Points & Prattle (Sept. 10, 2010)

Good morning sportsfans,

The school year begins, and so does another season of VOTS Points & Prattle. We’re going to have some fun again this semester, though I believe this will be the only returning feature. I’ve got to think up a good idea to keep the video-blogging continuing. I know we never actually got through all of our “Summer Sessions” videos, so maybe we can re-christen that and finish that for the early parts of the semester.

This past week has been rather busy for me, as you can see, which, along with school starting, means I haven’t had much time to devote to the VOTS. But with just a few games on the docket this weekend, it’s time to start thinking about the blog, so without further adu, the 2010-11 debut of Points & Prattle.

Football
I did not have a chance to see the Saints’ football game last weekend, but I look forward to seeing this defensive-minded squad in action soon. It’s my understanding that the preseason billing was correct: a strong defense and an offense that will put up enough points to win, and they did just that, edging Lawrence by one score in their first season-opening victory. Points:

• Nick Thiry blocked a punt, and Don Anderson scooped it up for a touchdown in the waning seconds of the first quarter, and it’s been voted Play of the Week on D3Football.
  Kicking has long been a bane for Saints football, but they seem to have the problem solved:
• Cole Karsky put the Saints up 3-0 followed a five-play, 52-yard drive with a 35-year field goal, the first in Saints history.
• CSS will look to make it two-in-a-row against Eureka College. The Saints faced off against the Red Devils in last season’s Metrodome game, with Eureka rallying to a 21-20 victory, something the Saints will not look to let happen again.
• And please, anyone attending the game on Saturday at Malosky Stadium, I know there’s a joke here, but try to stay classy.

Men’s Soccer
The Saints’ men have started their season 1-2; since I’ve been here, I’ve been used to early season success from the men’s team (they were 8-0-1 before their first loss last season), but I’m not too worried. What I saw on the field was a team that played hard against three strong opponents, and took a couple on the chin. Dealing with adversity can only help in the long run.
Points:

• Despite a losing record, goalkeeper Sam Reed is off to a strong start, with one shutout and a goals against average of 1.00. Sure, it’s more than last season’s 0.65 GAA, but there’s still plenty of time for it to go down.
• The Saints offense did not seem to be hitting on all cylinders offensively until Sunday afternoon when Dustin James and Toby Peter each netted a header, but freshman Ben Wallace scored his first goal of the year, a nice shot, on Friday to give the Saints a chance.
• The Saints play Carleton tomorrow: a tough opponent, but one they can beat, if their veteran leaders bring lead them to victory. Coach Barry Chastey’s squad last faced off against Carleton in 2005, and his only meeting with the Knights was a 2-1 loss.

Volleyball
Despite previous reports (by me) that the Saints volleyball squad went 1-3 last weekend, they actually split 2-2 (sorry, coach Dana Moore). CSS is off to a hot start, despite a slip-up against Augsburg last weekend, they have played strong and only (otherwise) lost to a very strong Saint Mary’s squad. Maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised the Saints got pegged first in the UMAC this season. Points:

• Paige Hardy made the All-Sugar Loaf Classic tournament team last weekend after a stellar weekend offensively and defensively for the Saints, with 40 kills in the Saints first three matches and 22 digs in the finale.
• Sophomore transfer Anna Zyvoloski has lived up to the hype and played strong for the Saints as well, but it’s been a team effort. Here’s some video I shot at last week’s season-opening tournament.
• The Saints compete in the Gustavus Classic this weekend, and looking at the records, CSS is riding the most steam entering the weekend, while Gustavus also has a strong 3-1 record. CSS plays conference rival Martin Luther (in non-conference action), host-Gustavus, Carleton, and Wis.-River Falls.

Women’s Soccer
Zero wins in their first three games looks bad for a Saints squad that was picked to finish first in the UMAC, but CSS has looked strong in those three losses – especially defensively, as Megan Flesvig, freshman Logan Williamson, and the Saints defense have held opponents to just seven shots-on-goal per game, giving their goalkeepers a chance. Points:

• Speaking of goalkeepers, the Saints’ Bailey Mahlum was named to the 2010 Advantage Emblem Cup All-Tournament team for her performance against a strong Concordia-Moorhead squad last Friday.
• Joining her on the team was Andrea Beatt, the only Saint to net a goal on the season so far. With the defense playing as strong as it is, the Saints will need to turn up the offense if they want to move in the right direction.
• The Saints women also take on Carleton on Saturday, so the schedule doesn’t get any easier for CSS this weekend. The Knights knocked off the Saints in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, and CSS is looking for some payback.
• I forgot to mention in the men’s game, but video for both games will be available online here. Of course, it will be lacking my commentary, but you can’t have it all.

Well, that’s all for this week’s Points & Prattle – a little new format (a little better format, I’d argue). Thanks for reading and enjoy the weekend of Saints athletics as well as the start of the NFL season.