CSJ weekly athletics roundup

College of St. Joseph’s athletic teams were in full swing this past week, with five games played cumulatively. The men’s soccer team has found its groove, going 2-0 this week and currently riding a five game winning streak. They are now 5-4 on the season and are looking like a true contender. The women’s volleyball team played in two matches this weekend and came out on the short end in each one. Although they lost, they were competitive and have been making strides all season. They are now 0-9 overall. Finally, women’s soccer played in just one match this week against the best team in the conference. The Lady Saints put up a good effort but ended up with a loss, bringing them to 0-7 on the season. Here is a closer look at the games played throughout the week.
Sept. 22
The men’s soccer team started the week off with a bang, defeating conference rival NHTI 1-0.  Yankee Small College Conference Athlete of the Week Dominick Simpson scored the game-winning goal in the 21st minute of play. CSJ goalkeeper Kyle Milligan had a perfect match, saving all eight shots that came his way.
The women’s soccer team also played NHTI on Thursday, but did not fare as well. The NHTI Lynx are a well-oiled machine that have not lost a conference matchup all season. The Lady Saints played tough but ended up losing the match 0-9. Brittany Hance had one shot on goal and CSJ goalkeeper Florence Tavares had six saves. Tavares currently leads the nation with 90 saves on the season.
Sept. 23
The women’s volleyball team played two matches on Friday, first against Great Bay CC and second against Maine Machias. CSJ lost their first two sets to Great Bay CC, but they didn’t give up. They fought back, playing their best volleyball of the season and winning the next two sets to tie the match up. By the final set, the Lady Saints had used up all their energy and ended up losing the match. Even though they did not end up with the outcome they had hoped for, the volleyball team proved to themselves and to the competition that they are a team to deal with.
The Lady Saints played their following match against highly experienced Maine Machias and ended up losing in straight sets. They put everything they had into their prior match and could not find the energy to compete with Maine Machias. CSJ is now 0-9 on the season overall, still searching for their first victory.
Sept. 25
Men’s soccer ended the week on a high note, beating USCAA powerhouse SUNY Delhi with a final score of 1-0. CSJ handed Delhi just their second loss of the season. Sergio Lopez was the hero in this match, scoring the game-winning goal in the 64th minute of play. Kyle Milligan had another impressive game, saving all eight shots that SUNY Delhi was able to get off.