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Huskies Falls to Gannon In Football Finale

Sports Information — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:00:38 +0000

Jeremy Ditzler kicked a 31-yard field goal in overtime and the Gannon University defense recovered a fumble on Bloomsburg University’s first drive in the extra period to post a 10-7 win in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday.

The loss dropped the Huskies to 8-3 on the season and severely hurts the team’s chances to gain an NCAA playoff bid. The bids will be announced on Sunday between 3 and 3:30 p.m. on ESPN News.

With the score tied at 7-7 at the end of regulation, the Golden Knights (6-5) got the ball first on offense in the extra session and drove to the Huskies nine-yard line. Three running plays pushed the ball back to the Huskies 12-yard line where Ditzler connected on his first field goal of the game after missing on three previous attempts.

On Bloomsburg’s possession of the overtime, on the first play, quarterback Dan Latorre (Elysburg/Southern Columbia) dropped back then took off up field and was hit by Gannon’s Johnny Jones with the recovery by the Golden Knights Khayree Connors ending the game.

In the first half Gannon took the opening kickoff and moved to the Huskies 29-yard line when its drive stalled. However, Ditzler was short on a 48-yard field goal attempt. In the second quarter the Huskies defense forced a fumble that was recovered by Mike Varanavage (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan) at the Gannon 22-yard. Facing a fourth and one at the Gannon 13-yard line Latorre was sacked and fumbled the ball ending the scoring threat. Just before halftime Gannon had a chance to get on the scoreboard right, but Ditzler misfired from 29-yards ending the half.

Bloomsburg finally broke the scoring drought in the third period with a short drive set up by a 62-yard kickoff return by Brandon Real (West York/West York) to start the second half. From three plays later Latorre hit Cory Stiger (Williamsport/Loyalsock) with a 25-yard scoring pass to make it 7-0.

Later in the third period after pinning the Huskies back deep in their own territory, the Golden Knights took advantage of a short punt that gave them the ball at the Bloomsburg 28-yard line. Two plays later Zach Boedicker scored on a three-yard line to tie the score at 7-7 with 0:37 seconds left in the third period.

In the fourth period both teams had a chance to go in front, but Ditzler missed a 41-yard field goal try with 3:00 left to play. Then the Huskies had a chance to win the game on the final play, but Jon Koenig’s (Pine Grove/Pine Grove) 45-yard field goal try was blocked forcing the extra session.

Bloomsburg was led statistically by Latorre who was 9-16 for 105 yards and one score, while Thomas McFarland (Pottsville/Pottsville) had a team-high 10 tackles.

Gannon was led by Boedicker who was 13-20 for 104 yards passing and also gained 69 yards rushing.

Gannon vs #19 Bloomsburg (Nov 07, 2009 at Bloomsburg, Pa.)

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 OT [ 5 ] Score

—————– — – — – — [ - ] —–

Gannon………….. 0 0 7 0 3 [ 3 ] – 10 Record: (6-5,3-4)

Bloomsburg………. 0 0 7 0 0 [ 0 ] - 7 Record: (8-3,5-2)

Scoring Summary:

3rd 13:01 BLOOM – Cory Stiger 25 yd pass from Dan Latorre (Jon Koenig kick), 3-28 1:48, GAN 0 – BLOOM 7

02:29 GAN – Zach Boedicker 3 yd run (Jeremy Ditzler kick), 2-28 0:37, GAN 7 – BLOOM 7

OT 15:00 GAN – Jeremy Ditzler 31 yd field goal, 7-13 0:00, GAN 10 – BLOOM 7

GAN BLOOM

FIRST DOWNS………………. 18 13

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)………… 50-182 37-142

PASSING YDS (NET)…………. 104 105

Passes Att-Comp-Int……….. 20-13-0 16-9-1

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS….. 70-286 53-247

Fumble Returns-Yards………. 1-6 0-0

Punt Returns-Yards………… 2-6 1-2

Kickoff Returns-Yards……… 2-26 2-81

Interception Returns-Yards…. 1-26 0-0

Punts (Number-Avg)………… 6-31.2 6-30.7

Fumbles-Lost……………… 3-1 3-3

Penalties-Yards…………… 3-19 4-24

Possession Time…………… 34:36 25:24

Third-Down Conversions…….. 8 of 17 2 of 11

Fourth-Down Conversions……. 0 of 0 1 of 2

Red-Zone Scores-Chances……. 2-4 0-1

Sacks By: Number-Yards…….. 1-10 4-33

RUSHING: Gannon-Jon Richardson 24-77; Zach Boedicker 19-69; Tyler Batts

7-36. Bloomsburg-Derrick Price 17-74; Kenny Domzalski 9-43; Dan Latorre 9-18;

Stefan Adams 1-6; Kyle Fisher 1-1.

PASSING: Gannon-Zach Boedicker 13-20-0-104. Bloomsburg-Dan Latorre

9-16-1-105.

RECEIVING: Gannon-Levar Goff 5-20; Jon Richardson 3-13; Tyler Batts 1-25;

Evan Twombly 1-20; Corey Bradley 1-14; Jason Ladouceur 1-7; Jonathon Jones 1-5.

Bloomsburg-Cory Stiger 4-59; Chris Tressler 3-29; Dylan Manni 1-12; Stefan Adams

1-5.

INTERCEPTIONS: Gannon-Kevin Minor 1-26. Bloomsburg-None.

FUMBLES: Gannon-Zach Boedicker 2-1; Kevin Minor 1-0. Bloomsburg-Dan

Latorre 2-2; Derrick Price 1-1.

Stadium: Redman Stadium Attendance: 1488

Kickoff time: 12:00 pm End of Game: 2:29 pm Total elapsed time: 2:29

Officials: Referee: John Gerbino; Umpire: Nick Pergine; Linesman: A. Ciccaglione;

Line judge: Dan Bush; Back judge: Melvin Riddick; Field judge: Matt Brewer;

Side judge: James Downey; Scorer: Ryan Rebholz;

Temperature: 49 Wind: light Weather: Sunny and crisp

Gannon vs #19 Bloomsburg (Nov 07, 2009 at Bloomsburg, Pa.)

SACKS (UA-A): Gannon-Keith Yager 1-0. Bloomsburg-Anthony Smith 1-0;

Jarrett Pidgeon 1-0; Justin Presley 1-0; Mike Varanavage 1-0.

TACKLES (UA-A): Gannon-Khayree Connors 7-3; Randy Colling 2-6; Kevin

Minor 5-2; Jon Petrigac 4-2; Anthony Weaver 3-3; Johnny Jones 4-1; Keith Yager

1-3; John Chisolm 2-1; Brandon Carter 1-2; Cory Borden 1-1; Connor Kimball 0-2;

Matt Jones 1-0; Albert Benedict 1-0; Jon Richardson 0-1; Miles Brooks 0-1; Tyler

Batts 0-1; Jason Ladouceur 0-1; Ian Jeffers 0-1; Dominic Jackson 0-1.

Bloomsburg-T. McFarland 6-4; Anthony Smith 6-3; Domenique Price 4-3; Mike

Varanavage 3-3; Alex Landis 2-4; Dan Oliver 2-4; Jarrett Pidgeon 3-2; Jesse

Cooper 2-3; Justin Presley 2-3; Justin Rivera 2-2; M. Zimmerman 2-2; Vince

Browning 2-2; Alphonso Nathan 1-2; Todd Givler 1-2; Kenny Orlando 0-3; Oscar

Rivera 1-0; TEAM 1-0; Ryan Feldman 0-1; John Pettine 0-1; Stefan Adams 0-1; Mark

Daniels 0-1.

Cross country team preparing for PSAC Championships

Sports Information — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:49:15 +0000

The Bloomsburg University men’s and women’s cross country teams are in final preparations for the 2009 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships on Saturday at Edinboro University.

The Huskies and first-year coach Bernie Empie will look to better last year’s fifth place finishes for both teams this weekend.

“I am very excited for the PSAC Championships to finally arrive,” said Empie. “Our teams have worked extremely hard and I am proud of the effort the student-athletes have given each and every day.”

The men’s competition looks to be very competitive,” Empie continued. “Three teams (Edinboro, Ship, and Lock Haven) have separated themselves from the rest of the conference. There are five teams (Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, Slippery Rock, IUP, and Kutztown) that could finish 4th thru 8th. It will come down to whose team performs the best on Saturday. Sophomore Bobby Furman and senior Misha Litvinov are having great seasons and provide a solid 1-2 to help in lowering our team score. We have four freshmen that will be running. On any given day any one of them could be scorers (top 7) for us. How well our fifth through seventh men perform could very well decide our team finish.”

Furman’s best finishes were third at the Husky Invitational early in the season and fifth at the Paul Short Invitational in early October. Litvinov was second at the Husky Invitational and was 10^th at the Lafayette Invitational. Also look for Jarold Arnold (Philadelphia/Engineering and Science) and Dave Moyer (Boyertown/Boyertown) to be in the mix for the Huskies, while the four freshmen who will toe the starting line are Brent Balmer (Lebanon/Cedar Crest), Mike Hookman (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex), Nick Patton (Canton/Canton) and Sam Wisniewski (Lititz/Warwick).

The women come into the weekend poised to capture a top five finish, and could finish as high as second,” said Empie. “Of course for a 2nd place finish to happen all of our runners need to be at their best and we need a some help from other teams to balance out what will be a very competitive battle for team spots 2-5. All season long we have had three very strong front runners in Angela Borealo (Easton/Easton), Andrea Kellock (Lansdale/North Penn), and Katie Meck (Dillsburg/Northern). Much like the men’s race, our women’s finish could depend on how well our fifth runner performs. In our five races this season, we have had four different runners occupy the fifth position. We just need to close the gap between our front runners and our fifth runner and we will be all right.”

Borealo took first at the Lafayette Invitational a few weeks ago, while Kellock was fourth at that event and Meck sixth. Freshman Victoria Davis (Schuylkill Haven/Schuylkill Haven) has been a steady fourth place finisher for the Huskies this season. Others to look out for on the Bloomsburg team are Samantha Matthews (Windsor/Gilenelg County), Samantha Rhood (Downingtown/Downingtown West) and Katie McShay (Springfield/Cardinal O’Hara).

Tom McGuire

Bloomsburg University

Director of Sports Information, Athletic Marketing and Promotions

Men’s Soccer earns PSAC playoff spot with win

Sports Information — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:47:51 +0000

Freshman Tyler Phillips (Ephrata/Ephrata) scored the game’s only goal to lift the Bloomsburg University men’s soccer team to a 1-0 win over East Stroudsburg University on Wednesday night. With the win the Huskies qualify for next week’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs.

After a scoreless first half that saw the Warriors hold a six to four edge in shots on goal, Phillips took a pass from Mike McGee and beat Warrior’s goalkeeper Larry Pokrywa to put the Huskies on top. East Stroudsburg nearly tied the game later in the half when Greg Schook hit the post on a shot attempt. The Huskies nearly got a game-clinching goal from Marcus Valeriano, but his shot just skimmed the top of the net.

The goal for Phillips, last week’s PSAC East Player of the Week, was his 11^th of the season which ties him for 11^th on the school’s single season list. Goalkeeper David Leiendecker (Easton/Easton) posted his third shutout of the season stopping seven shots.

The Huskies PSAC playoff berth is the first since the 2003 season and the fourth for Bloomsburg under head coach Paul Payne. Bloomsburg will be the second seed from the PSAC East and will play top-seed Millersville on Nov. 4. Bloomsburg ends the regular season with a record of 10-5-2, 5-2-1 in the PSAC East.

ESU (9-8-1, 2-4-1 PSAC E) vs. Bloomsburg (10-5-2,5-2-1 PSAC E)

Date: Oct 28, 2009 Attendance: 45

Weather: Cloudy, Cool

Goals by period 1 2 Tot

——————————-

ESU…………….. 0 0 - 0

Bloomsburg………. 0 1 - 1

SCORING SUMMARY:

1. 47:36 BLOOM-M Tyler Phillips (Michael McGee)

Shots: ESU 10, Bloomsburg 7

Saves: ESU 1 (Larry Pokrywa 1), Bloomsburg 7 (David Leiendecker 7)

Bloomsburg qualifies for PSAC playoffs with victory.

Is a Four Peat on the Horizon for BU Field Hockey?

Connor Showalter — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:38:02 +0000

Maggey Bloskey and Chelsea Due will return for their senior seasons for the Huskies; photos courtesy of BU Sports Info

BU Field Hockey is unlike any ordinary extracurricular activity performed by college students. It is a tradition of dominance, commitment and especially, winning.

The Huskies earned another NCAA Division II Championship last season as they beat UMass-Lowell by a score of 6-2. The game was played at home in front of about 450 BU fans, as they saw their team clinch its third straight national title.

The BU Field Hockey Team of 2008 proved to be an elite squad when it set the BU, PSAC, and NCAA D-II record for goals scored in a season with 161 goals. It also had the highest winning percentage among the nation, 0.958 (23-1), and the best scoring margin, 5.83 goals, according to the NCAA Ranking Summary of 2008.

Unfortunately, the Huskies will be without last season’s strong senior class that included several National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Americans: forwards Jamie Vanartsdalen and Samantha Kropa, and fullbacks Whitney Miller and Venessa Witman. They also lost a couple of All-PSAC players including midfielder Kelsy Kress and goalkeeper Allison Ziants.

Jamie Vanartsdalen; photo courtesy of BU Sports Info

“Most teams are going to see us as weak because we lost seven seniors,” senior forward Erin Hench said, who had the fifth most assists on the team last year with five, while scoring nine goals of her own. “It is going to take a lot of hard work and determination, but I think we can do it.”

Vanartsdalen had a very noteworthy career at BU and the team will certainly miss her presence. She was a two-time NCAA D-II Player of the Year and holds the NCAA record for the most goals and points in a season and career. Vanartsdalen played a huge role in the 2008 team’s success, as she led the Huskies in goals (40), assists (22), and points (102). (For the rest of the Huskies’ 2008 individual statistics see this link from BU Sports Info)

“With losing Jamie and the seniors we lost a very talented group that will be tough to replace,” senior forward Breanne Tobin said. “But I still think the team is going to be very competitive in the league this year.”

The Huskies have every right to be optimistic about the next season because they have found a way to win 10 national championships in the last 13 years.

“Our coaches do a really good job of keeping us focused on what our goals are for the current season rather than thinking about past seasons and successes,” Tobin said, who was ninth on the team in scoring last year with eight goals and one assist.

The Huskies head coach, Jan Hutchinson; courtesy of BU Sports Info

Much of the program’s high status is a credit to its veteran head coach, Jan Hutchinson, who will enter her 32^nd season at BU this fall. Hutchinson has compiled 15 NCAA and 16 PSAC championships in her career. She also possesses 567 wins, while tying 74 times and losing just 20 games, which explains why she has the most wins of any coach in the history of NCAA Field Hockey.

“She always comes up with something to get our minds off things and to just go out there and play our game,” Hench said of Coach Hutchinson.

Like all great dynasties, the Huskies look to reload for another winning season. The team returns a skilled trio of All-PSAC and NFHCA All-Americans: midfielder Chelsea Due; an aggressive player, who took the second most shots on the team last year with 85, while adding 13 goals and forward Maggey Bloskey; who tied teammate Kropa in 2008 as the seventh best goal scorer in the nation averaging 0.88 per game. Both players were part of a Huskies offense that outscored its opponents by a combined score of 161-20.

“It will be a challenging year, but I have confidence that our team has a lot of depth,” Bloskey said, the third best scorer from last year’s squad contributing 21 goals and three assists. “We have a lot of young players that have the talent to step up and get the job done.”

The Huskies do not rely on talent alone; they are very dedicated and practice year-round, they have been busy training since the spring.

“That is our time to just go out and play and enjoy the sport,” Hench said. “It’s a time for trying new things, learning, and playing together as a team.”

“Spring training went pretty well,” Tobin said. “Everyone worked hard and a lot of people improved so I’m excited to see how things look this fall.”

During the summer, the Huskies have been running and conditioning to stay in shape. “Other than that I’m sure preseason will get us all ready for this upcoming season,” Bloskey said.

So how do the Huskies stay on top of their game and continue to win game after game?

“You have to focus on beating the first team and move on from there,” Bloskey said. “Coach says we need to focus on what we can control and that’s how we play, the rest will work itself out.”

The BU Field Hockey Team’s first game is at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 29 against Houghton College at BU. Come and see the Huskies play as they look to start off their season with a win.

Phillies World Series Trophy Visits BU Campus

Matthew Petrini — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 01:45:00 +0000

The 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies had a special treat for fans of Bloomsburg University this past Friday afternoon.

The 2008 World Series trophy made a scheduled stop at our Kehr Union Ballroom for fans to take pictures, greet the Philly Fanatic and for a special opportunity to meet radio announcer Tom McCarthy. The Phillies are repaying their beloved fans, whom have been with them since the start of the season with a trophy tour presented by Neve Pharmaceuticals and Comcast SportsNet.

Battling the cold weather, fans stood in line for over four hours for an opportunity to catch a glimpse of history. “It’s a piece of history, its amazing they would come to Bloomsburg University,” said Junior Anthony Trutt. “We may never get another opportunity at this again”.

The Philadephia Phillies top off their season by defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to capture the World Series Trophy for the first time in 28 years. In 1980, the Phillies, then led by Pete Rose, Tug Mcgraw and Hall of Fame third basemen and 1980 World Series MVP Mike Schmidt, captured the World Series Trophy defeating the Kansas City Royals in six games.

The next stops on the World Series Trophy Tour will be Wednesday, January 27 from 2-4 p.m at Prescott Banquet Hall in Lebanon PA, Friday January 30 at the Philadelphia Convention Center, and this Saturday January 31 at Moorestown Mall from noon to 1:30.

Bloomsburg Drops PSAC Opener

Matthew Petrini — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:37:26 +0000

The Huskies men’s basketball team dropped their PSAC-conference opener losing to Cheyney 64-44 Wednesday night at Nelson Fieldhouse.

Bloomsburg (3-11, 0-1) struggled to find the rim in the first half, shooting 26 percent from the field, only mustering six total buckets. They did, however connect on two of eight from downtown, surpassing Cheyney who only managed one three pointer.

In the second half, Bloomsburg improved from the field connecting on 9-25 shooting (36 percent), scoring 26 total points, but it was too little too late as Cheyney went on to take the PSAC opener 64-44. Cheyney dominated the boards out-rebounding Bloomsburg 59-30 which ultimately became the deciding factor.

Bloomsburg defense forced 17 turnovers from Cheyney and also held the Wolves leading scorer Tyrone Smith to 10 points, well below his season average.

Bloomsburg’s Ruben Britt led all scorers with 15 points off the bench while Ronnie Benson chipped in with 13 on 5-9 shooting.

Cheyney (8-4. 1-0) had three scorers in double figurers with Dominique Curry leading the way with 11.

Bloomsburg will try and bounce back at West Chester this Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Nittany Lions Cruise over Bloomsburg in Exhibition

Matthew Petrini — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:43:19 +0000

Sophomore Taylor Battle scorched the Huskies for 17 points and Danny Morrisssey dropped 14 as Penn State downs Bloomsburg 77- 51 at Bryce Jordan Center this past Sunday.

Penn State shot 41% from the field including six three pointers which Morrissey found the stroke from beyond the arc nailing four of his own. Bloomsburg struggled offensively against the Division I Nittany Lions connecting on 20-51 shooting chances led by Larry Webster 16 points on 8-9 shooting. Webster provided the spark for Bloomsburg as he led his Huskies in scoring, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Three Huskies scored in double figures as Ruben Britt paced the Huskies with 14 and Trevon Johnson finished with 11.

Bloomsburg could only muster four three pointers on 16 attempts shooting 25% from beyond the arc. Penn State played aggressively and intense “in your face” defense which Bloomsburg didn’t back down one inch keeping the game close at half 37-24.

After a strong second half push by the Nittany Lions, as they streaked out to a 15-2 run, Penn State wouldn’t look back after that as they would later score on 11 straight opportunities crippling Bloomsburg chances of a comeback. Bloomsburg defense came alive in the final minutes of the game holding Penn State scoreless as the chipped into the deficit but all was too late as Penn State held onto a decisive 77-51 victory to open their season.

BUnow Sports Players of the game: Penn State’s Sophomore Point Guard Tony Battle’s 17 point performance. Bloomsburg’s True-Freshman Forward Larry Webster; 14 points and 12 rebound performance.