After a rocky start to their season, the Houghton women’s soccer team still finds themselves in fourth place in the Empire 8 Conference. After their last four conference matches, the Highlanders came out with a record of 2-2. The play on the defensive end was outstanding. Led by the play of junior goalkeeper Sadie Dunnett ‘20 the team surrendered only 3 goals over the stretch. “Although we’ve had a bit of a rocky season, we’re feeling optimistic looking forward. We played well against Nazareth who is a solid team, despite an unfortunate result,” said Dunnett. “We commit every season to the Lord and we hope to play out the next few games in a way that is pleasing to Him.” The Highlanders will travel to Stevens on Saturday, Oct. 28 to play in what will be their most important contest of the year. After claiming a 3-3-1 record in conference, the team needs only one more Empire 8 win to clinch a berth in the Empire 8 tournament; Stevens will be their last chance to do so.
After six straight disappointing contests, the men’s soccer team finally made its way back into the win column against Alfred State College on Thursday, Oct. 19. In the 4-0 victory, three Highlanders were able to hit nylon for the first time time in their collegiate careers. Those goals were scored by sophomore forward, Dan Bussy ‘20, junior defender Darcy Mitchell ‘19, and sophomore defender Caleb Kaiss ‘20. Junior midfielder, Zach Shilvock ‘19 also contributed a goal of his own. Unfortunately, the team will not be making the Empire 8 tournament, but the future looks bright for this young squad. The team will head to Nazareth College on Saturday to play their last game of the season.
The women’s tennis team made history this season by becoming the first team in their program’s young history to compete in the Empire 8 tournament. The team played hard, but was defeated by Nazareth College with a score of 5-0. “It was very exciting to see all of our team’s hard work moving towards an achievable goal. Making it to the final four tournament this season was a great bonding experience for us. I am very thankful to be a part of tennis here at Houghton,” said team captain Amanda Carl ’19. The win was a huge step in the right direction for a program that is now threatening to make themselves the top team in the conference.
The cross country teams had another solid outing at the Highlander Invitational at the Field of Dreams. The weather held up for the men’s team, and it showed. The team had six runners finish in under 29 minutes led by Matthew Gostomski ‘19, followed by Daniel Burdo ‘20, Tyler Deuschle ‘20, Joel Wheeler ‘21, Dominik Sullivan ‘21, and Dillon Bell ‘21. The team’s top five was an average of 27:43.7. “It was nice to be able to see what shape we were in and what we can do in good conditions,” said Daniel Burdo about the race. Unfortunately, bad weather rolled in for the women’s team. The top five averaged a time of 26:08.2, led by Shelby Langlois ‘20, followed by Emily Blosdale ‘20, Rachel Hummel ‘18, Gwen Stokes ‘20, and Anja Oberg ‘21.
Women’s volleyball, currently on a four game losing streak, will look to make their way back into the win column this weekend when they host Canton, Keuka, and Allegheny. Unfortunately, the team will not be making an appearance in the conference tournament. Despite the disappointing end, the Highlanders fought well all season. This young squad will be one to contend with in the coming years.
Women’s field hockey came up with a huge conference win against Elmira, jumping out in front early and cruising to a 4-1 win. The win improved their conference record to 2-6 and kept their playoff hopes alive. The rest is out of their hands. Saturday’s games will determine who snags the last spot in the tournament. The team will play their last game here at home against SUNY Morrisville on Saturday, October 28 at 2:00 p.m.