Football:
The football team forced five St. John Fisher College turnovers and defeated the Cardinals 19–8 in Rochester, New York, on Nov. 8 to clinch a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bombers (7–2, 6–2) did not allow a Cardinal (7–2, 5–2) touchdown and forced two second-half interceptions from Cardinals senior quarterback Tyler Fenti, who only had one interception this season prior to the game. Senior quarterback Tom Dempsey scored the decisive touchdown on a 2-yard scramble in the third quarter.
Junior cornerback Ryan Michaels and junior strong safety Noah Poskanzer recorded interceptions, while junior defensive back Malik Morris broke up four passes as the Blue and Gold secondary shut down the Fisher passing attack.
The Bombers’ Empire 8 season is finished and they can clinch the outright conference title if Fisher loses to Alfred University on Nov. 15. The team will travel to Cortland, New York, to take on the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons in the annual Cortaca Jug game that same day.
Men’s Soccer:
The men’s soccer team advanced to the Empire 8 Conference Championship with a 1–0 overtime victory on Nov. 7 against Utica College in Hoboken, New Jersey.
In a game filled with many near misses during regulation, senior midfielder Brandon Glass finally hammered a shot past Utica senior goalkeeper David Abou from outside the box with 1:47 left in the first overtime period.
In the championship match, the South Hill squad fell 3–0 to Stevens Institute of Technology on Nov. 8. Stevens’ junior forward Carson Pryor opened up the scoring with a goal on an assist from sophomore midfielder Nick DeFelice in the 16th minute.
Stevens continued its strong play, as sophomore forward Jay Mikula added a second goal on an assist from sophomore midfielder Patrick Masur in the 41st minute, and junior midfielder Joe Cellitti scored the final goal on an assist from fellow junior midfielder Colin Phillips in the 75th minute.
With the loss, the team finishes the 2014 season 6–8–3, and 5–1–1 in conference play.
Women’s Soccer:
The women’s soccer team advanced to the Empire 8 Tournament final after defeating St. John Fisher 3–1 on Nov. 7 in snowy conditions at Carp Wood Field. Though the weather was less than ideal, it did not seem to have a negative impact on the Blue and Gold’s play.
Junior forward Sarah Woychick opened the scoring for the Bombers. Woychick added a second goal in the 31st minute off an assist from sophomore midfielder Taylor Baranowsky.
Just before the half, Woychick assisted senior midfielder Jessie Warren. The Cardinals got one back after junior forward Molly Beaton scored, but the Bombers held on for the win.
On Nov. 8, the Bombers went on to tie Nazareth College in a tightly contested E8 final, with Nazareth prevailing in a penalty shootout, 4–3.
While the Bombers came up just short of the E8 title, head coach Mindy Quigg said she was proud of her team’s efforts.
“We played exceptionally well and created some good chances,” she said. “It just didn’t go our way today, but co-champs is a great honor.”
The team will take on Springfield College in the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 15 at host Williams College.
Wrestling:
The wrestling team began its 2014–15 season by hosting the Ithaca Invitational on Nov. 7–8 at Glazer Arena. The two-day tournament consisted of 11 colleges sending wrestlers to compete at different weight classes. The Bombers sent 15 wrestlers to partake in the event.
The first day saw the Bombers advance all 15 wrestlers through to the quarterfinals, including sophomore Nick Wahba and freshman Chris Wymer at 141, freshman Nick Velez at 165, freshman Franky Nassivera at 174, and sophomore Liam Korbul and junior Zach Conner at 184.
Competition heated up on Nov. 8, and the Blue and Gold had another strong showing as a team. Sophomore Jimmy Kaishian and senior Kevin Collins were both weight-class champions at 125 and 157, respectively.
The South Hill squad finished with a total of 158.0 points, which was good for second place overall in the tournament. Johnson & Wales University finished first overall with a team score of 164.5 points.
The Bombers are off until Nov. 15, when they will travel to Oneonta, New York, to compete in the Northeast Duals.
Volleyball:
The volleyball team ended its regular season on Nov. 7 when it fell to Nazareth College in the Empire 8 Conference semifinals in Hoboken, New Jersey. The Golden Flyers never trailed after the second set, going on to defeat the Bombers by scores of 25–22, 25–15 and 25–13.
Though the team secured its first winning season since 2011, the Blue and Gold lost their third consecutive season in the semifinals of the Empire 8 conference playoffs.
Senior outside hitter Rylie Bean led the squad with 10 kills in the game, adding four digs. The co-captain was elected to the Empire 8’s First-Team last week for her first all-conference selection.
Freshman outside hitter Joelle Goldstein contributed six kills in the match. The first-year player was also voted to the Empire 8’s First-Team after her breakout season with the Bombers.
Donovan said she took many positives from the season as a whole.
“We learned a great deal about one another and experienced some fantastic highs,” Donovan said. “This season we created a positive, winning culture that we can build on in future seasons with this talented young group.”
The team earned a spot in the ECAC Metro/Upstate Championship Tournament. It will play Alfred State University on Nov. 16.
Swimming & Diving:
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams cruised through their matchups this week. The women’s team faced William Smith College on Nov. 5, in addition to SUNY Cortland on Nov. 8 in Cortland, New York, dominating its opponents by the scores of 190–47 and 207–93, respectively. The men’s team also competed against SUNY Cortland and defeated the Red Dragons handily, 196–91.
The men’s squad finished its match with a total of 14 first-place finishes in its individual events and relays. Junior Adam Zelehowsky stood atop the podium three times, and senior Matt Morrison swept both diving events.
For the women’s team, the Bombers finished first in all 13 events against William Smith. Sophomore Nickie Griesemer took first in both diving events.
The women’s squad also swept its medley relays against Cortland. The Bombers won the 400-yard medley and the 400-yard freestyle relay with times of 4:07:56 and 3:47:86.
Both squads are back in the water on Nov. 22 when they compete in a tri-meet against Hamilton College, Hartwick College and SUNY Geneseo in Hamilton, New York.
