The weather was far from ideal, but the win Wednesday night for the CNU women's soccer team was a big one. Ruth Keegan's team got off to a rocky start this year, but they seem to be coming together at just the right time.
Conference play is coming up for all CNU teams, and any time you can beat a Salisbury team is a quality win. CNU is now over the .500 mark at 5-4-1.
Let's see if the Captains can use the win as a springboard...they play Sunday at St. Mary's before USA South play opens up next weekend.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Volleyball Moving Up
Tonight at the Freeman Center the CNU volleyball squad hosts Shenandoah in USA South action. The doubleheader action begins at 5 pm....
The new volleyball poll released today has the Captains tied for the #6 spot in the country...come out and support Lindsay Birch's outstanding squad tonight!
The new volleyball poll released today has the Captains tied for the #6 spot in the country...come out and support Lindsay Birch's outstanding squad tonight!
Men's Soccer adds another #1
Clean sweep for the men' s soccer squad...the Captains are #1 in the nation in both the d3soccer.com poll as well as the national coaches poll...first time ever!
CNU #1 in Men's Soccer
Congrats to Steve Shaw and the CNU men's soccer team. The Captains are the new #1 team in the country in Division III according to the weekly poll from d3soccer.com. The Captains are 8-0 so far and play at Virginia Wesleyan Wednesday night.
Last year, in a year that saw the Captains advance all the way to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament, CNU was also ranked #1 in the nation during the season by the National Soccer Coaches Association. That ranking didn't come until mid-October, and marked the first time in school history a team sport had been ranked #1 in the country.
By all accounts, this is a team with strong talent and resolve. Should be a fun ride for CNU as
the season progresses.
Last year, in a year that saw the Captains advance all the way to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament, CNU was also ranked #1 in the nation during the season by the National Soccer Coaches Association. That ranking didn't come until mid-October, and marked the first time in school history a team sport had been ranked #1 in the country.
By all accounts, this is a team with strong talent and resolve. Should be a fun ride for CNU as
the season progresses.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
In anticipation for the season opener against powerhouse Wesley this weekend, head coach Matt Kelchner has had to make decisions at key positions. Last year, both the quarterback and running back positions were in flux throughout the season, due to unfortunate injuries.
This year, at least at quarterback, the decision has been made.
“Matt [Long] is right now the number one quarterback,” said Kelchner. “He’ll go into it starting and we’ll play it from there.” Long started last season, but was hampered by a knee injury.
That’s not to say that other players haven’t been given consideration.
“Christian Woelfel-Monsivais and Aaron Edwards have had good preseasons, [Antonio] Epps has played it,” said Kelchner, adding that Epps has also been playing some wideout in preseason.
While Long looks to be the go-to quarterback come Saturday, the decision hasn’t been so simple at running back.
“Right now we’ve got four running backs listed on the depth chart ready to play at tailback, and we’ve got two or three listed that are h-back,” said Kelchner. He’ll rotate players throughout the game, keeping everybody as fresh as possible through the final whistle.
“I want to give two or three guys a chance to play who haven’t played much at that position and see what they do in a game situation,” said Kelchner. “We’ve got some talent, we’ve got some experience there, but we don’t have a lot of quality reps at tailback.”
When I asked if he’s been working all of those players throughout the preseason, he answered immediately—“Every one of them. They’re all getting reps. They’re all gonna be ready to play.”
Look for some hungry players in the backfield this weekend, all of them with something to prove.
Some images from Tuesday's practice:
I’ll be out of town this weekend, so look for a football recap next week, as well as the beginning of coverage of the rest of the CNU fall sports. Go Captains!
This year, at least at quarterback, the decision has been made.
“Matt [Long] is right now the number one quarterback,” said Kelchner. “He’ll go into it starting and we’ll play it from there.” Long started last season, but was hampered by a knee injury.
That’s not to say that other players haven’t been given consideration.
“Christian Woelfel-Monsivais and Aaron Edwards have had good preseasons, [Antonio] Epps has played it,” said Kelchner, adding that Epps has also been playing some wideout in preseason.
While Long looks to be the go-to quarterback come Saturday, the decision hasn’t been so simple at running back.
“Right now we’ve got four running backs listed on the depth chart ready to play at tailback, and we’ve got two or three listed that are h-back,” said Kelchner. He’ll rotate players throughout the game, keeping everybody as fresh as possible through the final whistle.
“I want to give two or three guys a chance to play who haven’t played much at that position and see what they do in a game situation,” said Kelchner. “We’ve got some talent, we’ve got some experience there, but we don’t have a lot of quality reps at tailback.”
When I asked if he’s been working all of those players throughout the preseason, he answered immediately—“Every one of them. They’re all getting reps. They’re all gonna be ready to play.”
Look for some hungry players in the backfield this weekend, all of them with something to prove.
Some images from Tuesday's practice:
I’ll be out of town this weekend, so look for a football recap next week, as well as the beginning of coverage of the rest of the CNU fall sports. Go Captains!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Four more days 'til Wesley
On Friday, CNU football scrimmaged against the Fork Union Military Academy at home. While there was a small crowd gathered, and the Captains won 13-8, the focus was less on the scoreboard and more on preparing players for live game action.
“Scrimmage went like most scrimmages—some good, some bad,” said head coach Matt Kelchner. His main goal was to “see who would play hard, see who would play with intensity and see who knew what their assignments were.”
Kelchner was paying particular attention to position assignments, noting which players lined up and executed plays successfully. As opposed to a regular season game, however, the team spent minimal time preparing a game plan specifically tailored for Fork Union.
Their main goal is to beat Wesley College, ranked third in the nation, in the season opener this Saturday. In fact, Kelchner’s had his eye on that game since last season. He held 16 practices in the spring, and 22 more this season, all looking forward to the home opener.
“You’re looking at 38 practices with the same stuff, and we should have it repped out enough that we are very sharp and very precise,” said Kelchner.
“The other things we had to find out was some special teams issues, some kicking game depth. We wanted to get some young kids on the field,” he added. “We did have some young guys that really raised up, showed us that they can get on the field and help us Saturday with special teams work.”
That trend continued in Tuesday’s practice. To end the day, the special teams ran field goal drills at varying distances and positions on the field. On the last play, a 40-yard attempt, Kelchner announced that the team wouldn’t run if the field goal was good.
Players on the sidelines watched intently as the squads lined up and hiked the ball. Sophomore James Azzarelli's kick was good, and the team erupted into cheers and rushed the field as the ball easily sailed through the uprights.
Four more days ‘til Wesley.
 |
| Sophomore LB Terrell Fowler makes a backfield tackle. |
 |
| Head coach Matt Kelchner gives a universal sign of approval to the offense on the field. |
Their main goal is to beat Wesley College, ranked third in the nation, in the season opener this Saturday. In fact, Kelchner’s had his eye on that game since last season. He held 16 practices in the spring, and 22 more this season, all looking forward to the home opener.
“You’re looking at 38 practices with the same stuff, and we should have it repped out enough that we are very sharp and very precise,” said Kelchner.
 |
| Sophomore DB Dorion Jackson intercepts a pass to end the scrimmage. |
“The other things we had to find out was some special teams issues, some kicking game depth. We wanted to get some young kids on the field,” he added. “We did have some young guys that really raised up, showed us that they can get on the field and help us Saturday with special teams work.”
That trend continued in Tuesday’s practice. To end the day, the special teams ran field goal drills at varying distances and positions on the field. On the last play, a 40-yard attempt, Kelchner announced that the team wouldn’t run if the field goal was good.
 |
| Sophomore K James Azzarelli kicks a field goal in practice. |
Players on the sidelines watched intently as the squads lined up and hiked the ball. Sophomore James Azzarelli's kick was good, and the team erupted into cheers and rushed the field as the ball easily sailed through the uprights.
Four more days ‘til Wesley.
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