Sports Shorts

Experience and new talent both shine at the Cornell Invitational

FILE PHOTO Tennis hosts Yale Invitational

Greg Royce, SY '01, defeated David Goldman, BK '04, in the finals of the A flight to claim top honors for the tournament. Goldman, competing in his first college tournament, was coming off a hard fought 7-6, 7-6 victory over fellow Bulldog, Scott Carlton, JE '01, but fell just short in a tough three set match against the Bulldogs' captain. Chris Shackelton, CC '01, coming off of a severely fractured ankle, reached the finals of the B flight. Another outstanding rookie, Dustin West, BK '04, played his way into the semifinals of the C flight. Royce and Goldman teamed up to reach the finals of the A flight in doubles. "Right now everyone on the team is getting along really well; we have an outstanding team dynamic," Royce said. "I am pleased with our performance at the tournament, but we obviously still have a long way to go before we are ready for Ivy League competition."

The Bulldogs' performance at Cornell should be a launch pad for success as they prepare to host Cornell, Dartmouth, and Connecticut at this weekend's Yale Invitational. Both invitational tournaments are intended to gear the players up for the fall season's featured event, the ECAC team championship, Fri., Oct. 6 to Mon., Oct. 9. Above all, the fall events allow coaches to gauge their players' relative strengths for the more competitive spring season.

Three starters, including two seniors, return from last year's 12-10 team, and will be complemented by a host of talented freshmen. Steve Burke, looks to return with sophomore status after spending a year on the professional tour. Should the NCAA reinstate his eligibility, he would be at the top of an already talent-laden lineup.

        Head Coach Alex Dorato, in his eighth year at the helm, added, "We have a lot of freshmen who need experience in collegiate competition, but by spring we certainly should be Ivy contenders. Not only do we have strength at the top of the lineup, but depth as well. We should be very good."

—Kenny Hammond




WOMEN'S TENNIS

Behind Goldberg, tennis excels at UPenn Tournament

How does a young team with a long season and a tendency to be plagued by injuries start off its season? By winning a lot, if they are the Yale women's Tennis team. From Fri., Sept. 22 through Sun., Sept. 24, the Women's team (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) participated in the Cissie Leary Invitational tournament at the University of Pennsylvania, and turned in a performance that top seed Andrea Goldberg, TD '02, rated "the best result Yale has ever had there."

In the singles draw of the region's top 64 players, Goldberg reached the semifinals, only to lose to the Tournament's eventual winner. But Goldberg and Biffy Kaufman, SY '03, advanced to the finals of the doubles draw before falling to a pair from Penn State. Goldberg called her singles performance "probably the best I ever have played." Coach Meghan McMahon also counted the tournament a success, and noted, "[Goldberg] has come in to this year playing extremely aggressively. Her strength has improved tremendously, and she is winning many of her points form the net."

Yale's performance at the tournament is a good omen in what will be a long year made up of two full seasons of competition. The team's biggest challenge will be to stay healthy—Goldberg conceded that the team's greatest weakness is that "We seem to have a tendency to get injured early in the season." A crop of talented freshmen and a new training regimen should keep the Bulldogs competitive. With a lineup that Goldberg says is "galvanized by the new freshman" and a regimen of strength training to avoid losses due to muscular wear and tear, Coach McMahon predicted, "We will be strong and deep in singles, as long as everyone stays healthy." —Julia Paolitto




WOMEN'S SOCCER

Confidence booster

Women's soccer got back on track this week with two solid non-league wins against Army (4-1) on Sun., Sept. 24 and Central Connecticut (3-1) on Wed., Sept. 27. The team is looking forward to their next Ivy match, against Cornell on Sat., Sept. 30.

Three goals against Army in a six-minute span in the first half helped break Yale's three-game losing streak. "We came out hard from the beginning This was a huge confidence boost from our last few games where we weren't able to capitalize on our opportunities," goalie Sarah Peterson, PC '02, said. Lauren Gillies, BR '03, also scored, and Sara Ruiz, BR '02, added three assists. "It was a total hustle factor for us," Captain Jen Mendoza, BR '01, added. "We had fire in our heads and it showed on the field."

Yale won its second straight against Central Connecticut to improve to 5-3-1 on the season. "The CC game was one of those games that was sloppy all around due to the inclement weather conditions," Mendoza said. "The field was soaked, we were cold, but we just came out and said let's just win. It didn't matter if it was pretty—just that we got the result we needed." The Bulldogs finished with goals from King, LeeAnne Jasper DC '04, and Ali Cobbett, BR '03. Jennifer Wideberg CC '01, added an assist.

Yale needs an Ivy win to build momentum for the challenging league season ahead. "Cornell is a huge game for us," Peterson said. "It's a chance to climb back into contention for the Ivy title.  We just need to focus and continue working hard." —Anna Dolinsky

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