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Falls sports results: the ecstasy and the agony
RELEASED: Nov. 10, 2005
DANVILLE, KY—It was a busy and memorable weekend for two of Centre's fall sports teams, one that brought both victory and disappointment.
The women's field hockey team captured the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championship in dramatic fashion with a pair of nail-biting wins. After needing penalty strokes to defeat Rhodes College on Friday, Nov. 4, Centre beat DePauw University in overtime to capture the SCAC crown on Sunday, in Greencastle, Ind.
This marks the second straight year the Colonels have defeated DePauw in the SCAC Tournament. Centre won in Danville a year ago on penalty strokes.
Beth Faulkner and Teresa Johnstone, both freshmen from Louisville, scored against DePauw to give the Colonels the win and the championship. Ann Guagliardo, a sophomore from Louisville, earned the win in goal, making eight saves on the day.
The field hockey team finished the season with an 11-8 overall record, marking an eight-match improvement from last year's 2004 record of 3-15.
This week, four Centre players were named to the All-SCAC field hockey team. Sara DeSanctis, a junior from Louisville, was the league's top defensive player. She was joined by Guagliardo, Johnstone, and Jessica Rublein, a senior from Louisville, on the All-SCAC team.
The men's soccer team also had two extremely impressive wins. They defeated Southwestern Friday night and Trinity, the number four-ranked team in the nation, on Sunday. On Monday, however, they were disappointed to learn that they failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament, in spite of finishing the season with a six-game unbeaten streak and a 13-3-2 record (6-2-1 SCAC).
Trinity, the 2003 Division III national champion, came into Sunday's game with a 74-1-2 record in regular season play over the past four seasons. A first-half header by Derek Roberts, a junior from Knoxville, Tenn., was the lone score as the Colonels held on to win a gritty, hard-fought contest.
While expressing disappointment that Centre didn't qualify for the NCAA tournament, head coach Jeb Burch keeps the achievements of this year's team in perspective. "We've had a great year, and I don't want our not making the tournament to overshadow what we've done. We're returning 21 players and eight starters so our program is where we want it to be. The future looks bright for us."
Burch adds that his players have been continually commenting on the quality of the student support. "I've been here since 1990, and this year we've had some of the largest crowds I've ever seen. The fans coming out like they did for a Sunday afternoon game really helped us pull out that that win against Trinity."- end -
Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/
For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.
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