Men’s Soccer
The Houghton Men’s Soccer team kicked its season off at the Oswego tournament on September 1. After dropping the first game to Oswego by a score of 5-0, they were able to rebound and squeak out a 3-2 win in an overtime contest with SUNY Purchase. In their home opener the Highlanders fell behind Hiram due to a penalty kick scored by the Terriers. The equalizing goal came from junior striker, Ben Lawrence; it was his first of the season. Lawrence would go on to win Empire 8 offensive player of the week. Twenty minutes later, game winning goal was scored by junior midfielder, Zach Shilvock. The goal was Shilvock’s first as a Highlander and could not have come at a more important time. “After taking a year off, it felt great to be able to start off strong and help the team right away.” said Shilvock.
The Highlanders split their games in the Fredonia tournament and currently hold a record of (3-2). You can see the team in action on Wednesday, September 13 at 7:00 on Burke Field as they take on SUNY Geneseo.
Women’s Soccer
Women’s soccer stumbled out of the gate losing games to Mary Washington and Brockport. Despite the early hiccups, the team is still in great shape. Perhaps one of the brightest spots is the young talent joining the team this year including freshman striker, Kealy DeForest. DeForest’s first career goal as a Highlander was also the first of the team’s season. “Pure excitement of the fact that I had just scored my first collegiate goal! I’m so thankful for the amazing supportive team, and coach I have. They have really helped me grow as a person, and player!” said DeForest.
“We are excited to have such a large freshman class joining our team this year…many of them have the ability to start, or play a fair amount of minutes” said senior captain, Jess Beattie.
The start may not have been what they expected, but that doesn’t change the way the team sees their season. “Every year our team expectation is to play good soccer for the glory of God. The team goal this season is to advance to the NCAA tournament… Besides the rough start, the team expects to come out with some wins over the next couple weeks to turn our season around.” said Beattie.
The Highlanders will look to do just that on Wednesday, September 13 as they travel to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
Women’s Field Hockey
The Houghton Field Hockey team came out firing to open their season winning their first three contests against SUNY Oswego, Keystone, and Keuka. Unfortunately, the first misstep came in the form of a 1-0 loss to Washington and Jefferson on Saturday, September 9. “We’ve had a strong start to our season and we are really hoping to prove our consistency as the season progresses. Overall we aspire to be a team that models excellence for the glory of God on the field, in the classroom, and in our lifestyles.” Said senior Alyson DeMerchant.
The Highlanders will travel to SUNY Cortland on Tuesday September 12.
Volleyball
Brianne Starks got off to a great start in her premier season as head coach of the Highlanders Volleyball team. The team won three out of four in their St. Lawrence Tournament. The team now holds a record of (5-4) after dropping three of their next five. “We’re hoping to redeem ourselves tomorrow against [Buffalo] State, who we beat in three a couple weekends ago. They are a strong team but we managed to outplay them last time.” said sophomore Jaimee Glendenning.
Women’s Tennis
The Houghton Women’s Tennis team started off slow this year dropping two conference matches between St. John Fisher, and Nazareth. Fortunately the team fired back against the newest member of the Empire 8, Sage College, beating them by a score of 5-4. That momentum carried into the team’s most recent match as they rolled to an 8-1 win over Pitt-Bradford. “Last year we ended up fifth in our conference, this year we are looking to be fourth in the Empire 8” said Senior Jacqi Lewis. Achieving that goal would land the Highlanders a spot in the conference tournament.