SPORTS BRIEFS

GOLF

The Rams had their best finish of the season last week, placing third at the Frank Landrey Invitational in Amherst at 10-over. Sophomore Vincent Nadeau (Penn Hook/Purdue) won the individual title, finishing with a 10-under 206. Sophomore Lanto Griffin (Blacksburg/Blacksburg) placed third at 4-under and shot a tournament best 65 on the final day.

MEN’S SOCCER

The Rams split its weekend schedule, falling 3-1 to Northeastern on Friday and defeating Hofstra 5-1 on Sunday. The win over Hofstra snapped a four-game losing streak. Sven Meusch (Cologne, Germany) scored VCU’s lone goal in the loss to the Huskies. Gerson Dos Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil/E.E. Ruth Cabral Trancarelli) and Jorit Loehr (Bremen, Germany) scored two goals each, and Pat Viray (Reston/South Lakes) added one in the win over the Pride. VCU’s record is now 2-4 in the CAA and 6-5-2 overall.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The Rams defeated Northeastern 1-0 on Friday, their ninth shutout of the year, a single-season record. Megan Flanagan (Franktown, Colo./Ponderosa) scored on a corner kick early in the second half to give the Rams the firepower to win. Goalie Emily Niman (Pittsburgh/Fox Chapel Area) made five saves in the win. Sunday didn’t go quite as well, however, as the Rams fell to Hofstra 2-0. The Pride recorded 13 shots and 10 corner kicks to overpower the Rams.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Rams were selected to finish fourth in the conference in the pre-season media poll released last Wednesday. Junior Quanitra Hollingsworth (Chesapeake/
Great Bridge) was named first team All-CAA, while Krystal Vaughn (Baltimore/Lake Clifton-Eastern) was named to the second team.

Editor’s note: For more information regarding
the upcoming basketball seasons, look for season previews in the Nov. 1 issue of The Commonwealth Times.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The defending CAA champions were picked to finish second in the conference in a poll released last Wednesday during CAA Media Day in Washington, D.C. The poll included votes from conference coaches, sports information directors and the media. George Mason was selected first while rival Old Dominion ranked third. Junior point guard Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C./Westover) was named pre-season CAA player of the year, as well. The Rams return three starters from last year’s NCAA tournament
team.

FIELD HOCKEY

The Rams dropped to 1-6 in the CAA and 5-11 overall during the weekend after two tough conference losses against William and Mary and Old Dominion. The Tribe shut out the Rams 3-0 on Saturday behind three first half goals. Goalie Brittany LoVullo (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville North) relieved Laura Baker (Kent, England/Langley Park) at halftime and made four saves while shutting out William and Mary in the second half. Sunday’s loss to Old Dominion was a heartbreaker, a 3-2 decision in overtime. Merel Kroon (Amstelveen, The Netherlands/Keizer Karel College) scored her seventh goal of the season in the first half, while Emily Guerra (Yorktown/Seton Hall) scored her third in the 70th minute. ODU’s Titia Beek scored 3:09 into the overtime period on a penalty stroke to end the game.

VOLLEYBALL

The Rams defeated Georgetown on Tuesday but dropped conference games against James Madison on Friday and George Mason on Saturday. On Tuesday, VCU won two games in a row before dropping the next two. However, the Rams held strong in the fifth game, blowing away the Hoyas 15-6 in the final frame to take a 3-2 victory. Ariel Newman (Greensboro, N.C./Southern Guilford) had 21 kills and 15 digs in the victory. The Rams won the first game against JMU before dropping the next three in a 3-1 decision. Against George Mason, the Rams got in trouble early, dropping the first two games. VCU was able to win the third game, but the Patriots held on to win game four and take a 3-1 victory.