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Show Wednesday, October 8, 2008 SPORTS ir THE SIGNPOST Hockey team finds stride against Utah Valley Late-game push keeps early-season winning streak alive By Jon McBride sports editor I The Signpost FILL PHOTO HY MATT CLASS | THE SIC,\TOS1 Weber State University forward Anton Volkov swoops in front of the net in a game earlier this season. The Wildcats beat the Utah Valley University Wolverines 6-3 Saturday night at the Weber County Ice Sheet to move to 3-2 this season. 3 Powered by a three-goal third period, the Weber State University Hockey Team won its third-straight game Saturday night. The Wildcats defeated the Utah Valley University Wolverines 6-3 at the Weber County Ice Sheet, improving to 3-2 this season. "It's perfect," WSU Head Coach Steve Soto said about winning three games in a row. "It's exactly what we need rebuilding the team. It gives us some confidence going into next week." Confidence is what the Wildcats will need as they head south to face Division I Arizona State University this weekend. It will be the Division II Wildcats' first action against a DI opponent this season. Soto opted to rest a numberof his players, who were nursing bumps and bruises Saturday, so they would be 100 percent for the games at ASU. With a lot of important games coming up, the Wildcats couldn't afford to look past Utah Valley Saturday. Some expected the game to be a blowout after seeing the Wolverines lose to Utah State University 15-1 earlier this season. With Utah State and Weber State stacking up pretty evenly this season, the Wolverines appeared to be going down hard again. However, that wasn't the case. It took the Wildcats more than half of the first period to open the scoring. Ryan Osterheldt scored it for the 'Cats on the powerplay as he camped out to the right side of the net, and the rebound off of Reid Mayer's shot from the point ended up right on his tape. Osterheldt quickly one-timed the puck into the open net for his first career goal as a Wildcat. Cats are No. 22 For the first time in eight years WSU is nationally ranked The Signpost It's unusual for the Weber State University Soccer Team to play on Sundays. It's even more unusual for the 'Cats to play in several inches of standing water. They got both when they faced the Gonzaga University Bulldogs in last weekend's double overtime match. Conditions on the field were best PHOTO BY CATHERINE MORTIMER | IU{ V summed up in a question from WSU Weber State University midfielder Emily Freshsenior forward man plays a ball as water flies around her. Alyssa Foutz to The 'Cats fought to a 0-0 tie against Gonzaga senior Whitney University on a soggy PE Playfield Sunday. Smith before starting overtime play. "Hey Smitty," Foutz said. "Are "It was hard to you wearing white or brown?" . , u U II A rainy £ £ £ a £ g £ ? | After 1 -3 start to Big Sky play, 'Cats looking for consistency By Jon McBride sports editor I The Signpost PHOTO BY MATT CLASS I THE SIGNPOST Soccer team fights to a draw By Gentry Reinhart asst. sports editor I Volleyball team preps for big weekend Weber State University libero Caitlyn Anderson digs a ball during a match at the Swenson Gym last week. See Hockey page 7 Ritchie earns second straight Big Sky honor for shutout in soggy conditions The Weber State University Football Team moved into The Sports Network's NCAA Division FCS top-25 national rankings on Monday, propelled by their 45-28 victory over then-No. 3 University of Montana Saturday. The national ranking is WSU's first since 2000, when the Wildcats finished the season ranked No. 18. The Wildcats have reached as high as No. 10 in the division in 1998, when WSU started the season 5-0. The 'Cats are one of four Big Sky Conference teams in the national rankings. Montana is now No. 12. Northern Arizona University is No. 18. Eastern Washington is No. 23. The Wildcats' next opponent - Montana State University - is close to breaking into the top-25, currently receiving enough votes for 29th if the rankings were expanded. See Friday's edition of The Signpost for a preview of the Wildcats' game at Montana State Saturday. Weber State University Head Coach Ron McBride celebrates a touchdown during the Wildcats' game at the University of Utah earlier this season. McBride and the Wildcats have a lot to celebrate since learning of their national ranking in The Sports Network's NCAA Division FCS top-25 poll. The first period ended with the Wildcats still clinging to a one-goal lead. In the second, Dave Lorenzon added some insurance for WSU, when he picked up a loose puck off a faceoff to the right of the UVU goal, and buried a snapshot from the slot to make it 2-0. It appeared the Wildcats were ready to let the offensive onslaught begin against the Wolverines, but Utah Valley showed its resilience in what was a gritty effort for the duration of the game. UVU captain Eric Rownan cut the Wildcat lead back to a goal. Rownan's tally came just minutes after Lorenzon's goal. He scored on a perfect deflection that found its way through thefivehole of WSU backup goaltender Oliver Freij, who got his first career start for the 'Cats. Toward the end of the second period, The Weber State University Volleyball Team is off to a rough start in Big Sky Conference play, now sitting at 1-3. With two home conference matches approaching, the Wildcats need to turn things around. "You've got to take care of the home-court advantage," said WSU Head Coach Al Givens. "It's critical here from this point for us. We need to have what I call being ferociously consistent." The Wildcats' latest loss came Saturday against California State University, Sacramento. The Hornets won 23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 19-24, 15-11. "It was disappointing because we felt like it was a match that we could win on the road," Givens said, "but Sac State played the best they've played all year." The Wildcats were in command at various points of the match, but couldn't close things out. "When you try to protect the lead in any sport - it's kind of like that prevent defense - more things go wrong than go right," Givens said. "You can't change what you've been doing at the most critical point of the match. You've got to have an aggressive attitude, and you have to actually go out and take it." The Wildcats are tied for second-last - seventh place - in what appears to be an evenly-matched conference. The Wildcats play No. 2 University of Northern Colorado - who just upset See Volleyball page 7 Saturday made JUGge the a waterlogged PE Playfield problematic for both teams in the aggressive Sunday game. Four yellow cards were handed out in a hard-fought, defensive battle that ended in a tie, and left both teams frustrated on offense. Throughout the day, the name of the game was defense with neither team able to find the net through regulation play and two overtime periods. WSU senior Haley McCoy led the 'Cats with five shots-on-goal, including several that Gonzaga goalkeeper Lauren Ames barely punched out of the way. "I had some shots that I could've put away," McCoy said. "I just needed to shoot for the corner a little more and she wouldn't have been able to get to it." Goalkeepers on both sides earned their keep, with WSU senior Rebecca Ritchie having another solid day with eight total saves. The performance earned Ritchie Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second week in a row. The Wildcat defense did its part helping Ritchie inside the box with several players getting in on some big defensive stops that kept the game even. WSU seniors Shaylee Hyde and Whitney Smith and junior Lindsay Ellis all turned in solid defensive performances. Another senior defender, Ashtyn Webster, came up with a huge tackle in the box at the beginning of the second half, when the Bulldogs had an open net opportunity. ball because the ground was so slippery. But the team as a whole played really well defensively, it was probably one of our best defensive games so far/' - Ashtyn Webster, WSU senior defender "It was hard to judge the ball, because the ground was so slippery," Webster said. "But the team as a whole played really well defensively, it was probably one of our best defensive games so far." The Bulldogs threatened to score again in the last few minutes of regulation play, when Gonzaga forward Courtney Peacock centered a ball that bounced directly in front of the WSU goal, and was missed by two Bulldogs as it rolled past and was eventually cleared by the Wildcats. "They played till the end and did what they had to, to not give up any goals/' said WSU Head Coach Tim Crompton. "But we had plenty of opportunities on offense and we have to be able to finish those." After a month of grueling road games and tournaments against PAC-10 and Big West See Soccer page 7 |