Football:

The football team began its Empire 8 season strongly with a 42–7 win against the Hartwick College Hawks Saturday at Butterfield Stadium.

 Senior fullback Ben Cary scored three touchdowns as the Bomber offense racked up 509 total yards. Freshman running back Tristan Brown’s 67-yard touchdown run highlighted a breakout performance for the Blue and Gold’s rushing attack, which recorded 247 combined rushing yards. Brown credited his offensive line for producing holes and cutback lanes for him, most notably on his third-quarter touchdown run.

 “It was an inside play, initially,” Brown said. “It was clogged up and I bounced it outside and the receiver did a good job blocking.”

 The Bombers’ defense kept the Hawks’ first team scoreless and sacked junior quarterback John Garcia five times. They held the Hawks to only 26 rushing yards and senior running back Greg Bell to only 13 yards on eight carries, one week after rushing for 331 yards.

In its next game, the South Hill squad will travel to Alfred University on Sept. 27.

Men’s Soccer:

The men’s soccer team won its first game of the season on Sept. 20, defeating Alfred University 3–1, in its first game of Empire 8 play at Carp Wood Field.

In the first half, both teams scored within minutes of each other. Senior back Casey Williamson scored the first goal for the Bombers in the 28th minute. The Saxons tied the score in the 35th minute. 

In the second half , the Bombers were able to pull away with two more goals. 

On Sept. 23, the Blue and Gold fell 3–1 to the University of Scranton at Carp Wood Field. After the Royals went ahead 1–0, sophomore forward Cobi Byrne scored the Bombers’ lone goal. Afterward, Scranton added two in the second half.

The Bombers will face Stevens Institute of Technology on Sept. 27 in their second Empire 8 matchup of the year at Carp Wood Field.

Women’s Soccer:

Coming into the women’s soccer team’s Sept. 20 matchup against Alfred University, much of the talk was about the strong play of its young defense. Against the Saxons, it was the offense generating the buzz in a 6–1 rout.

The South Hill squad dominated play throughout the match, never allowing Alfred to keep possession for long stretches of time and converting on chances of their own.

 “We went into the game knowing we needed to finish early and capitalize on our chances,” junior goalkeeper Beth Coppolecchia said. “Our midfield did a nice job getting us up the field quickly and switching the field often.”

 Junior forward Kelsey King got the Bombers started in the first half, and freshman midfielder Kristyn Alonzo gave the Bombers a two-goal lead heading into the half. It was in the second frame that the South Hill squad broke it open. Sophomore forward Megan Nash, sophomore midfielder Taylor Baranowsky and freshman midfielders Cortnie Vaughn and Margaret Crowell all scored in the second half, while Alfred managed to get one back courtesy of freshman midfielder Lauren Wyant.

 King looked dominant all game, doing whatever she pleased with the ball at her foot.

 “Being one of the only upperclassmen offensively, she takes on a big leadership role and has been doing amazing,” Coppolecchia said. 

 The team looks to continue its success on Sept. 27 when it travels to Houghton, New York to face Houghton College. 

Volleyball:

The volleyball team extended its match-winning streak to four games as it traveled to Oneonta, New York, on Sept. 20 for Empire 8 action at Hartwick College. The Bombers played in two matches and dominated in each match, never losing a set. They concluded the day going 2–0 on the day, pushing their overall record to 10–3.

The Blue and Gold began the day against the Hawks, who couldn’t win a set as the Bombers won in straight sets by scores of 25–22, 27–25 and 25–12. Senior middle and outside hitter Rylie Bean led the Bombers with 11 kills followed by freshman outside hitter Joelle Goldstein with 10. In their second game of the day, the Bombers defeated St. John Fisher College in a straight set by scores of 25–14, 25–16 and 25–18. Once again, Bean led all players with 11 kills while Goldstein added nine. Sophomore libero and defensive specialist Maggie Mutschler tallied 10 digs with freshman setter and libero Kayla Gromen adding six. 

Goldstein said the team’s positive mentality helps it win games. 

“We play our best whenever we have fun,” Goldstein said. “As long as we go out there with the mindset of working together and winning, we are unstoppable.” 

The Blue and Gold will look to continue their success on Sept. 24 as they travel to play Keuka College in Keuka Park, New York. 

Field Hockey:

The field hockey team split two close matches this week, bringing its record to 2–4 for the season. 

In the first game on Sept. 17, the Bombers were able to capture a 2–0 victory over SUNY Oneonta. The win kept the team undefeated at home this year.  Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Lass recorded nine saves, with eight coming in the second half. Head coach Tracey Houk said she was impressed with the Blue and Gold’s defensive effort. 

“The defensive unit is a strong group of players, and they really have been working hard on gelling together,” she said.

Later in the week, on Sept. 20, the team faced off with St. John Fisher College and fell 2–1 to the Cardinals. 

The Bombers look to continue their strong play at Higgins Stadium against Nazareth College on Sept. 27. 

Golf:

In its third match of the season, the golf team finished in second place with a score of 635 in the Mount Holyoke Invitational Sept. 20–21 in South Hadley, Massachusetts. 

Senior Sharon Li led the team with a total score of 154, tying for fourth place. The South Hill squad finished with its best single-round score in program history with a score of 309 in the second day of tournament play. 

Meanwhile, two members of the Bombers competed at the William Smith Invitational Sept. 20–21 in Clifton Springs, New York. Freshman Indiana Jones and senior Taylor MacDonald both placed in the top 10 in
the tournament.

The South Hill squad will be looking to place higher in the standings when they participate in the Martin/Wallace Invitational on Sept. 27–28 at the Cortland Country Club in Cortland, New York. 

Women’s Tennis:

With only one match this week, the women’s tennis team improved its overall season record to 5–0 by defeating Houghton College 9–0 on Sept. 20 at the Wheeler Tennis Courts.

Senior Carly Siegel and sophomore Haley Kusak led the way for the Bombers, dominating in their singles matches before combining forces in doubles to earn a shutout victory.

Head coach Bill Austin said the key to the team’s early season success is the players’ determination to keep improving. 

“They are working hard and working smart,” Austin said. “All continually want to improve and show up every day with a competitive edge.”

The Bombers are set to play Utica College in their next match on Sept. 27 in Utica,
New York. 

Cross-Country:

The men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed Sept. 20 at the Rochester Yellowjacket Invitational in Rochester, New York.

In the men’s 8K event, junior Sawyer Hitchcock led the Bombers, finishing third and posting a time of 26:21.2.

​For the women’s 6K event, junior Anna Fay had the Blue and Gold’s fastest time, placing 24th overall with a time of 24:17.8.  

Junior Stephen Gomez said the hot weather made the conditions difficult for the runners, but he is happy with the progress of the team. 

“If we focus on what we need to do, we’re going to have a really good rest of the season,” he said. 

In its next meet, the South Hill squads will compete at the Geneseo Invitational on Oct. 4 in Geneseo, New York.