wednesday, september 7, 2011
sports the butler collegian
page 5
ONE FOR THE BOOKS
Huck shines as Bulldogs win opener By Lance Rinker Sports Editor lrinker@butler.edu
The Butler football team opened its season in record-breaking fashion Saturday en route to beating Albion 31-17. Senior quarterback Andrew Huck etched his name in Butler lore, completing his first 19 passing attempts. Dwayne Ewing (2001) and Matt Kobli (2008) shared the old record for consecutive completions with 12. Kobli also set his mark against Albion. “The record is cool to have,” Huck said, “But I couldn’t get that done without good line protection and my guys outside making plays. It definitely wasn’t a one-man show out there.” Huck led the Bulldogs to a 31-3 halftime lead by throwing for 212 yards and three touchdowns, including a 19-yard strike to senior receiver Zach Watkins to end the second quarter. Huck finished with 235 passing yards. Butler’s 273 first-half yards more than doubled Albion’s 116. The Bulldogs’ offensive onslaught was put on ice in the second half, with Albion holding Butler scoreless on 45 yards of offense. “We didn’t show the mental toughness necessary to come out of halftime and play like it’s 0-0,” Butler head coach Jeff Voris said. “You’re going to have hiccups, but I was proud of our effort and the way we played today.” Behind a stellar performance by junior running back Clinton Orr, Albion mounted
Photo by Maria Porter
Senior quarterback Andrew Huck (right) drops back to pass as senior wide receivers Jordan Koopman (center) and Zach Watkins run their routes during Butler’s 31-17 Saturday win over Albion. Huck set a new school record when he completed his first 19 pass attempts, shattering the previous record of 12 in one game. a second-half comeback, cutting its deficit to 31-17 with about 12 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Orr, who finished second in Division II for all-purpose yards last season, rushed for 39 of his 85 yards in the second half, including a third-quarter touchdown run from the goal line. “He [Orr] is a good football player,” Voris said. “The only way you defend a guy like that is to get 11 guys in the right spot and fit
in the right place. We did that pretty consistently.” Sophomore running back Trae Heeter helped the Bulldogs stave off Albion’s comeback attempt and seal the victory. Butler handed off to Heeter four times on its final possession to run the clock out on the Britons’ chances. The Bulldogs will look to continue their success Saturday as they travel to Terre Haute to play the Indiana State Sycamores at
Memorial Stadium. Butler’s defense will be put to the test against the Sycamores. Indiana State amassed 351 points and found the end zone 48 times last season, both school records. In order to overcome the Sycamores, Huck and the Bulldogs will need to stay focused on the high goals they have set for themselves. “Our expectations are to return to the ’09 stature, win some games and eventually win a championship,” Huck said.
MEN’S SOCCER
Bulldogs upset coach’s old team
By Luke Shaw Sports Staff Writer leshaw@butler.edu
Photo by Maria Porter
Junior midfielder Rachel Scott (left) moves the ball down the pitch as sophomore midfielder Mary Allen (center) looks on during the Bulldogs’ 2-1 win versus Eastern Michigan on Friday.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Comeback win gives Butler perfect weekend By Zach Ervin Sports Staff Writer zervin@butler.edu The Butler women’s soccer team played two matches over the weekend, beating Eastern Michigan at home 2-1 before traveling to Eastern Illinois and coming away with a 3-2 victory. The Bulldogs (4-2) got off to a slow start Friday versus Eastern Illinois, giving up two goals in the first 25 minutes. Junior Kristin Germann accounted for both Eastern Illinois goals, and Butler found itself facing a 2-0 halftime deficit. “It was a pretty unlucky situation,” sophomore defender Ali Backscheider said. “The ball got behind us, and we got broken down.” Putting pressure on the Panthers (0-4-1) with a more attacking formation, the Bulldogs got their first breakthrough when sophomore Nikki Hafele scored a header in the 54th minute. Junior Katie Griswold wasted no time in extending Butler’s lead, scoring a penalty kick just two minutes later. The game-winner came from freshman Elise Kotsakis in the 69th minute. With a lead, the Bulldogs were able to switch back to a more conservative formation
and hold on for the victory. Sophomore Jackie Hafele said coming back against the Panthers was simply a matter of the team believing in each other and in themselves. “The coaches were very positive, and they knew we would win if we played our game,” Hafele said. “Once they instilled that in us we were all like, ‘Yeah, we can do this.’” Two days earlier, the Bulldogs played host to Eastern Michigan, picking up a 2-1 victory. With the game knotted at 1-1, Jackie Hafele scored a header on a corner pass from freshman Stephanie Kaylor. “I knew it was going to be our last chance, and I just got a head on it,” Hafele said. “I knew I had to be ready once my name got called. It was a great ball, and I just kind of pinned my mark off and scored.” The goal gave Butler the win and kept Eastern Michigan (0-3-1) winless. Despite the pair of wins, the Bulldogs realize there is room for improvement. “One of our main goals is to get a shutout or at least try not to get scored on as early,” Backscheider said. The Bulldogs will take the field again this weekend when they play Southeast Missouri State and Louisville in the University of Kentucky Tournament.
The possible results of a soccer match are a win, a tie and a loss. For the Butler men’s soccer team, it took just three games to pick up one of each. On Sunday, the Bulldogs (1-1-1) wrapped up the Michigan Invitational with a 1-1 tie, following two scoreless overtime sessions against Oakland. The first 80 minutes of regulation time saw no goals. However, just two seconds past the 80-minute mark, redshirt junior midfielder Jeff Cheslik put a ball through the posts off a corner kick, giving the Golden Grizzlies (0-2-1) a 1-0 advantage. Butler’s offense quickly rebounded with a goal seven minutes later by sophomore midfielder Adam Glanzer. Glanzer found the back of the net thanks to a deflected loose ball by Oakland’s goalkeeper. Glanzer’s goal would be the last of the match, although sophomore forward Adekunle Oluyedun just barely missed a header off a pass from sophomore forward Blake Leyden with 30 seconds left in the second overtime period. Oakland outshot the Bulldogs 23-14, including 10-8 in
on deck
Upcoming bulldog home events
shots on goal. Butler kicked off the invitational Friday with a 2-1 win against host Michigan. The victory secured head coach Paul Snape’s first career win, which was even sweeter considering that it came against the team he helped lead from 2002-2010. “It was a great team victory and a great victory for the coaches,” junior defenseman and team captain Jared Isenthal said. Early on, it did not look like Snape would have much to celebrate. The Wolverines (0-4) found the net first with a goal by sophomore midfielder Fabio Pereira 26 minutes into the match. Pereira’s strike would be the only goal of the first half. The Bulldogs came out strong in the second half. Oluyedun passed the ball to sophomore forward Austin Oldham, who sent a shot bouncing off the post and into the goal to tie up the contest. The goal was Oldham’s team-leading second of the season. Butler continued to attack with another goal just seven minutes later by Oluyedun. Freshman midfielder Bryce Howard fed the ball to Oluyden, who fired a shot into the net from the 12-yard mark. Michigan responded to
the Bulldogs’ attack by taking 13 shots, six on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Andy Holte, who was making his first career collegiate start, had a top-notch performance and held Michigan scoreless in the second half. His biggest save came when he blocked a penalty kick with 11 seconds remaining in the game. “Andy pulled off a great thing,” Snape said. “He was terrific.” The win was a big one for Butler, as the Wolverines were formerly ranked No. 9 in the nation this season and traveled to the College Cup Final Four last year. “We were hungry for a win,” junior goalkeeper Matt Soyka said. “We were confident with our preparation, how hard we worked and our team chemistry. That’s what sets us above other teams.” Northern Illinois captured the invitational championship with a shutout victory against Michigan on Sunday. The Bulldogs will head to Dayton, Ohio, Sept. 9 for the Dayton Invitational, where they will take on Western Illinois and Houston Baptist. The Leathernecks (2-3-1) of Western Illinois are coming off a thrilling victory, while the Houston Baptist Huskies (1-4) are currently on a three game losing streak.
friday
friday
saturday
Volleyball vs. Elon 11:00 a.m.
Volleyball vs. Austin Peay 6:00 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Central Mich. 6:00 p.m.