SHU announces basketball changes

Sacred Heart announced schedule changes for both men’s and women’s basketball on Friday. The men had their game against Rhode Island College moved up a day to Dec. 12, still at 2 p.m. Their NEC series against Long Island University moved back a day to Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 17 at 4 p.m., both games at home. For the women, a positive COVID-19 test postponed next week’s scheduled home games against Wagner to Jan. 19-20. Both games are at 3 p.m.

TAKING LEAD

Quinnipiac has given men’s soccer assistant coach Matt Jones the title of lead assistant, head coach Eric Da Costa announced Friday. The native of England was a standout goalkeeper at Sacred Heart, then played six professional seasons in Portugal and finished his career with the Philadelphia Union of MLS in 2016. He was a graduate assistant for the Quinnipiac women’s team before joining the men’s team’s staff in 2018. Former men’s assistant coach Graciano Brito was named head coach at Siena in July.

NATIONAL RUGBY

Quinnipiac alumna Ilona Maher was one of 17 players named to participate in the USA Women’s Sevens end-of-year exhibition match on Friday afternoon in Chula Vista, Calif. The center/prop won the 2016-17 MA Sorensen Award as the top player in women’s college rugby. After her senior season a year later, she was named Quinnipiac’s Female Athlete of the Year.

SHORTRIDGE FEELS HEAT?

The ECHL’s Friday transactions report appears to have spilled the news that former Quinnipiac goalie Andrew Shortridge has signed with the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat. The Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL), who begin play next week, reported on the transactions that Stockton assigned Shortridge to them. Shortridge signed with the San Jose Sharks in spring 2019 after his junior year with the Bobcats. He played 14 games in the last, pandemic-shortened season for their AHL affiliate, which plays out of the same arena as the Sharks, recording a 3.71 save percentage and an .862 save percentage. He also played 10 games for Allen (ECHL). The Sharks declined to tender him a contract for 2020-21, making him an unrestricted free agent. The transactions also reported that Greenville released former Bobcats forward Nick Jermain of Greenwich from a tryout.