Badgers open season 2-0 in men’s hoops
Brock tipped off the men’s university basketball season 2-0 with home-court wins over Laurier, 84-75, and Guelph, 102-85.
Johneil Simpson paced the Badgers with 27 points against the Golden Hawks in the season opener before a soldout Bob Davis Gymnasium Friday night.
“Felt really good to be out there for my final home opener,” Simpson said. “Few get to play at this level, so to be in my fifth season at Brock is a blessing.”
It was the first regular-season victory for Badgers interim head coach Madhav Trivedi, who said the “fans were amazing.”
“That crowd is what every coach, every player, wants for a home game,” he said. “It feels like you’re playing in the States.
“The crowd was into the game, that’s what it was about.”
Cassidy Ryan and Simpson netted 20 and 18 points, respectively, the following night versus the Gryphons.
Tyler Brown, Noah LaPierre and Mitch Saunders also scored in double digits for Brock with 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
McMaster, 2-0, visits the Badgers Friday at 8 p.m.
In women’s hoops, Brock dropped a 63-51 decision to visiting
Laurier and lost 70-63 to Guelph, also at home, to open the season 0-2.
Notre Dame College School graduate Miranda Smith, with a gamehigh 14 points; Jean Vanier alum Courtney McPherson and Melissa
Tatti, 11 each; paced the Badgers on offence in the loss to Laurier. Tatti, 24, and Smith, 10, scored in double digits in the setback to Guelph.
Brock hosts McMaster, 2-0, in a 6 p.m. tipoff Friday.
Hockey
Brock enter the week 5-2 in men’s hockey after splitting a pair of home games on the weekend.
After edging the Ottawa GeeGees 4-3 in a shootout Friday, the Badgers ended the following night on the wrong end of a 4-1 score to the Carleton Ravens.
Cosimo Fontana, Tyler Rollo and Ethan Spaxman scored in a regulation and team captain Brody Silk netted the game winner in the shootout.
Jared Marino scored for Brock in the loss.
Up next for the Badgers is a 7:15 p.m. faceoff Thursday in Toronto versus the Ryerson Rams, 5-1-1.
Brock was blanked 3-0 by the Queen’s Golden Gaels Saturday in Kingston for its first loss of the season in men’s hockey.
Thanks to Jensen Murphy’s 46 saves, the Badgers were on the winning end of a shutout against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks the night before in Oshawa.
Rookie forward Cassidy Maplethorpe, with her first Ontario University Athletics (OUA) goal and Amanda Ieradi scored for Brock in the 2-0 win.
“Jensen was solid in net for the shutout,” head coach Margot Page said. “Well-deserved, she played amazing as usual.”
On Saturday, the Badgers will face Ryerson for their third road game in a row. Their next home game is Friday, Nov. 9, when the Laurentian Voyageurs visit Sey-
mour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre in St. Catharines.
Field lacrosse
Brock opens the men’s field lacrosse playoffs this weekend at home after ending league play with seven straight wins and tied for first in the West Division.
Kurtis Woodland, with four goals; Connor Aquanno, Cree Blakely, Latrell Harris, two each; Grayson Houghton, Campbell Parker, Tyrus Rehanek and Saul van der Zalm scored as the Badgers doubled the Guelph Gryphons 14-7 to end the season 9-1.
Defending Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association champion Western also finished the season with a 9-1 record.
Guelph wrapped up the league play with a 6-4 record with the loss in the preview of Saturday’s 1 p.m. playoff game at Alumni Field in St. Catharines.
Rowing
Laura Court made Brock — and OUA — history at the provincial rowing championships last Friday on the Henley course in St. Catharines.
Coaches unanimously nominated the senior psychology major and Ridley College graduate as the first coxswain to be named OUA female athlete of the year.
“I was so surprised I didn’t even go up right away,” she said. “There were a number of women who were OUA double-gold medallists that day and to be chosen by all the university coaches is such an honour.”
Court is coxie for Brock’s lightweight four and coxed four. She won a gold medal at the world under-23 championships in the women’s eight and coxed a four at the senior world championships.
“Laura calls it and everyone respects what she says,” head coach Peter Somerwil said. “She gets everyone to fall in line, which is key.
“Laura is extremely bright and has it figured out.”
At provincials, Brock rowed to seven top-three finishes on its home course: first, men’s lightweight eight; second, men’s lightweight single; men’s eight; third, men’s pair; men’s coxed four, men’s lightweight coxed four, men’s lighweight pair.
The Canadian University Rowing Championships are taking place for three days starting Saturday on the Henley course.
Soccer
Brock’s hopes for a deep playoff run were dashed in a 2-0 road loss to McMaster in the opening game of the women’s soccer post-season.
Brock controlled possession for much the first half, but the game at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton remained scoreless heading into halftime.
“The girls moved the ball around really well, we just couldn’t turn our possession into decent goal scoring opportunities,” said head coach Kevin Trethowan, whose Badgers were matched against the 8-3-5 Marauders after compiling a 6-6-4 record in the regular season.
McMaster broke the stalemate in the 67th minute and netted an insurance goal 17 minutes later.
Shots in the game were 13-1 in favour of the Marauders.
Volleyball
Brock combined to win only three sets in doubleheader sweeps at the hands of the Ryerson Rams and Toronto Varsity Blues to open the volleyball season on the road.
After losing in straight sets at Ryerson — 26-24, 26-24, 25-17 — the Badgers men’s team fell in four sets to Toronto — 25-22, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22.
Logan House had 18 kills for Brock against the Rams and 17 versus the Varsity Blues.
Despite Laura Condotta’s 28 kills, the Brock women lost 3-1 to Ryerson — 25-20, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18.
She had 15 kills, 18 digs and three service aces in a four-set setback to Toronto — 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-14.
This weekend’s schedule has the Badgers on the road for doubleheaders Saturday against the Windsor Lancers and versus the Western Mustangs the following afternoon.