The Women's Softball team has started the season on a tear. The Ladies are 8-2 on the season after splitting a double-header with Curry College over the weekend. With a young team, they have nine freshman, the Women have shown no signs of inexperience or adjustment. Four of the team's top ten hitters are first years, and four of the five pitchers used are also new to the scene. The early success quickly puts an X on the team from schools around the conference, but if they keep playing ball like they have been, they will not be stopped.
The Men's Lacrosse team is off to their best start in school history. Starting at 4-2, the Nor'easters are also relying heavily on the talent of first year players. Freshman Dylan Thomas, Mike Woods, and Mike Pennacchio are all in the top five for the team in scoring. Freshman goalie Nate Porter is anchoring a greatly improved line of defense, while Tim Margiotta and Colin Knipper are constantly bugging opponents in the zone. In addition, senior Dan Leyden is playing some outstanding ball, notching 15 goals and 18 total points in the first six games. The Men are surprising teams in the league, and their schedule only gets tougher down the stretch, but Coach Hunt will only look one game at a time and ride the success.
The Women's Lacrosse team notched their first win last week againt Colby-Sawyer 13-12. The Women got off to a slow start, but are playing much better in their past two games. The Nor'easters lost a tough one against New England College on Saturday, 14-13, in a game which needed an extra period to be settled. The Women will take on Curry College tomorrow afternoon in Biddeford.
The success that athletics had in the winter seems to be carrying over to the spring. What an exciting end of the year we are in for...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
And So It Ends...
The Nor'easters historic basketball season has officially come to an end with a loss in the NCAA Division III National Tournament to Farmingdale State. UNE probably played their worst game of the year, against the best opponent they have faced all year. Farmingdale out-rebounded, out-shot, and flat out out-hustled the Nor'easters. Those things rarely happened throughout the season, especially the latter of the three, but the Rams caught UNE on an off night.
The Nor'easters came out sluggish, allowing the Rams to get out to a 22-11 lead, and then exploding with seven minutes left in the half, extending their lead to 42-26 at intermission. UNE shot a disgusting 26% from the field, including 18% from beyond the arc during the first half, and could not get anything sort of rhythm going. The Nor'easters got away from their game, playing a slower half court offense and did not capitalize on Farmingdale turnovers.
The second half was better, but still not that great. UNE continued to be ice cold from downtown, but showed better effort attacking the paint. Juice Simpson led the way; not letting the Nor'easters lay down, and played the second half with a chip on his shoulder. Simpson, or "Birdman," scored all of his 17 points in the second frame, most of which coming by attacking the rim and fighting for second chance opportunities. Johnnie Jefferson could not find his stroke until late, connecting on a couple threes in the final minutes of the game, and TCCC Rookie of the Year, Quentin Thompson, struggled all game to score, finishing with 9 points.
The Rams showed off their height advantage and athleticism, out-rebounding the Nor'easters 53-30 and finished with an outstanding 52 points in the paint. Farmingdale also did a great job of playing the game at their pace, often out-running UNE, and really controlled the play all game long.
Despite ending the season with a loss, the Nor'easters had a truly outstanding season, winning the TCCC and setting a school record with 24 wins. Remember this is a program that had just five wins two years ago, and now their is a true passion about basketball on this campus. We look forward to the Blue and White being on the court in the 2009-2010 campaign.
The Nor'easters came out sluggish, allowing the Rams to get out to a 22-11 lead, and then exploding with seven minutes left in the half, extending their lead to 42-26 at intermission. UNE shot a disgusting 26% from the field, including 18% from beyond the arc during the first half, and could not get anything sort of rhythm going. The Nor'easters got away from their game, playing a slower half court offense and did not capitalize on Farmingdale turnovers.
The second half was better, but still not that great. UNE continued to be ice cold from downtown, but showed better effort attacking the paint. Juice Simpson led the way; not letting the Nor'easters lay down, and played the second half with a chip on his shoulder. Simpson, or "Birdman," scored all of his 17 points in the second frame, most of which coming by attacking the rim and fighting for second chance opportunities. Johnnie Jefferson could not find his stroke until late, connecting on a couple threes in the final minutes of the game, and TCCC Rookie of the Year, Quentin Thompson, struggled all game to score, finishing with 9 points.
The Rams showed off their height advantage and athleticism, out-rebounding the Nor'easters 53-30 and finished with an outstanding 52 points in the paint. Farmingdale also did a great job of playing the game at their pace, often out-running UNE, and really controlled the play all game long.
Despite ending the season with a loss, the Nor'easters had a truly outstanding season, winning the TCCC and setting a school record with 24 wins. Remember this is a program that had just five wins two years ago, and now their is a true passion about basketball on this campus. We look forward to the Blue and White being on the court in the 2009-2010 campaign.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Women Fall, Say Goodbye to Three
Keene State has officially ousted the University of New England of the 2008-2009 basketball campaign. The Owls topped the Nor'easters 58-53 on Wednesday night, and will now play Nichols College in the second round of the ECAC Tournament.
This loss ends a season in which the Ladies tied a school record for most wins in a season with 20.
The Nor'easters trailed by as much as thirteen before storming back to take a six point lead in the second half. Then the Owls rallied, knocking down a couple of threes and taking the lead for good. Senior's Alli Gamache, Sara Pelkey, and Heather White have now all played their final game for the Blue and White. Gamache finished her career in unusual fashion, leading the team with 12 points by connecting on four treys. Gamache has finished her career with 1,066 points, finishing second in UNE's record books for most career three pointers made (233), and tied for most three's in a season as she hit 82 this winter. Pelkey has finished her career, deserving the title "most consistent." Pelkey was a usual suspect when crashing the boards and getting points in the paint. Sara has finished her career with 943 total points and 590 total rebounds. White ends her career wearing the "C" on her jersey. Despite not receiving much playing time, the Nor'easters will greatly miss her leadership and energy that she brought day in, day out.
The team had an impressive season stringing together a ten game win streak and winning 14 of 15 over the final six weeks of the season. The Women also made it to the semi-final game of The Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament, a feat that has not been done since the 2002-2003 season, and received a bid into the ECAC Tournament.
The 2008-2009 Women's Basketball team was a team that received much notoriety throughout the entire season. Gamache was named to the TCCC All Conference First-Team, along with an All-State second team nomination by the Maine's Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Sophomore Carrie Bunnell was also honored by the TCCC as she was named to the Honorable Mention All-Conference Team. Bunnell averaged nearly ten points and three rebounds for the season. First year players Margo Russell and Kelley Paradis were also recognized for their immediate contributions. Russell was named TCCC Rookie of the Week twice during the season, while Paradis received the State Rookie of the Week earlier this season. Russell finished averaging ten points, six rebounds, and Paradis finished with ten and five.
Despite losing three veterans, the Nor'easters have a great young core that will help lead the way next season. These Women will immediately take the role of "veterans" both on and off the court, and will look to build on the great success they had this year.
This loss ends a season in which the Ladies tied a school record for most wins in a season with 20.
The Nor'easters trailed by as much as thirteen before storming back to take a six point lead in the second half. Then the Owls rallied, knocking down a couple of threes and taking the lead for good. Senior's Alli Gamache, Sara Pelkey, and Heather White have now all played their final game for the Blue and White. Gamache finished her career in unusual fashion, leading the team with 12 points by connecting on four treys. Gamache has finished her career with 1,066 points, finishing second in UNE's record books for most career three pointers made (233), and tied for most three's in a season as she hit 82 this winter. Pelkey has finished her career, deserving the title "most consistent." Pelkey was a usual suspect when crashing the boards and getting points in the paint. Sara has finished her career with 943 total points and 590 total rebounds. White ends her career wearing the "C" on her jersey. Despite not receiving much playing time, the Nor'easters will greatly miss her leadership and energy that she brought day in, day out.
The team had an impressive season stringing together a ten game win streak and winning 14 of 15 over the final six weeks of the season. The Women also made it to the semi-final game of The Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament, a feat that has not been done since the 2002-2003 season, and received a bid into the ECAC Tournament.
The 2008-2009 Women's Basketball team was a team that received much notoriety throughout the entire season. Gamache was named to the TCCC All Conference First-Team, along with an All-State second team nomination by the Maine's Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Sophomore Carrie Bunnell was also honored by the TCCC as she was named to the Honorable Mention All-Conference Team. Bunnell averaged nearly ten points and three rebounds for the season. First year players Margo Russell and Kelley Paradis were also recognized for their immediate contributions. Russell was named TCCC Rookie of the Week twice during the season, while Paradis received the State Rookie of the Week earlier this season. Russell finished averaging ten points, six rebounds, and Paradis finished with ten and five.
Despite losing three veterans, the Nor'easters have a great young core that will help lead the way next season. These Women will immediately take the role of "veterans" both on and off the court, and will look to build on the great success they had this year.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Women to Start ECAC Tourney Tonight
The Women's basketball team will travel to Keene, N.H. tonight to take on the Keene State Owls in the first round of the ECAC Tournament. The Owls were denied an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after losing in the semi-final round of the Little East Conference Tournament to Eastern Connecticut State. The fourth seed in the ECAC tournament, Keene State holds a 20-7 record (which is identical to UNE's record), including a win over the Nor'easters in November.
The last time these two teams played was during the Keene State Tip Off Tournament. Despite being tied at the half, the Owls went on a 16-3 run early in the second half to pull away for good. UNE shot poorly during this came, and couldn't stop Keene State as they got hot in the second half. This game seemed like a three-point competition as a total of 58 treys were attempted by the two teams, 33 in the first half alone. Senior guard Alli Gamache had a career high 23 points in that game, twenty which came in the second half. First year guard Kelley Paradis had 11 points for the Nor'easters.
The Nor'easters will need to find a spark off the bench in tonights game, as both teams have about a 10 player rotation. Additionally, Keene State has the knack for swiping the ball away nearly 12 times a game from opponents. On the other hand, they are susceptible to turning the ball over, which will play into the hands of the UNE and their full court press.
UNE will have to stop Little East All-Conference stars Kristin Degou and Nicole Simmler. Degou and Simmler are the leading scorers for the Owls scoring 13.0 and 10.6 points respectively. Simmler creates all sorts of mismatches when she's on the floor. At 5'11", she can create havoc in the paint, but can also pop out and shoot from the outside, which drives defenses crazy.
UNE will have their hands full tonight, but will look to seek revenge on the Owls and continue thier season. The winner of tonights game will play the winner of top seeded Nichols and eighth seeded Plymouth State.
The last time these two teams played was during the Keene State Tip Off Tournament. Despite being tied at the half, the Owls went on a 16-3 run early in the second half to pull away for good. UNE shot poorly during this came, and couldn't stop Keene State as they got hot in the second half. This game seemed like a three-point competition as a total of 58 treys were attempted by the two teams, 33 in the first half alone. Senior guard Alli Gamache had a career high 23 points in that game, twenty which came in the second half. First year guard Kelley Paradis had 11 points for the Nor'easters.
The Nor'easters will need to find a spark off the bench in tonights game, as both teams have about a 10 player rotation. Additionally, Keene State has the knack for swiping the ball away nearly 12 times a game from opponents. On the other hand, they are susceptible to turning the ball over, which will play into the hands of the UNE and their full court press.
UNE will have to stop Little East All-Conference stars Kristin Degou and Nicole Simmler. Degou and Simmler are the leading scorers for the Owls scoring 13.0 and 10.6 points respectively. Simmler creates all sorts of mismatches when she's on the floor. At 5'11", she can create havoc in the paint, but can also pop out and shoot from the outside, which drives defenses crazy.
UNE will have their hands full tonight, but will look to seek revenge on the Owls and continue thier season. The winner of tonights game will play the winner of top seeded Nichols and eighth seeded Plymouth State.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Preview of NCAA 1st Round
The University of New England will be tipping off against Farmingdale State College on Friday night at Rhode Island College. The Rams received an at-large bid out of the Skyline Conference, after a final second loss to St. Joe's (NY).
Like the Nor'easters, several Rams have been recognized by their conference for their performance on the floor. Senior guard, Damien Santana, was awarded Player of the Year for the Skyline Conference for the second year in a row, and is the all-time leading scorer in Rams history. Santana averaged 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.6 steals per game this season. Junior forward, Mike Campbell, was named to the All-Conference First Team this season, averaging team highs 20.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The Rams are guided by Coach Erik Smiles, who was awarded Coach of the Year by the Skyline Conference. This is Smiles seventh time receiving the award. This season's award was deserved after leading Farmingdale to a conference championship appearance, stringing together 20 straight wins, and finishing with a 24-3 overall record this season.
The Nor'easters and the Rams play two different styles of basketball, and it will be exciting to watch them clash on Friday. The Rams rely greatly on their size, having seven players whom stand taller than 6'5", whereas the Nor'easters tallest player, Johnnie Jefferson, is only 6'4". The Rams out rebounded their opponents by an average of 13 boards per game, and that number will probably increase against a small UNE team.
The Farmingdale offense is run primarily for Santana and Campbell. These two players are responsible for nearly 50% of the points that the Rams have scored this year. Both players have had outstanding seasons, but UNE will have to find a way to slow these guys down and force other guys to take shots.
The Rams also have three other players who have averaged 10 points per game or higher, all starters. Despite their starting five, Farmingdale is not a deep team, which is an advantage for UNE who does not stop running all game long. The talent and depth of the Nor'easters will bring tired legs, forcing the Rams to go to their skeletal bench.
There is no doubt that Friday will be an exciting day, and a historic day for UNE athletics. The game will start at 8pm at Rhode Island College. The winner of this game will face the winner of Rhode Island College versus MIT, which will be played at 6pm on Friday.
Like the Nor'easters, several Rams have been recognized by their conference for their performance on the floor. Senior guard, Damien Santana, was awarded Player of the Year for the Skyline Conference for the second year in a row, and is the all-time leading scorer in Rams history. Santana averaged 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.6 steals per game this season. Junior forward, Mike Campbell, was named to the All-Conference First Team this season, averaging team highs 20.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The Rams are guided by Coach Erik Smiles, who was awarded Coach of the Year by the Skyline Conference. This is Smiles seventh time receiving the award. This season's award was deserved after leading Farmingdale to a conference championship appearance, stringing together 20 straight wins, and finishing with a 24-3 overall record this season.
The Nor'easters and the Rams play two different styles of basketball, and it will be exciting to watch them clash on Friday. The Rams rely greatly on their size, having seven players whom stand taller than 6'5", whereas the Nor'easters tallest player, Johnnie Jefferson, is only 6'4". The Rams out rebounded their opponents by an average of 13 boards per game, and that number will probably increase against a small UNE team.
The Farmingdale offense is run primarily for Santana and Campbell. These two players are responsible for nearly 50% of the points that the Rams have scored this year. Both players have had outstanding seasons, but UNE will have to find a way to slow these guys down and force other guys to take shots.
The Rams also have three other players who have averaged 10 points per game or higher, all starters. Despite their starting five, Farmingdale is not a deep team, which is an advantage for UNE who does not stop running all game long. The talent and depth of the Nor'easters will bring tired legs, forcing the Rams to go to their skeletal bench.
There is no doubt that Friday will be an exciting day, and a historic day for UNE athletics. The game will start at 8pm at Rhode Island College. The winner of this game will face the winner of Rhode Island College versus MIT, which will be played at 6pm on Friday.
Monday, March 2, 2009
CHAMPS!!
CHAMPS!!
Finally, the University of New England will be able to lift the first Men's The Commonwealth Coast Conference banner to the rafters. The Nor'easters beat the Chargers of Colby-Sawyer 90-79, for the first male championship in UNE's Men's athletic history.
Saturday was a day filled with anxiousness and excitement, not only for the team, but the UNE community. Students started arriving about three hours before game-time, forming a line from the Campus Center doors past Freddy. This seemed to be the biggest event on campus besides the rave. Colby-Sawyer also brought about 100 students to cheer for the Chargers away from their home court.
In the first half, both teams were dead-on from the field, both shooting over 50% from the field and the teams exchanged leads 16 times. I wish I could say that this half consisted of great championship-caliber basketball, but it did not. The team of referees that were anything but championship-caliber took over. calling 27 first half fouls. Keep in mind that each half is only 20 minutes long. (For all you math geeks thats 1.35 fouls per minute, an amount that does not even happen in instructional league.) The teams combined to shoot 23-30 from the charity stripe in the first half. With some many stoppages, UNE was unable to get their fast-paced rhythm in check, and trailed 49-48 at intermission.
As it has been so many times this season, the second half was the Nor'easters half. UNE started the second frame on a 16-5 run, which then set the pace for the rest of the game. The Chargers kept went on a couple runs of their own, but UNE had an answer every time. TCCC Rookie of the Year provided one stop and put the momentum back in the Nor'easters hands as he called for an isolation and drove the lane for two as the shot clock dwindled.
The Nor'easters defense got tighter in the second half, holding Colby-Sawyer to only 37% in the half. UNE, however, heated up in the second period, especially from deep. The Nor'easters shot 52% from the field, including 64% from beyond the arc in the second half. Seniors Steve Belmonte and Johnnie Jefferson each knocked down four, and Thompson hit three treys for the home team. Four out of the five starters were in double figures for UNE, while Thompson led the way with 20. Senior Juice Simpson was one rebound away from a double double as he had 15 points and 9 rebounds.
The Nor'easters really came together as a team in the second half, using great defense to turn into their offense. This was a trademark victory to clinch The Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship. The record crowd of 1,092 at the Campus Center went nuts as Belmonte threw the ball to the rafters as time expired.
UNE will travel to Rhode Island on Thursday to play Farmingdale State College (New York). Farmingdale has some big men on their roster, 7 of which stand above 6'5''. The Nor'easters have overcome height deficiencies before, but this will be the toughest challenge yet.
Finally, the University of New England will be able to lift the first Men's The Commonwealth Coast Conference banner to the rafters. The Nor'easters beat the Chargers of Colby-Sawyer 90-79, for the first male championship in UNE's Men's athletic history.
Saturday was a day filled with anxiousness and excitement, not only for the team, but the UNE community. Students started arriving about three hours before game-time, forming a line from the Campus Center doors past Freddy. This seemed to be the biggest event on campus besides the rave. Colby-Sawyer also brought about 100 students to cheer for the Chargers away from their home court.
In the first half, both teams were dead-on from the field, both shooting over 50% from the field and the teams exchanged leads 16 times. I wish I could say that this half consisted of great championship-caliber basketball, but it did not. The team of referees that were anything but championship-caliber took over. calling 27 first half fouls. Keep in mind that each half is only 20 minutes long. (For all you math geeks thats 1.35 fouls per minute, an amount that does not even happen in instructional league.) The teams combined to shoot 23-30 from the charity stripe in the first half. With some many stoppages, UNE was unable to get their fast-paced rhythm in check, and trailed 49-48 at intermission.
As it has been so many times this season, the second half was the Nor'easters half. UNE started the second frame on a 16-5 run, which then set the pace for the rest of the game. The Chargers kept went on a couple runs of their own, but UNE had an answer every time. TCCC Rookie of the Year provided one stop and put the momentum back in the Nor'easters hands as he called for an isolation and drove the lane for two as the shot clock dwindled.
The Nor'easters defense got tighter in the second half, holding Colby-Sawyer to only 37% in the half. UNE, however, heated up in the second period, especially from deep. The Nor'easters shot 52% from the field, including 64% from beyond the arc in the second half. Seniors Steve Belmonte and Johnnie Jefferson each knocked down four, and Thompson hit three treys for the home team. Four out of the five starters were in double figures for UNE, while Thompson led the way with 20. Senior Juice Simpson was one rebound away from a double double as he had 15 points and 9 rebounds.
The Nor'easters really came together as a team in the second half, using great defense to turn into their offense. This was a trademark victory to clinch The Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship. The record crowd of 1,092 at the Campus Center went nuts as Belmonte threw the ball to the rafters as time expired.
UNE will travel to Rhode Island on Thursday to play Farmingdale State College (New York). Farmingdale has some big men on their roster, 7 of which stand above 6'5''. The Nor'easters have overcome height deficiencies before, but this will be the toughest challenge yet.
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