T H E DA I LY TA R G U M
S PORTS
SEPTEMBER 21, 2009
15
Scarlet Knights off to worst start in school history BY STEVEN WILLIAMSON SENIOR WRITER
JOHN PENA/ SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/ FILE PHOTO
Senior forward Brittany Bybel scored her fifth goal of the season in the first half of yesterday’s 4-2 loss to the Black Bears.
Tough day puts RU in early hole BY KEVIN O’ROURKE STAFF WRITER
The Rutgers men’s golf team does not aspire to be in the middle of the MEN’S GOLF pack this RUTGERS 871 season. But this NINTH PLACE weekend at The McLaughlin in Bethpage, N.Y., that is precisely where the Scarlet Knights found themselves. RU’s 54-hole tally of 871 strokes placed them ninth in the 18-team field. Coastal Carolina took home the title with a fiveunder par total of 835. Harvard’s Greg Shuman, Coastal Carolina’s Sam L yons and Towson’s Nyasha Mauchaza tied for the individual honors at two-under par 208. Seniors James Hilaire and J.F. Sorbella paced the Knights at six-over par 216, good enough for 26th place in the 93player field. Freshman Gene Yang bounced back from a rough first round to finish in 45th. Yang led a solid final round effort for RU by turning in a one-under par 69. Senior Jimmy Arbes struggled after an opening round 70 and placed in a tie for 54th. Sophomore Andrew Tursky rounded out the scoring for RU in 86th place at 23-over par 233. Any expectations the team had of winning the event were dashed Friday after the tourney’s opening 36 holes. The Knights finished the day 16th, 30 strokes behind firstplace UNC Wilmington. Hilaire and Arbes each turned in first round scores of even par or better, enabling them to pace the squad at five-over par. Underclassmen Yang and Tursky regressed after turning in strong showings in the Rutgers Invitational victory. Yang struggled to an opening round 78 before salvaging a 10over par day one total with a solid second-round score of 72.
Down but not out, the Rutgers field hockey team entered yesterday’s game against Maine still in search FIELD HOCKEY of its first vic4 tory this MAINE 2 season. RUTGERS But a win was not in the cards for the Scarlet Knights, who fell to the Black Bears 4-2 after dropping a tough Big East matchup Friday against Villanova. It was not the start the Knights pictured coming off of last year’s successful 14-6 campaign. The 0-8 record marks the worst start for the team in history. While the team has tried to keep the record from affecting them negatively, head coach Liz Tchou said it began to creep into their minds as the second half wore on. “I think the 0-7 took a toll on us today though coming in we were pretty positive we just weren’t executing,” she said. “Field hockey is all about being
sharp in your skill sets and we’re just not there; we’re over compensating, and that is what happens when you’re sitting there and wanting it so badly.” The Knights were on the verge of climbing back into the contest when senior for ward Sarah Dunn recovered a missed penalty corner opportunity and fired a shot into the goal. But the Knights’ celebration was short lived, as Maine forward Jocelyn Mitchell broke free from the Knights’ defenders only a minute later. Despite having 15 minutes left in the match, Dunn’s goal was the final shot the team would manage for the remainder of the game. By the end, RU was outshot 21 to 12. The Knights unleashed an offensive barrage against the Black Bears late in the first period, including a blistering shot that was turned aside by Maine goalkeeper Brittany Fleck. Maine was able to escape the period without letting up a second score and the Knights found themselves unable to carr y their momentum into the second half.
RU’s momentum was hampered by turnovers and unforced errors in the second half as the Knights found themselves unable to find the same rhythm that they had in the earlier part of the game. “When you star t to force it individually and you star t to think, ‘Well, I’m just going to do it myself,’ that’s not what Rutgers field hockey is all about,” Tchou said. “You can’t have individual ef for ts out there; it’s all about how you can combine with your teammates and that’s something we need to understand. It’s a harsh reality that we’re learning right now.” As difficult as it may be, the Knights must move past this weekend as they prepare for their second Big East contest Friday at home against Georgetown. “We’re just looking forward,” said senior back Melissa Bowman. “No matter what happens in the game before we just have to look ahead to the next game. The past is the past, and we’re moving forward.”