this one a highlight reel tally, in the second half to cap off his first career multi-goal game of his career. Senior Ben Havey found an open Berube streaking on the near side of the field. Berube took a few touches before curving a beautiful shot into the top left corner of the net.

“Their defense played very flat all game, so I knew there would be space behind them,” Berube said. “Ben Havey played a nice ball into me and I pretty much had a clear breakaway and put it in.”

The Boston University defense which has struggled in the past, did not allow a shot on goal and only four shots in total by the URI offense. Coach Roberts was pleased with the way his team performed and specifically mentioned senior Jack Orr and Berube as players who stood out that night.

“Jack [Orr] has always been one of the hardest working guys on our team,” Roberts said. “You can always count on Jack whether it’s in training or it’s in games. If you need him to go out there for five minutes, he’ll do it. I was glad to see him get out there and really get an opportunity to help us win a game.”

“Ben [Berube] playing up front was kind of a risky thing. He’s never really played
up there. But we know we can go at people and cause some havoc and the way that they play, we figured that would be a good thing. He made us look good and made himself look good, he did a good job out there.”

On Sunday night the Terriers got a boost from an unusual source, as they avenged last season’s 1-0 defeat to Harvard. Freshmen Kelvin Madzongwe and Vicente Colmenares both picked up their first points of the season in the victory.

It looked like Boston University would be down one goal early into the game, but what appeared to be a Harvard goal was ruled offsides by the officials. After that near scare the Terriers’ defense solidified and held the Crimson to only one total shot on goal.

Boston University got on the board first in the 26th minute. Berube received the ball from a short corner and sent a pass into the box. The ball found the head of Madzongwe, who separated himself from the Harvard defense and snuck the ball under a diving Austin Harms. The tally was the first collegiate goal for Madzongwe, a native of Magwegwe, Zimbabwe.

“It’s a great thing to me, I’m very excited,” Madzongwe said. “I guess it’s welcome to Boston now! It was a wonderful experience. I’m gaining confidence; I’m now fitting into the system.”

Harvard scored the equalizer in the final three minutes before the first half ended, on its only shot on goal of the game. Kyle Henderson’s shot off a free kick went over the Boston University wall and snuck into the left side of the net past Terriers’ redshirt freshman keeper Brandon Briggs.

It only seemed fitting for newly assigned attacker Berube to tally the game winner for Boston University in the 56th minute. Much of the credit goes out to Colmenares who hustled to save the ball from going over the end line and found an open Berube for the game winner. The assist was Colmenares’ first points as a Terrier.

“I feel very good, it’s my first assist of the year,” Colmenares said. “I hope I can keep going and keep working to assist more goals and score goals, so I want to work hard every day, I’m here for that reason. We were working this week very well and that was the result, so we are very happy.”

After the game both Berube and Roberts had good things to say about the performance of Colmenares this week.

“He’s a freshman, not from this country, so he’s had a lot to adjust to,” Berube said. “I think now that we’re getting into the season, he knows his role. We’re telling him to stay higher, so we can go at people and get balls across, which he did tonight, so I think he’s doing a really good job.”

“He’s a young kid, he just turned 17,” Roberts said. “He is an engineering student and there is a lot going on for him right now. I think he is more nervous about his chemistry test tomorrow than about Harvard. He’s going to be a real good player, we just got to be real slow with him and not expect too much right now.”

The Boston University men’s soccer team now head into their conference opener at Stony Brook University on Saturday October 2nd riding a two game winning streak, with their captains on the field, the freshman hitting their strides, and Berube playing an attacking role.

Binghamton Soccer Live Blog: Part 2

The second game of the soccer doubleheader is set to begin in a few minutes. The men's team is playing in its first home game of the season against Cornell. The Bearcats have had a brutal schedule thus far, losing to four top-25 teams in their first four games. However, they broke through with a 1-0 win over No. 26 Lafayette and tied Colgate at the Colgate Red Raider Classic last weekend. Binghamton has never lost a regular season home match at the Bearcats Sports Complex, which opened in 2007. The Bearcats look very excited to finally be playing in front of their home fans. Binghamton has shutout Cornell in each of the past three seasons.

4:04 - The game is under way. Cornell begins with possesion.

1' - A Binghamton shot was caught by Cornell goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer, but he then lost the ball. The ball was then played back out to Bearcats sophomore Adam Whitehead, who fired a screamer wide left of the net.

4' - Cornell free kick near the corner spot taken by Jimmy Lannon. Crossed in, played into the middle, caught by BU redshirt-freshman keeper Chris Hayen.

8' - BU sophomore Trey Jasenski tried to put a through ball in for one of his forwards, but the ball was gobbled up by Pflasterer.

13' - Binghamton corner taken by Whitehead. Played deep across to senior Scott Zobre, who crossed it back into the middle. The ball was headed down and then controlled by Pflasterer.

15' - Cornell throw-in in a deep attacking position. Long throw toward net, headed wide left.

17' - Zobre dribbles the ball into the box, fires a shot, stopped by Pflasterer, but not held. Zobre overran ball after shot and the ball is eventually cleared.

19' - Junior forward Will Ogden of Cornell dribbled into the box, shot blocked by BU sophomore Austin Hughes and out of play for a throw-in. Nothing comes out of ensuing throw-in, out for goal kick.

32' - Binghamton corner taken by Whitehead punched out by the keeper, eventually cleared.

35' - Cornell free kick from roughly 30 yards out, sent behind the line for a goal kick.

36' - BU free kick taken by Whitehead, deflected by junior and BU captain Ryan Walter, and played behind the line for a goal kick.

37' - Whitehead send cross from left side, Walter charging toward net, lays out for the diving header attempt but just misses, and the ball goes out for a goal kick.

40' - Whitehead rifles a shot from about 30 yards out, sent wide left.

42' - Binghamton corner taken by Whitehead, punched out by Plfasterer.

4:49 - Halftime. Scoreless tie after 45 minutes. Binghamton leads Cornell in shots 4-3. Announced attendance is 801 fans.

5:06 - Second half begins with Binghamton in possesion.

46' - At the kick-off, Walter tees it up for Whitehead who tried the shot from midfield, but it went left and out for a goal kick.

47' - Cornell free kick taken by Lannon, headed back across by Cornell, cleared by BU.

50' - Cornell corner taken by Lannon, dribbled out and all the way into attacking territory by senior defender Josh Sailar.

55' - A Cornell attacker headed the ball toward net. Hayen used all of his 6'6" to leap and tip the ball over the crossbar. The ensuing corner was cleared momentarily, but Cornell regained possesion and now have earned another corner.

56' - Corner played out of the box by Binghamton.

57' - Whitehead fires from long range once again, and once again the ball goes out of play for a goal kick.

64' - Cornell corner taken by Lannon, headed out by BU and another Cornell corner coming from the opposite side. Second corner results in a shot out of play for a goal kick.

73' - BU sophomore Jake Keegan had the ball on the left side of the box, sent it across for Walter, who got a foot on it but couldn't get a good shot off, ended up putting the ball back across but the ball was played out by Cornell.

77' - Binghamton free kick about 30 yards out, sent in by Whitehead, foul called on BU in the box.

79' - Zobre shot from just outside the box goes wide left for a goal kick.

80' - Zobre charging up the right side for the ball, pulls up lame grabbing his right hamstring. Clock has been stopped as Zobre is being attended to by a BU trainer. Doesn't look too serious, as he's walking off under his own power, but he will be subbed out.

82' - Whitehead tees up Walter from about 25 yards out. Walter smashes the ball over the bar for a goal kick.

84' - Cornell corner taken by Lannon. Dribbled out by Keegan.

85' - Cornell free kick, no shot, possession held by Cornell. Ball headed toward Hayen, who gains control of it.

5:53: Full time. Scoreless draw after 90 minutes. We'll head to extra time after a short break. Sudden death. BU leads in shots 8-5.

5:58: First 10-minute overtime period begins. Cornell in possession.

93' - Cornell sophomore Tyler Regan fires a shot in the box, saved and held by Hayen.

94' - A misplay by the BU defense results in another opportunity for Regan, but Hayen charged out and made a sliding block. Cornell now has a free kick from about 23 yards.

95' - Lannon fires the free kick high over the bar for a goal kick.

100' - Bearcat redshirt-freshman Tommy Klim fires a shot wide right.

6:08 - End of first overtime period. Two minute intermission. Second 10-minute period coming up. The teams are tied in shots with nine each.

6:11 - Second OT begins with the Bearcats in possession.

114' - Walter given a yellow card.

118' - Binghamton corner taken by Whitehead. Headed on net, jumping save by Pflasterer. Crowd in awe.

6:23 End of period. Game ends in scoreless draw.

UVM men's soccer falls to No. 22 Brown 3-0

Highlights and interviews courtesy of UVM athletics from the 3-0 loss to No. 22 Brown. UVM had their six-game unbeaten streak snapped and falls to 4-2-3 on the year.

Binghamton Soccer Live Blog

Welcome, from the Bearcats Sports Complex. We've got a doubleheader here today, with the women's team hosting Maine in its conference opener, which will be under way shortly. The men's team will be playing its home opener later today at 4 p.m. I will be providing live updates for both games, so stay tuned throughout the day for up to the minute action.

12:05 - Game is a bit delayed. Introductions going on right now. Cloudy skies, but no rain in the forecast.

12:10 - And we're finally under way. Bearcats begin with possession.

1' - Maine earned their first corner. Ball was kicked to the top of the box. Shot on goal saved by freshman Carrie Martin.

3' - Binghamton now has its first corner. Ball is cleared out of the box.

6 ' - Bearcats sophomore Sarah Furminger took a through ball and charged up the right wing, fired a ball toward net that was parried out by Black Bear sophomore goalkeeper Meagan Price-Leibenzeder. The ensuing corner was cleared.

10' - Maine free kick from just past midfield in the attacking half. Ball was headed out of play for a goal kick.

15' - Maine shot from just outside the box, saved by Martin.

19' - Furminger put a cross into the box, ball fired toward goal by junior AnnMarie Rizzi, but a diving save made by Price-Leibenzeder. Rebound is sent over the crossbar by sophomore Candice Rowland.

25' - Black Bear freshman Maggie Malone put a ground cross into the box, but nobody could get a shot off and the ball was cleared.

29' - Binghamton looked to be in the midst of a great scoring opportunity, but offsides was called.

37' - Furminger again charging up the right side. Freshman Kaitlyn Cook was in the middle but fell down, so Furminger took it deep into the box herself, and fired a shot outside of the post.

39' - Maine senior Hanna Breton took the ball down the left wing, tried to cross it into the middle, but Martin was able to cut the ball off.

12:55: Halftime. Score is 0-0. Binghamton leads Maine in shots 5-2. Announced attendance is 385.

1:11: Second half begins, Maine starts with possession.

49' - Rizzi had an attempted shot in the box blocked, and then went down in pain. She got up under her own power and remained in the game.

51' - Maine junior Kaitlyn MacIssac put a cross from right to left in the box, but it was headed out and cleared by Binghamton.

55' - Furminger shot inside the box on the right side, saved by Price-Leibenzeder.

62' - Kaitlyn Cook took a shot just to the left of the goal that rolled in front of net and eventually was cleared by Maine.

74' - Maine corner cleared out of the box. Maine regains possession but ball is put out of play for a Binghamton throw.

81' - Binghamton GOAL - Sarah Furminger. Finesse shot just inside the right post. A diving Price-Leibenzeder couldn't stop it. Furminger's third goal of the season. Unassisted.

83' - Cook put a pass into Furminger in the middle. Furminger had a fast break, Price-Leibenzeder came charging out, Furminger's shot goes just wide to the right.

89' - Maine shot on goal, Martin makes leaping save into the crossbar, ball came back out into the box. Martin gets up, charges the ball and harnesses it. Crowd going wild over the save.

Full Time: Binghamton wins its conference opener over Maine 1-0. BU finishes with 12 shots to Maine's 11. The Bearcats end their four-game losing streak.