Spider Sports Recap | Sept. 23 through Oct. 2

Women’s Soccer

Sept. 29: Tie against Rhode Island 

The University of Richmond Spiders tied with the University of Rhode Island with a final score of 0-0 after 90 minutes of play. Junior goalkeeper Taylor Montague collected eight saves for her third shutout of the season. The Spiders attempted nine shots during the game, two of which were on goal versus Rhode Island’s 26 shots with eight on goal. Senior forward Molly Wierman had both of UR's shots on goals in four attempts.

Oct. 2: Loss 3-0 against VCU

The Spiders fell to Virginia Commonwealth University 3-0, as UR moved to 1-8-3 on the season, still searching for their first conference win. The Spiders took four shots in 90 minutes with one shot on goal. Montague tallied three saves, and sophomore forward Emma Coleman led Richmond with two shots, tallying the only shot on goal for the Spiders.

Football

Oct. 1: Loss 30-27 against Elon

UR’s football team lost 30-27 in double-overtime against Elon University. The Spiders moved to 3-2 overall on the season and 1-1 in Colonial Athletic League play. Graduate quarterback Reece Udinski went 42-58 with 383 passing yards and two touchdowns. Graduate wide receiver Jakob Herres led Spider receivers with a season-high 174 receiving yards and 12 receptions. The Spiders had a chance to secure the victory in the fourth quarter, but a turnover on downs allowed Elon to tie the game with a 42-yard field goal in the final seconds. In the first overtime, the Spiders and Elon scored one touchdown each and converted the extra point sending the game into double over time. In the second overtime, redshirt Junior kicker Jake Larson made a 47-yard field goal attempt, putting the Spiders up by three. Three plays later, Elon ran in a touchdown to win the game.

Women’s Cross Country 

Sept. 30: Paul Short Run 

The women’s cross-country team placed 31st in the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University. In the College Gold 6K, seven of nine UR runners set new personal records. The Spiders were led by junior Madison Trippett, who finished 107th with a 20:53.8. In the Open 6K, senior Lily Snow came out on top for UR, coming in 20th with a 22:02.6.

Men’s Cross Country

Sept. 30: Paul Short Run 

The men’s cross-country team placed 37th in the Paul Short Run. Junior Stuart Terrill led the Spiders in the men in the College Gold 8K, placing 50th with a 23:39.2, setting a new personal record from his previous best of 24:42.5. Seven of the nine Spiders who ran the 8K set new personal records. In the 6K, junior William Tune ran a 26:13.4, and senior Evan Leach clocked a new personal record with a 26:12.4.

Women’s Tennis

Sept. 23: Cissie Leary Invitational

The Spiders took three singles matches and one doubles match on Friday to open up the Cissie Leary Invitational against Columbia University. Junior Leonor Oliveira, senior Marta Buendia and redshirt sophomore Claire Le Du won the singles for the Spiders. Buendia and first-year Elizabeth Novak won the sole doubles match for UR on Friday.

Sept. 24: Cissie Leary Invitational

The Spiders came out strong against Drexel University, winning five of its six singles matches. The wins came from first-year Lara Bakhaya, junior Carly Cohen, senior Andrea Campodonico, Novak and Le Du. In the doubles matches, the Spiders took two of three from Drexel, with wins coming from Oliveira/Cohen and Bakhaya/Buendia. 

Sept. 25: Cissie Leary Invitational

The Spiders won one singles match and two doubles on Friday against the University of Pennsylvania. Buendia won her singles in three sets, going 4-0 over the weekend. The Spiders took two of three in doubles against Penn, with wins from Oliveira/Cohen and Campodonico/Bakhaya, 6-2 and 7-5, respectively. Buendia led the way for the Spiders, finishing 2-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles. 

Field Hockey

Sept. 25: Loss to No. 1 Northwestern 

The field hockey team fell to No. 1 Northwestern University 5-0. The Spiders took 10 shots, five on goal, compared to Northwestern’s 21 shots with 16 on goal. Senior goalkeeper Erika Latta recorded a season-high 11 saves. First-year Lainey Nichols tallied four of the 10-shot attempts for the Spiders, two of which were on goal.

Sept. 30: Loss to No. 10 Saint Joseph’s

The Spiders lost 6-0 to No. 10 Saint Joseph’s University, moving to 5-5 on the season and 2-1 in Atlantic 10 play. UR fell behind 3-0 in the first quarter and was unable to score a goal in 60 minutes of play. UR took six shots, three were on goal, compared to Saint Joseph’s 18 shots with 12 on goal. Senior midfielder Lindsey Frank led the Spiders with two shots, while first-year midfielder Madelyn Curtis, senior midfielder Regan McCrossan, junior midfielder Cori Nichols and first-year midfielder Jess McMeeking each tallied one shot.

Oct. 2: Loss to Lafayette 

The Spiders lost to Lafayette College 4-3. McCrossan scored UR's first goal, tying the game 1-1 with 27 seconds left in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Lafayette took a 2-1 lead, but a goal from Nichols tied the game at two-all with six seconds remaining before halftime. In the third quarter, the Spiders went scoreless, and Lafayette took a 3-2 lead. During the fourth quarter, Frank tied the game at 3-3 with a goal in the 49th minute. Lafayette would go on to score the game-winning goal in the 54th minute. 

Men’s Golf

Sept. 24: MacDonald Cup

The men’s golf team ended day one of Yale’s MacDonald Cup in third place in the 11-team field at 710 (+10). The Spiders were nine shots behind University of Minnesota from the Big Ten, the current tournament leader. First-year Drew Carlin led the way for the Spiders, wrapping up the day tied for sixth on the individual leaderboard at 138 (-2). Carlin tallied seven birdies and five bogeys through 36 holes. Seniors Ben Cooper and Lou Baker sat in 10th and 12th place, respectively.

Sept. 25: MacDonald Cup

The Spiders concluded the MacDonald Cup, combining for a 1-over 351 in the final round to finish fourth among the 11 teams participating. Carlin shot 69-69-68/206 (-4) to tie for third on the individual leaderboard. His placement was the best finish by a first-year since the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship. Baker tied for 13th, sophomore Cole Ekert tied for 22nd, graduate student Michael Childress and Cooper tied for 34th, and junior Garrett Clark tied for 39th. All six Spiders finished in the top 40. 

Women’s Golf

Sept. 23: The Lady Paladin 

The Spiders sat in last place at the end of day one of The Lady Paladin. UR shot 311 (+23), combining for 12 birdies, tied for sixth-most in the field of 18, but only 38 pars, 10 fewer than any team. Junior Rory Weinfurther led things for the Spiders, making three straight birdies on the first three holes and playing her final nine holes in 2-under par to finish tied for 24th on the individual leaderboard. Sophomore Lauren Jones and first-year Olivia Wilkie shot 78 (+6) and were both tied for 59th. 

Sept. 24: The Lady Paladin 

After getting off to a slow start, the Spiders combined for a team score of 295 (+7) in the second round. The 16-shot improvement moved the Spiders up six spots on the team leaderboard to tie with Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast for 12th place. Jones led UR with a 1-over 73, while Weinfurther, Wilkie and first-year Hannah Lydic each shot 74 (+2). Weinfurther remained 24th on the individual leader board at 148 (+4) to lead all Spiders. 

Sept. 25: The Lady Paladin 

The Spiders women's golf team completed its fall competition, placing 14th in the 18-team field. Weinfurther moved up eight positions, shooting 221 (+5) to finish tied for 17th, the top finish for UR. Jones shot a season-best 225 (+9) to tie for 35th. Wilkie finished two shots behind with a 227 (+11), tying for 46th. Lydic shot 234 (+18) to finish 80th. Senior Kendall Miller tied for 88th at 242 (+26).

Contact sports writer Anabella Pelaez at anabella.pelaez@richmond.edu.