Articles by: sports

 

• Traveling Great Distance for the Love of the Game: Women’s Volleyball Team Adds to Their Collection of International Assets

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:36 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ari Sinay, Broadside Correspondent Freshman outside hitter Ran Yin of the George Mason University women’s volleyball team has traveled long distances to play the game she loves. Yin, an only child, has lived in Beijing, China her whole life with her parents, YanJun and ChangXin Yin. Traveling to Mason to play volleyball and to receive an education is Yin’s first time leaving China and her life behind. Yin started playing volleyball at the age of 12 when her middle school primary teacher suggested the sport to her. “I used to play Chinese traditional music, but that was boring and I didn’t enjoy it, so I listened to my teacher and started to play volleyball,” said Yin. The rest was history. Yin blossomed into a standout on the court and by the time she finished her career playing for her high school Beijing 101 team, which boasted an undefeated record and a top 10 placing in China, Yin was a highly talented commodity. Yin’s abilities on the court also propelled her into international competition as she competed in the 2004 young Olympic games in Australia against countries like Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia. “As a team, our results weren’t so good, […]

   

• Sports at a Glance

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:34 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ryan Dempsey,  Staff Writer NFL On Thursday, Indianapolis Colts starting cornerback Marlin Jackson confirmed Thursday that he has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. This is the second straight year that Jackson has suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The injury for Jackson is worse than it is for his team since he is scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of this season, and unless he can prove to be healthy, he will be cut from the team. For the Colts, things continued to spiral downward as the team learned that cornerback Bob Sanders needs surgery to repair his injured elbow which will end his season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN in a televised report. MLB After the New York Yankees won the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui was named the Most Valuable Player in the World Series after a record-setting performance in the decisive Game 6. Matsui had a .615 batting average in the series, including three home runs and eight RBIs. Matsui drove in six of the Yankees’ seven runs in Game 6, the most by any player in a World Series clincher and […]

   

• Looking for Liberty: Men’s Basketball Opens Season Against the Flames

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:32 pm Comments are Disabled

  Chris DeMarco, Staff Writer The George Mason University men’s basketball team kicks off their 2009-10 basketball season against the Liberty Flames of the Big South Conference. The biggest difference for the Flames going into this year is the loss of Seth Curry to the Duke Blue Devils. Without Curry, the Flames lack a dominant scoring threat that could compete with the Patriots’ offensive weapons, but the Flames will be led by senior guard Kyle Ohman, who averaged 13.9 points per game last year. The Patriots are led by their lone senior, Louis Birdsong and his big presence under the boards. With the departure of leader John Vaughan, the Patriots will rely heavily on not only Birdsong, but junior Cam Long, who averaged 11.7 points last year, along with promising sophomore Ryan Pearson, who scored seven points and grabbed 3.6 rebounds per game. The Patriots hope that they can continue their remarkable success at home this year, so they can stay on top of the very competitive Colonial Athletic Association. Patriot fans also have to hope that the team is not looking past their first two games against Liberty and Dartmouth since they have the sixth-ranked Villanova Wildcats looming thereafter. With […]

   

• Playing Musical Chairs, but to a Lesser Extent

  Sports November 7, 2009 at 11:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  It is now safe to say that the women’s volleyball team is out of the running for hosting the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. Mason can still play for second place, but the chances of that are quite slim. If the VCU Rams were to finish as the conference leader, the Delaware Blue Hens would then take the second seed. However, Mason can still tie VCU with a 10-4 conference record, but the Rams are currently on a seven-game winning streak and have shifted their focus on contending with the Blue Hens for the top spot. Earlier, we looked at Mason’s chances in taking the top or number two slot. It appears that the team will more likely contend for the third seed with the William & Mary Tribe. With the Rams and Blue Hens fighting for the top spot, Mason looks to hold on in the third spot. If Mason wins their final match against the James Madison Dukes, the Tribe will need to win their remaining matches to force a tie. Since the two teams split the season series, no team will hold the advantage if they were to conclude with a tied record. The difference between the numbers […]

   

• A Puzzled Playoff Situation

  Sports November 7, 2009 at 6:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Situation 1: In order to host the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, the women’s volleyball team must win their final two games and have the Delaware Blue Hens drop their final two. No matter what the VCU Rams do, Mason will have the advantage due to sweeping VCU. 1. Mason 2. Delaware 3. VCU However, it is still possible for all three teams to finish with an 11-3 conference record. Thus, the tiebreak advantage is as follows: 1. Mason > VCU 2. VCU > Delaware 3. Delaware > Mason Tonight’s match between Mason and VCU will determine whether the intransitive relationship will happen. Situation 2: Otherwise, Mason will still have the opportunity to fight for the second seed in the tournament. If the Blue Hens win their final two games, Mason can still earn the second seed by winning their final two games. No matter what VCU does from there, Mason holds the advantage. 1. Delaware 2. Mason 3. VCU If Mason were to split their final two matches, the William & Mary Tribe would need to win their remaining matches to force a tie for third place. The Northeastern Huskies are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, but […]

   

• The Clincher

  Sports November 6, 2009 at 9:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  The women’s volleyball team is currently in a tight battle against the William & Mary Tribe with the team pulling off a first-set win, 28-26 at Kaplan Arena. Trailing early in the second set, Mason rallied from a 12-3 deficit and gradually closed in on the Tribe. The Tribe took the final two points of the set, taking the second set 25-23. Both teams are vying for a playoff spot with Mason holding a half-game lead over the Tribe in the standings. With the Northeastern Huskies defeating the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks tonight, Mason can still clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight. The top two teams have won their matches to keep their spots unchanged, but the third spot is still at hand, depending on the results from the Mason/William & Mary match. Update: Mason clinched a playoff berth in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association Tournament after defeating the Tribe in four sets. Mason remains a half-game behind the VCU Rams, whom Mason faces tomorrow in Richmond. Mason increases their lead to 1.5 games over the Tribe and still lead the Northeastern Huskies by 2.5 games. In the worst case scenario, Mason can end up tied with the Huskies, but […]

   

• The Season Finale: Mason Misses Postseason after Dukes’ Win

  Sports November 5, 2009 at 8:52 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor As the clouds loomed during a murky Halloween afternoon, the George Mason University women’s soccer team recognized the nine seniors on the team during the pregame festivities, starting off the final game of the season for the Patriots. “I definitely think, since this is our best record since 1994, we’ve done great. Winning the last five games proved how much dedication and heart we had,” said senior forward Theresa DeLucca on the season. It was a must-win game to keep their hopes alive to enter the conference tournament. While the Towson Tigers’ season was over regardless the result of the game, the Patriots entered the match tied with the James Madison Dukes for fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association, with only four teams advancing to the postseason tournament. The Dukes won the head-to-head, so a tie of records between the two teams would send the Dukes to the tournament. The Patriots would need to win their game with a Dukes’ loss or tie, or they could tie with a Dukes’ loss. Knowing the need to win in the game, the Patriots (14-4-2, 6-3-2) came out of gates with a strong offense, creating strong momentum as […]

   

• Major League Soccer Playoffs

  Sports November 5, 2009 at 8:51 pm Comments are Disabled

  Donald O’Mahony, Staff Writer First Round: Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Chivas USA: This matchup includes the two teams that share the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. The star-studded Galaxy boasts players like Landon Donovan and David Beckham, along with many other players that have experience at the highest level. No team lost fewer games than the Galaxy this season and I expect them to advance. Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders: The Dynamo have won two of the last three championships and finished the season tied for the second-best record. Players like Brian Ching and Stuart Holden lead a very dangerous attack while goalkeeper Pat Onstad finished tied for second in the league with 10 shutouts. The expansion Sounders field a very similar team with players like Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg along with goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who had the second-lowest goals-against- average statistic in the league. I pick the Dynamo to go through based on their experience. Columbus Crew vs. Real Salt Lake: The Crew goes into the playoffs with the best record in the league this season. Guillermo Barros Schelotto won the MVP award last season and tied for third in the league in goals this year. Real […]

   

• Marquez Helps Patriots Slay Dragons: Mason Makes a Push for the CAA Tournament

  Sports November 5, 2009 at 8:49 pm Comments are Disabled

  Cody Norman, Broadside Correspondent Junior forward Ernesto Marquez led the way for the men’s soccer team as the Patriots defeated the Drexel Dragons 3-1 on Tuesday afternoon at Vidas Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Marquez gave the Patriots an immediate lead, scoring only two minutes into the game. After a foul by Drexel permitted a penalty kick from just outside the right corner of the goalie box, Marquez bent the ball inside the near post past Drexel goalkeeper Tres Heffron to give Mason a 1-0 lead. After the Dragons tied the score in the 17th minute when Taylor Brophy recorded the first goal of his short career, junior forward Victor Freeman took Drexel defender Jon Volpatti one-on-one and scored to begin the second half. Freeman’s goal was his team-leading seventh of the season and gave the Patriots the lead for good. Mason added an insurance goal in the final 40 seconds when Freeman led a two-on-one breakaway into the goalie box before passing off to Marquez for his second goal of the afternoon to make the score 3-1. The win bumped the Patriots into a three-way tie for third place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings with a 10-5-1 overall record […]

   

• It All Starts With the Owner: Snyder’s Ideology Should Be Bottom-up

  Sports November 5, 2009 at 8:47 pm Comments are Disabled

  Chris DeMarco, Staff Writer Another Redskins’ loss brings more and more criticism onto the organization. In the Redskins’ first seven games, they have played six winless teams. As a result, they are only 2-5. They gave the lowly Detroit Lions their first win in 19 games. That is the closest thing to a highlight for the Redskins this year, and it is definitely not a pretty one. The media can only blame Head Coach Jim Zorn so much. He does what he can with what he is provided, which is practically a team made up like a fantasy football team. Zorn and the fans have the Redskins wonderful owner Daniel Snyder and President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato to thank for that. Do not get me wrong, as an Eagles fan, nothing makes me happier than seeing unhappy Redskins fans, but it has gotten to the point in which I just feel bad for them, and that pains me to say. In the 10 years since Snyder bought the team, he has opened his wallet and overpaid for past-their-prime stars in Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, and Mark Brunell. He has hired and fired good coaches like Norv Turner and Marty […]