Articles by: sports

 

• Mission Accomplished: Men’s Soccer Dethrones National Champions

  Sports October 6, 2009 at 2:12 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor The George Mason University men’s soccer team came into the game against the Maryland Terrapins with little to prove. Maryland was ranked third in the nation and needed to prove their season after a loss to their rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels. In the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the Mason Patriots lost 2-0 to Maryland. The appearance was the farthest the Patriots went into the postseason since 1996, and the loss snapped an eight-game winning streak. The Terrapins went on to win the national championship by defeating North Carolina. Mason came out of the gate with their usual high-energy offense and even though the ball possession was fairly even, junior forward Victor Freeman shocked the Terrapins. Freeman charged the goal and, staring down Maryland sophomore goalkeeper Zac MacMath, deposited the ball into the right corner. “We’ve been playing better lately. I think the second half of Longwood got us off on the right foot. We’d been very lethargic up to that game,” said Head Coach Greg Andrulis of his team’s potent high-energy offense. Maryland continued their comparatively slow level of play during the first half of the game. However, Mason stayed […]

   

• Act V: Mason Dodges Past the Rams

  Sports October 6, 2009 at 2:11 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor Sophomore outside hitter Noelle Fanella fell one dig short of a double-double in last year’s loss to the VCU Rams in Richmond, but she still had a solid 11-kill performance. On Friday night, Fanella topped last year’s performance with a career-high 18 kills as she helped the women’s volleyball team (13-5, 2-1) win its conference home opener against the Rams (12-6, 1-1) in a five-set thriller (25-21, 25-27, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11). Mason returned to the RAC after playing its last 10 games on the road and opened conference play with a 1-1 record. The team opened the first set with an 8-3 lead and played at ease before taking the first game, 25-21. The Rams came as close as three points when they cut the lead to 24-21, but Mason was able to hold on as middle blockers and opposite hitters, senior Laura Turner and junior Holly Goode, recorded a set-ending block. “[Winning the first set] was very important because we knew VCU was going to have a very good team, so we wanted to try to set the pace early,” said Head Coach Pat Kendrick. The team again gained the early advantage by taking […]

   

• Sports at a Glance

  Sports October 6, 2009 at 2:09 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ryan Dempsey, Broadside Correspondent Chicago out of Olympic Host Contention: On Friday, Chicago, the third-largest city in the U.S. was removed in the first round of voting for a potential 2016 Summer Olympics host city. Many people thought that Chicago and Rio de Janeiro were the two lone standing favorites to host the event, but instead, Chicago was eliminated. The U.S. was the first of the four finalists to make its presentations, with some of the speakers stiff and seemingly nervous. “It’s not about the words,” Chicago Mayor Richard Daley stated. “It’s about the heart and the soul.” But despite the soul put into the presentation, voters for the International Olympic Committee did not feel the same way. A large part of the way the voting took place could be because Chicago is largely unknown oversees. Another view could be based on President Barack Obama’s brevity when talking to IOC members. The short stopover was “too business-like,” Former IOC member Kai Holm said. “It can be that some IOC members see it as a lack of respect.” According to Reuters, “White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Obama’s appearance before the IOC was not enough to overcome ‘politics inside that […]

   

• Point/Counterpoint: The One-Named Wonder

  Sports October 6, 2009 at 2:08 pm 1 comment

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor Ichiro: a name that symbolizes a legacy. Ichiro Suzuki embodies the game that has gained international acclaim. He is the best player on the field and off the field. In Japan, the ballplayer won his first batting title at age 20. He was named the league’s most valuable player at the age of 21. He then followed that feat by gaining five more batting crowns in Japan. In 1994, partly because of the hype he was creating, his manager, Akira Ogi changed the name on the uniform from “Suzuki” to “Ichiro.” He was introduced as a Mariner in the 2001 season, leading the team to a record-tying 116 wins out of 162 total games. Ichiro won the batting title with an average of .350, amassing 242 hits. He was named rookie of the year and MVP. First, we look at his hitting statistics. He stands alone as the only player to have nine, that’s right, nine 200-hit seasons, beating our Hall-of-Famer Willie Keeler, who held the record at eight seasons. The man reached 2,000 hits faster than everyone except Hall-of-Famer Al Simmons, missing the record by only 13 games. This is after he has compiled […]

   

• Point/Counterpoint: The Paradox of Ichiro’s Batting Average

  Sports October 6, 2009 at 2:07 pm Comments are Disabled

  Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor There is only one player who would round first base and run towards center field after hitting a walk-off single. Anticipating a mob chasing him, Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners unsuccessfully escapes from Mike Sweeney and a beer can in a 14-inning marathon against the Chicago White Sox. Ichiro always electrifies the sport with his unique and unorthodox presence, but for him to be considered one of the top baseball players in his generation, Ichiro would have to outperform his counterparts in his own league, which he certainly does not. As a 21-year-old in 2001, Albert Pujols debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals and won the National League Rookie of the Year award and finished second in the MVP voting. At the same time, the Japanese invasion reached a whole new level in Major League Baseball with Ichiro’s emergence in the Pacific Northwest. As a 28-year-old rookie, Ichiro took home the American League Rookie of the Year and AL MVP award. In just his fourth season in the major leagues, Ichiro not only won the batting title with a .372 batting average, but he set the single-season record with 262 hits to provide a […]

   

• In My Own Words: The Positive Mindset

  Sports October 6, 2009 at 2:06 pm Comments are Disabled

  Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer Lately, our team has been talking a lot about positive attitude. On the volleyball court, positive attitude is a state of mind where you feel motivated and confident in your skills and your teammates. It also includes believing, thinking about the best outcome and never letting your guard down. Positive attitude can be considered a way of life too. It is like wearing a “positive lens,” where you see every event from a positive perspective. For the context, let us think about positive attitudes on the court. In a volleyball game, whether you want it or not, the opponent is going to score points. It is the nature of the game. Think about it: without the mistakes, no one would ever score. Consider for an instant that the opponent scoring a point is the concept of a negative situation. How would you deal with it? How do you recover from a negative situation? Also, do not forget to consider that when playing volleyball, you only have control of the actions that happen on your side of the court. It can be a very frustrating game if you do not have control of your mind. When a […]

   

• Mason Battles Towson on Wednesday

  Sports October 6, 2009 at 2:05 pm Comments are Disabled

  Kevin Nydam, Broadside Correspondent After an incredible performance shutting out the fourth-ranked Maryland Terrapins last Tuesday, the men’s soccer team improved their record to 6-2. As they near the midway point of their season, the team prepares to play the Towson Tigers this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium. The Patriots sit in second place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings, nine places ahead of the Tigers. As the defending CAA men’s soccer champions, Mason has been projected to repeat the achievement this year to win back-to-back conference championships. The preseason CAA poll results predicted Towson to finish in sixth place, one rank higher than the previous season. Mason has a strong offense, averaging nearly 14 shots per game. They have outscored their opponents 14-4 so far in the first eight games of the season. This match will be a true test for the Patriots, who look to move to first place with another conference win. Senior goalkeeper Sean Kelley has already recorded 26 saves in the first seven games, while Towson’s sophomore goalkeeper John Steele has saved 24 shots. The Tigers have played seven games this season and currently sit under .500 with a record of 3-4-0 […]

   

• Patriots Pummel Retrievers: Mason Women’s Soccer Holds UMBC Scoreless

  Sports October 1, 2009 at 2:06 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor The George Mason University women’s soccer team took on University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers Tuesday night. The Retrievers were winless coming into the match and were winless going out. The Patriots took care of the match by scoring three times in the second half. There was only one goal in the first half at the 12-minute mark, scored by freshman forward Tiana Kallenberger. For the goal, senior forward Annie Lebherz found Kallenberger at the top of the box, who turned for the goal, the first in 33 minutes. “We were getting it in there, but we were a little bit off in our selection or we were a little bit too tight in our outside,” said Head Coach Diane Drake. This shows how, while the Patriots seemed to have countless scoring opportunities, they were unable to capitalize. Drake gave a motivating halftime speech, leading to three second-half goals. The Patriots learned from their dismal first-half showing and attacked with gusto in the second half, and, with heightened communication and hustle. The second half success came to a head when Kallenberger scored the goal after a block, followed 30 seconds later by a score from […]

   

• Revenge of the Patriots: Rematch of 2008 Sweet 16

  Sports October 1, 2009 at 2:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ebad Khan, Broadside Correspondent The highly anticipated matchup between the George Mason University men’s soccer team and the Maryland Terrapins will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The Patriots will look to avenge their 2-0 loss on Nov. 25 last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins, the second-seed in the tournament, ended the dreams of the Patriot hopefuls, who advanced to the second round of the big tournament for the first time since 1996. Mason’s eight-game winning streak was snapped, sending seven of the Mason’s finest into collegiate retirement. For the Terrapins, they were able to enjoy their 2008 season on top, defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels in the national title game. The senior co-captains midfielder Richard Edgar and goalkeeper Sean Kelley, who were also named to the 2009 Preseason All-CAA Team, plan to lead the young Patriots and seek revenge on a talented Maryland team. Mason started the season 3-2 with victories over the Howard Bison, Presbyterian Blue Hose, and the Richmond Spiders. The Patriots took the runner-up slot in the D.C. College Cup, suffering a 2-1 defeat to the American University Eagles. Mason competed in the Adidas Gamecock Classic in South Carolina, […]

   

• The Worldwide News of Sports

  Sports October 1, 2009 at 2:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ryan Dempsey, Broadside Correspondent UFC Ultimate Fighting Champion superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has announced that he will retire from the UFC. Jackson announced his retirement for reasons such as being rushed into fights, past injuries and recent altercations with UFC President Dana White. The altercations with White and Jackson were caused after Jackson accepted the role of B.A. Baracus in the forthcoming A-Team movie, leaving White to scrap plans for the Dec. 12 bout between Jackson and Rashad Evans. “The UFC has done a lot for me but I think I have done more for them,” stated Jackson, the former UFC light-heavyweight champion. “He’s acting like a baby right now, but he’s a grown man,” commented White on KHTK radio. No one knows exactly what this means for the UFC, but there is no question that this story will develop into something interesting in the future. Men’s Tennis Last week, tennis star Rafael Nadal announced that he will again be taking time off from the game. The announcement came after Nadal was seen by doctors. According to CNN News, “Dr Angel Ruiz Cottoro, medical services chief for the Spanish Tennis Federation, revealed the world number two has suffered an acute […]