The No. 7 Gophers men’s hockey team (5-3) defeated No. 14 Notre Dame 3-2 Saturday evening to complete the sweep in their first Big Ten series this season.

“[It was a] huge weekend for us,” Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said. “We dodged a bullet tonight. I really feel like Jack [LaFontaine] was great…we were able to somehow find a way to get the win. Let’s hope that it’s another step forward for us moving in the right direction.”

Like Friday’s game, the Gophers weathered an early storm of attack from the Fighting Irish in the opening half of the first period. Notre Dame had six shots on goal before Minnesota had one.

However, the Gophers found their footing quicker than on Friday. They had an early power play, which they did not convert on, but they began to build momentum from it. Senior Sammy Walker fired a shot from the top of the left circle, but the puck connected with the left post.

Junior Jackson LaCombe fired a shot from the blue line, the puck bounced off the back wall back out in front of the net, and senior Grant Cruikshank was in the right place at the right time, burying the puck home to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead 11:25 seconds into the first period.

Cruikshank’s go-ahead tally marks his second goal this season, but he remained out the rest of the game with an injury. LaCombe recorded his second assist on the goal, while freshman Rhett Pitlick collected his first collegiate point with the secondary assist.

With under three minutes to go in the first, LaCombe took a hooking penalty in front of the Gophers’ goal to help prevent a high-quality scoring chance. Then, their penalty kill units went to work and killed off Notre Dame’s man-advantage.

For almost the entire second period, neither team had many high-quality scoring opportunities. And yet again, the Gophers’ stingy penalty kill units killed off two more Notre Dame power plays.

Just as the second period winded down, Notre Dame got themselves on the scoreboard with 1.7 seconds remaining as Grant Silianoff fired a loose puck in front of the Gophers’ goal into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 after Minnesota turned the puck over in the neutral zone.
“What we did in the second period, we got to learn that lesson,” Motzko said. “Two horrendous penalties, a turnover, a terrible offsides, just things that in big games where it’s going to lead you to lose hockey games.”

The third period saw a lot more action than the first or second as junior Jonny Sorenson put the Gophers ahead 2-1 just 2:27 seconds into the final frame. He picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone, skated his way to a breakaway, and fired a nifty backhand shot into the upper right half of the net to score his first goal this season.

“He was [Sorenson] good all weekend,” Motzko said. “Using his speed, tenacity, winning battles, [it was] only fitting that he came up with a big-time goal. He’s capable of doing that so it was great to see.“

However, the Gophers’ lead did not last for more than a minute. Notre Dame came right back to tie the game after Solag Bakich finished a tic-tac-toe passing play to beat graduate student goaltender Jack LaFontaine just 29 seconds after Sorenson’s go-ahead goal.

After that, Notre Dame started gaining momentum. Then, the Gophers weathered another frenzy of attack. At around the halfway point of the third period, the Fighting Irish took 10 consecutive shots, with five of them on-net, over the span of 2:12 seconds.

The Gophers had to battle their way out of Notre Dame’s storm for much of the period, but they began to find more offensive zone time in the last seven minutes.

As the Gophers controlled the puck in the offensive zone, sophomore Brock Faber fed a drop pass to senior Blake McLaughlin at the half wall.

McLaughlin then skated the puck toward the middle at the top of the blue line, spun around, and sent a pass to junior Bryce Brodzinski at the top of the circle. Brodzinksi received the pass and fired a shot that snuck its way in to give the Gophers a late 3-2 lead with 2:15 seconds remaining in the game.

Brodzinski’s go-ahead tally marks his second game-winning goal of the series and his team-leading sixth goal this season. It also marks Faber’s fourth assist and McLaughlin’s ninth, which is also a team-high.

The Gophers held on en route to a huge bounce back weekend and sweep of Notre Dame in their first Big Ten series this season. Their penalty kill went a perfect six for six this weekend.
“It’s got to be a big part of our game this year,” Sorenson said on their penalty kill. “This weekend proved how big it can be. We let one of those in, two of those in, the games go the other way…I think we proved we have a pretty good penalty kill.”

LaFontaine made 26 saves with a .929 save percentage in the win as Notre Dame outshot the Gophers 28-24.

“It was huge, especially against a team like that,” LaFontaine said on starting off Big Ten play with a sweep. “They’re hardworking, they’re always going to play strong defense, they always have good goalies…but again, those two wins are going to go a long way and I know we can be a lot better so it’s exciting to see where this team is going to go.”

The Gophers will travel to Madison, Wis., next weekend to take on Wisconsin in their second Big Ten series this season on Friday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 8 p.m.

Junior wide receiver Jeremy Singleton breaks loose for a 55-yard catch and run on UH’s opening possession of the game against SMU on Saturday night at TDECU Stadium. | James Schillinger/The Cougar

Riding a six-game win streak, Houston made it seven wins in a row by knocking off No. 19 SMU 44-37 at TDECU Stadium on Saturday. 

The Mustangs, coming into the game ranked No. 19, played the Cougars on a cool night in a game that could decide who represents the AAC in the conference championship. 

Marching down the field on the game’s opening possession, the Cougars scored on a 9-play, 78-yard drive capped off by a 7-yard Tune touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Nathaniel Dell to put the Cougars up early.

The Dell and Tune duo pushed the Cougars to a 14-0 lead on a 48-yard touchdown pass.

The Cougars continued to dominate the first quarter as senior kicker Dalton Witherspoon hit a season-long 50-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 17-0 lead.

A 43-yard touchdown pass from SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai put the Mustangs on the board as the first quarter drew to a close. 

Following a Cougar turnover on downs, SMU needed just one play to score as 50 yard Mordecai touchdown brought the Mustangs within 7. 

After SMU found the end zone once again late in the half, a blocked SMU extra point kept the game tied at 20-20.

The Cougars marched down the field to kick a field goal as the half expired, taking a 23-20 lead into the locker room.

Opening up the half, a 100-yard kickoff return gave the Mustangs their first lead of the day, as they went up 27-23. 

An 11-play 72-yard drive capped off with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dell, his third score of the night, gave the Cougars the lead back with 9:22 left in the 3rd. 

The Mustangs responded with a downfield drive of their own, retaking the lead 34-30 late in the 3rd. 

The UH offense responded as Tune threw his fourth touchdown of the night, this time connecting with junior receiver KeSean Carter for a 4-yard score to give the Cougars a 37-34 lead minutes into the fourth quarter. 

SMU tied the game on a 45-yard field goal with 30 seconds left.

On the very next play, senior Marcus Jones once again dazzled in the return game taking the kickoff 100 yards to put UH up with 17 seconds remaining in regulation.

UH’s defense held strong on an SMU hail mary to secure the 44-37 victory.

 sports@thedailycougar.com

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“UH knocks off No. 19 SMU in a thriller” was originally posted on The Cougar

Happy Halloween! Sarah and Angela constantly gush over how much they love journalism, but of course, it’s not always so fun and exciting. This week, the pair point out some of the scariest parts of the job — from hearing your own voice on tape to communicating with editors who constantly type like they’re mad at you (even though they’re not). Click here to stream this episode of “Is It OK If I Record?” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the streaming platform of your choice. This episode was edited by Angela Yang. Music: Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod Licensed under […]

Sports editors Anthony Gharib and Adam Jasper discuss women’s soccer’s Pac-12 title hopes and preview USC football vs Arizona.

The post Talkin’ Troy S7E6: Women’s soccer title race and USC vs Arizona appeared first on Daily Trojan.

The Emory University volleyball team traveled to Ashland, Virginia, on Oct. 22 to compete at the Randolph-Macon Invitational. In the first of two matches of the weekend, the No. 12 Eagles took on Christopher Newport University (Va.), defeating the Captains in straight sets (25-19, 25-18, 25-18) to secure their fifth consecutive victory. 

Leading the charge for the Eagles were senior libero Lauren Bandera with a match-best 19 digs, freshman right side hitter Alana Dawson with a match-best 12 kills, freshman middle hitter Madison Cail with a match-best two service aces and a .545 kill percentage, as well as senior outside hitter Tara Martin and freshman outside hitter Lily Martin who tallied nine and eight kills, respectively. 

Emory started the first set strong with a kill by Cail to open the scoring, staying neck-and-neck with the Captains. The Eagles, however, opened up a four point lead at 5-5 by going on a five to one run. After sustaining their lead for the remainder of the set, the Eagles won 25-19.

In the second set, the Eagles were tested early and trailed 9-10 in the tightly contested set. After regaining the lead 11-10 with block assists from junior setter Cassie Srb, senior middle hitter Roissin O’Dowd and Tara Martin, the Eagles went on a 5-0 run at 11-11, before closing out the set at 25-18. 

In the third and final set, the Eagles trailed 4-1 early but rallied back after back-and-forth play. After trailing 12-13, the Eagles went on a five-point run fueled by consecutive kills from Lily Martin, each assisted by Srb who tallied a match-best 31 assists. Although the Captains fought back to decrease the point differential to three, the Eagles managed to hold them off, winning five of the final six points to secure the victory in straight sets. 

In the second match of the Invitational on Oct. 23, the Eagles battled for a resilient, hard-fought victory against the host Randolph-Macon College (Va.) Yellow Jackets, winning in five sets (13-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13). Leading the team were Bandera with a match-best 25 digs, Tara Martin and Dawson with 14 and 13 kills respectively and Srb with a match-best 46 assists.

In the first set, the teams went back-and-forth and ended up tied at 7-7. Shortly thereafter, though, Randolph-Macon opened up the scoring and limited the Eagles to only five more points for the rest of the set.

Despite the lack of offensive output and defensive answers in the first set, the Eagles showed grit and determination in the second to knot up the match at a set apiece. After even play from both sides for the majority of the set, the Eagles would go on a five-point run at 15-14 to create a six-point lead. The Eagles’ run was sparked by a Randolph-Macon service error followed by consecutive kills by Lily Martin, and strong serves from Dawson. The Eagles closed out the set by winning five of the last seven points. 

Emory began the third set on an incredibly strong note, creating a lead which ballooned to eight points which put the score at 14-6. The Yellow Jackets, however, furiously stormed back, going on to win 13 of the next 18 points to tie the set at 19. While the Eagles and Yellow Jackets traded points before the Eagles regained their lead at 21-20, Yellow Jackets junior outside hitter Grace Parker went on a dominant run, tallying four consecutive kills before picking up yet another kill a point later to give the Yellow Jackets the set. Parker boasted an impressive 27 kills on the day, with the next highest scorer Dawson tallying 14. 

After a gut-wrenching collapse in the third, the Eagles showed their resilience in the fourth set, forcing a fifth. The set was close throughout, and though the Eagles jumped ahead 15-10 then 17-12, the Yellow Jackets caught up once again drawing within one at 17-16 and again at 21-20. Freshman outside hitter Carly Wallace was pivotal for the Eagles in forcing the fifth set, tallying a kill followed by her third service ace to put the team up by three. Wallace then put up yet another kill a point later before Cail finished off the set with an ace.

In the fifth and final set, the Eagles trailed for the majority, down three points at 6-9, 7-10, 8-11 and 9-12. At 9-12, the Eagles went on to win the next two points on a kill by Tara Martin and an ace from Srb before losing the next point via a service error. At 11-13, the Eagles went on to win four points in a row carried by Dawson’s three kills to secure the come-from-behind victory over the Yellow Jackets. 

Head coach Jenny McDowell is excited to see how the team’s momentum carries into next month.

“We have been working so hard in practice, and it was fun to see it transfer to the match,” McDowell said. “We are getting better every week. There’s no question we are ready to play our best in November; that’s what Emory volleyball is all about.”

Tara Martin, on the other hand, said the games weren’t the Eagles’ best. However, she feels they played a crucial role in team development.

“Randolph-Macon was a very tough team to beat, and at the beginning of the game we were not playing to our full potential,” Martin said. “By the end of the match, you could feel that everyone started to gain confidence and believe in themselves and the team. I believe that is one of the main reasons we were able to grind out two wins this weekend.”

The 19-3 Eagles will have a well-deserved rest following their unbeaten run in Ashland before hosting Hendrix College (Ark.) and Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.) on Oct. 29 and 30 at the Woodruff Physical Education Center for the National Invitational.

Freshman Sarah Luong serves the ball during a Sept. 28 match against Lee University (Tenn.). The Emory volleyball team has gone 9-1 since this match, including wins in the Randolph-Macon Invitational. (Lin Yu/Contributing Photographer)

The post Volleyball improves to 19-3 following sweep at R-MC Invitational appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

UH football looks to hand 19th ranked SMU its first loss of the season as the Cougars host the Mustangs in an AAC showdown. | James Schillinger/The Cougar

Two undefeated teams in American Athletic Conference play come head-to-head at TDECU Stadium as Houston (6-1,4-0 AAC) takes on No. 19 SMU (7-0, 3-0).

Follow along with our live scoring updates throughout the game:

First Quarter (2:20): Houston 17, SMU 0

After another big pass play got the UH drive going, the Cougars’ offense stalled out in SMU territory. Senior kicker Dalton Witherspoon attempted a 50-yard field goal and drilled it right down the middle to extend the Cougars’ lead.

First Quarter (9:26): Houston 7, SMU 0

After the UH defense forced a three-and-out, the UH offense needed just two plays to find the end zone once again. Tune connected with Dell for their second touchdown of the evening, this time from 48 yards out.

First Quarter (11:20): Houston 7, SMU 0

Junior receiver Jeremy Singleton provided a spark for the UH offense on the game’s opening drive with a catch and run of 55 yards to put the Cougars deep in SMU territory. Plays later, junior quarterback Clayton Tune connected with sophomore receiver Nathaniel Dell for a 7-yard touchdown pass.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Live Score: UH faces SMU in AAC showdown” was originally posted on The Cougar

Tech ended the Virginia game with a close loss in a shootout. The game, held in Charlottesville, started out well for Tech, with Jeff Sims finding Kyric McGowan for a 36-yard touchdown pass on the first drive. Not to be outdone, the defense forced an elite Virginia offense to a quick three and out, giving Tech another opportunity to find the endzone, this time with a three-yard run by Dontae Smith.

It was at this point that the momentum, clearly in Tech’s favor, began to change. On the ensuing drive Cavalier quarterback phenom Brennan Armstrong began to find a rhythm, putting together a nine-play, 75-yard drive to find the endzone and cut Tech’s lead to 14-7.

Tech’s offense on the ensuing drive looked ready to respond, making it all the way to the Virginia nine-yard line before failing to reach the endzone and ending the drive with a field goal.

The Cavalier offense responded with a quick series of big plays, including a 45-yard run by Armstrong, followed by a 13-yard touchdown pass a few plays later.

Redshirt junior Jordan Mason found a groove on the following Tech drive, running for 37 yards in four plays before the drive was cut short by a Sims interception. The Cavaliers would convert on the opportunity, going 82 yards in three plays to take the lead 21-16. A quick three and out by Tech put the ball back in the Cavaliers’ hands, this time ending the half with a field goal.

The second half opened with a quick field goal by Virginia, followed with back-to-back runs by Tech freshman Jahmyr Gibbs that combined for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Virginia responded with a touchdown of their own, once again relying on Armstrong, who continued the day’s trend of finding open wide receivers in Tech’s secondary. A punt by Tech followed by a touchdown by Virginia made the 24-41 deficit look almost out of reach.

A pair of punts put Tech on their own thirty-five-yard line with 12:26 to go. After a few short runs by Mason, Sims ran 38 yards to the Virginia 17-yard line where Tech was able to get a field goal. Virginia hit back with a touchdown drive, making the score 27-48.

Sims responded with a quick march downfield, connecting with Kalani Norris on the eighth play of the 96-yard drive for a touchdown. A successful onside kick gave Tech another chance, and Sims was able to connect with McGowan for a touchdown, making the score 40-48 with 22 seconds left on the clock.

After a failed two-point conversion Tech found themselves with a sliver of a chance, which was raised after yet another successful onside kick. Sims completed two passes to get Tech to the Virginia 31-yard line, where the Cavalier defense put a stop to Tech’s march and sealed the game.

The close game ended with Virginia totaling 636 yards of offense, with Tech’s defense giving up 396 passing yards. The loss adds to Tech’s defensive struggles throughout the year, specifically in the secondary, which left multiple receivers open at multiple points of the game.

As the season continues, Tech will face Virginia Tech for its homecoming game at 12 p.m. on Oct. 30, entering as favorites for the third time against an ACC opponent in the Collins era, the second such occurrence this season.

Underneath banners celebrating USC’s homecoming weekend, professors and students held signs reading “Rapists and rapist frats off campus now!” for the “Save our Students” rally following last week’s sexual assault and drugging reports at fraternity houses on the Row.

Along Trousdale, the group of more than 25 professors and students marched under a “USC Homecoming” banner to the steps of Bovard where they chanted “Ethical leadership now,” “Proactive, not pro-optics” and “Let’s see the reports,” the latter which references the lack of transparency surrounding the former gynecologist George Tyndall’s sexual abuse. 

Amelia Jones, vice dean of academics and research of the Roski School of Design, said she attended the protest to support students and address the divide between the USC Board of Trustees, administration and “everybody actually on campus.” The divide, Jones said, comes down to a lack of communication from administration and the Board’s focus on fundraising.

“This is really just one of many issues that speak to the real divide between the administration and everybody actually on campus,” Jones said. “I just want there to be communication so that they understand what it is we do. And I don’t see that happening.”

As students and professors chanted, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Charles Zukoski came outside and spoke with protesters about the Department of Public Safety’s crime notices and USC’s handling of sexual assault reports throughout the past several years.

Protesters suggested to Zukoski that if eliminating fraternities is a way to stop sexual violence, the University should take that step.

“There’s sexual violence all over the place. It’s disgusting what we face,” Zukoski said, adding that the University is not looking into abolishing Greek life. “I’m certainly not defending the fraternity and the Greek society, all I’m saying is this is a deeply problematic issue for all of our culture and society. It isn’t just the Greek system on campus, it’s spread throughout our society and it’s abhorrent.”

A student also asked Zukoski about increasing campus sexual assault resources, including increasing funding to the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center and creating a rape crisis center.

“For years, students have been asking for rape crisis center in the main Engemann Student Health Center,” they said. 

“I’m agreeing, and it is being looked at. What I’m trying to point out is it’s more complicated,” Zukoski said and added that there is a long certification process for rape centers. 

Further pressed by protesters about making changes to Greek life, Zukoski said removing fraternities’ certification could lead to underground organizations that are less regulated.

“What we could do is decertify. But that doesn’t mean that the organizations go away. At other institutions that I’ve been at — when you decertify a fraternity or a sorority, they can continue just fine throwing parties and recruiting members,” Zukoski said. “So that’s one of the reasons why — not just USC — but other institutions continue to want to work with these groups, because at least if they’re certified by us, we can impose some rules.”

Donald Bohlinger, a cinema professor at USC for 35 years, said he attended the protest to support students and because of his longstanding concerns about seuxal assault at the University. 

“[The protest] is about many things, and it’s been a long time coming,” Bohlinger said. “It’s time to have a real conversation about all of these issues, and about how we address what’s been happening on this campus for too long.”

At around noon, students and professors gathered in the lawn of Cactus Garden One National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries for a Gender Studies faculty forum on sexual violence to work toward addressing sexual assault issues at the University.

Faculty members listened as students shared their stories of negative experiences with Greek life, sexual assault and demands for reform. 

Karen Tongson, the chair of the gender and sexual studies department, said she wanted to provide a forum for students to “express their concerns and rage,” and the “lack of accountability that they feel” from the University. 

“There are so many students who aren’t having their needs addressed,” Tongson said. This was sorely needed. As much as I’m glad that there were many people who felt safe coming here, I am very upset and disappointed to know that so many of our students feel unmoored and unsupported.”

Kathleen Loftus, a senior majoring in philosophy and comparative literature who attended the event outside Bovard, said, in her time at USC, she’s witnessed numerous scandals, many that have involved sexual assault. Loftus said she appreciates the “solidarity with students and professors” during today’s protest.

“One of my professors was talking about this in class, and it was the first time I’d heard someone in the faculty speaking about it,” Loftus said. “I felt very heard, and I’m very grateful that the faculty also have their issues and we can all support each other.”

Ignacio Ventura-Maqueda Jr. contributed to this report.

The post Faculty join student protests against sexual assault appeared first on Daily Trojan.

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

The Student Government Association’s President Arsalan Darbin has been recalled.

The recall came after Sen. Abraham Sanchez’s “Resolution to Recall” received a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate chamber early this month.

Now, Vice President Maryam Alghafir will take his place as President.

The Senate is currently short 17 senators, after they were suspended for violating the recall special election’s code earlier this week.

The Speaker of the Senate, David Paul Hilton, has also stepped down, along with the Attorney General, Nadiia Hutcherson, taking a leave of absence now that her duties around the recall have concluded.

news@thedailycougar.com

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“SGA President Arsalan Darbin recalled” was originally posted on The Cougar

The Associated Students of Colorado State University met on Oct. 27 for their ninth meeting of the semester. ASCSU heard a presentation on some projects the department of academics is working on and a presentation on Resolution 5106, “Dedication to Access.” Carter Reiter, chief of staff, spoke on the department of academics’ projects. These include […]