By Nick Pantages
@nick_pantages22
Men’s Cross Country: The Pride finished sixth in the nine team field at NEWMAC Championship meet. Adam Mula and Joe Wong both cracked the top 50, with times of 28:04.1 and 28:12.3, respectively.
Women’s Cross Country: Springfield ran to a seventh place finish at the 12 team NEWMAC Championship. Kate Bonnano, Sophie Curcio and Maddie Shea all finished in the top 40, with 32nd, 34th and 39th place finishes.
Field Hockey: A trio of wins means the Pride ride a five-game win streak currently. In a 4-2 win over Sage, Hailey Gaydos scored twice, while Kaitlin Bardellini and Emma McLaughlin tacked one on. Facing Clark in a must-win game to get to the postseason, Bardellini’s hat trick made the difference, with Remy Niland making eight saves in the 3-1 victory. Against Smith in the quarterfinals, it was a defensive battle, with just nine total shots on net. Audrey Hayes and Audrey Dolan opened the scoring. Smith answered with 10 minutes left, but Hayes’ late goal secured a 3-1 win.
Football: Billy Carr’s onside kick recovery secured the 21-14 win over Merchant Marine. Blane Hart’s two long first half touchdowns gave Springfield a 14-0 lead. Merchant Marine cut the lead to seven with a score right before halftime. A clock-killing drive capped off by a Dante Vazquez touchdown pushed the lead back to 14. The Mariners scored again late in the fourth, but Springfield ran out the clock.
Men’s Soccer: In a season-deciding game against Salve Regina, Parker Thornton and Cole Sampson scored first half goals to take a 2-0 lead. In the 75th minute, Salve halved the lead with a goal off a corner. Then, with just 62 seconds remaining, Salve earned a penalty shot, but standout keeper Noah Pote saved itt, before diving to stop the second attempt to win and qualify for the postseason. However, Wheaton dominated in a 4-0 loss for Springfield, as three second half Lyons goals ended the Pride’s season.
Women’s Soccer: The Pride played three important games this week. Kayla McGrath scored in just 79 seconds against Babson, but the Beavers equalized in the 82nd minute. It was a similar story at Smith, as Sonia Dugger scored first, but the Pioneers left with a draw. The two teams matched up three days later in the NEWMAC tournament. It was a similar story, with Smith scoring after Jen Walker’s first half penalty. The game remained scoreless through extra time, and went to a penalty shootout. Each team made two out of three, before Taryn Ryan saved in the fourth round and Karly Suppicich buried her kick. Smith’s final penalty sailed over the crossbar to give the Pride the win.
Men’s Swimming and Diving: The Pride fell to Coast Guard in their first meet. There were no winners for Springfield, but they had a number of runner-ups. Ryan Goolsbey in the 1000 free in 10:16.71, Dan Backlund’s 21.90 in the 50 free, Gerold Gutierrez in the 200 back with a 2:02.66, Rocky Tang in 2:06.39 in the 200 IM and the 200 free relay team. First-year Christian Butler had a sensational collegiate debut, sweeping the one and three meter dives.
Women’s Swimming and Diving: Coast Guard and Rhode Island trumped Springfield in their opening meet. Kay Shen and Nina Lamb had phenomenal performances. Shen won the 50 free in 24.23, and came second in the 100 and 200 with times of 53.60 and 1:58.43. Lamb won the 100 breast with a time of 1:06.94. They were both also on the 200 free relay team that took first place, along with Natalie Chamberlin and Erin Kelaher.
Women’s Volleyball: A balanced team effort led the Pride to a 3-0 sweep over Salve Regina in their lone game of the week. Maeve Voltz led the team in kills with nine, but Emily Keaveney, Olivia Gentry and Olivia Nealy were right behind her. Ally Townsend and Natalie Billet each collected double-digit kills with 23 and 11, respectively.
Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Athletics.