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Sport Notebook: Rangers still without a win

October 1, 2011 Sports
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Westborough couldn’t stop Hudson’s senior tailback back Dave Meuse last Friday night. Meuse ran for 195 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries as the Rangers were blanked 36-0 in the Mid-Wach B opener for both teams.

The Rangers (0-3) host Milford tomorrow at 2 p.m. Milford (2-1) enters the matchup on a roll after beating perennial Central Mass. Division 1 power Leominster last Saturday.

The Rangers trailed just 14-0 at the half. But Hudson’s defense held the Rangers to minus-5 yards and two turnovers on the first four drives of the second half.

The Rangers had two drives stall inside Hudson territory early in the game. Late in the first half Westborough had first-and-goal from the 10, but could not score. Sophomore quarterback Dan Orlando used his speed to move the Rangers down the field. On fourth-and-4, he tried to run off to the right but was stopped 2 yards shy of the end zone.

Westborough’s failure to score was a key point in the game.

“For us at this point, if we can’t get in after a halfway decent drive it hurts,” Westborough coach Mark Ellis said. “It’s deflating right away to us. I thought we were able to pick the guys up at halftime I thought they were ready to go but it just becomes disheartening when you don’t come out and put a drive together at that point.”

 

Girls Soccer

Sophomore defender Kylie Bradley scored the game-winning goal on a free kick midway through the second half to lift Westborough’s girls soccer team over Hudson 1-0 in a Mid-Wach B matchup on Tuesday.

Keeper Marissa Goebel made three saves for the shutout. Bradley, center midfielder Amy Wilichowski, outside midfielder Cara Berg and defender Sarah Connors played well for the Rangers (3-5-1, 3-1-1 MWB).

“We controlled the game, but just could not score enough,” said Westborough coach Paul Mumby. “But it was nice to get the win, especially against a rival in our league.”

In a non-league game last Saturday, senior defender Jill Horka scored two minutes into the second half off a corner kick from junior Susanna Wright, but Westborough was tipped by Wachusett 2-1.

Horka’s tally temporarily tied the game at 1, before Wachusett put it away minutes later.

Laura Hetherman scored the goal for Westborough in a 2-1 loss to unbeaten Nashoba in a Mid-Wach B match last Thursday.

Hetherman scored on a penalty kick two minutes into the second half to pull the Rangers temporarily even at 1-1. Keeper Liz Hastings made seven saves for the Rangers.

 

Boys soccer

Westborough’s Zach Silverman scored the tying goal and goalkeeper Logan Desanti made a tie-preserving save with five seconds left in the match as Rangers battled Nashoba to a 1-1 draw in a Mid-Wach B game last Thursday in Bolton.

After Nashoba took a 1-0 halftime lead, Silverman tied it in the 53rd minute on a set up from Loic Pennick.

Desanti made 11 saves, including one by deflecting the ball over the crossbar in the closing seconds.

Jamie Plowman was a defensive standout for Westborough. Silverman and Pennick also played solid games.

“This was our best game so far,” said Westborough coach Dominique Trotin. “We played well as a team. It was nice to see a lot of intensity. It probably the first game we played two full halves.”

In a Mid-Wach MB match on Tuesday, the Rangers fell 3-1 to Hudson.

After Hudson took a 2-0 halftime lead, Pennick scored on a penalty kick to make it a one-goal game in the second half. Then Hudson sealed the win with a goal 10 minutes later.

Westborough keeper Jason Lamont stopped 11 shots to keep the Rangers in the match. Others standouts for the Rangers (0-6-1, 0-4-1 MWB) were Billy Casey on defense and Cian Merritt at both center midfield and forward.

In a Mid-Wach B game last Tuesday, Westborough was blanked 4-0 by Groton-Dunstable. The Rangers were outshot 20-1 in the match.

 

Boys cross country

Senior Brendan Robertson finished in 16:50 over the 3.1-mile home course as Westborough swept the top seven places to cruise past Hudson 15-50 in a Mid-Wach B meet Tuesday.

John Egan was second for the Rangers (2-1) in 17:54, followed by Mark Aronson (3rd, 18:02), Andrew Lampi (4th, 18:43), Brendan Anzures (5th, 19:12). Alex Coggins (6th, 20:10) and Mike Bogan-Mullen (7th, 20:13).

 

Girls cross country

Caroline Dennett led a sweep of the top four places for Westborough with a time of 21:46 over the 3.1-mile course at Veterans Memorial Field in a 16-47 Mid-Wach B victory over Hudson.

Rachel Harris finished second (23:16), Helen Gross was third (23:4) and Krissy Rowe came in fourth (20:43) for the Rangers (2-1).

Erin Reynolds (6th, 24:07), Claire Gitkind (7th, 24:10), Rachel Sudol (8th, 24:12) and Lillian Chen (10th, 25:05) were other top-10 finishers for Westborough.

 

Field hockey

Freshman Michaila Parent scored two second-half goals as Westborough (0-3-3) rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie Westford 2-2 in a non-league matchup Tuesday.

Goalie Emily Humphries kept the Rangers (0-3-3, 0-1-1 Mid-Wach B) in it with a 10-save effort. Senior Erica Price assisted on Parent’s first goal and Amy Lightbody got an assist on her second.

Senior tri-captains Anna Petrunich, Rachel Siegal and Michelle Ziedonis all played strong games for the Rangers, who trailed 1-0 at the half.

 

Girls volleyball

Addie D’Luzansky had 11 digs as Westborough swept Milford 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-18) in a Mid-Wach A match on Tuesday.

Senior middle hitter Krystle Armand had seven kills and two blocks for Westborough (5-2, 2-2 MWA).

Senior setter Stephanie Melvin recorded 25 assists as Westborough swept Medway 3-2 (25-21, 27-25, 25-22) in a non-league match last Wednesday.

Senior outside hitter Juliette Lloyd had 10 kills and three aces for the Rangers, who also got nine service points from sophomore Jessica McDermott.

In a Mid-Wach A match last Friday, junior Carolyn Monette served four aces and Samantha Kehoe hit six kills as Westborough swept host North Middlesex 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-18).

 

Golf

Mike Rodenbush was match medalist for Westborough with an even-par 36, but the Rangers were edged 28-26 by Hudson in Mid-Wach B action on Tuesday at the Westborough Country Club.

Nic Ross and John Stanton both shot a 39 for Rangers (3-5-2, 3-4-2 MWA), who must win four of their final six dual matches to qualify for the tournament. The improving Stanton, a junior, has moved from sixth to third in the lineup.

Rodenbush shot an par-36 to earn co-medalist honors for Westborough in a 31.5-22.5 loss to unbeaten Nashoba in a Mid-Wach B match at the Westborough Country Club last Thursday.

Villiger: Autonomy of the sport in danger

October 1, 2011 Sports
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There has been a lot of media coverage recently regarding the situation of Swiss top flight club FC Sion, who have taken FIFA and European football’s governing body UEFA to court over a FIFA-imposed transfer ban. Marco Villiger, FIFA’s Director of Legal Affairs, gives his view on the case and considers its consequences.

FIFA.com: Please tell us what the FC Sion case is all about…
Marco Villiger: The club signed Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary despite the player already being under contract with another club. As a result, the Dispute Resolution Chamber handed FC Sion and their professional department Olympique des Alpes SA a transfer ban lasting two full and consecutive transfer periods. This was confirmed by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. FC Sion President Christian Constantin then involved the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, who also approved FIFA’s decision. In April 2011, FIFA reminded FC Sion of their pending transfer ban. The players they signed during that period knew when they agreed their contracts that due to the transfer ban, they would not be eligible to play. Despite this, those players argued their case in front of a regional court and received a temporary playing permit. FC Sion’s opponents in the national league protested and consequently the club was temporarily excluded from the UEFA Europa League and replaced by Celtic.

Where does FIFA stand on the case?
This is one of many cases we’re involved in. We have around 3,500 such contractual disagreements every year, although in the large part clubs do play by the rules. Normally FIFA does not comment on ongoing cases, but we are being a little more open about this one because the other side have been so aggressive in the media. Football fans are losing a sense of what the case is about. Both sports judicial courts and Swiss courts of law have decreed us to be in the right and this must be upheld.

What does this mean for football?
An enormous amount of damage has already been done to Swiss football and the autonomy of the sport. Associations are becoming more and more anxious and the structure of the sport is in danger. It’s irresponsible as the President of a club to bring football into such disrepute. In the long term, he is damaging himself too. Mr Constantin, as President of FC Sion, not to mention the players, signed an agreement and therefore knew the rules. Because results weren’t going their way, they went to court. It has caused chaos. If every club went to a local court when they disagreed with something, international football would no longer be possible. Arguments over the games which involved ineligible players will continue long after this case is closed. Sooner or later sanctions will be implemented. Ultimately, once the temporary injunction is lifted, the case will be a very clear one.”

What does this mean with regard to the matches and the players involved?
In civil law, if you obtain a temporary injunction but are subsequently adjudged to be in the wrong, you would be liable for damages. In sport, the equivalent solution is to forfeit the matches, meaning the opponent gets the victory. The players signed a contract in the knowledge that they were ineligible to play. The legal consequences of their actions in terms of their employment are yet to be determined.

How do you see this case affecting the future of football?
If a sanction which has been approved by the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland can no longer be enforced due to the decision of another court, then it will be a dark day for sport. However, I don’t think it will get that far. We have to fight to ensure any decrees we make which are approved by all authorities are subsequently upheld. If we don’t, we may as well give up making decisions altogether. The member associations are responsible for enforcing these decrees. If an association chooses not to enforce it, it’s up to us to sanction them. Possible sanctions include suspensions, expulsion from competitions and so forth. If we can no longer enforce decrees, the whole system is in danger.

Sullivan Middle starts ‘self-supported’ sport

October 1, 2011 Sports
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With the school board’s blessing, Sullivan is now the only one of Rock Hill’s five middle schools offering soccer.

The school will field two teams – one for girls, one for boys – of about 20 seventh- and eighth-graders. They’ll compete against Fort Mill and Clover middle schools. Practice starts in late January.

“I’m really happy,” seventh-grader Alyssa Jones said. “A lot of people have been asking about it. Now that we finally have soccer, we can finally play together.”

To come up with $3,300 to launch the program, organizers sought partners.

Discoveries Soccer club will donate balls and equipment, train coaches and hold skills training clinics for players. Rock Hill’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department is lending the school goals and nets to place on its football field. The athletic booster club is pitching in about $2,000. The $25 athletic fee that students must pay to play will cover the rest.

“Anything that gets kids touching a soccer ball is great for the sport,” said Dom Wren, Discoveries’ executive director of coaching.

Sullivan’s program adds to the sport’s growing popularity in Rock Hill, Wren said.

In recent years, Northwestern High’s boys soccer team has captured state championships. ESPN named Enzo Martinez, a former Discoveries player and Northwestern star, “Player of the Decade.”

In June, Rock Hill was chosen to host the 2012 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship.

“All the things we’ve got going on with soccer … it’s just fantastic to see,” Wren said. “Rock Hill is a hotbed of soccer for South Carolina.”

At Sullivan, kids are buzzing about the beautiful game. About 100 students showed up for a recent informational meeting about the sport.

“It was amazing,” said Owen Privette, Sullivan’s athletic director. “I was thinking maybe 50, 60.”

Among them were many students who don’t currently take part in an extra-curricular activity.

“Because everybody’s talking about it, they’re getting interested,” Alyssa said.

That’s encouraging, said Waiksnis, who sees it as a chance to engage more students.

“It’s probably going to be our most popular sport,” he said.

School board member Ann Reid said soccer, widely considered the world’s most popular sport, fits nicely with Sullivan’s International Baccalaureate program. Under IB, Sullivan teachers work to incorporate a broader, global perspective in lessons, focusing on students’ international identity.

As a school of choice for IB, meaning any student in the district can attend, soccer could become a draw for students at other schools.

But athletic rules prevent an eighth-grader in the choice program from playing, Waiksnis said.

“We don’t want to be in the business of having students come for athletics,” he said. “We want people to come for our academic program.”

Other middle schools could follow Sullivan’s lead.

Castle Heights Middle is trying intramural soccer, which Sullivan did before winning the school board’s approval.

Saluda Trail and Rawlinson Road middle schools’ principals said they are considering adding the sport.

Dan Ballou, whose two daughters attend sixth and eighth grade at Sullivan, said he and other parents are as excited about the new sport as the students are.

“We’ve been dealing with a lot of cutbacks,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to provide more opportunities.”

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