Oct. 28: Brock roundup
Women’s volleyball player Laura Condotta and men’s rowers Thomas Markewich and Stephen Harris were named the Brock Athletes of the Week for the week ending on Oct. 20.
Condotta, a senior left side hitter who is studying sport management, led the women’s volleyball to a pair of victories over Windsor (3-0) and No. 9 Western (3-1) to start the season. Against Windsor on Oct. 25, Condotta recorded 15 kills and hit for .325. On Oct. 27, Condotta racked up 24 kills (.388) against the nationally ranked Mustangs. After the first weekend of action, Condotta is the OUA individual kill leader and ranks first with 5.57 kills per set.
The duo of Markewich, a second-year medical sciences student, and Harris, a first-year sport management student, racked up a total of two gold medals and a silver during the OUA rowing championships in St. Catharines Saturday. Markewich won an individual gold in the men’s lightweight single and Harris helped the Badgers’ men’s lightweight eight to edge Western for gold. Markewich and Harris picked up silver together in the men’s lightweight double.
Men’s hockey
Goaltender Mario Cavaliere held down the fort to blank the Waterloo Warriors on the road as the Badgers skated to a 6-0 win on Saturday.
Cavaliere made 28 saves for his first shutout of the season and second consecutive victory after defeating the Laurier Golden Hawks on Oct. 24.
“Cavs was outstanding in net,” head coach Marty Williamson said. “We played a full 60 minutes. This was a good weekend for our team right now. A big four points.”
The Badgers improved to 3-3-1-0 and climbed to fourth in the standings.
Johnny Schaefer, Ayden MacDonald, Jordan Sambrook, Cosimo Fontana, Justin Brack and Tyler Rollo scored. Mitch Mendonca tallied two assists. Ryan Burton, Skylar Pacheco, Adam Berg, Christian Girhiny and Jordan Sambrook each picked up an assist.
Up next, the Badgers close out October by hosting Ontario Tech at Seymour-Hannah Arena Wednesday at 7:15 p.m.
Adam Berg scored the game-winning goal as the Badgers defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 2-1 to snap a three-game losing streak at Seymour-Hannah Arena Thursday.
Girhiny fed Berg in the slot as he whipped the puck past goalie Matt Williams’ blocker at 15:35 of the third period.
“Adam Berg played an outstanding game,” Williamson said. “He’s got a great engine and he never stops working.”
Berg and Girhiny currently lead Brock in scoring with five points each.
Cavaliere made 27 saves. The Hawks ended Cavaliere’s bid for a shutout with a goal less than two minutes remaining.
The Badgers outshot the Golden Hawks 29-28 and only took one penalty.
“This was a really solid game,” Williamson added. “Great to build on. One step at a time as we build towards consistency.”
Frankie Pucci opened the scoring with a power-play goal early in the second period. Skylar Pacheco and Sambrook each registered an assist.
Women’s hockey
Mikayla Flanagan’s third period goal stood as the game winner as the Badgers held off the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks 4-3 to snap a two-game losing streak at Seymour-Hannah Arena Saturday.
Annie Berg scored a goal and an assist and goaltender Julia Pettella made 23 saves to pick up the win.
Ontario Tech scored two go-ahead goals as Brock kept working their way back into the game. Rebekah Feld tied the game up with three seconds remaining in the first.
Hunter Accursi scored in the second to tie the game up again before Berg’s power-play goal gave the Badgers their first lead of the game.
Flanagan made it 4-2 before the Ridgebacks scored in the dying minutes of the contest.
Kaitlyn Colonna, Claudia Murphy, Morgan Dezell and Katreena Whiteye each contributed an assist for the Badgers.
Up next, the Badgers (2-0-2-0) host the York Lions Thursday at 7:15 p.m.
It took four periods of hockey and a shootout before the Queen’s Gaels edged Badgers 4-3 in Friday night at Seymour-Hannah Sports Complex.
Queen’s forward Hailey Wilson who was the only player to score in the shootout to give the visitors the win.
Badgers head coach Margot Page said it’s tough to be too disappointed after a game like that.
“Last year, it was us who would be outplayed but we still stole points, but now we’re on the other side,” she said. “Our second and third period were outstanding. We did everything we could to score but their goaltender played outstanding and they’re a very gritty team.”
Brock’s Cassidy Maplethorpe opened the scoring just over five minutes into the first period, but Queen’s answered back with a pair of goals before the opening frame was done.
After a scoreless second, Maplethorpe tied the game two minutes into the third period, and then Brock defenceman Rebekah Feld scored with two minutes to go to grab the 3-2 lead. Queen’s then tied the game on a goal from Kaylie Dennis with just 1:11 left on the clock.
“You can practise for them, but you’re facing your own goalies so you start knowing tendencies and trying different things so it’s really hard,” Page said of shootouts. “But it’s not like we can’t keep working at it. We practice for them just like we do for the three-on-three overtimes because last year we went into them so many times.”
Men’s basketball
Tyler Brown netted 21 points as the Badgers opened the 2019-20 season with a 65-62 win over the Ryerson Rams Saturday night at Bob Davis Gymnasium.
The fifth-year guard secured the win by nailing a three-pointer with two seconds left on the shot clock and just over 32 left on the game clock, putting a big smile on the face of the Hamilton native who wants to keep things light in his final year.
“It was a great feeling,” he said. “It got a little close, but I was having a lot of fun and the team was having a lot of fun. We’re just happy to get this win.”
The Badgers looked good in their regular-season debut under new coach Willy Manigat, who Brown said is pushing the team to work hard, but keep things light.
“Our coach tells us it’s hard to have success if you’re not enjoying it, so that’s something we’re trying to do,” he said. “We have an idea of what we want our team identity to be and within that, we want to be able to have fun and enjoy the game.”
While it marked Manigat’s first official win outside of exhibition play, the coach said the victory was a reflection of how hard the team has been working.
“I’m happy for the guys because of how hard I’ve been pushing them at practice,” he said. “This is the type of thing you’re going to see every game. We’re going to have to fight and claw our way because it’s not going to be easy for us.”
Kascius Small-Martin finished the night second in Brock scoring behind Brown with 16 points. Godsman Kwakwak had nine and Daniel Cayer eight. Jayden Frederick led Ryerson with 25 points.
The Brock Badgers are back at home Wednesday when they host the McMaster Marauders at 8 p.m. They head to Toronto on Friday, Nov. 2 and then come back to Bob Davis to host Guelph on Nov. 8 and Algoma on Nov. 9.
Women’s basketball
As the clock wound down in Saturday’s season opener for the Brock Badgers women’s basketball team, the crowd could sense something special was about to happen.
As the baskets went in, the volume up, and by the time the final buzzer sounded with the Badgers on top of the Ryerson Rams 68-58, the crowd and the team celebrated like it was a playoff win. In fact, it was the first time the Brock women had beaten the Rams since the 2013 season opener — 2,185 days ago.
“It feels so sweet. That’s the best way to put it,” said Brock’s Missy Tatti, who led all scorers with 15 points. “To start a season off like this is incredible.”
Tatti called it the biggest win of her time at Brock, but said the Badgers can’t get overconfident.
“We have to humble ourselves,” she said. “We have to stay calm, cool and collected. It’s a big win, but it’s nothing compared to what we can do this season.”
For head coach Mike Rao, a win in the first game of the season reaffirms that the off-season recruiting and training were on the mark.
“It just tells us that if we stay on this line, we can just keep working and some good results will happen,” he said. “These girls gave us a lot of effort tonight. They didn’t stop working.”
Behind Tatti’s 15 points, Morris and Eden Ferraro had 12 each while Kristen Gallant had 11 and Samantha Keltos had 10.
The Badgers will face an even bigger test when they host the defending national champion McMaster Marauders on Wednesday at 6 p.m. From there, it’s a road game at Toronto Friday, Nov. 2 then back-to-back home games on Nov. 8 and 9 against Guelph and Algoma, respectively.
Men’s volleyball
The Badgers pulled off their first win of the OUA season Sunday.
The Badgers rallied to win a scrambly third set and ultimately upended the Western Mustangs 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 31-29, 25-20) at Bob Davis Gymnasium.
“We teach by creating chaos. We create chaotic drills where we’ll throw in extra balls or loops here and there,” head coach Matt Ragogna said of his practice sessions. “We’ll make difficult calls they don’t like and then they have to deal with the chaos, so when those scrambly moments happen in games we can calm the noise.”
Logan House was efficient on the attack with 20 kills and a .545 kill percentage. He also added 15 digs. Saulius Lianga smashed 14 kills and Grant Reddon added 32 assist.
Brock’s offence is humming just two games into the season as they lead the league with a total of 107 kills and 97 assists, but more importantly, they rank No. 1 in points with 131.
Dean Globocki registered 13 kills and James Parkinson tallied 11 digs, however Ragogna said Globocki and Parkinson are more valuable on the court than just filling up the scoresheet.
Up next, the Badgers (1-1) hit the road to play the RMC Paladins (0-1) Friday at 8 p.m.
Women’s volleyball
Laura Condotta scored 24 kills and the women’s volleyball team took down the Western Mustangs 3-1 (25-15, 24-26, 25-17, 25-18) at Bob Davis Gymnasium Sunday.
Condotta also led the team with 14 digs as the Badgers improved to 2-0 to start the OUA season.
“Laura Condotta was a stud, she hit .388,” head coach Steve Delaney said of Brock’s Player of the Match. “Our 2-0 start is great. Great effort by the girls today. We had fantastic support from our rookies all weekend long.”
Condotta is the OUA individual kill leader and ranks first with 5.57 kills per set following the first weekend of the season.
Darby Taylor added eight kills and three blocks, while Gigi Markotic scored six kills, two service aces and 10 digs. Jaimie Holland totalled six kills and four service aces, and Emily Armstrong registered 31 assists.
Up next, the Badgers (2-0) travel to Kingston to battle the RMC Paladins (0-1) Friday.
Men’s soccer
The men’s soccer team’s incredible season came to an end on Sunday.
The Guelph Gryphons defeated the Badgers 3-0 in the OUA west quarter-finals at Gryphon Soccer Complex.
Brock played the powerhouse Gryphons close all season as they won one and tied another in two regular season meetings, however, Guelph received reinforcements just in time.
After missing 12 regular season games due to injuries, U SPORTS most valuable player Jace Kotsopoulos returned to the lineup and quickly went to work with two goals. Jonathon Amoo added the other marker.
The Badgers took the league by surprise this year after missing the post-season in 2018. They improved by capturing third in the OUA West Division and a .536 winning percentage. Brock then outlasted Windsor in an unforgettable first-round playoff victory.
“I think the season exceeded my expectations because we’re such a young team,” head coach Luciano Ianiero said. “We had several rookies playing in every game, which means they are gaining invaluable experience in their first season. We always hope to make the playoffs as that is always our goal, but to get to the second round is unreal with such a young team.”
Ianiero had a message for his players at the conclusion of their fruitful campaign.
“I hope the guys realize that we are capable of competing with the big teams,” he said. “They have to start believing that they can for us to go further into playoffs.”
Women’s soccer
The Brock women’s soccer team were eliminated from the OUA playoffs with a 1-0 loss to the McMaster Marauders at Brock Alumni Field Wednesday.
“The kids showed great character tonight, and throughout the year and that’s why they were hosting this playoff game tonight,” head coach Lucio Ianiero said. “They’re that good.”
The game remained scoreless at the half until McMaster striker Lindsay Bosveld scored the game winner at 48th minute.
“It was a shot further out than we expected, but I wish we came out and played in the first half the way we did in the second,” Ianiero said. “It would probably be a different result right now.”
McMaster outshot Brock 19-7.
The Badgers enjoyed a successful season where they posted a record of 7-3-4 and finished fourth in the OUA West.
Men’s lacrosse
The men’s lacrosse season completed the 2019 regular season with a perfect 10-0 record in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association.
Brock finished off the season with pair of wins, 11-3 and 10-1, over the McMaster Marauders during a doubleheader at Brock Alumni Field Saturday.
Head coach Tim Luey likes the mentality his team brings into every game as they prepare to open the CUFLA playoffs on Friday at 8 p.m. against an opponent to be announced.
“I feel good about where our team is. I feel like we’re a really well-rounded team,” Luey said. “The boys are a close group. There’s a lot of leaders in our locker room.”
The Badgers led the league in scoring with 136 goals, and midfielder Seb Beaudoin plays a key role in controlling the flow of the game.
“He’s our faceoff guy,” Luey said. “Seb does a lot of the hard work to get us possession of the ball.”
Heading into the weekend, Brock defeated the Western Mustangs 15-7 on Oct. 25.
Grayson Houghton scored a total of five goals and four assists in three games, while Parker Campbell fired in four goals and posted three assists.
William McNabb whipped in five goals and contributed two assists. Nate Braniff tallied two goals and a helper while Sam Leclair registered a goal and three assists. Kurtis Woodland added three goals and recorded two assists.
Rex Josh scored twice versus McMaster and Cree Blakely notched a goal and an assist.
Connor Brown recorded a hat trick and chipped in an assist versus Western.
Men’s rugby
Zach Zorbas scored a pair of tries as the men’s rugby team walked over the Waterloo Warriors 29-12 in the OUA quarter-finals in Waterloo Saturday.
“We played the most compete 80 minutes of rugby that we played all year,” head coach Phil Sullivan said.
The Badgers advance to the semifinals where they face off against the Queen’s Gaels on the road on Saturday.
Brock found themselves tied 5-5 with Waterloo at halftime.
Mitch Santilli, Carter Bondy and George Bocock each scored a try and Steve Commerford kicked two converts.
In addition to the scorers, Dan Challice played in his first game since suffering a severe neck injury against RMC and was an immediate impact sub.
Rowing
The men’s and women’s rowing team collected 14 medals at the OUA Rowing Championships at the Canadian Henley Rowing Course Saturday.
The women’s team secured a total of three gold medals.
Olivia Jose and Andrea Jansen in the Brock women’s lightweight double held off Carleton by fractions of a seconds (8:01.21) for gold.
The women’s lightweight four outpaced the Mustangs by less than a second (7:38.29). That squad includes Erin Corkery, Carly Zanatta, Jennifer Beaudette, Alicia Piazza and coxie Brooke Kew.
The women’s coxed four of Anna Maloney, Shannon Van Baalen, Brianna Spanics, Amanda Martin and coxie Sophia Buzzell won gold in their race with a time of 7:29.93.
The men’s lightweight eight crew captured a gold medal by edging out the Western Mustangs, who ultimately swept the OUA Rowing banners for a second consecutive year, by two seconds (6:09.24).
The boat consists of Jacob Giesbrecht, Jacob Martens, Stephen Harris, Jared Boles, Owen Voelkner, Noah Van Helvert, Jonathan Hickman, Kevin Keith and coxswain Liam Bull.
Giesbrecht and Keith also captured gold in the lightweight men’s double.
Thomas Markewich won the lightweight men’s single with a time of 7:17.85, ahead of second-place Queen’s (7:23.66).
Western captured both the women’s and men’s team championship titles for the fourth time in five years. Western compiled a total of nine gold medals, four silver and three bronze.
The Western women’s team took first place with a total of 481 points. Brock was close behind with 409 points, and Queen’s was third with 196.
The Western men’s team recorded a total of 535 points. Brock finished second (436) and Queen’s was third (188).
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