UB Women's Soccer Season Recap

Women's Soccer: A Season to Remember

By: Chris Hogan

Back in August, the UB women's soccer team never would have thought that they would have the type of season they did. With 15 new players, and not having former players Linda Velaj and Rakel Hinriksdottir on this year's team, the Purple Knights went on to a 16-0-2 campaign.

UB had their perfect season end on Nov. 13 when they fell to U-Mass Lowell 2-1 in penalty kills during the second round of the NCAA playoffs at Knights Field. Despite that, the Purple Knights saw themselves ranked number one in the nation in Division II women's soccer standings for six consecutive weeks and had seven different players earn all East Coast Conference honors.

Senior defender Danielle Weir, who earned Second-Team All ECC, said that the team exceeded all expectations this year.

"We achieved more than what thought we would and at the start of the season, we thought it was going to be more of a rebuilding season," Weir said. "Our team overachieved once we got into a winning habit and started to realize we were coming together as a team."

Several major awards that were presented to Purple Knights included senior forward Kasey Kenny earning ECC Offensive Player of the Year, senior defender Marie Pettersson receiving ECC Defensive Player of the Year, sophomore goalkeeper Julia Hansson earning ECC Goalkeeper of the Year and freshman defender Gillian Munro taking home ECC Rookie of the Year. Finally, head coach Magnus Nilerud earned his second ECC Coach of the Year honors in the past three years.

"We had such a deep team and the players that earned All-American [Honors] is something that has never been seen at our school," junior forward Asia Pulse said. "We had the chance to show the players and the skill we do have, which the [national] polls took notice of."

The Purple Knights also allowed the fewest goals in program history in a season with four and Hansson recorded the most shutouts with 13, surpassing former UB goalkeeper Allison Verobel's 11 in 2004. Hansson is now the all time leader in shutouts with 18, also surpassing Verobel, who previously held the record with 15.

"Getting to the number one spot [in the nation] was the biggest highlight for us this season because it showed we could actually do something for the season," Weir said. "Being there for six weeks almost became unbelievable and beating Queens [College] during the final game of the season, gave us a chance to finally celebrate for our great accomplishment."

Senior forward Katie Stanley, who came into the 2011 season with 52 career points, moved pass former UB standouts Linda Ohlander (1997-1998), Sara Warfield (1997-2000), who both had 54 points and Rut Bjaranadottir (2003-2004) with 60 to move into sixth place on the all time points list with 72.

Next year's squad is expected to remain solid despite the loss of Weir, Pettersson, Kenny, Stanley and Julia Colley due to commencement. In spite of that, junior defender's Gabby Trombley and Becky Wallis will provide leadership, while freshman forward Ashleigh Berg and midfielder Jenny Hwang will supply more offensive punch.

"With our freshmen and the production we have gotten [out of them], we just have to look for them for next year [to produce for us]," Pulse said. "We will be getting some good new players and I think Magnus is well prepared for next season."

Player Quotes from UB Women's Soccer Season

By: Chris Hogan

Here are some quotes I gathered up from two of the UB women's soccer players about their thoughts about the 2011 season.

Senior defender Danielle Weir

Thoughts on the team exceeding all expectations:

"We achieved more than what we thought we would and at the start of the season, we thought it was going to be more a rebuilding season," Weir said. "Our team overachieved once we got into a winning habit and started to realize we were coming together as a team."

Thoughts on the team being number one in nation"

"Getting the number one spot [in the nation] was the biggest highlight for us this season because it showed we could actually do something for the season," Weir said. "Being there for six weeks almost became unbelievable and beating Queens [College] during the final game of the season, gave us a chance to finally celebrate for our great accomplishment."

Junior forward Asia Pulse

Overall thoughts on the accomplishments this season

"We had such a deep team and the players that earned All American [Honors] is something that has never been seen at our school," Pulse said. "We had the chance to show the players and the skill we do have, which [national] polls took notice of."

Thoughts about the team next year

"With our freshman and the production we have gotten [out of them], we just have to look for them for next year [to produce for us]," Pulse said. "We will getting some good new players and I think Magnus is well prepared for next season."

Key Stats and Information from 2011 UB Women's Soccer Season

By: Chris Hogan

The 2011 University of Bridgeport women's soccer team finished with the best record and season in their history with a 16-0-2 overall record. Below are some highlights and key points the team achieved this year.

• The Purple Knights were 10-0-2 at Knights Field and 6-0 on the road.
• UB was ranked number one in Division II women's soccer rankings for six consecutive weeks (9/27-11/7)
• Only five goals were given up this season by the team, which was the fewest in program history, in the East Coast Conference, East Region and in the Nation.
• Outscored opponents 47-5 this season.
• The Purple Knights had the 10th best offensive team in the nation averaging 2.61 goals per game.
• Seven different players earned all East Coast Conference honors.
• Senior forward Kasey Kenny earned ECC Offensive Player of the Year, senior defender Marie Pettersson ECC Defensive Player of the Year, sophomore goalkeeper Julia Hansson ECC Goalkeeper of the Year, freshman defender Gillian Munro ECC Rookie of the Year and finally head coach Magnus Nilerud with his second ECC Coach of the Year in the past three years.
• Goalkeeper Julia Hansson's 13 shutouts this season were the most in a single season surpassing former UB goalkeeper Allison Verobel, who recorded 11 in 2004.
• Hansson has the most shutouts in program history now with 18, also surpassing Verobel's previous record of 15.
• Senior forward Katie Stanley, who came into the 2011 season with 52 career points, moved past former UB standouts Linda Ohlander (1997-1998), Sara Warfield (1997-2000), who both had 54 points and Rut Bjarnadottir (2003-2004) with 60 to move into sixth place on the all time points list with 72.

My thoughts on Bobby Valentine

By: Chris Hogan

The idea of the Boston Red Sox hiring Bobby Valentine to be their next manager is an interesting one to say the least. Not having been a manager in the big leagues in almost ten years could be a negative but there is still some positives I see.

Valentine has gotten the most out of the players he has managed in the past with the New York Mets. Joel Sherman of the New York Post made a valid point on Tuesday by mentioning that Valentine got the most out of Benny Agbayani, Derek Bell and Timo Perez back in 2000, the year they went to the World Series. None of those players were ever superstars but certainly helped the Mets that year.

The interesting angle to this is that Valentine has a very strong personality and you have to wonder how the current Red Sox players will transition to it. I am a stronger believer that guys like Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia will have no problem with it since they are good leaders. Does his personality mean that some other changes in the clubhouse will occur? There was mention that Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield may not fit in well with Valentine coming on board but he could have a impact on the younger players and spark them.

Valentine's team's have never finished in first place but that doesn't mean the Red Sox can't be an improved club next year. GM Ben Cherington and ownership will have to determine which players via trade and free agency will best fit in with the 2012 team. Does adding a guy like Michael Cuddyer, who is known as a strong clubhouse guy help the team chemistry? It seems like a realistic assumption to believe. Which other players could also improve the clubhouse? Time will tell.

With all being said, I do believe Valentine will try hard to motivate and get the most out of the players next season but the team needs to find its identity early on in spring training and in April in order to have a successful year.

Some Boston Bruins TV Championship photos

By: Chris Hogan

Here are some photos I took from my TV from the Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup. Not great quality though.

                                    Ryan Kesler upset

                                Zdeno Chara raising lord stanley

                                Bruins as a team celebrating

                                Bruins championship cake

                                             Tim Thomas

                                Patrice Bergeron holding the cup

                               Tim Thomas and Michael Ryder celebrating

                              Bruins Support Sign at local Dave's Supermaket

Some smoke photos from Knights Field

By: Chris Hogan

Here are three smoke sky photos I took this week.

UB Women's Soccer Opponent Schedule

By: Chris Hogan

As the number one seed in the East Region, the University of Bridgeport women's soccer team will host rounds one and two of the 2011 NCAA Divison II playoffs at Knights Field this weekend. They will play the winner of Friday's match between the U-Mass Lowell Riverhawks of the Northeast-10 Conference and Dowling College Lions of the East Coast Conference.

Gametime on Friday is set for 2 p.m. at Knights Field and Bridgeport will play the winner of that match at 12 Noon on Sunday.

I will have more previews very soon on the matchups.

Some sky photos from Knights Field last week

By: Chris Hogan

Here are some mobile photos I took of some sky photos from Knights Field.

Looking Ahead: UB Women's Soccer Playoffs

By: Chris Hogan

After loosing to Molloy College on Thursday night at Knights Field, many people are wondering when the Purple Knights will play again. From what I have heard, it seems like we will host the first and second round of the NCAA playoff here at Knights Field next weekend despite the tie with Molloy. This is due to the fact, that we are still number one in the nation and region. Official word of the our next opponent will be released Monday night at 7 p.m.

Stayed tuned

UB Athletics Weekend Recap

By: Chris Hogan

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Sat. 10/28

Women's Volleyball:  Bridgeport 3 Dowling 1 Final in four sets

 Game Summary: Saturday's match against top ranked Dowling College was a critical one for the Purple Knights as they head into the playoffs. The win allowed Bridgeport to surpass N.Y.I.T. and move into second play in the ECC. During the match, there were 44 tied scored and 19 lead changes. Leading the way for the Purple Knights was Biljana Savic, who 24 kills and had 51 total attacks and Fernanda Costa was second with 16 kills and 46 total attacks. Each player had 25 and 18.5 points respectively. Dowling's Bethany Shepard led the Golden Lions with 50 total attacks and 16 digs and Chelsea Callahan was second with 31 total attacks and had 10 digs.

Some key stats from the match:

Set Scores
1st Set: Bridgeport 32 Dowling 30
2nd Set: Dowling 28 Bridgeport 26
3rd Set: Bridgeport 25 Dowling 17
4th Set: Bridgeport 25 Dowling 19

Total Team Blocks: Bridgeport 15 Dowling 10
Total Team Attacks: Bridgeport 164 Dowling 157
Digs: Dowling 62 Bridgeport 61
Kills: Bridgeport 64 Dowling 58

Sun. 10/29

Women's Volleyball: Bridgeport 3 University of District of Columbia 0 Final in three sets

Game Summary: After coming off an impressive win over Dowling on Saturday, Bridgeport dominated the Firebirds in three sets. The match took 1 hour and 23 minutes to complete and saw the Purple Knights have nine out of 13 players get on the scoresheet. Freshman Biljana Savic led the team with 34 total attacks and nine digs, while senior Larissa Oliveira recorded 20 total attacks and 11 kills. Off the bench, Darsel Springer led the way with 7 total attacks and Shelia Pimental had four total attacks.

Key stats from the match:

Set Scores:
1st Set: Bridgeport 25 UDC 18
2nd Set: Bridgeport 25 UDC 23
3rd Set: Bridgeport 27 UDC 25

Total Team Blocks: UDC 10 Bridgeport 4
Total Team Attacks: Bridgeport 120 UDC 96
Digs: Bridgeport 39 UDC 39
Kills: Bridgeport 53 UDC 36

Looking Ahead: Bridgeport, who is now 17-4 on the season will return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Brookville, N.Y. and face C.W. Post. The Pioneers are 14-14 on the season and 5-6 in conference play. Action gets underway at 7 p.m.

Women's Soccer: Bridgeport 3 Queens 1 Final

Game Summary: The Purple Knights capped off the 2011 regular season in style with a perfect 16-0-0 record. Three different players scored goals for Bridgeport including Kasey Kenny, Julia Colley and Jenny Hwang, who scored her first collegiate goal. Senior Katie Stanley recorded two assists in the process. Bridgeport goalie Julia Hansson recorded seven saves as she improved to 16-0 on the season.

Stats from the game:

Shots: Queens 16 Bridgeport 14
Saves: Bridgeport 7 Queens 2
Fouls: Queens 11 Bridgeport 3

Looking ahead: On Thursday, the Purple Knights will host Molloy College the number four seed in the ECC tournament at 6 p.m. at Knights Field. UB took the only meeting on Oct. 8th 4-1 in which freshman Guinna Prugger had one goal and two assists, while Kenny chipped in with two goals.

Men's Soccer: Bridgeport 1 Queens 1 Final - 2 OT

Game Summary: The final regular season game of the 2011 season saw the Purple Knights tie the Knights 1-1 in the match. Junior Lee Middleton scored the only goal for Bridgeport off a corner kick from senior Patric Brundin. It was his fifth goal of the season. Senior backfielder Danny Stoker registered the lone goal for Queens as he scored off a free kick 30 yards out.

Key stats from the match:

Shots: Bridgeport 19 Queens 7
Saves: Queens 4 Bridgeport 0
Fouls: Bridgeport 19 Queens 16

Looking ahead: On Wednesday, Bridgeport, the number three seed in the ECC at 9-6-1 will travel to N.Y.I.T, who is the number two seed for the conference semi-final match. The Purple Knights defeated the Bears 3-0 on Oct. 1 at Knights Field. Gametime is set for 2 p.m. in Old Westbury, N.Y.

Snow Photos from the UB Campus

By: Chris Hogan

Here are some photos I took from Saturday's snow storm.

Academic Resource Center new location to open Nov. 28

By: Chris Hogan

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) will be relocating from the third floor of Charles Dana Hall to the fifth floor of Wahlstrom Library on November 28 according to George Estrada, Vice President of Facilities.

It will include plenty of space for multiple usage at a time. Estrada told me that there will be private rooms for study sessions with peer tutors and two classrooms that will be used with comfortable seating and wireless Internet. Another added benefit will be an area designated for all new computers for students to use during their time spent there.

Estrada said that the move comes at a critical time since final exams will follow a few weeks after the move and he expects that it will be a major improvement over the current one.

                                            Picture of Charles Dana Hall

UB Soccer Teams to Play at Knights Field on Sunday

By: Chris Hogan

Due to the inclement weather that most of New England dealt with on Saturday, it forced the University of Bridgeport women's and men's soccer to have their games at Queens College postponed. Both games will now be played at Knights Field on the UB campus on Sunday. The women's game will be at 3 p.m. and the men's at 6 p.m.

The Lady Purple Knights have already clinched the East Coast Conference regular season title and will take on the number four seed at Knights Field on Thursday at 6 p.m. If the regular season ended today, Bridgeport host Molloy College in the semi-final round.

The men's soccer team right now is ranked third in the ECC and their final regular season rank for the conference tournament will depend on their results tomorrow against Queens and how N.Y.I.T. finishes against St. Thomas Aquinas College. In order to get the second seed, the Purple Knights need win on Sunday and see N.Y.I.T. loose or tie with STAC.

UB Women's Soccer Preview at Queens College

By: Chris Hogan

When the Purple Knights head to Flushing, N.Y. Saturday afternoon to face ECC rival Queens College, they will have one thing on their mind and that is to finish the regular season 16-0, before hosting the conference playoffs next week at Knights Field.

This will be the first match between the two schools this season and over the past four meetings Bridgeport is 2-1-1 against the Knights, who are currently fifth in the ECC with a 7-6-1 (3-2-1 in conference play) overall record.

Queens ranks only second to Bridgeport in the ECC in goals, goals per game and assists. The Knights are led by senior forward Andrea Slavin, who leads the team with nine goals and 19 points, while junior forward Brittany Silipo is second with seven goals and 18 points. Silipo also leads the conference in shots with 56. Junior goalkeeper Allison Breakey has a .783 save percentage and is second only behind Bridgeport's Julia Hansson in goals against average (GAA) with a 0.91 average.

The Purple Knights are currently tied with Rollins College (Winter Park, FL) for the fewest goals allowed in Division II women's soccer with three.  Hansson and Rollins's Michelle Dillingham are also ranked one and two in the nation in save percentage and goals against average. Senior forwards Kasey Kenny and Julia Colley have been on fire over the past two games. Kenny has one goal and three assists while Colley has three goals and one assist.

Gametime is set for 11:30 a.m. in Flushing, N.Y.

More UB Men's Soccer Senior Day Photos

By: Chris Hogan

Here are some more photos of the UB men's soccer team from Thursday match vs. SNHU.

              Senior forward Josh Pelligrini and his family along with coach Brian Quinn

             Senior forward Patric Brundin and his family along with coach Brian Quinn

           Senior forward Patric Brundin receiving his framed photo from Meghan Kavanagh

               Senior midfielder Tim Stipo with coaches Brian Quinn and Pete Doneit

                       Senior backfielder Bill Piard with coach Brian Quinn

Three modern Twitter versions one click away

By: Chris Hogan

Managing News Editor

Nowadays, Twitter has become one of the most essential social media networks and active users have turned to more advanced desktop versions to use tweet daily. Most users operate Twitter by their main site from their site but not many people realize that free applications and social media websites including TweetDeck, Seesmic for Desktop and HootSuite that can help you tweet more effectively and organize your Twitter account to your liking.

1.    TweetDeck (Owned by Twitter and Founded July, 2008).  Website: TweetDeck.com

Positives:  Regarded as the must use Twitter desktop version by many media workers and writers. Provides a clean columnar interface that separates tweets, mentions and direct messages.  Contains an effective twitter feed that is constantly running thoroughly and the gives you the ability to edit incoming or your own tweets. Allows you to access and manage multiple accounts at once and sent your tweets to Facebook as status updates.

Negatives: Doesn't provide a clear cut search tab on the program and can be confusing to manage with the multitude buttons it contains.

                                Tweetdeck Layout

2.    HootSuite (Owned by Invoke Media and Founded December, 2008) Website: Hootsuite.com

Positives: Introduces the most effective and efficient interface with four separate columns that contains tweets, mentions, direct messages and a sent tweets, which TweetDeck doesn't incorporate into their layout. Allows you to connect with other networks consisting of WordPress, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Facebook in one click. Contains a useful twitter search and allocates you to see how many times a day your followers or the people you are following tweet.

Negatives: Can only be accessed when using the Internet. Doesn't provide a constant stream of incoming tweets and you will have to manually click the refresh button to view new updates.

                                          Hootsuite Layout

3.    Seesmic for Desktop (Owned by Loic Le Muir and Founded June, 2008) Website: Seesmic.com

Positives: Functions with a similar columnar layout similar to TweetDeck with a continuous stream of tweets and trending topics. Search button is very accessible at the top right hand corner and it provides a variety of updates from whatever you are searching.

Negatives: When new updates appear an annoying ticking noise alerts you of them. It does it continuously. Doesn't feature an easy navigation method and the font sizes of the tweets can't be customized.

                                 Seesmic for Desktop Layout

The UB Community’s Perspective on The hUB

By: Chris Hogan

Managing News Editor

Over the past month, as everyone has adjusted to the opening and convergence of the hUB into the old small dining hall in Marina, there has been mixed reaction about the move. There have been some encouraging responses about the wide variety of food selections and a few pessimistic ones about not having Knights End Café around anymore.

In order to satisfy everyone's needs, Sodexo Dining Services has decided to incorporate several important changes going forward.  According to Corey Baker, Resident Dining Supervisor at Marina, they plan to start up the weekly food committee starting every Friday starting Oct. 21, in which the student body can to voice their opinions on what changes they would like to see in the hUB.

"I want the students to give us positive feedback with what they like and what things they would want more of," Baker said.  "If a lot of students come [to these meetings] then change will happen because the request [process] will be important [to us]."

There have been several parts of campus that have been impacted by the closure of Knight's End Café and the longer commute to Marina including residents of Bodine Hall and students of the Fones School of Dental Hygiene.

Freshman Rodney McDaniel, who resides in Bodine, said that his usual plans when getting food on campus have changed with all the changes.

"I went to Knights more [often] on the weekends because it was more convenient [for me]," he said.  "Now I just eat whatever I have in my dorm to avoid the walk [to Marina]."

Some other concerns that have been raised from the students in general are the increased prices on the menus and longer walk and the discontinuation of popular food items that Knight's once had. Baker mentioned that most of those favorites will be brought back on weekly basis such as quesadillas, chicken wings and fajitas.

Another person that has been affected is second year dental hygiene student Nataly Posada, who said the students in the curriculum have difficulties having lunch with little time.

 "We are part of the program in the dental hygiene school that not having a place to go nearby is affecting us a lot," Posada said. "We do not have a long lunch time and we can't walk or drive to Marina all the time."

 The hUB has noticed some other noteworthy changes since it opened including the rapid increase in delivering student food orders in a timely manner, according to Scribe Café and The hUB dining supervisor Tony Panzella. Despite the positive turnaround in customer service, there are no immediate plans to reopen Knights despite students wanting it back. There is talk about possibly transforming the vacant space into a study and hangout place with numerous vending machines with frozen/prepackaged meals.

Baker stresses that the food committee meetings will rely on the students because of the encouraging outcome it can have.

"Jenn [Currier, Sodexo General Manager], Craig [Ronson, Catering Manager] and myself [want to see] positive change come [from the students] speaking their minds and letting us know the positives and negatives [of what we offer]," Baker said. "It is the most important thing students can do because we listen [to them]."  

UB Men's Soccer Senior Day Photos

By: Chris Hogan

Here is a few photos I took from UB men's soccer players from the senior class.

                                          Pregame Meeting between SNHU and UB

Senior backfielder/midfielder Devon Thomas and his family

                                         
                                                 Senior forward Patric Brundin

                                          Senior backfielder/midfielder Devon Thomas

                                          Senior forward Josh Pelligrini

                                          Senior backfielder Bill Piard

                                         Senior backfielder Nick Campbell

UB women's soccer recap vs Pace University

By: Chris Hogan

The Purple Knights displayed another dominating 4-0 performance over Northeast-10 opponent Pace University on Tuesday. Three different players scored for Bridgeport as they improved to 15-0-0 to keep atop number one ranked team in Division II women's soccer.

Senior forward Julia Colley scored eighth and ninth goal of the season, while senior Kasey Kenny scored her ninth to go along with an assist. Bridgeport netted all their goals in the first half and recorded ten saves by sophomore goalkeeper Julia Hansson.

Game Notes:

• The Setters were shutout for the first time since a 2-0 loss at St. Michael's College on Sept. 24.
• Bridgeport stopped Pace's six game winning streak on Tuesday.
• Julia Hansson recorded her 12th shutout of the season breaking Allison Vrobel's previous school record of 11 in 2004.
• Senior backfielder Marie Pettersson scored her first goal on Tuesday for the Purple Knights since Oct. 17, 2010 in 4-0 over Molloy College.

Looking ahead: The Purple Knights will travel to Queens (N.Y.) College on Saturday for a 11:30 a.m. match. It will mark their final regular season game before they will host the East Coast Conference Semi-Finals at Knights Field on Thursday, Nov. 3rd.

UB Women's Volleyball Preview vs Mercy College

By: Chris Hogan

Winners of five out of their last six games, the Purple Knights, who are currently third in the East Coast Conference will take on conference rival Mercy College, who enters Tuesday's match with a 8-19 overall record. Bridgeport won the Sept. 29 match in four sets 3-1.

The Mavericks are led by freshman Brenna White, who leads the team with 476 kills and 1,241 total attacks and sophomore Nicolette Genhardt, who is second with 263 kills and 793 total attacks. Mercy has been outscored this season 2,321- 2,087 and their opponents have won 65 out the 102 sets they have played this year.

Freshman Biljana Savic has been solid for the Purple Knights by leading the team with 295 points, a team leading 650 total attacks and third on the team with 191 digs. Senior Fernanda Costa is second with 625 total attacks and leads Bridgeport with 215 digs. The team has more kills than its opposition with a 832-761 margin and more assists with a 775-686 spread.

Action gets underway at 7 p.m. in Hubbell Gym. Free Admission.

Lake Sunapee Vacation Photos

By: Chris Hogan

Here are some of my mobile photos I took of my vacation to Lake Sunapee, N.H. this past July.