Freshman Towers starting strong for McDaniel men’s soccer

JIMMY TOWERS (BOYERTOWN) » The 5-foot-7, 135-pound freshman midfield/forward has started all six games for the McDaniel men’s soccer team, the Green Terror 4-1-1 after a 2-0 non-league victory over Goucher Sept. 18 in a home game in Westminster, Md. Towers picked up an assist in a 1-1 tie with Neumann on Aug. 31, also in Westminster. He collected his first collegiate goal in a 7-0 home field victory over Albright on Sept. 12. He’s taken eight shots, five on goal.

ALLIE MOONEY (OWEN J. ROBERTS) » Mooney has had a standout career in goal for the Shippensburg field hockey team and she’s determined to wrap up her redshirt senior season with the Raiders as a big winner.

Mooney, from Spring City (Owen J. Roberts), entered this season with a 4912 record in 66 games, giving up 57 goals (0.89 goals against average) with 271 saves (.826 save percentage). She was a National Field Hockey Coaches Association first team All-American in 2016 and a second team pick in 2014. She was an All-PSAC first team selection in 2016 and a second team pick in 2014. She took a medical redshirt in 2015.

This season, Mooney and the Raiders are 4-1 after a 6-3 victory over Mansfield last Saturday in Mansfield. She gave up just one goal with nine saves in 54.48 minutes and has given up six goals (1.42 goals against average) with 27 saves (.818 save percentage).

“Ally is entering her fifth year with more ambition, commitment and passion than ever before,” coach Tara Zollinger said. “Her leadership will be quintessential to achieving our team goals.”

Mooney, in her second season as a team captain, leads by example according to her coach.

“Ally always puts the team first and holds herself and her teammates accountable to our standards,” Zollinger said. “We are confident in Ally’s ability to lead the team to have a successful season both on and off the field.” DYLAN SMILEY (PHOENIXVILLE) » The junior set a personal record in the 8,000 meter run when he helped the West Chester men’s cross country team finish fourth in the Lock Haven Invitational last Saturday in Lock Haven. He finished 10th out of 222 runners in 26:06 and he was the second best finisher for the Golden Rams. Smiley was 19th out of 128 runners at the Division II/ III Challenge on Sept. 15 in Kutztown with an 8k time of 27:25.5. Freshman Myles Hovan (Methacton) also competed in both races for West Chester with times of 29:10.4 (137h) at Lock Haven and 29:59.8 (76th) at Kutztown.

SHAE DUKA (UPPER PERKIOMEN) » The 5-foot-7 senior forward has helped the Moravian women’s soccer team get off to a 6-1-1 start this season including a 6-1 victory over Juniata in the Landmark Conference opener for both teams last Saturday in Huntingdon. Duka had a goal in that game and has three goals and an assist for seven points on the season. She’s taken just seven shots on goal. In her previous two seasons with the Greyhounds she played in 32 games with 30 starts and had one goal and one assist. BAILEY QUINN (PHOENIXVILLE) » The 5-foot-4 senior has started all five games for the East Stroudsburg field hockey team, leading the Warriors to a 4-1 mark after a 6-0 victory over Mercyhurst last Saturday in East Stroudsburg. Quinn has three goals thus far including the gamewinner in a 3-2 seasonopening victory over Merrimack on Sept. 9 in North Andover, Mass. Last season, she earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association second team AllAmerican honors as well as All-PSAC second team and was named to the NCAA Division II Final 4 All-Tournament team.

DREW KRESGE (DANIEL BOONE) » The junior is back on his game kicking for the 3-1 Villanova football team which opened its Colonial Athletic Association campaign with a 4535 loss to Towson on Sept. 15 and came back with a 49-7 non-league triumph over Bucknell last Saturday, both games at Villanova. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder kicked all five of his extra points against Towson and was seven-for-seven against Bucknell. He had hit just one field goal in four attempts and was 3-for-6 in extra points in the Wildcats’ first two games, non-league victories over Temple (1917) and Lehigh (31-9). Last season, Kresge was 8-for-10 in field goals and 26-for-27 in extra points.

KALEIGH DURNING (UPPER PERKIOMEN) » The freshman 5-foot-6 forward has played in five games with two starts for the Muhlenberg women’s soccer team. The Mules are 3-4-1 overall and 1-2 in the Centennial Conference after a 1-0 Centennial Conference loss to Dickinson last Saturday in Carlisle. Durning played just 18 minutes but scored the second goal in a 2-0 triumph over Franklin & Marshall on Sept. 15 in Allentown. At Upper Perkiomen, Durning was a kicker on the football team and was the first female to score points in the team’s history. SOPHIA KOPKO (PHOENIXVILLE) » The 5-foot-10 sophomore defender has started all seven games for the Eckerd women’s soccer team, which is 4-2-1 overall and 1-2-0 in the Sunshine State Conference. Eckerd recorded a 3-0 victory over Florida Tech last Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla. Kopko picked up a goal in a season-opening 9-0 victory over Webber International on Aug. 30. All four of Eckerd’s victories have come via shutouts, the team giving up just six goals on the season. Kopko started all 14 games for the team as a freshman.

JAKE ADAMS (POTTSGROVE) » The 6-foot-3, 275-pound redshirt sophomore is starting at right tackle for the Kutztown football team, which is 3-0 after a 48-33 victory over Gannon on Sept. 15 in Erie. The Golden Rams, averaging 38 points a game, had 579 yards in total offense in the game, including 394 yards through the air. The team has 1,525 yards in total offense with 1,107 in the air. Adams, who has started all three games, played in seven games as a freshman with three starts.