Purple Knights News

April 24, 2006                                                                                                   
Contact: Daniel O'Reilly
Phone: (802) 654-2929

COLCHESTER, Vt. - The women's tennis team (11-9, 8-4 NE-10), competing in the Northeast-10 playoffs, shutout Le Moyne College, 5-0, in the quarterfinals before falling to top seeded Stonehill College by the same score in the semifinals. Against the Dolphins senior Heidi Murphy (Norfolk, Mass./King Philip Regional) and junior Cailie Burns (Chepachet, R.I./Ponaganset) each picked up singles wins, as Murphy teamed up with junior Cara Bednar (Marblehead, Mass./Marblehead), and Burns combined with sophomore Michelle Wood (Chatham, N.Y./Chatham) to earn doubles victories. Junior Liz Clemente (Latham, N.Y./Academy of the Holy Names) and sophomore Megan Conway (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) won their doubles match to help clinch the match, which was completed after Saint Michael's reached five wins.

The women's lacrosse team (8-4, 5-3 NE-10) defeated Franklin Pierce College, 18-2, on Wednesday, marking the team's largest margin of victory since last April 20th, when the team defeated the Ravens 20-4. On Saturday, the Purple Knights squared off against Stonehill College, and came within 1:16 of handing the third ranked team in the nation just their second conference loss in seven years, but ultimately lost a hard fought battle in overtime, 17-14. In the team's win, senior Kristen Palazzo (Armonk, N.Y./Byram Hills) and freshman Amanda Pelley (Mashpee, Mass./Falmouth) combined to total 15 points as Palazzo tallied a game-high eight points, on four goals and four  assists, while Pelley notched seven points, recording four scores and adding three helpers. Junior Megan Lagasse (Newburyport, Mass./Governor Drummer Academy) chipped in with three points on one goal and two assists. Against Stonehill, sophomore Amanda Soule (Hartland, Vt./Woodstock Union) notched five goals, while classmate Brynne Curran (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) totaled four goals and an assist.

The men's lacrosse team (8-5, 7-3 NE-10) edged Assumption College, 11-8, on Tuesday, before dropping a 7-4 contest to Bryant University on Saturday. Against the Greyhounds, sophomores Gregory Lazarus (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) and Mark Agostinelli (Dedham, Mass./Xaverian) netted three goals apiece, while freshman Bryan Zaremba (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset) and senior Brandon Kobelt (Rye, N.Y./Fordham Prep) scored twice. Junior Ryan Tracey (Marblehead, Mass./Brewster Academy) also tallied a goal for the Purple Knights, who clinched their second consecutive eight win season. On Saturday, Agostinelli tallied a goal and an assist, while classmate Mike Boerma (Birchrunville, Pa./Lawrence Academy) and freshmen Jake Previte (Cohasset, Mass./Cohasset) and Bryan Zaremba (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset) also scored. The game marked the final regular season home game for the Purple Knights' five seniors: Tom Campbell (Dedham, Mass./Dedham), Jamie Hart (Barre, Vt./Spaulding), Dan Hennessy (Essex, Vt./Essex), Eric Libby (Cohasset, Mass./Cohasset), and Kobelt. With 141 career points, Kobelt is currently fourth on the school's all-time scoring list, fifth in goals (89), and seventh in assists (52). With the loss, Saint Michael's clinched the fourth seed in next week's conference tournament, and will host a quarterfinal match on Saturday against Bentley College.  

The softball team (12-18, 6-10 NE-10) found itself on each side of a pair of shutouts last week. The team dropped two games to Assumption College on Thursday, 2-0 and 1-0 managing just seven hits, but rebounded to defeat the College of Saint Rose, 3-0 and 2-0, on Saturday. In the opener against the Golden Knights, junior Meggan Roberge (Sheldon Springs, Vt./Missisquoi Valley Union) threw a three-hitter, allowing just one walk while striking out 11 batters. At the plate, classmate Meg Currier (Greenfield, Mass./Stoneleigh-Burnham School) struck a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning to erase a scoreless tie, and Roberge added a double and single to pace the Purple Knights' seven-hit attack. In game two, freshman Megan O'Connor (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown) pitched a five-hitter, allowing no walks while fanning five batters. Saint Michael's scored the eventual game winning run in the first inning, as junior Casey Brooks (Colchester, Vt./Colchester) was driven in after reaching base on a single. Brooks later added an RBI base hit in the third inning to plate sophomore Maggie Russell (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) to complete the afternoon's scoring.

The baseball team (7-7) lost a pair of games last week, falling to Middlebury College, 15-9, and Saint Anselm College, 12-7. Wednesday's contest against the Panthers marked the team's final home game of the 2006 season, and the last at Doc Jacobs Field for the team's seven seniors: Aaron Ciullo (Pittsfield, Mass./Pittsfield), Kevin Foley (Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial), Kevin Harutunian (Beverly, Mass./Beverly), Kyle Hildebrand (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor), Kevin Koscso (Tampa, Fla./Jesuit), Dan O'Connor (Worcester, Mass./Worcester Academy), and Paul Szwedo (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna). Koscso, Harutunian, Foley and sophomore Greg McLaughlin (Rutland, Vt./Rutland) each collected a pair of hits in defeat, while Foley allowed five earned runs in 5.2 innings on the mound. Competing in Manchester, N.H. on Friday, Foley went 3-for-4, scoring two runs, and sophomore Evan Grenier (Bridgeport, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) collected two hits, batting in three runs, while scoring twice. Off the diamond, junior Ryan Dulude (Berkshire, Vt./Enosburg Falls) was recently selected to represent the College at the 2006 NCAA Leadership Conference. In its 10th year, the 2006 NCAA Leadership Conference will be held May 28-June 1 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. In addition to representatives from the Division I, II and III national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a total of 352 student-athletes have been chosen to participate this year, and more than 2.700 student-athletes have taken part in the NCAA Leadership Conference since its inception in 1997.


This Week's Schedule:
4/24      Baseball at Saint Lawrence (DH) - 2 p.m.                            
4/25      Softball vs. Merrimack (DH) - 3:30 p.m.                       
4/25      Women's Lacrosse at Southern N.H. - 4 p.m.                            
4/26      Softball at Franklin Pierce (DH) - 3:30 p.m.                       
4/26      Baseball at Middlebury (DH) - 4 p.m.                            
4/27      Baseball at Lyndon State (DH) - 3 p.m.                            
4/27      Softball  vs. Le Moyne (DH) - 3 p.m.                          
4/29      Women's Lacrosse vs. Bryant - 12 p.m.                          
4/29      Baseball at Plattsburgh State (DH) - 12 p.m.                          
4/29      Softball at Stonehill (DH) - 2 p.m.                            
4/29      Men's Lacrosse vs. Bentley (Northeast-10 Quarterfinals) - 2 p.m.                              
4/30      Softball at Bryant (DH) - 12 p.m.