In case you haven’t noticed, the spring sports season is in full swing, and it was on display this past week. The schedule was loaded with over 10 games across all four spring sports – giving plenty for the Buffalo State Sports Round-up to dissect. Fresh out of spring break, which Bengal squad had the winning juices flowing? Was it all of them? Let’s get into it.
Women’s Lacrosse:
Eager to etch their name as the best team on campus, the women’s lacrosse team took the field twice this week, with every intention of extending their four-game win streak to six. Their game week began on a stormy Tuesday afternoon at SUNY Morrisville.
The Bengals jumped out in front with an early goal, though the Mustangs – determined not to be another victim of Buffalo State’s dominance – responded with two free-position man-up goals, taking a 2-1 lead. Now in unfamiliar territory, the Bengals shifted the game back into their favor, ending the first quarter on a 4-0 run to take a three-goal lead.
SUNY Morrisville, more specifically junior midfielder Anyssia Ingersoll, continued to answer the call, netting two more goals herself before another man-up score tied the game at six goals apiece. Like déjà vu, the Bengals soon swung the momentum with another flurry of goals, ultimately taking a 10-6 lead into halftime. However, despite a four-goal gap, this was anyone’s game with 30 minutes to go.
Used to the game being out of reach by this point, the Bengals took the four-goal lead as a wake-up call, jumping the Mustangs before they could find their rhythm again. In a matter of minutes, the lead had ballooned to seven, and it seemed the Mustangs were running out of gas. Then, with 4:46 remaining in the third quarter, the weather conditions put an end to the action for the night. The game was officially ruled as suspended with a make-up date yet to be decided upon. When the game resumes, the Bengals hold a 13-6 lead.
The unfortunate suspension of Tuesday’s contest didn’t dampen the team’s mojo one bit, as they returned home to host SUNY Potsdam on Friday afternoon.
The Bengals got right back to work against the Bears, overwhelming the visitors with four goals in the opening six minutes. The defenses settled in, but not for long, as the Bears found the back of the net to build towards a comeback. The Bengals wanted none of that, answering seconds later with a goal after goal after goal. One quarter down, and the Buffalo State lead already sat at five.
Opposite to the opening onslaught, scoring was hard to come by in the second quarter, as through the first 13 minutes, neither side had anything to show. The Bears broke the ice at the 1:45 mark, capitalizing on a second free-position goal of the day. With 37 seconds remaining, Vanessa Willick made sure the Bengals’ lead returned to five before the break, netting a ridiculous 34th goal of the season. 8-3 was the score heading into the second half.
If anyone in the stands believed SUNY Potsdam had life, the squad squished that thought like a bug to start the third quarter, scoring four goals in a two-minute window to blow the doors off this ball game – and it was far from finished. The Bears put down two goals before the end of the quarter, though the Bengals matched their output, making the score 14-5 with the fourth quarter on deck.
Adding insult to injury – call it pouring salt in the wound if you’d like – the Bengals dismantled the Bears in the final 15 minutes of play. Behind seven more goals to SUNY Potsdam’s goose egg, Buffalo State took home win number eight in the only way they know how – complete and utter dominance.
The women’s lacrosse team is on a TEAR, and they’ll aim to make Oswego State and New Paltz feel their wrath next week. They travel to play the Lakers on Wednesday and return to Coyer Field for the Team Molly Game against the Hawks on Saturday morning.
Men’s and Women’s Track & Field (Outdoor):
Following a meet that was chock full of program history, the men’s and women’s track & field squads were back on the track over the weekend at the Geneseo Early Season Invite…and you know what was on their mind.
Freshman Nyla Wilson-Epps got the party started by setting TWO program records. In the hammer throw, she broke the record by nearly five meters, finishing third at 48.48 meters. In discus throw, Wilson-Epps topped the program record by nearly four meters, winning the competition with a 41.27-meter throw. Congratulations Nyla!
Hot off another otherworldly indoor season, Natalia Sawyer was back outdoors and got right to work, winning the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:01.66. Bryan Honan continued to impress, finishing third and fourth in the hammer throw and discus throw, respectively. The men’s 4×100 relay team reached the podium with a time of 43.18 seconds, keeping the train rolling for the Bengals.
Sophomore Julius Arias added another podium finish to the weekend tally, hitting the regional cut time at 15.36 seconds. Led by Natalia Sawyer, the women’s 4×400 team just missed out on a first-place finish, but took home second with a stellar time of 4:11.58.
With program history being rewritten countless times already this season, it was only a matter of time before the men’s and women’s track & field teams won the Buffalo State Sports Round-up Team of the Week. Congratulations to the record breakers and everyone who makes each team a well-oiled machine.
Those were just the highlights – to see the full results of the Geneseo Early Season Invite, click here.
The Bengals’ outdoor season is off and running, and it’s not slowing down. For the third consecutive weekend, the men’s and women’s track & field teams hit the track, with some heading back to Pennsylvania for the Bucknell Invite and others heading down the road to compete in the Brockport Invite.
Men’s Volleyball:
Over a week off from in-game action, the men’s volleyball team had a busy slate over the weekend – a Friday night doubleheader and the Bengal Invite on Saturday morning into the evening. Luckily, no travel was needed, as all games took place in the comfort of the Sports Arena.
The Bengals’ doubleheader kicked off against Penn State Altoona – the Bengals went into their house and pitched a shutout in early March…and this game was headed down the same path. The squad cruised to victory in the opening set, and although Altoona came to fight in the second set, they were no match down the stretch. All signs pointed toward the shutout…but not so fast.
Penn State Altoona jumped the Bengals early in the third set, paving the way for a set win to stay alive. The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle, which went Altoona’s way late with a 3-point rally that sent this match into a fifth and final set.
Both teams came out swinging – Altoona starting the set on a 4-0 run, then Buffalo State responded with a seven-point run to jump in front. That was all she wrote, as the Bengals went on to win the set, 15-10. One down, one to go.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Bengals squared off with powerhouse Juniata College – the No. 2-ranked team in DIII men’s volleyball. The Eagles hadn’t lost a match since March 6.
The Bengals hung around early, even having the match tied at 20 in the late stages of the opening set. A strong finish by Juniata stamped a set win, and from what transpired after, knocked the life out of the Bengals.
The second set was never a contest – the Eagles steamrolled the Bengals 25-10, setting the framework for a good old-fashioned shutout. The Bengals clawed their way through adversity in the third set, keeping pace for a while, but their fate was already sealed. The Eagles completed the shutout with a 25-18 win.
Now, it was time for the Bengal Invite.
Playing 3-24 Mount Aloysius to open the day, the Bengals had yet to shake off the loss from the night before, sleepwalking their way to a 25-13 loss in the first set. They quickly regrouped, knotting the match up with a 25-15 win in the second set. Their heads were back in the game.
The squad caught fire to open the third set, taking a 6-0 lead. That momentum carried throughout the set, giving the Bengals a 2-1 match advantage after a 25-18 set win. And in the fourth set, Mount Aloysius stood no chance, as the Bengals danced their way to a 25-11 win to secure the bounce-back dub.
The Bengals didn’t hit the court again until 5 p.m., watching Nazareth and Mount Aloysius suffer the same fate they did against Juniata College. Once the clock struck gametime, the team stood across the net from Nazareth University – this served as the final match of Buffalo State’s regular season.
Looking to make a statement before the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championships, the Bengals went in front of the Golden Flyers early and never looked back. After winning the first set quite easily, the Bengals gutted out, grinded out, and earned back-to-back sets decided by two points. This moved the team’s record to 28-4 to close the regular season, going undefeated (14-0) in the AMCC.
This Wednesday at 7 p.m., the men’s volleyball team rematches Penn State Altoona inside the Sports Arena in the AMCC Championships semi-finals. If the Bengals win, they will play for the AMCC Championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. Come support the squad on their journey to take home some hardware!
Softball:
The Buffalo State softball team showed out in Florida over spring break, bringing back an 8-4 record to campus. Their first week of the season back in New York was a loaded one, taking the Bengals from Brockport to Oneonta to New Paltz for a trifecta of doubleheaders.
Monday afternoon marked the trip to Brockport with a doubleheader scheduled for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The Bengals carried their magic across state lines, still sizzling from their time in the Sunshine State. Off the back of a 10-run third inning, the Bengals strolled to a 10-1 win in five innings, allowing just one hit. The second game went in a different direction.
The first game saw a blowout, and the second game saw a war.
The Bengals took the lead in a blink, with a pair of run batted in (RBI) singles. It took some time, but the Golden Eagles punched back, scoring three runs to take the 3-2 advantage. In the fifth inning, an RBI double moved the Bengals in front, but not for long, as Brockport tied things up. The pitching ramped up from there, keeping both teams’ offense at bay to send the game to extra innings.
In the eighth inning, the squad found a way. Grace Albino sent a single to left field, bringing Natalie Burck home for the would-be winning run – this completed the doubleheader sweep. The victory brought the Bengals’ win total to double digits.
Friday night, the squad went back on the road to face SUNY Oneonta. The Red Dragons had not gotten off on the right foot to open the season, holding a 2-16 record. But in the game of softball, anyone can win on any given day.
SUNY Oneonta, with the game tied at one, delivered consecutive two-RBI hits, taking a four-run lead and plummeting the Bengals’ win probability. The loss ended the Bengals’ six-game win streak…and the evening only got worse. In the second game, the Red Dragons stormed out to a four-run lead, and as the Bengals battled back, they continued to answer, completing the sweep over Buffalo State with a 7-5 win.
The Bengals made the quick turnaround to square off with the New Paltz Hawks on Saturday morning…and things continued to snowball. They could not contain the Hawks’ offense in the first game, making repeated errors and digging themselves a hole they couldn’t escape, ultimately losing by a score of 9-2. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it sure did. The Hawks kept the Bengals off the scoreboard for the first time all season, handing them their fourth straight loss, 5-0.
With another trio of doubleheaders on deck, the softball team will have to rediscover its swagger between now and Tuesday. On Tuesday, the squad plays its home opener against Nazareth University, heading back on the road to face Hilbert College on Thursday, then closing out the week on home soil against Fredonia in the “Battle By The Lake” on Saturday.
Spring sports are in full effect, and we thank you for reading the Buffalo State Sports Round-up and following along. Next week is more of the same, although the trophy case may fill up for the men’s volleyball team. Be sure to come back to find out.
