SEAHAWKS WEEKEND SPORTS ROUNDUP: UNCW wins in volleyball and soccer, middle of pack finish for golf

BOSTON, MA – UNCW rallied from a 2-1 deficit to edge Northeastern, 3-2 (15-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-20, 15-13) as four Seahawks, led by Kristen Powell’s 16, finished in double-figures in kills on Sunday at Solomon Court.

The Seahawks improved to 17-5 with the road win and 8-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Northeastern, meanwhile, dropped its eighth straight match and dipped to 4-21 and 1-9 in the league.

Powell finished one kill short of tying her career high of 17, set earlier this season against Northeastern. Joining Powell in double figures were Meredith Peacock (14) and Katie McCullough and Nicole Lott with 13 apiece.

UNCW finished with an 11-7 advantage in blocks, led by Peacock’s five. UNCW also landed four in double figures in kills. Lindsay Hartmann held team-high honors with 19.

Alyssa Desjardins posted a double-double of a match-high 35 assists and 10 digs. McCullough and Lott also had double-doubles. For McCullough, it was the first of her career.

Brigitte Burcescu led NU with 14 kills while Cherylain Dizon and Jamie Bredahl chipped in 12 and 11, respectively.

Bredahl finished with 30 assists and 14 digs for a double-double.

Up next: The Seahawks visit conference leader James Madison on Oct. 30 for a 7 p.m. start.

How it happened: Northeastern ran out to a 3-0 early in the fifth set, but the Seahawks were able to draw even three points later. NUCW then ran out to a four-point lead, 13-9, only to see NU tie it at 13-all with a 4-0 run. Lott put the set and match away with back-to-back kills for UNCW.

Notes: The Seahawks have now won four-straight against the Huskies, with three of the them going five-sets … Peacock’s five blocks moved her into sole possession of sixth-place on the CAA’s all-time list … She is the second Seahawk to notch 500 blocks in a career … UNCW improved to 3-1 in five-setters, including two against Northeastern … McCullough’s 15 digs shattered her previous career-high of six … Including Friday’s win at Hofstra, this is the first time UNCW has swept their northern swing through the CAA … UNCW has put four players in double-figure kills for the second time this season.

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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) — Senior Meghan Theiss shot a one-over par round of 73 as UNCW ended play at the 14th annual Landfall Tradition in a tie for 10th place following the final round at the Country Club of Landfall on Sunday afternoon.

Duke, which finished the tournament with a 284 team score for the second straight day, claimed the team title after finishing with an 11-stroke lead over Notre Dame. Sarah Burnham of Michigan State took home individual medalist honors after posting a 6-under par round of 66 to close the tournament with a 5-under score of 211.

Theiss finished in a tie for 19th place after carding three birdies in the final round, including back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes.

Senior Annette Lyche earned a share of 24th place after finishing with a 4-over par score of 220 while freshman Ellinoora Moisio claimed a tie for 42nd place with a 225 tournament score, including a 76 score in the final round.

Sophomore Alaina Yeatts posted a 76 in the final round to finish in a tie for 59th place while sophomore Kayla Thompson earned a share of 65th place.

Tournament Notes of Interest
• Michigan State set a tournament record by posting a 275 team score in the third round. The Spartans eclipsed the previous record set by Tulane (2004) and Wake Forest (2007) by six strokes.
• Duke earned its second Landfall Tradition championship. The Blue Devils also earned the title in 2009.
• The Blue Devils also set a tournament record by finishing with an 855 team score, shattering the previous record of 864 set by Wake Forest last year.
• Burnham matched the tournament individual record for lowest round with her 6-under par round on Sunday. It is the fourth time a player has carded a 66 in a single round in tournament history.
• Burnham also led the tournament field with 17 birdies, including six during the final round.
• Michigan State led the field with 50 birdies during the three-round tournament.
• Duke posted a 7-under par score on par-3 holes during the tournament while Wake Forest was an impressive 13-under par on par-5 holes.
• Three teams – UCF, Virginia and Purdue – posted an eagle during the tournament.
• Ashley Holder of UCF, who won the 2014 individual title, finished in a tie for second place with a 212 tournament score (-4).

Up Next for the Seahawks: UNCW will be idle until March when the Seahawks resume their schedule at The Clover Cup hosted by Notre Dame.

UNCW Individual Results: T-19. Meghan Theiss 72-74-73=219; T-24. Annette Lyche 69-74-77=220; T-42. Ellinoora Moisio 73-76-76=225; T-59. Alaina Yeatts 76-77-76=229; T-65. Kayla Thompson 79-73-79=231; 96. Sydney Boyd 92-WD-WD=92.

Team Results: 1. Duke 287-284-284=855; 2. Notre Dame 291-294-281=866; 3. Oklahoma State 289-292-286=867; 4. Michigan State 291-306-275=872; 5. Alabama 299-286-297=882; 6. NC State 295-311-279=885; 7. Wake Forest 303-294-289=886; 8. Purdue 296-300-291=887; 9. South Carolina 301-304-283=888; T-10. UNCW 290-297-302=889; T-10. Clemson 298-306-285=889; 12. Virginia 301-303-286=890; 13. Penn State 305-302-285=892; 14. North Carolina 308-303-290=901; 15. Ohio State 303-303-297=903; 16. UCF 308-307-295=910; 17. Kentucky 307-323-292=922; 18. Elon 303-316-308=927.   

Individual Leaders: 1. Sarah Burnham (Michigan State) 71-74-66=211; T-2. Ashley Holder (UCF) 72-69-71=212; T-2. Katelyn Dambaugh (South Carolina) 72-72-68=212; T-4. Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest) 74-71-68=213; T-4. Leona Maguire (Duke) 71-72-70=213; T-4. Maddie McCrary (Oklahoma State) 70-71-72=213; T-4. Celine Boutier (Duke) 75-69-69=213; 8. Lauren Coughlin (Virginia) 71-75-67=214; 9. Lauren Waller (Penn State) 75-72-68=215.   

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NEWARK, DE (UNCW) — UNCW rallied from an early deficit to tie the game midway through the second half against Delaware, but neither team was about to score the game winner as the teams earned a 1-1 draw in a Colonial Athletic Association game at Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The tie improved the Seahawks’ record to 8-4-3 overall and 3-2-2 in the CAA. Meanwhile, the Blue Hens are now 7-6-3 overall and 3-2-1 in league play.

Delaware struck first in the 15th minute when sophomore defender Thibault Philippe headed in a long cross from senior midfielder Joe Dipre for his third goal of the season. But, UNCW answered with 26:35 remaining when senior forward Nathaniel Goodwin tallied his fourth goal of the year off a feed from senior forward Colin Bonner.

Post-Game Quotes: Coach Aidan Heaney

“As always, this was a keenly contested game against Delaware. We probably shaded the game as far as chances go, but weren’t able to get the winner. We did a nice job of getting the equalizer after going behind in the first half, and then had two really good chances through Colin and Kalvin in the second half. We missed just that added bit of quality in front of the goal today.”

“Delaware is a talented team and just defeated Maryland on the road, so we will take the point and now look forward to hosting College of Charleston at home on Wednesday.”

Seahawk Storylines

• The Seahawks and the Blue Hens posted the first tie in the 14-game series. UNCW still leads the series, 9-4-1.

• Goodwin tallied his first goal since scoring against South Carolina on Sept. 12.

• Two of the Seahawks’ three ties this year have been on the road. They also earned a scoreless tie at James Madison on Oct. 3.

What’s Ahead for the Seahawks:

Wednesday, Oct. 28 vs. College of Charleston (7 p.m.) • UNCW Soccer Stadium, Wilmington, N.C.

Saturday, Oct. 31 vs. Florida Gulf Coast (7 p.m.) • UNCW Soccer Stadium, Wilmington, N.C.

Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Charlotte (7 p.m.) • Transamerica Field, Charlotte, N.C.

College Men’s Soccer: UNCW 1, Delaware 1 (2OT)

UNCW                    0          1          0          0          –           1

Delaware                 1          0          0          0          –           1

Goals: UNCW – Nathaniel Goodwin (63:25); DEL – Thibault Philippe (14:06). Assists: UNCW – Colin Bonner; DEL – Joe Dipre. Saves: UNCW – Sean Melvin 5 (110:00, 1 goals allowed); DEL – Todd Morton 7 (110:00, 0 goals allowed). Shots: UNCW – 13; DEL – 13. Corner Kicks: UNCW – 2; DEL – 6. Attendance: 550.

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WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Senior forwards Stephanie Bronson and Maddie McCormick each scored a goal and added an assist as UNCW secured the third seed in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament by shutting out College of Charleston, 4-0, in the regular season finale for both teams at UNCW Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The win elevated the Seahawks’ record to 13-5-1 overall and 6-2-1 in the CAA. Meanwhile, the Cougars’ record dropped to 8-9-1 overall and 2-6-1 in the CAA. By securing the third seed in the tournament, the Seahawks will host sixth-seeded Delaware in a quarterfinal game on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Bronson gave UNCW a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when she took a crossing pass from McCormick and scored on a one-touch shot for her sixth goal of the season.

Just under 15 minutes into the second half, junior midfielder Kennedy Ulrich extended the advantage to 2-0 when she netted her fourth goal of the season after passes from senior defender Sydney Sawaya and junior midfielder Moa Jarl.

After McCormick upped the margin to 3-0 less than two minutes later off an assist from Bronson, sophomore forward Serenity Waters scored her second goal of the season with 16:19 left after chipping a shot over Charleston junior goalkeeper Lauren Killian into the far side of the goal.

Junior goalkeeper Carolyn Huddy made six saves en route to earning her eighth shutout of the season, setting a school record.

Seahawk Storylines

• UNCW leads the all-time series over Charleston by an 8-3-1 margin and has won five of the last six meetings. The Seahawks have outscored the Cougars by a 14-5 margin in the last six encounters.

• UNCW secured a top-four finish in the CAA standings for the fifth time in program history. It is the Seahawks’ highest finish in the league since a third-place finish in 2012.

• The Seahawks tied a school record by earning their 13th win of the season, matching the mark set in 2006 and 2009. In addition, the 13 wins are the most by a UNCW team in a regular season in program history, eclipsing the previous mark of 12 set in 2008 and 2012.

• UNCW has outscored its last three opponents by a 15-0 margin and has not allowed a goal since the second half against William & Mary on Oct. 11.

• The Seahawks improved to 6-0-1 at home this season and have outscored opponents by a 26-4 margin at UNCW Soccer Stadium.

• McCormick moved into sole possession of eighth place on the Seahawks’ single-season points list with 28 points this year. She has tallied 12 goals with 4 assists in 19 games.

• McCormick also became the fifth player in school history to record 70 or more career points. She has tallied 72 points in her career by scoring 29 goals with 14 assists.

• The Seahawks improved to 11-8-3 all-time on Senior Day, including a 3-1-1 mark in the last five years.

• UNCW posted its 15th game with two or more goals, which leads the nation. The Seahawks are 12-2-1 this year when scoring two or more goals.

• The Seahawks have scored two or more goals in 13 of their last 14 games.

• After opening the season with a 1-3-0 record in their first four games, the Seahawks are 12-2-1 in their last 15 games and have outscored their opponents by a 39-11 margin.

What’s Ahead for the Seahawks:

Sunday, Nov. 1 – CAA Quarterfinals vs. Delaware (Time TBA) • UNCW Soccer Stadium (Wilmington, N.C.)

Friday, Nov. 6 – CAA Semifinals (Time TBA) • Hofstra Soccer Stadium (Hempstead, N.Y.)

Sunday, Nov. 8 – CAA Championship (Time TBA) • Hofstra Soccer Stadium (Hempstead, N.Y.)

College Women’s Soccer: UNCW 4, College of Charleston 0

Charleston              0          0          –           0

UNCW                    1          3          –           4

Goals: COFC – n/a; UNCW – Stephanie Bronson (22:04), Kennedy Ulrich (59:55), Maddie McCormick (60:48), Serenity Waters (73:41). Assists: COFC – n/a; UNCW – Moa Jarl, Maddie McCormick, Sydney Sawaya, Stephanie Bronson, Lauren Nalevaiko. Saves: COFC – Lauren Killian 2 (90:00, 4 goals allowed), TEAM 1; UNCW – Carolyn Huddy 6 (90:00, 0 goals allowed). Shots: COFC – 8; UNCW – 15. Corner Kicks: COFC – 0; UNCW – 6. Attendance: 726.