Football
(3-2 overall, 0-2 Liberty League)
Chris Coney (Fort Lauderdale, FL) rushed for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help Union defeat visiting WPI 21-17 in a Liberty League football matchup on Saturday evening. With the result, Union (3-1 overall, 2-0 LL) is the only undefeated team after just two weeks of Liberty League play.  The Engineers slip to 3-2 on the season and 0-2 in conference play. WPI registered the only points of the first quarter when Cody Beckel’s (Jupiter, FL) 25-yard field goal capped a 8-play, 72-yard drive with 1:47 left in the stanza.  Coney notched touchdown scores 1 and 3 yards on the next two Dutchmen possessions to give Union a 14-3 advantage. The Engineers cut into the Union advantage before halftime when Mike Swanton (Foxboro, MA) found R.C. Grady (Shirley, MA) with a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down.   The Crimson and Gray avoided trouble in the waning seconds when freshman Elante Moore (Alexandria, VA) forced a Union fumble that was recovered by Adam Power (Tewksbury, MA) at the WPI 2. After a scoreless third period, each team scored in the final quarter as a result of long scoring drives.
The hosts finished off a 93-yard drive with a 2-yard Jared Gourrier (New Orleans, LA) touchdown jaunt on the opening play of the fourth quarter before WPI responded with a 69-yard drive that culminated in a Swanton 3-yard touchdown scamper three minutes later.  WPI would get the ball back two more times but could only muster one first down the rest of the way. Swanton led the way for the Engineers, rushing 17 times for 61 yards while completing 13-of-23 pass attempts for 162 yards.  Jack Mulhern (Worcester, MA) spearheaded the defensive effort with a career-best 16 tackles.  Tom Thackeray (Braintree, MA) was credited with nine tackles while Michael Oliveri (Milford, MA) chipped in with eight stops. Union quarterback Drew Connolly (Foxboro, MA) was effective.  The sophomore connected on 12-of-19 passes for 237 yards.  Michael Miller (Killington, VT) and Tim Romano (Westport, CT) combined for five sacks while John Peters (Clarks Summit, PA) amassed a team-best 10 tackles. Both teams are back in action with home games next Saturday.
WPI hosts US Merchant Marine at 4pm while Union entertains Hobart at 2pm.
 
Men’s Soccer
(9-2 overall, 2-1 NEWMAC)
Men’s Soccer was 2-0 during the past week to move to 9-2 on the year and 2-1 in the NEWMAC conference.  The Engineers picked up a 4-0 win over Elms on Wednesday before defeating conference rival MIT on Saturday in overtime, 2-1. Against Elms, senior Tommy Zajac (Merrimack, NH) scored WPI’s first home penalty kick goal in almost a year and assisted on two others in the first half to lead the Engineers to the victory. Zajac’s goal at 22:49, giving WPI a 1-0 lead, was his fourth of the season and the first for WPI on a penalty kick at Alumni Field since October 25, 2008, when first-team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American Ben Gilde scored on a penalty in a 3-1 win over Westfield State. Less than five minutes later, the senior set up Thomas Cucinotta (Easton, MA) for his first goal of the season. Zajac sent a free kick into the box where Cucinotta found it and headed it into the back of the net for a 2-0 Engineers lead. Zajac also set up the Crimson and Gray’s third goal on a fast break, feeding Jason Hopkins (Mendon, MA) for his team-leading 10th goal of the year at the 39:21 mark. The Engineers tacked on a fourth goal just after halftime, when Matthew Gonsalves (Swansea, MA) took a Mike Ford (Whitman, MA) pass from 30 yards out and delivered his second goal of the season and a 4-0 WPI lead. WPI rebounded from suffering a late 1-0 loss to NEWMAC rival Springfield on Saturday. Twelve different Engineers registered a shot as WPI outshot the Blazers 18-2. Cucinotta led the hosts with five shots. WPI keeper Kirk Dragsbaek (Sherborn, MA) made one save. The Engineers received a tougher test on Saturday but survived to beat MIT. A cross from Kevin Ducharme (Bedford, NH) was booted in by Rens Hayes (Norton, MA) with 3:34 remaining in the first overtime period to give WPI a 2-1 victory. MIT struck first at the 12:31 mark of the first half, however, the majority of the frame was a defensive battle until WPI made a charge during the last three minutes. Hayes sent a dangerous free kick from midfield that was stopped. Just over a minute later, Sean Galligan (Weymouth, MA) crossed the ball which was quickly struck by Evan Demers-Peel (Norton, MA). The shot was turned away, but WPI continued to apply pressure as the period closed.  The second stanza saw most of the action occurring in the midfield. In the 67th minute, WPI goalie Paul Moan (Watertown, MA) denied MIT an opportunity to extend its lead by grabbing a save off a header. On its counterattack, WPI’s Wade Mitchell-Evans (Cayman Islands) placed a ball in front of teammate Kyle Powers. The pass was just a step out of reach as Rankin quickly scooped up the potentially equalizing attempt. With 5:45 remaining in regulation, WPI broke through and ended the shutout. Demers-Peel sent a cross from the near side which was redirected in midair off of Dominic DeChiara’s (Kingston, MA) left foot. MIT had a chance to take the win 40 seconds into the overtime session, but Moan made a diving save to preserve the deadlock and set the stage for Hayes’ heroics, which was the senior back’s first career goal. The physical match-up that generated 33 fouls was a balanced affair as both sides registered seven shots while MIT recorded a 4-3 edge in corner kicks. In net, Moan gathered four stops for WPI.
WPI returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 10 when it travels to NEWMAC and cross-town rival Clark University.
 
Women’s Soccer
(4-7 overall, 0-2 NEWMAC)
Women’s Soccer was 1-1 during the past week, defeating Elms before dropping a decision to Clark. Both contests were on the road. On Thursday evening, junior Kristen Garza (Kingston, MA) scored two goals and assisted on two others to propel the Engineers to a 5-0 victory over Elms. WPI jumped out to an early lead when sophomore Hailey Taylor (Colusa, CA) found senior Kelsey Mawhiney (Johnston, RI) who placed the ball in the back of the net on a perfectly executed corner kick. Garza then connected with senior Liz Schreiber (Ashfield, MA) who broke through the Elms defense and scored, giving the Engineers a 2-0 lead at the 14:38 mark. The game was back and forth until the 74th minute when Garza struck for her first goal of the game. She corralled a pass from Taylor and beat the keeper to extend the lead to 3-0. The two hooked up again six minutes later to give WPI a 4-0 advantage. Garza capped a stellar performance when she delivered a pass which sophomore Victoria Howland (Red Hook, NY) drilled into the back of the net, pushing the score to 5-0 at the 81:12 mark. The Engineers narrowly out-shot the Blazers 17-16 in the contest. WPI junior keeper Ally Stoyle (Pembroke, MA) collected eight saves in the winning effort. The Engineers would drop a 2-0 decision on Saturday at Clark to fall to 0-2 in the NEWMAC, however. WPI had their best scoring chance of the match go by in the waning minutes of the first half when sophomore Suzanne Najem (Derry, NH) fired a shot from just outside the box that sailed high over the crossbar.  Junior Kristen Garza (Kingston, MA) registered WPI’s other shot on the day Clark held a sizable advantage in shots (13-2) and a 7-2 edge in corner kicks. Stoyle turned away four shots between the pipes for the Engineers.
WPI returns to action on Tuesday when the Engineers host Wheaton.
 
Field Hockey
(7-3 overall, 1-1 NEWMAC)
The WPI Field Hockey team stumbled during the past week, falling to Nichols and Clark to drop to 7-3 on the season. The Engineers were defeated 2-1 at Nichols on Tuesday evening. Nichols got on the board with 25 seconds left in the first half. The frame had started as a defensive struggle, but Nichols came alive at the midpoint to post eight shots on Engineers’ keeper Allie Griffin (Billerica, MA) by the buzzer. The Bison kept the momentum going into the second half, taking a two-goal lead in the 47th minute. The Engineers made their shots count in the game, breaking their scoring drought in the 60th minute. Senior Jackie McDonough (Winchester, MA) took aim from the top of the arc on a penalty corner, and Meghan Linskey (Bridgewater, MA) was at the right post to tip the ball in at 59:23. The Crimson and Gray were held off the board for the rest of the game, however, as the Bison held on for the one-goal win. Griffin stopped 11 shots in the loss. WPI would also drop its next match, a 4-1 loss at Clark on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Clark opening the scoring in the sixth minute off a corner, then stretched their lead at the 18:40 mark on a rebound goal. The visitors added another marker less than three minutes later as the Cougars took control. WPI cut the Clark advantage to 3-1 when Kelly Johnson (Buxton, ME) dribbled into the circle and belted a shot into the lower left hand corner of the net 12 minutes into the second half.  It was the senior’s sixth goal of the season and the 17th of her standout career.  Clark picked up an insurance goal in the waning minutes with just 2:19 remaining. Griffin was credited with a pair of saves for WPI, who enjoyed a 13-7 edge in shots and took seven of the games 12 penalty corners.
WPI will venture to Norton for a 4pm matchup against Wheaton while Clark entertains Springfield at 7pm.
 
Volleyball
(17-3 overall, 1-3 NEWMAC)
The WPI Women’s Volleyball team had a 3-1 week to improve to 17-3 on the season. The Engineers dropped a NEWMAC contest at Wellesley on Tuesday, however, to fall to 1-3 in the conference. The Blue defeated WPI, 2-1.  The visting Engineers grabbed a 5-3 edge early in the first set, but the Blue pressed back to take a 14-9 lead. Wellesley then took advantage of two four-point serving runs to take the first set 25-13. WPI rebounded in the second game, taking an 8-5 lead courtesy of a run from Bailey Sarber (Westerly, RI). The Engineers maintained a three-point advantage until four straight Wellesley points gave the Blue a 15-14 lead. Wellesley stretched its lead to six points, taking 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-19 win. The Blue carried the momentum into set three, taking an early 5-1 lead. Midway through the game, Wellesley scored six consecutive points for a 17-7 lead and cruised to a 25-14 win. For WPI, Sarber had a team-high five kills while Alex Rangel (Weston, FL) recorded 16 assists. Becca Holmberg (Madison, CT) led all players with 15 digs, with Joan Porambo (Jim Thorpe, PA) and Sarber adding 13 and 12 respectively. The Engineers rebounded from the loss, defeating Pine Manor 3-0 on Thursday before sweeping a tri-match over Mitchell and Mass Maritime on Saturday. WPI posted an impressive .476 hitting percentage in the win over Pine Manor at Harrington Auditorium Thursday night. Five different WPI players shared game high honors with three kills including Kerrin Beovich (Seaford, NY), Sarber and Belinda Nwagbara (Santa Rosa, CA) who each had three attacks in just three attempts. Becca Mattern (Vernon, CT) and Elyssa Dorenfeld (Reading, MA) also posted three kills. As a team, the Engineers only committed two attack errors in 42 attempts. The Crimson and Gray also served an impressive 19 aces, including five by Rangel. Rangel combined with Kim Woodward (Clifton Park, NY) for 20 assists while sophomore Porambo shared game-high honors with six digs. At Mass Maritime on Saturday, a balanced effort helped WPI to a pair of victories in a non-conference tri-match. The Engineers defeated the Buccaneers 3-0 (25-7, 25-5, 25-5) in the opening match before taking another 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-7) win over Mitchell. The Engineers’ 17 victories are the program’s second most since 1988. The 1998 team won 21 matches. WPI is also an impressive 16-0 in non-conference matches this year, the first on Boynton Hill for head coach Alex Temkin. In the opening match versus the Bucs, eight different players registered kills for the Crimson and Gray. Nicole D’Angelo (Wallingford, CT) led the way with eight, a career-high, on an efficient .636 hitting percentage. Dorenfeld had seven kills. Rangel and Woodward set the table with nine and six assists, respectively. Woodward also paced the Engineers with five of the team’s eye-popping 23 aces in the opener. D’Angelo and Val Boutin (Salem, NH) each had four. It was Sarber that shined in game two, blasting 13 kills in the win over Mitchell. Mattern,  Nwagbara and Holmberg each followed up with four. Rangel picked up 16 assists, while Joan Porambo’s 12 digs were a game-high for the Engineers.
WPI returns to the court on Tuesday when they will return home to face Smith in a NEWMAC match at 7pm.
 
Men’s Cross Country
The WPI Men’s Cross Country team had an impressive outing on Saturday coming in second and falling just one point short (38 points) of first place SUNY Delhi (37), at the Tri-State Invitational at the Community College of Rhode Island. Senior Chris Gabrielson (Westford, MA) continued his strong season as he finished as the Engineer’s top runner for the second straight week.  Gabrielson’s 27:24.48 finish was good for third place overall behind meet winner Chris Burke of SUNY Delhi (27:08.05) and Bill Taft of Bridgewater State (2nd place - 27:19.46). The Crimson and Gray had a strong showing with three runners finishing in the top five. In addition to Gabrielson, Dan Duffty (Haverhill, MA) finished in fourth (27:40.98) and Peter Brown (Andover, MA) placed fifth (27:49.90). Other strong performances for WPI included Lane Thornton (Richmond,VT) coming in 10th (28:22.87), Mario Christiner (Zurich, Switzerland) coming in 16th (28:47.86), Shane Ruddy’s(Seneca Falls,NY) 17th place performance (28:54.67), and Brian Goodman’s (Colonie, NY) 23rd place finish (29:36.96).
The WPI Men’s Cross Country team will be back in action next Saturday at the All-New England Meet held at Franklin Park.
 
Women’s Cross Country
Vicky Hewey (Sanford, ME) continued her impressive freshman campaign as she led the Women’s Cross Country team to its third straight first place finish at the Tri-State Invitational hosted by the Community College of Rhode Island on Saturday. The victory did not come easily as the Engineers finished just one point (46) better than second place Bridgewater State (47). Hewey won the meet (20:33.72) for the second time in as many weeks. The Crimson and Gray stuck close together with three runners finishing in the top five. Stacey Rauen (San Gabriel, CA) came in third (21:12.13) while Elizabeth Hegarty (Springfield, MA) finished fifth (21:17.29). Anne Rocheleau (Shrewsbury, MA) rounded out the top ten with a 21:47.86 performance. WPI also received notable performances from Danielle Volpe (Chelmsford, MA) coming in 27th (23:24.8), Lori Corpuz (Redondo Beach, CA) coming in 31st (23:47.2) and Kelsey Thomas (Webster, NY) finishing 34th (24:03.2).
The Women’s Cross Country team will hit the trail again next Saturday as they travel to Franklin Park for the All-New England Meet.

Men’s Crew
The WPI men’s crew team kicked off its 2009-10 season at the Textile River Regatta on Sunday. The Engineers had five boats in four races, taking home three first-place finishes including a win by the varsity eight boat in the men’s open eight race. WPI’s varsity eight ‘A’ boat took home top honors in the Men’s Open 8 with a time of 13:43.88, besting the next closest collegiate boat by nearly 40 seconds. The Engineers’ ‘B’ boat of took fifth out of the fifteen entrants with a time of 14:26.55, while the ‘C’ boat of crossed the line just behind in sixth at 14:31.72. Hank Moore (Jaffrey, NH) took home a win in the novice 1x race on Sunday, finishing with a time of 17:32.16. Tobin McGee (Rye, NY) had similar success in the lightweight 1x race, claiming first place with a time of 17:45.68.  The Engineers also competed in the men’s novice eight race, taking home a third-place finish. WPI’s time of 14:38.09 was the best time among college entries. WPI will be in action again next Saturday, when they compete in the Quinsigamond Head Race on Worcester’s Lake Quinsigamond.
 
 
Women’s Crew
Sophomore Vicky Stutz (Trumbull, CT) rowed to a first place finish to lead WPI to a successful day at the Textile River Regatta on Sunday afternoon.  Stutz crossed the finish line with a time of 19:42.34 to win the novice race while teammate Colyer Sigety (Tampa, FL) placed fourth (20:35.21) in the event. The Crimson and Gray also took home wins in the novice eight and novice four races. WPI’s novice eight boat won with a time of 17:15.82, more than a full minute faster than the next closest competitors, Wellesley. WPI’s novice four was victorious in 17:40.54, nearly 1:48 in front of second-place Merchant Marine. WPI’s ‘B’ boat was third, crossing the line in 19:33.33.The Engineers also performed well in the women’s open eight race, rowing to fourth and eighth place finishes. WPI’s varsity eight finished fourth in 17:38.73, while the second varsity eight took eighth in 18:18.08. Rhode Island was the race winner, finishing in 16:55.62. WPI will be back on the water on Saturday when it helps the QRA host the Quinsigamond Head Race.