A New Weekend, and a New Look
Another weekend of the Patriot League fall season is here, and we’re ringing it in with a new look here at the Gameday Blog. We’ll be rotating new student-athletes in and out of the blog’s graphic throughout the year, so you can get a good look at some of the Patriot League’s top performers. A big thanks to Jimmy Johnson, our Media and External Relations Assistant for the design work on the graphic. Jimmy also put his expertise to use for our new gameday blog button, right next to the twitter and facebook graphics at the front page of www.patriotleague.org Thanks Jimmy!
OK, now it’s down to business. This week’s Patriot League Football Preview is up, and once again includes links for live stats, audio and video coverage of all of Saturday’s games. Patriot League and institutional game notes are there as well, so it’s a one-stop shop for all of the coverage for the weekend. The links are also at the Patriot League composite schedule, where recaps and statistics will be included at the conclusion of the games. Look for plenty of game coverage at the Gameday Blog and Patriot League Twitter page, and the full recap at the end of the night on the website.
Of course, there’s a lot more than football going on this weekend. The schedule features 11 men’s and 13 women’s soccer games, with some of the Patriot League’s early success stories putting their marks on the line. The American men, who sit at 2-0 and ranked No. 23 in the country, will host Princeton on Friday afternoon and visit Monmouth on Sunday. The other undefeated on the men’s side, 2-0-1 Lafayette, will play host to Fordham on Friday and Binghamton on Sunday. On the women’s side, Navy (5-0-1) is off to a great start to move to No. 3 in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional rankings. The Mids are at home twice this weekend, facing James Madison on Friday night and Liberty on Sunday. A few wins and the Mids figure to be knocking on the door of the top 25!
There’s also a full slate of volleyball, field hockey and cross country action. And even though their Patriot League Championship season isn’t until the spring, the tennis and golf teams get going with their fall schedules this weekend.
Stay dry, stay safe and enjoy the games! I’ll be back for more to set up the football weekend tomorrow, and look for updates on all of the Patriot League sports throughout the weekend.
Patriot League Media Relations Director Matt Dougherty
Patriot League in the Pros
Last night, former Bucknell standout Matt Daley earned his first major league victory for the Colorado Rockies. Daley pitched 1.1 innings and retired four of the five batters he faced, and got the win when Seth Smith hit a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to lift Colorado past Cincinnati, 4-3. Daley is just the second Patriot League alum to play in the majors, along with former Bison Eric Junge. It is the first win for a former Patriot Leaguer since Junge won a pair of games in 2002 with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Rockies also moved to a four-game lead in the wildcard race and just 2.5 behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, so Patriot League followers have a good chance to be able to support one of their own in this year’s MLB playoffs.
While the baseball season winds down, the NFL campaign kicks off tonight. And again, League followers will have a chance to root for a former PL star. Blake Costanzo, a standout linebacker at Lafayette who earned All-Patriot League honors in 2004 and 2005, enters his third season on an active roster and first with the Cleveland Browns. Costanzo played the past two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, including all 16games in 2008. He has 21 tackles in 19 career contests. The Browns open at home against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Bills could still provide an opportunity to another Patriot League graduate, as former Colgate offensive lineman Nick Hennessey starts the year on the team’s practice squad. Hennessey received consensus All-America recognition while helping the Raiders to the 2008 Patriot League title.
No Patriot League sport produces more pro athletes than lacrosse, and that remains true this year. Kevin Colleluori and Brandon Corp, who both ended their careers at Colgate this past season, were each selected in the 2009 National Lacrosse League Entry on Wednesday. Colleluori was picked in the fourth round by the Minnesota Swarm, while Corp went in the sixth round to the Rochester Knighthawks. The NLL begins its 2010 season on January 8. Corp, Chris Eck (Colgate) and Adam Fullerton (Army) all competed in this summer’s Major Lacrosse League season, with Eck named the Most Improved Player of the Year in the league.
Follow all of the former Patriot Leaguers in the pros. And as you watch Patriot League games, remember it can be “Today’s Patriot League stars, tomorrow’s pro stars” for any of the student-athletes.
Two Busy Days in Review
Some of the news comes from where most people have their attention this time of year, on the football field. It certainly wasn’t a great opening weekend for the Patriot League as a whole, but Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph was able to rake in the awards from his performance that made him a Patriot League career-record holder in eight different categories. He was named Sports Network National Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career, and Division I New England Player of the Week for the fifth time. More on the upcoming Patriot League football weekend on the blog and website tomorrow.
There was even more success on the soccer field, where the American men and Navy women are off to outstanding starts. American is at No. 23 in the Soccer America top 25, and Navy is No. 3 in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Poll in this week’s latest rankings (where the American women claimed the No. 10 spot). The American men jumped into the top 25 after claiming the DC College Cup with wins over George Washington and No. 19 George Mason, while the Navy women ascended after coming up with a tie and a win against two-nationally ranked foes (Dayton and Miami (Fla.) to win the Hurricane Cup in Miami over the weekend. Navy goalkeeper Beth Reed was outstanding in the contests, stopping 19 shots total while not allowing a goal. She had a career-high eight saves in a 0-0 tie with Dayton on Friday, and bested that with 11 stops in a 1-0 win over Miami (Fla.) on Sunday to give Navy the tournament title. For her efforts, Reed was named one of 18 national Primetime Performers of the Week by CollegeSoccer360.com, as well as the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week. Of course, all weekly releases, with player of the week award winners, for fall Patriot League sports are available at www.patriotleague.org
Can’t believe another weekend of action is almost here already!
Patriot League Football: Saturday Night Update
Earlier in the day, Holy Cross beat Georgetown, 20-7, in the Patriot League opener. Lehigh lost at home against Central Connecticut State, 28-21, while Fordham fell at Rhode Island, 41-28.
Colgate used a familiar formula to win its ninth-consecutive regular-season contest. Sophomore running back Nate Eachus carried 20 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns, and has already passed the 1,000-yard mark in his young career (so how long will former teammate Jordan Scott hold the PL all-time rushing mark?). Greg Sullivan and Pat Simonds also hooked up for a pair of touchdown strikes, and the Raiders put together their trademark strong second half. For a team that has started slow even in successful seasons under Head Coach Dick Biddle, this was a quality win and a good performance against a solid program.
Bucknell never led in its game at Duquesne, though the Bison stayed in touch most of the way. They trailed just 17-13 at the half, and cut it to 24-19 in the final minute before an unsuccessful onside kick essentially ended things. The Bison got a strong game on the ground from sophomore C.J. Hopson, who rushed for a career-high 136 yards.
For more on all of Saturday’s action, visit www.patriotleague.org for a full recap and updated standings tonight, and the first set of cumulative statistics later in the weekend.
Patriot League Football: Saturday Afternoon Update
Lehigh and Fordham each fell in non-League action, with the Mountain Hawks losing at home to Central Connecticut State, 28-21, and the Rams dropping a 41-28 contest at Rhode Island.
Holy Cross trailed, 7-6, entering the fourth quarter, but Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year Dominic Randolph led the Crusaders back. He threw an 18-yard TD pass to Paul Niesen just 39 seconds into the fourth quarter, and gave Holy Cross some breathing room with a seven-yard TD strike to Bill Edger later in the period.
Randolph broke or tied five Patriot League career records, and now has the lead in eight different categories in the League career record book. He went 36-for-56 for 414 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Randolph took over as the Patriot League all-time leader in passing yardage (10,093), becoming the first Patriot Leaguer to crack the 10,000-yard barrier. He also became the all-time PL leader in total offense (10,415). He tied the mark for most career 400-yard passing games (6), and now holds sole possession of the record for most games with 400 yards or more of total offense (7). He also tied the record for most touchdowns responsible for (94). Randolph extended his League records for completions, passing touchdowns and 300-yard passing games.
Great game by Randolph, and a big win by Holy Cross. But also a very encouraging performance by the Hoyas. Georgetown held a team that averaged 34 ppg a season ago to just two field goals through the first three quarters, and was in it all the way against the League favorite and top 25 opponent. Could be a sign of good things to come in D.C.
Unfortunately, the early non-League results did not go as hoped. Lehigh allowed more than 40 minutes in time of possession to Central Connecticut State, and could not get on the board in the fourth quarter to answer in a back-and-forth game. The Mountain Hawks never led, but never trailed by more than a touchdown as they answered the first three CCSU scores. Lehigh QB J.B. Clark had a tough day, going 7-for-29 for 122 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Fordham scored the final three touchdowns against Rhode Island, but it was too late after giving up the first 34 points of the contest and trailing, 41-7, early in the second half. John Skelton threw for a touchdown and ran for two more, but it came too late as the Rams opened the season with a loss.
Two more games are on tap tonight, with Colgate hosting Monmouth and Bucknell at Duquesne. Both contests kick off at 6 p.m.
