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SPORTS
THE SAINT |WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16,2013
Detroit Pistons By Zoe Harmon The Saint Reporter After the Detroit Pistons’ first preseason game versus the Miami Heat on Thursday, October 10, the Pistons are ready to begin the official season. The game was their second of the preseason and the Pistons suffered a tough lose on their home court to rival team Miami Heat (112107). During the game, Andre Drummond scored 15 points in the thirdquarter, giving the Pistons hope. Unfortunately Josh Harrellson’s desperation three-pointer in the fourth-quarter was unsuccessful, and the team could not pull together a win. Before playing the Heat, the Pistons were successful against Maccabi Haifa, an Israeli professional basketball club, winning 91-69. The team showed solid teamwork throughout the game, sharing the ball and playing in unison. Drummond had 17 points and teammate Brandon Jennings added 15. In order to keep wins like this one com-
ing, the Pistons are relying on the strong new players as well as their returning roster. The team looks forward to having Josh Smith, who signed with the Pistons as a free agent this summer to contribute to a winning season. The organization signed Smith in hopes that he will provide a boost on both ends of the court. They are in need of a boost, as they have not had a winning season since the 2007-2008 season. Since he is an experienced athlete, Smith will also act as a leader for the young team. The Pistons are also excited to have two more summer additions, Chauncey Billups and Brandon Jennings. With these veteran newcomers added to their young core of Drummond and Greg Monroe, the Pistons have high hopes for the 2013-2014 season. The Detroit Pistons will play in their official season opener on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. versus the Washington Wizards. The game will be played at The Palace of Auburn Hills and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit.
Aquinas women’s soccer
The Saints continue to play strong
Senior Nicci Thomas pushes her own limits COURTESY ANDRIS VISOCKIS
Heads up: Freshman Leann Latsch heads the ball in home field action this season. Latsch and the Saints will play against Rochester tonight at home. By Taylor Hodges The Saint Reporter With a 3-1 record in the WHAC so far, the Aquinas women’s soccer team is looking to keep that loss column small in hopes of having another successful season. “We have a tremendous amount of talent on the team this year and a strong connection with one another,” said sophomore midfielder Allison VanPatten. “If we just keep giving it 110% and keep playing for one another, the possibilities are endless.” With that amount of talent, the team feels more confident this year than last in terms of being able to compete against any team in the conference. “We are getting more confident in how we play and how we should play,” said sophomore keeper Molly O’Connor. “We are just getting
more confident in each other’s abilities on the field.” That confidence is seen throughout the team and seems to be paying off on the scoreboard. The team was riding a four game win streak until an overtime loss by rival Davenport. “Our four game winning streak gave us the boost we needed to go up against nationally ranked Davenport with a sense of authority and pride rather than with our tail between our legs looking for mercy,” said freshman forward Leeann Latsch. “We’ve figured out how to work with each other and find that success giving us endless reasons to believe in our team and program.” When you spend every single day with each other on and off the field, you gain a sense of having a second family. “The best part about
being a part of the team is becoming a family,” said sophomore Mikayla Goldsmith. “We have fun and we just enjoy being around each other.” Family seemed to be the most common answer when asked about the best part of this team. “This team has been my family since starting at Aquinas,” said Latsch. “We play for each other and that makes being on this team such fun.” Not only is there a “family” on the field, there’s also camaraderie during workouts. “Whether it’s celebrating a win or pushing each other through the workouts, everyone is there for one another,” said VanPatten. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” The Saints will play against Rochester tonight at home as the regular season winds down.
College football By: Joe Foldenauer The Saint Reporter
COURTESY NICCI THOMAS
Set her up: Senior setter Nicci Thomas has been very involved in her Aquinas career as a volleyball and basketball player. Thomas will graduate in May with a degree in Sustainable Business. By Chuck Hyde Staff Writer What started as a fun hobby to get involved in has turned into a big part of senior Nicci Thomas’s life. Thomas has been playing volleyball for nine years, and she believes that it has made her into the person she is today. Of the sport’s impact on her life, Thomas said, “It has really determined the way [she acts] and [her] personality.” Thomas has a lot of good things to say about her involvement with volleyball. She has met many of her best friends and grown along the way, transforming into the person she finds herself to be. “It’s taken me all the way here,” said Thomas. That isn’t to say that things have always been easy, however. She had to work hard to get where she is. In high school, her coaches and teammates helped her develop her skills and “get her to an end point” that resulted in her playing for Aquinas. Once she got here, she had a much different experience. Her first coach at Aquinas was Dave Rawles. Her experience with Rawles was not necessarily a positive one, but it allowed her to develop many skills that she needed in her life. “It helped me find the strength to overcome authority and become a better person,” said Thomas. Though this experience may not have been the most positive one, it
impacted Thomas greatly and she was able to take away good life skills from her freshman year. “It’s good to know when you’re being treated wrongly and it’s okay to stand up for yourself,” said Thomas. She came out of the experience with skills and personality traits that she will be able to apply to her life, whatever she may end up doing. She also made many memories, including her first year at Aquinas and the team’s trip to the finals. On her first college season, Thomas said that “the rebuilding and tough times were mixed with a lot of fun.” Though volleyball and school have allowed Thomas little free time, she likes to relax and enjoy the company of her friends when she gets some free time. “I know it’s the answer that everyone gives, but I love hanging out with my friends,” said Thomas. Thomas is majoring in Sustainable Business and plans to graduate in May. She believes that the program has prepared her well for the world, hitting on her interests in both the business and environmental spheres. The large background will give her a lot of options after graduation, making her ambitious plans for postgraduation possible. She wants to move to Oregon to find an environmental group or eco-friendly business to get on board with. Thomas put it best herself: “I’m looking to move on to my next adventure.” Sports Editor Alyssa Frese
Notre Dame had a close game against the Arizona State Sun Devils a few weeks ago, winning 37-34. In this Shamrock series game, Tommy Rees played decently, throwing 17 for 38 attempts with a total of 279 yards and three touchdowns. TJ Jones had eight receptions for a 135 yards and one touchdown. Ben Koyack, a junior tight end, finally scored his first career touchdown off a 19 yard pass from Rees. Unfortunately Notre Dame will lose linebacker Jarrett Grace for the rest of the season because of his broken leg. The Fighting Irish this past weekend had a bye week and will be playing against the USC Trojans this Saturday. The Wolverines played a great game against the Minnesota Gophers
a few weeks ago, winning 42-13, making the Wolverines 1-0 in the Big Ten Conference. Devin Gardner finally had a his first turnover free game along with throwing for 235 yards off of 13 for 17 attempts, with one touchdown ran in by him and one touchdown pass to Devin Funchess. Along with his one touchdown, Funchess had seven receptions for 151 yards. The following week, Michigan finally suffered their first loss of the season against Penn State, with 40-43 in 4OT. Gardner threw for 240 yards off of 15 of 28 attempts with three touchdowns, but unfortunately he did also throw two interceptions. Funchess had a decent game, running for 112 yards with four receptions and two touchdowns. But this wasn’t enough to conquer the Nittany Lions, and after four overtimes the Wolverines couldn’t stop them. The
Wolverines will play against Indiana Hoosiers this weekend. The Michigan State Spartans played a great game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, winning 26-14. Connor Cook had a career high during this game, throwing for 277 yards, going 25 for 44 attempted passes, and scoring two touchdowns. Macgarrett Kings Jr. also had a good game, receiving five passes and running for 98 yards with one touchdown. Following this victory, the Spartans played a great homecoming game against the Indiana Hoosiers, winning 42-28. After allowing only for one interception in the first quarter of the game, Cook led the Spartans to victory, throwing for 235 yards and one touchdown. MSU will play against Purdue this weekend.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers look to edge out the Boston Red Sox for the rest of the series By Zoe Harmon The Saint Reporter After an eventful five game series, the Detroit Tigers came out on top of the Oakland Athletics in the American League Division Series (ALDS). The Tigers had active bats in game five of the ALDS, which led to their win of 3-0. The action started in the fourth inning, when Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homerun that knocked in Torii Hunter, who was on base due to recording the first hit of the game. In the sixth inning, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta reached the base path safely recording back-toback singles. Then, Omar Infante knocked in Martinez by grounding into a fielder’s choice. Justin Verlander was the starting pitcher for the Tigers. He pitched an outstanding game, as Oakland did not record their first hit until the seventh in-
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ning. Overall, the series was an exciting one. The first two games were played in Oakland, the second two in Detroit, and the last in Oakland. All-star pitcher, Max Scherzer started game one for the Tigers, retiring 16 of the 18 batters he faced. The Tigers had a key first inning, in which Cabrera and Alex Avila both had run-scoring singles. They ended up winning 3-2. In the second game, both teams remained scoreless until Oakland’s walk-off single in the ninth inning. Verlander threw seven scoreless innings in the 1-0 loss. When the Tigers traveled back home, they were ready to record the final two wins needed. Unfortunately they fell apart in game three and lost 6-3. Coming back the next night, the Tigers woke up and played an exciting game, ultimately winning 8-6. After Peralta’s three-run homerun, the team’s bats came alive, and
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Scherzer stepped up to the mound in relief recording yet another win on the season. Joaquin Benoit closed the game for the Tigers. Next, the Detroit Tigers headed to the American League Championship series. They are currently playing the Boston Red Sox in a best-of seven series that began on Saturday, October 12. The Tigers were victorious in Game One, beating the Red Sox 1-0. On October 13 in Game Two, the Tigers played hard but eventually lost to the Red Sox 6-5. The next three games will take place at Comerica Park in Detroit, while games six and seven, if necessary, will be played at Fenway Park in Boston. Justin Verlander is set to pitch Game Three on October 15. All games will be broadcasted on FOX.