Spider Sports Recap | Week of Oct. 15

Women’s Soccer 

Oct. 19: Loss 0-1 vs. the University of Rhode Island

The University of Richmond women’s soccer team lost 1-0 against URI in its home finale and second to last game of its season. Overall, the Spiders recorded 13 shots with 4 on goal, but this wasn’t enough to overcome the Rams. In the first 10 minutes of the match, graduate forward Molly Wierman took a shot but was overtaken by URI as they advanced down the field. In the 18th minute of the first half, the Rams managed to score, securing their 1-0 lead. In an attempt to close the gap with the Rams in the second half, junior midfielder JoJo McShane slotted the ball into the net, but officials flagged it as an offside offense. Although the Spiders fell short of scoring, they made a considerable jump from having no corner kicks in the first half to 4 in the second. Furthermore, notable player efforts included Wierman, who paced the team with 5 shots, defensive midfielder first-year Kathryn Lennon, junior defender Sofia Mancino and graduate midfielder Caitlin Sutton, who took 2. The defeat caused the Spiders' season record to drop to 3-10-4, and their conference record dropped to 1-7-1. 

Oct. 22: Loss 3-0 vs. Duquesne University

The women’s soccer team’s season came to a bitter-sweet close with a challenging 3-0 defeat against Duquesne Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Spiders finished the 2023 season 3-11-4 overall and 1-8-1 in conference play. In the first seven minutes of the game, Wierman attempted a shot, but it was captured by the Dukes’ goalkeeper. Wierman remained the Spiders’ leading scorer with 4 goals for the year. One more scoring opportunity presented itself for the Spiders in the 37th minute, but the Spiders managed to repel the Dukes’ offensive attempts. Both teams landed at 0-0 for the end of the period. In the 55th minute, the Dukes’ marked their first goal, and nine minutes later, a second goal was scored, propelling Duquesne to 2-0. After the Dukes’ successful corner kick follow-through in the 72nd minute, the final score of 3-0 remained the same after UR missed three more attempted shots. As the 2023 season ended with a series of challenging defeats, including a 0-0 tie within the past four games, the women's soccer team is determined to rebuild and grow in the coming seasons. The following graduate students and seniors were recognized for their participation in this last 2023 game: Sutton, Casey Merz, Elyse Kimball, Hannah Antonick, Wierman, and Taylor Montague.

Field Hockey 

Oct. 20: Loss 5-0 vs. the University of Massachusetts Amherst

The Spiders faced a setback through a 5-0 defeat in their game against fellow A-10 Conference team UMass. Both teams had an underwhelming 0-0 start in the opening quarter. However, things took a turn when the Minutewomen earned two penalty corners and scored 42 seconds into quarter two. UMass scored another goal in the 25th minute. During the second quarter, the Spiders attempted 3 shots and earned 2 penalty corners but could not find the back of the net. Despite the lack of offensive action, defensively, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Rake managed to make 4 saves during the first half. In the second half, the Minutewomen scored 3 goals, two of which came from penalty corners. The Spiders, trailing behind 5 goals, attempted to narrow the gap and managed to place 4 out of 8 shots on target and 6 penalty corners, although this wasn’t enough to come up to speed with the Minutewomen. As the clock ticked with just 30 seconds remaining, sophomore midfielder Alexa Derr’s crucial shot for the Spiders was swiftly intercepted. The Spiders’ record stood at 7-8 and 2-4 in the A-10 with the loss.

Oct. 22: Loss 3-2 vs. Yale University

The field hockey team faced a tight 3-2 overtime defeat against Yale in a non-conference game on Sunday afternoon at Johnson Field in New Haven, Connecticut. The opening quarter unfolded in a 0-0 draw-out, while the Spiders and Bulldogs each had a shot and picked up 2 penalty corners. Just 22 seconds into quarter two, junior forward Stevie Drum caught an interception, evaded a Bulldog defender, and tallied her eighth goal of the season, positioning herself as the team’s leading scorer. Soon after, the Spiders struck again. Senior forward Madi Hyatt redirected a shot from senior midfielder Alexandria Lavelle, executing a penalty corner and making the Spiders’ lead 2-0 until the final 5 minutes of the game. Just when things were looking promising for the Spiders, Yale made a late sneak attack. The Bulldogs scored after capitalizing on a penalty corner and then added yet another goal with under a minute on the clock, which pushed the game to overtime. Not even a minute into the overtime period, the Bulldogs left the Spiders in the dust by scoring yet another penalty corner, closing off the competitive brawl. Although the Bulldogs surprised the Spiders with a rapid bounce-back, Rake excelled in guarding the net, making 6 saves in contrast to Yale's 2. The field hockey team is 7-9 on the season and will finish their season with a final weekend of games. UR’s next game will be at home at 3 p.m. on Oct. 27 against the Spiders’ rival, the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams. 

Football 

Oct. 21: Win 33-10 vs. North Carolina A&T State University 

This past Saturday, the University of Richmond football team left Greensboro, North Carolina after dominating North Carolina A&T through a 33-10 victory. The game featured playing time shared between redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Wickersham, who played his second game back since the Delaware State University game, and first-year quarterback Camden Coleman. Together, they contributed to a combined total of 122 rushing yards. Coleman had an exceptional first half performance with 11 successful passes. The Spiders started off the game with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Wickersham to redshirt first-year wide receiver Quanye Veney, setting the Spiders on a confident path to conquer the remainder of the game. As the first quarter came to an end, the Spiders capitalized on a fumbled punt return when sophomore defensive-back Trae Tomlinson recovered the ball at the 45-yard line. To finish off quarter one, redshirt junior kicker Andrew Lopez bridged the score up to 10-7 after completing a 21-yard field goal. After the Aggies’ two offensive possessions at the opening of the second quarter, redshirt junior defensive-back Jabril Hayes made a game-changing 48-yard pick-6. After the Spiders’ kickoff in the second quarter, the Aggies returned it for a touchdown at 9:14, making the score 17-10. After redshirt first-year wide-receiver Trey Mancuso blocked a punt from the Aggies, redshirt junior wide receiver Quintarius Jefferies recovered and ran the ball 15 yards into the endzone, marking his first touchdown as a Spider. The Spiders entered halftime with a 23-10 lead against the Aggies. With just over eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, Lopez tallied yet another field goal 35 yards out. To close out the game, graduate defensive-back Aaron Banks secured his second intercepted pass of the season and scored with just over six minutes to go, sealing the game with a confident 33-10 victory. After an exceptional defensive showing and a three-game winning streak, it’s looking hopeful for the Spiders in leveling up in their current 5-3 standing this season. The Spiders will kick off their Homecoming game against Campbell University in Robins Stadium at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 28.

Contact sports writer Aylin Bruce at aylin.bruce@richmond.edu.