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UNF shuts down Aiken
Facundo Videla scores two goals in 3-0
Tony Delmond
Contributing Writer
The University of North Florida men's soccer team bagged a 3-0 win against University of South Carolina Aiken in goalkeeper Blake Baldwin's second shutout of the season.
Despite Aiken's 0-3 Peach Belt Conference record, UNF coach Ray Bunch gave the team credit on its playing ability.
"They are a
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Freshman Victor Duncan steals the ball against USC Aiken. The Ospreys defeated the Pacers 3-0.
Photo by Justin Rakitin
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good team," Bunch said. "Last year we beat them 2-1, but it was virtually the last kick of the game. Maybe not so much as a team, but individually they are the best in the conference.
"They're a really dangerous side, and we really don't want to come up against them again soon," he said.
Sophomore Facundo Videla scored the first goal of the match. Junior Jason Farrell sent a free kick over to freshman Chris Crider in the 27th minute of play. Crider kneed the ball to Videla, who put the ball in the goal.
"Basically, the tide went our way up until halftime," Bunch said. "They came back into it again, and they were the better team for 15 minutes in the second half."
Videla's strength was exhibited again when he scored his second goal of the night. Sophomore Tony Alteri fed a long free kick across the field to Videla, who headed it in.
"Facundo Videla in front has worked out very well for us," Bunch said.
Freshman Eric Arbuzow scored the final goal of the game in the last minute. Senior Paul Pavich and freshman Victor Duncan recorded assists on Arbuzow's left-footed shot.
"Paul Pavich has played well from the back and has set a good example for the team," Bunch said.
The team's record increased to 4-1-2 with the victory, and the team moved to 3-0-1 in the PBC.
"It's still a young team, but they're learning quickly and improving," Bunch said. "The other teams should be fearing us more than we're fearing them right now."
The last two PBC matches will be road games for the Ospreys. UNF will play Lander University Oct. 18 and follow it up with another PBC game against University of South Carolina Spartanburg Oct. 20.
"It's a very tough trip to play Lander and Spartanburg in two days," Bunch said.
The Osprey game against Eckerd College scheduled for Oct. 2 was canceled because of inclement weather. Other games were shifted, but the Eckerd game will not be made up.
UNF is scheduled to face Division I Jacksonville University in a cross-town road match 4 p.m. Oct. 9.
Bunch said he anticipates an exciting game.
"They're a Division I team, but we came out on top last year," Bunch said. "Usually the games tend to swing back and forth. It will be a close match; hopefully, it will be an entertaining game."
Contributing writer Tony Delmond can be reached via e-mail at uspinnak@unf.edu.
Ospreys dominate foes
Volleyball team extends conference winning streak
David Johnson
Sports Writer
If you want to ask a team what it feels like to beat the University of North Florida volleyball team, you are going to have to go back pretty far.
The No. 12-ranked Ospreys have defeated seven straight opponents, going back to a 3-2 loss against the University of Tampa nearly a month ago.
Since the Tampa loss, UNF (13-2, 5-0) has not only won every match, but also every set in every match. That's 21 consecutive sets for the Ospreys, including 15 against Peach Belt Conference opposition.
"We have to prepare every week," coach Bryan Bunn said. "People have this thing that we control the Peach Belt, but we do that through hard work."
UNF's most recent victims were Armstrong Atlantic State University, University of North Carolina Pembroke and Francis Marion University.
The Ospreys defeated the three teams on the road as part of their six-game road swing. UNF is taking a long road trip to allow the Orlando Magic to have full use of the Arena for practices.
Senior middle blocker Lauren Westervelt led the Ospreys with 14 kills in the 3-0 win over Armstrong Oct. 2. UNF compiled 15 service aces during the match.
"We served very tough," Bunn said. "We had 15 aces and took them out of the match."
Against Pembroke Oct. 4, sophomore middle blocker Jackie Struck tormented the Braves front line as she compiled 14 kills and six blocks. Struck, last week's PBC Player of the Week, did not commit an error in recording a career-high .778 kill percentage.
Struck posted another 15 kills in the sweep of Francis Marion University Oct. 5. Sophomore setter Valerie Martinez compiled 40 assists against the Patriots.
The three victories gave the Ospreys 23 consecutive PBC regular season victories.
The team will finish its road trip with two more conference matches and a regional contest. UNF will play Augusta State University Oct. 12, then University of South Carolina Aiken the following day.
The road swing will end with a regional match against Florida Southern College Oct. 15.
"They're a lot tougher than when we played them before," Bunn said. UNF defeated Florida Southern 3-0 Sept. 10.
The Ospreys will then return to the Arena for the UNF South Region Challenge, which will begin Oct. 18.
Sports Editor David Johnson can be reached at spinnakersports@yahoo.com.
Jaguars ground Eagles' attack
Rookie John Henderson leads Jags with 3 sacks
David Johnson
Sports Writer
Jacksonville Jaguars returner Bobby Shaw ran a punt back for a touchdown to finish off the Philadelphia Eagles in a 28-25 win Oct. 6.
"[It was] just a great
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Dr. David Kline, interim UNF president, was an honorary captain at the Jaguars' game against the Eagles Oct. 6.
Photo by Robert Davis
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win, an inspired win by all three phases," coach Tom Coughlin said. "Guys [were] playing their hearts out on both sides of it."
Coughlin credited the offense, defense and special teams for each doing their part, but said the defense held the game together when the offense was sputtering.
Rookie John Henderson led Jacksonville's defense with three sacks.
The victory improved the Jaguars record to 3-1 and kept them in a tie for the AFC South division lead with the Indianapolis Colts.
Shaw returned a Sean Landetta punt 69 yards for a touchdown with 6:23 remaining. The special teams score gave the Jaguars a 28-10 lead.
Despite being down 18 points with less than seven minutes left, the Eagles mounted a fourth-quarter rally that ended with Donavan McNabb's meaningless touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman on the last play of the game.
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville converted a crucial fourth-down play on the Philadelphia 2-yard line. Backup running back Stacey Mack gained 1 yard on the play, but it was enough to give the Jaguars first down and goal a yard away from the end zone.
Mack scored on the next play to give the Jaguars a 21-10 lead.
The Jaguars jumped out to an early lead on two Hayden Epstein field goals. They maintained the 6-0 lead late in the second quarter, but McNabb led the Eagles on a seven-play, 63-yard drive.
McNabb threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chad Lewis for a 7-6 advantage, Philadelphia's only lead of the game.
The
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Kyle Brady catches at 2-yard touchdown pass from Mark Brunell in Jacksonville's 28-25 victory over Philadelphia Oct. 6.
Photo by Robert Davis
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Jaguars responded with a drive of their own, marching 60 yards in seven plays after getting the ball with 3:41 left in the first half. Jacksonville regained the lead on a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Brady.
The Jaguars' drive appeared to stall after a Brunell pass failed to reach intended receiver Jimmy Smith on third down.
When the Jaguars attempted to punt, the Eagles were penalized for having 12 men on the field, which gave Jacksonville a new set of downs.
"We know what happened," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "It won't happen again. I'm not going to point fingers at anybody."
Brunell said the penalty gave the team a chance to regain the momentum.
"I don't know if the penalty inspired us, but it gave us another opportunity," Brunell said.
On the ensuing two-point conversion, Brunell floated a pass to starting running back Fred Taylor. Taylor ran it in for the score and a 14-7 halftime lead for the Jaguars.
The Eagles dominated the Jaguars in several statistical categories. They outgained the Jaguars 406 yards to 267, including a 129-yard rushing advantage.
"The win is the big thing, but I would have liked to run better," Taylor said. "We did enough to complement the passing game and Bobby finished them off."
Philadelphia held possession of the ball for almost 10 minutes more than Jacksonville. The Eagles converted seven of 17 third-down plays to two of 11 for the Jaguars.
Neither team fumbled the ball or threw an interception, though the Eagles turned the ball over on downs in the first quarter.
Penalties proved to be the Eagles' downfall as they committed 10 for 75 yards, while the Jaguars committed four for 21 yards.
Brunell credited the Eagles defense for being able to stop the run and cover Smith, but said their focus opened opportunities for others to get involved.
Smith said the Eagles have one of the fastest defenses he has seen in years. Smith gained 91 yards on four receptions, including a 47-yard catch on the last play of the third quarter.
The Jaguars will travel to play the Tennessee Titans Oct. 13.
Sports Editor David Johnson can be reached at spinnakersports@yahoo.com.
Undefeated Owls prey on Ospreys
Fluke goals give Kennesaw State a 3-0 victory against UNF
David Johnson
Sports Writer
In their first meeting ever, the University of North Florida women's soccer team lost to Kennesaw State University 3-0 Oct. 4.
UNF coach Mike Munch said the score was not indicative of the game.
"They scored two goals that they probably won't score again for 30 years," Munch said.
The first goal was a shot from 30 yards away, a tough angle on the right side.
"It was probably a miss-hit cross," Munch said. "We reflect on it as a moon ball."
Munch said the second goal was not as much of a fluke as the first. The KSU player took the throw-in with her back to the goal and kicked the ball over her left shoulder.
"It was the kind of shot you don't see professionals attempt very often," Munch said.
The Ospreys (9-2-1, 3-1) outshot the Owls 14-13, including a 9-7 advantage in shots on goal.
"We've been missing way too many opportunities recently," Munch said.
This was the first match between the teams because KSU started its women's soccer program this year.
Despite being a first-year program, Kennesaw has gone undefeated, allowing one goal in eight games. The 8-0 Owls' starting goalie Jessica Marek has not
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The UNF women's soccer team defeated Clayton College and State University Oct. 6 at Clayton's Laker Field in Morrow, Ga.
Photo by Jerrell Pennington
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allowed a goal this season.
Munch said Kennesaw's team is not the typical first-year squad. KSU has been putting the team together for the last 18-24 months, Munch said.
"It's not like starting with 11 freshmen," Munch said. "They're not the sisters of the poor by any means."
UNF bounced back from the shutout with a 1-0 victory over Clayton College and State University Oct. 6.
Dana Hemke scored the game's only goal on an assist from Diane Hemke in the 23rd minute.
UNF outshot Clayton 19-5. Laker goalkeeper Judith Chime finished with a season-high 11 saves.
"Again, we play well in the first half and outshoot them 11-2, but we couldn't get that second goal," Munch said.
The Ospreys will return home for two matches. UNF will play host to Coker College at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 before playing Lander University in a PBC match at 2 p.m. Oct. 13.
"Those are two games at home we should win," Munch said. "We want to play well and win. The score doesn't really matter."
Sports Editor David Johnson can be reached via e-mail at spinnakersports@yahoo.com.
Intramurals offer students at competitive outlet
Tom Petrucci
Contributing Writer
Life is a continuous series of competitions. Whether the competition is for a parking space on campus or the last four-cheese DiGiorno pizza at Winn Dixie, the end of one struggle generally leads to the dawn of another.
For University of North Florida students who enjoy the rigors of continuous competition but grow tired of the futility associated with trying to find a parking spot, there is the Intramural Sports Program.
UNF's intramural sports began Sept. 9 and will run until April 19.
The students who participate in intramurals often find stiff competition when they face off against their peers in one of the 12 seasonal sports offered by the program.
"It's a great place to be competitive, but not to the point where it's too much commitment," said Katie Lawrence, UNF student and soccer aficionado.
Like most recreation programs, UNF's program offers more than just raw competition. Students who participate in intramural sports find a source of exercise, an outlet for stress and a meeting ground where they can get to know other students.
"A lot of different groups get together and you get to meet people," said Jamie Forrest, a student and flag football veteran. "A lot of times, you're placed on a team where you don't really know the people, so you gain friendships."
Colin Turey, the program's director since August 2001, has been involved in intramurals as an employee or participant since 1995.
From day one, the program's major sports have been football, basketball, volleyball, softball and soccer, Turey said.
"The most popular sports are flag football in the fall semester and basketball in the spring," Turey said.
He said the least popular sports offered have been badminton and ultimate frisbee.
The program also uses students to officiate the activities. In addition to a preseason clinic, the referees receive continuous training throughout the season.
"We offer a [referee] clinic to the students immediately following all captains' meetings from the event and we train them throughout the season and hope they get better as they go," Turey said.
Participating in intramural athletics is free to students.
"They [students] pay an activity fee in their tuition," Turey said. "It's already mixed in."
There are two ways to register as a participant for an intramural sport: register as a member of a team or as a free agent.
Students who register as free agents have their names placed on a free agent list, much like in professional sports.
A team needing another player can refer to the list to contact a free agent and request the participant's permission to add him or her to the team's roster.
Once the teams are in place, captains work in conjunction with the intramural office to dictate practice schedules to ensure each team gets an equal opportunity to utilize the Arena or field facilities.
The program shares all of the campus facilities with Osprey sports as well as on-campus activities, so teams have to make the most of the time they are allotted.
"There's only so many hours I have that I can program for," Turey said. "We share everything with athletics and special events that we bring into the university, whether it be for field space or gym time."
In addition to the unisex sports offered, the program also offers several coed sports.
"We try and offer coed for as many sports as we offer [total]," Turey said. "We want to try and integrate everybody."
Unfortunately, the program does not have the financial resources to provide trophies to the champions crowned each year.
When the dust clears from an intramural championship game and one team stands alone, the team members are rewarded for their efforts with an official Intramural Sports Program Championship shirt.
Of course, the distinction of being an intramural champion and bragging rights for the year also come along with winning the championship.
For more information about the Intramural Sports Program, visit the official Web site at www.unf.edu/recsports, or contact Turey at cturey@unf.edu.
Contributing writer Tom Petrucci can be reached at uspinnak@unf.edu.
Ospreys conquer hills
Zepherinus Joseph wins event to lead men's team to third
Caron Streibich
Staff Writer
More than 20 teams and 400 collegiate competitors raced the hilly greens of the University of Florida's golf course at the 2002 Gator Invitational Cross-Country Meet Oct. 5 in Gainesville.
University of North Florida men's team top runner and All-American Zepherinus Joseph completed the 8,000-meter course in 24 minutes and 6.66 seconds, edging out the second-place finisher by more than half a minute, to earn first place.
"It's great to have Zeph back," said coach Mark VanAlstyne. "He's been through a lot this past year. It's a testament to his resiliency and
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Zepherinus Jospeh runs for a first-place victory at the Gator Invitational Cross-Country Meet in Gainesville Oct. 5.
Photo by Caron Streibich
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dedication."
Joseph's performance, in addition to the efforts of his teammates, earned the men's team a third-place finish out of 24 teams with 152 points, behind Princeton and UF.
Jerry Reckart, competing for the first time this season, was second for UNF in 26th place with a time of 26:03.49. Ronnie LaGuerre was 30th in 26:09.65. Wayne Nassis completed the course in 26:59.97 for 50th, with teammate Shawn Williams less than a second behind in 51st with a time of 27:00.75.
"It was motivating running full strength again as a team," Nassis said. everyone was excited to have Zeph and Jerry back. Overall, I felt pretty strong and I look forward to improving on my personal bests to help the team even more."
Zach Starr finished in 27:15.21 for 61st and Jason Powers rounded out the scoring in 27:45.75 for 77th. Ben Shimko (102nd), Mike Craig (110th), Chris Madzik (118th) and Tyler Olcott (154th) also ran.
The women's team finished fourth of 23 teams with 104 points.
"I like where we placed; it's great to beat some of the teams we beat," VanAlstyne said. "It shows how much depth we still have, even without our top runners."
UNF competed without runners Jenn Ford and Laila Laursen. Romy Krueger stepped up and took the lead for UNF, earning sixth place with a time of 21:32.49. Teammate Julie Downes was 12th, with a time of 22:12.48.
Sara Kofoed and Nicole Posey finished in 26th and 27th place with respective times of 22:46.99 and 22:56.84. Laura Magee raced toward the finish in 23:11.57 for 33rd and earned a personal record.
"We are strong and have a deep team," Magee said. "We placed fourth overall without our top two runners."
Kelly
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More than 200 women competed in the Gator Invitational Cross-Country Meet in Gainesville. The UNF women placed fourth.
Photo by Caron Streibich
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Price finished in 23:25.01 for 41st. Rounding out the scoring in 43rd was Elizabeth Leigh with a time of 23:27.70. Also competing were Amber Littleton (63rd), Kelly Hunter (77th), Tracy Floyd (113rd), Amanda Eldredge (167th), Dana Snapp (178th) and Casey Paffie (180th).
"I'm glad to be back running with the team again and I'm just happy to have finished the course," said Paffie, who is recovering from three stress fractures - one in each shin and one on her femur - and a broken bone in her foot.
Conference, region and national meets are next on the Osprey's schedule, after a local meet at Jacksonville University Oct. 11.
"Physically, we're very capable of doing well at the big meets; we've beaten some of the top teams," VanAlsytne said. "The women are ranked eighth nationally. We're just going to do our best and run our best race."
Staff writer Caron Streibich can be reached at uspinnak@unf.edu.
Golf ties for 4th
John Limanti leads team with own fourth-place finish
David Johnson
Sports Editor
Oklahoma State University.
The University of Oregon.
Louisiana State University.
Florida State University.
What do these universities have in common? They are four of the eight Division I schools the University of North Florida golf team defeated at the Windon Memorial Classic Oct. 1.
Junior John Limanti, a Jacksonville native, led the Ospreys to a fourth-place finish overall with his own fourth-place performance. UNF tied Georgia Southern University with a 15-over-par 879.
"Overall, the Windon [Memorial] was a positive experience for the team," coach John Brooks said. "Tied for fourth out of 13 is respectable. [We're] still looking to win one, however."
Limanti shot a 5-under-par 211 at the tournament in Golf, Ill. He finished the par-72 tournament with a 5-under-par 67, the second-best round of the
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Sophomore Vince Covello tied for 22nd with a 6-over-par 222 total at Northwestern University's Windon Memorial Classic in Golf, Ill. UNf finished fourth with a score of 879.
Photo by Caron Streibich
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tournament from any player, after shooting a 75 in his second round.
"[It was] probably his best [performance] as an Osprey," Brooks said. "I am not concerned about round two, [it] just seemed like the putts didn't fall in that round versus all the ones he made the other two rounds. He did stay positive with the round even though it was a 75. That helped him come out and play great [in] the final round. John's year is off to a real good start. He can compete with anyone in the country."
Northwestern University, the host team, won the tournament with a 16-under-par 848. Northwestern's Tom Johnson was the tournament medalist for his first-place finish, a 10-under-par 206.
Sophomore Vince Covello finished with a 6-over-par 222, while sophomore Evan Osteen carded a 9-over-par 225. Freshman Miguel Ordonez finished with a 12-over-par 228, and sophomore Matt Torrance finished with a 17-over-par 233.
Brooks complimented Ordonez for his strong performance early in his collegiate career.
"Miguel Ordonez, our freshman, shot 69 in his first college event and was tied for the lead after round one. Awesome!" Brooks said. "He needs to adjust to the 36-hole format. He'll do better next time, I am sure."
Brooks was referring to players competing in 36 of the 54 holes of the tournament on the same day.
The team will travel to Tampa for the Old Memorial Invitational Oct. 14-15.
"Our goal at Old Memorial is to win," Brooks said. "The field will include many district teams that we need to compete favorably with. It will be tough, but we'll work hard to get there."
Sports Editor David Johnson can be reached at spinnakersports@unf.edu
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Wednesday, October 9, 2002