February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By John Manley
It appears as if Penn State’s Jon McClay plans a senior year to remember. The forward from Whitehead, Co. Antrim, has been on a scoring binge early in the season, leading Belfast Barry Gorman’s Nittany Lions to a 3-1-1 mar. Most recently, McClay struck twice to lead Penn State to a 3-1 victory over Loyola, Md., to win the championship of the Penn State Nike Classic. McClay earlier picked up one goal apiece in the season opener, an 8-0 humiliation of St. Francis (Pa.), and a 1-0 squeaker over Akron. Gorman’s crew subsequently lost an overtime game to William & Mary, 1-0, then played Portland to a scoreless tie, before the Loyola win.
When you’re a college freshman, you’re entitled to some time to acclimate. Perhaps that’s what Slippery Rock’s four freshmen from Ireland needed, as evidenced by the team’s losses in their first two contests of the season to Westminster, 4-1, and Ashland, 3-0. But it appears as if Hugh Hagen, from Monaghan, has gotten the hang of things. He had four goals in a 7-1 victory over Hillsdale. Joining Hagen on the pitch are Jason Carey of Dublin, Cian O’Neill of Kildare and Stephen Yelverton of Cork. Irish native Noreen Herlihy coaches the Rock’s men and women. Countryman Anthony Clarke assists her.
Paul Cleary has already made a difference for New Hampshire College. The sophomore from Waterford took a rebound off the crossbar and slid a shot into the goal from 10 yards out in the 76th minute to allow the Penmen to escape with a 1-1 tie against Salem State. The Penmen, ranked 9th nationally in Div. II, are 2-0-1.
The battle for Beantown bragging rights went to the Boston University Terriers, who shut out Boston College, 1-0. Senior Brian Murphy of Killarney was in the net for B.U. and made seven saves to help the Terriers advance to 2-0. The loss was the first of the season for Ed Kelly’s Eagles, who won their first two matches. They enjoyed victories over Hartford, 2-1, and UMass-Lowell, 3-0. Kelly is a Dublin native.
Vermont opened the season against Providence, meaning that Belfast’s Roy Patton and Dublin’s Brian Ainscough found themselves on opposite sides of the pitch. That was Patton wearing the smile as the clock ticked down, as Vermont prevailed, 1-0. Freshman Jason Allen from Belfast paid immediate dividends for Patton as he scored the only goal of the match. Providence fell to 0-2, having lost their season opener to UConn, 3-0.
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Depending on which of the two major polls you look at, the Clemson Tigers are either the third- or fourth-ranked team in Div. I. Trevor Adair has the Tigers out to a 5-0 start, most recently knocking off the North Carolina Tar Heels, 5-0. They preceded that with triumphs over Campbell, 4-1, Florida International, 1-0, and Belmont, 6-0.
Central Connecticut State (1-1-1) lost to Iona, 3-1, with junior Jon Stewart from Dublin tallying the Blue Devils’ lone goal.
Mercyhurst’s Rory Hussey earned his first collegiate point with an assist in the Lakers’ 1-1 tie with Lewis. Teammate Mark Fitzgerald scored his first goal of the year on a penalty kick in the 59th minute of a 5-2 victory over Davis & Elkins. Fitzgerald in a sophomore from County Kerry, while Hussey is a freshman from Dublin. Coach John Melody’s squad is 2-1-1 through four contests. Melody is a native of Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.
Villanova’s Conor Porter scored his first goal of the season in a 5-0 drubbing of Temple. Porter is a junior from Donegal. The Wildcats are now 1-3.
Women’s Soccer
Freshman Rosie Powers from Waterford notched the first point of her collegiate career when she earned an assist in New Hampshire College’s 2-1 loss to Catawba.
Slippery Rock’s Sonya Maher earned a fistful of points in the Rockets’ 4-0 romp over Hillsdale. The senior from Clare had a goal and two assists. Noreen Herlihy’s squad evened its record at 1-1 after a 3-0 loss to Ashland.
Sue Kelly has her South Carolina squad fired up. The Gamecocks reeled off three victories and a tie in their first five games to offset a single loss.
Carolina opened the season by downing Davidson, 5-0, before playing Wake Forest to a 1-1 tie. The Gamecocks rebounded with an 8-0 thrashing of Appalachian State, then upset no. 17 Georgia, 2-0. Tennessee then handed them their first loss of the year, 3-2, in overtime. Coach Kelly is a Cork native.
Cross Country
Providence’s men won a four-way meet hosted by the University of New Hampshire recently. The Friars’ Ben Noad was first man across, completing 8,000 meters in 24 minutes, 11 seconds. Behind him came teammates Keith Kelly, a junior from Drogheda, 2nd in 24:30, Dermot Galvin, a freshman from Kilrush, Co. Clare, 6th in 25:19, Ciaran Lynch, a sophomore from Limerick, 7th in 25:23, and Paul Reilly, a freshman from Loughrea, Co. Galway, 9th in 25:45.
Mercyhurst features a pair of freshmen from County Longford, on whose shoulders the team’s fortunes will rest. Ciaran Brewsten was the top Laker finisher in the Fisher Invitational in New Wilmington, Pa. His time of 28:59 placed him 22nd overall. John Campbell was the top Laker in a meet hosted by California University of Pa., finishing the course in 30:25.
The Marcus O’Sullivan era began at Villanova in the Lafayette Invitational with the women’s team prevailing and taking down the top three positions. The men were second in their race, finishing second to Columbia.