Spider Sports Recap | Week of Sept. 25

Cross Country 

Sept. 29: Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational 

Both the University of Richmond men’s and women’s cross country squads took on South Bend, Indiana for the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational. The women’s team competed in the 5K event and placed 2nd overall out of 19 schools. Only ahead of the Spiders on the women’s side was The University of Akron. Senior Madison Trippett led the way for UR, finishing in sixth place with a time of 17:28.7. Next for the women’s squad were senior Elizabeth Stockman and sophomore Brooke Reif, who finished 16th and 19th, respectively, to round out the top 20. On the men’s side, runners competed in the Gold 5 Mile event where the Spiders placed 11th out of 16 schools. Sophomore Henry Haase was UR’s forest finisher, placing 23rd overall for the Spiders with a time of 24:57.5. The cross country squads will travel next to Charlottesville, Virginia to compete in the XC 23 Invitational Oct. 14. 

Field Hockey 

Sept. 29: Loss 4-3 vs. Lock Haven University 

After four straight victories, the field hockey team lost in a tight 4-3 matchup against Lock Haven. The Spiders were put on their heels early as Lock Haven scored first a little over 10 minutes into the first period, but then UR was able to retaliate with a score of its own from senior midfielder Cori Nichols. First-year defender Freya MacKay and senior midfielder Alexandria Lavelle both assisted on the goal. Junior forward Stevie Drum scored the next goal for the Spiders in the second period, putting the team up by a goal, 2-1. With under three minutes to go in the third period, Lock Haven tied things up and then added to its total with another goal a little over eight minutes into the final period. Almost three minutes later, it was Lock Haven who scored again to give the Spiders a two goal deficit to climb out of. Sophomore midfielder Jess McMeeking scored with under three to play in the final period off an assist from Nichols, but the Spiders’ efforts were not enough to capture a fifth straight win. UR’s record sits at 6-4 with eight regular season games remaining. The team’s next game is at La Salle University at 3 p.m. Oct. 6. 

Football 

Sept. 30: Loss 31-14 vs. Hampton University 

After a narrow victory over Stony Brook University, the Spiders returned home to face the Hampton Pirates. With starter redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Wickersham and second-string redshirt junior quarterback Jackson Hardy out with injuries, the team went with redshirt first-year quarterback Ashten Snelsire. Snelsire played one drive for the Spiders and then it was up to first-year quarterback Camden Coleman to lead the offense. Hampton scored late in the first quarter to put the Pirates up 7-0 over the Spiders to start things off. The Pirates then scored again to make things 14-0 at the 7:29 mark of the second quarter. With one second in the first half remaining, the Pirates got one more score on the board with a field goal to put the Spiders down 17 heading into halftime. In the third quarter, UR finally found the endzone and joined the Pirates on the scoreboard after Coleman threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior tight end Brooks Heagarty. By the end of the third, the score was 17-7 in favor of Hampton. The Pirates would go on to score again, making things 24-7, but UR stuck in the ball game with another touchdown, this time a 25-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Nick DeGennaro to make things 24-14. But, much to the Spiders’ chagrin, that would be the team’s last score of the day and Hampton would go on to win 31-14, bringing the UR’s record to 2-3 on the season. UR’s next game is home against the University of Maine at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 7. 

Women’s Soccer

Oct. 1: Win 2-1 vs. St. Bonaventure University 

After five straight losses, the Spiders finally got a victory, which was their first over an Atlantic 10 opponent. The Bonnies started things off with a penalty kick goal a little over 30 minutes into the first half, putting the Spiders down early. However, in the second half, the tides shifted and UR gained momentum as the Spiders scored twice to put things away. The team’s first goal came from graduate forward Molly Wierman off a free kick. Senior midfielder Hannah Antonick then headed a ball past the Bonnies’ goalkeeper after a missed shot seconds earlier by the Spiders. Senior goalkeeper Taylor Montague tallied five saves on the match, adding to her season total of now 46. The Spiders, who now sit at 3-7-3 overall, have their next game away against Saint Louis University at 2 p.m. Oct. 8. 

Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu