Author: Enrique Carrasco

“That’s it? That’s the season?” Men’s Basketball Season Recap: Sports Commentary

Commentary, Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

It has come to my humble attention that certain people are unhappy with what I have written in the past about a certain team on campus who went 15-19 (7-11 in conference) in the season and failed to make it out of the A-10 tournament. While I must admit that some of the comments I’ve made have been harsh, I have never made a statement that has not been true. My job as the editor for the sports section of The Collegian demands that I write about what I see and share it with the world. If the teams had not lost as many games and demonstrated their sub-par talent, I would’ve not written any of the articles I did. In other words: If you do not like my work, simply be better at the sport you have been playing for your entire life. 

That being said, I believe it is important for the student body to hold our “representatives” (whether you like it or not, sports teams serve as representatives of our school) accountable for their shortcomings and failures. Just as I would expect one of y’all to hold me accountable for my articles, I hold others accountable for their mistakes. Without further ado, here is a recap of the Men’s basketball team’s horrific 15-19 season. 

Week 1:

The basketball team was off to a putrid start against the Villanova Wildcats on the road. The (then ranked) no. 16 Wildcats were heavy favorites to win, coming from a spectacular 30-8 season where they made it to the Final Four of the March Madness tournament, where the eventual national champions, the University of Kansas, defeated them. On the other hand, the Explorers were coming off of a lousy 11-19 season under head coach Ashley Howard, whom Fran Dunphy replaced in the offseason. The Explorers were off to a terrible start, down 37-23 at halftime. At no point in the contest did the Explorers hold the lead, and Villanova was able to cruise into an easy 81-68 win over the Explorers. 

However, this first losing streak was short-lived for the Explorers after they managed to beat out the Wagner Seahawks at home with a 77-69 win. This was the home opener for the Explorers and a crucial win for the squad.

Week 2:

The Explorers opened week two at home at the Tom Gola arena, where they faced off against (Division II) Queen’s University N.C for the play-in game of the Jersey Mikes Jamaica Classic.  Unsurprisingly, the Explorers were able to beat this Division II basketball team and punched in their ticket to travel to Jamaica to continue playing.

The Explorers then traveled, via a private charter jet, to Jamaica (whilst the women’s basketball team traveled commercial to Alaska for a similar tournament). While in Jamaica, the Explorers faced off against Wake Forest University, whom they “surprisingly” lost 63-75 to. This loss placed the Explorers within the loser’s bracket. Whilst in the Loser’s bracket, the Explorers faced off against Georgetown University and “surprisingly” lost 62-69. This means the Explorers traveled (again, via private jet) to Jamaica and were unable to win a single game.

Weeks 3-7:

Weeks 3 and seven were, in my opinion, uneventful and, honestly, really boring to watch. The Explorers went 4-5 during these weeks, winning against Binghamton University, Penn (surprisingly), Bucknell, and Howard. The Explorers lost to Temple, Drexel, Cincinnati, Lafayette, and VCU. 

Weeks 8-10:

The Explorers welcomed the New Year with a 77-75 OT win over Rhode Island at home. This win came from the backs of Sophomore Guard Khalil Brantley and Junior Guard Jhamir Brickus, who combined for a total of 42 points (29 and 13, respectively). This win put them at 1-1 in A-10 games. After this, the Explorers traveled to Massachusetts, where they barely managed to beat UMASS 78-77. 

This win streak was short-lived, however, after the Explorers managed to lose five separate games in a row, losing to Fordham, Saint Josephs, Saint Louis, Davidson, and Rhode Island, whom they lost to after a missed dunk from Josh Nickleberry allowed the Explorers to lose by 2 points. I suggest reading more by reading my previous article Sports Commentary: Late Missed Dunk Costs Explorers the Win Over Rhode Island. 

Weeks?? (I honestly ran out of inspiration to continue writing the article at this point and no longer wish to count weeks) aka the rest of the season 

The Explorer’s losing streak came to an end after defeating George Washington at home. The Explorers used this momentum to go on a five-game winning streak. Defeating St Josephs, St. Bonaventure, Massachusetts (again), and Richmond. 

However, this winning streak came to an end after losing to George Mason 66-70. The Explorers then went off to lose every game left in their season, losing to Duquesne, George Washington, Dayton, and the 10-20 (4-14 in conference) Loyola Chicago during their own senior night. The Explorers were unable to defeat a 4-14 team at home for Senior Night. Let that sink in. 

A-10 tournament run

In the first round of the A-10 tournament, the Explorers faced off against Rhode Island University for what would be the third time these two teams met this season. The Explorers were able to outperform their previous A-10 tournament runs, finally making it out of the first round of the tournament. In the second round, the Explorers faced off against Duquesne, whom they managed to defeat 81-70. Their Cinderella run was cut short by the #3 team in the A-10’s, Fordham University, who easily defeated the Explorers 61-69. The Explorers reached the quarter-finals of the A-10 tournament for the first time since the 2015 season. 

So that their entire season is perfectly recapped for your enjoyment and satisfaction. Although outperforming their previous performances, the team failed to live up to expectations. The team played sub-par against teams with low-level talent and was wiped out by nationally ranked teams. The team failed to create any kind of momentum and even failed to have a winning season. Why should we celebrate the fact that the team reached the quarter-finals? Is their one and only job not to win games? Do they not practice week in and week out in order to win and still fail to do so? The basketball team is able to convince everyone that they are accomplishing something but fail to make any kind of postseason run. Players are putting up numbers but are failing to win games. The fact that this is La Salle’s best season since 2015 despite the team failing to be above .500 speaks volumes about the ineptness and incompetence of the athletic department and the players on the basketball team. 

Editor’s note: If you wish to communicate with me about anything written in my articles, feel free to contact me carrascoe1@lasalle.edu as I will not respond to any other form of communication. 

Sports Commentary: Men’s Basketball in bottom half of A-10’s again 

Commentary, Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor 

Before reading this article, I heavily recommend reading my previous article, “Opinion: Why the Athletic Department Made the Wrong Call,” to understand the significance behind the Men’s team’s success.

If any of you are familiar with my work, you will know I am an avid hater of the Men’s Basketball program at La Salle. While I must admit that some of my comments against the team are due to a personal vendetta against the program and the Athletic Department, none of my comments nor my negativity against the basketball team have ever been misplaced. I have seen this team fail to live up to their hype for three years in a row, and I feel confident that the basketball team will continue this downward spiral long after I leave 20th and Olney. 

Because of this avid hatred, I never fell for the “Our Men’s team is actually good this year” lies that have been floating around campus all season long. I said from day one the team will continue to disappoint all season long, no matter who they bring in to coach and what second-hand talent from other schools they manage to trick into coming to La Salle. Slowly but surely, the Men’s team has continued to prove me right about my hatred for them, and I would be remiss not to admit that their failure brings me joy. 

It is hard to exactly place when the hype train for the basketball team began. Still, I believe it began around January, when the team managed to pull an enormous upset and beat Rhode Island 77-75 in overtime. The team continued to grow this hype when they managed to beat UMASS 78-77 on the road. Considering both schools’ success in previous years, these two wins were significant, and it seemed like the men’s teams might be actual contenders for the A-10 championship. But if we look at the current rankings, Rhode Island is second to last place (we lost to them during our second face off), and UMASS is only one spot above them.  After these two wins, the men’s team went on a (I must admit, somewhat impressive) 5 win streak, putting the team at the cusp of being one of the top teams in the conference. The only thing the team had to do was either defeat George Mason, Duquesne, or George Washington. This was when the school started pushing the narrative that the men’s team was good and could compete against big teams. I, however, was not convinced about their ability and told multiple people to “just wait” and assured people that “the team will fail soon enough, you just have to give them time.” 

To the surprise of very few people, the team did, in fact, fail. They failed to win against George Mason on the road, stop Duquesne from putting up 91 points at home, and failed to at least stop George Washington from putting up 92 points on them on the road. The Explorers dropped from one of the top contenders in their conference to number ten within the A-10’s, once again proving their talent is nothing more than bottom tier. If you recall the article I mentioned early, you’ll be able to remember that the Athletic Department praised the improvement of the experience for the athletes and team that remained after the Title IX fiasco. Yet, it seems that the athletic department only wanted to make the experience better for the basketball team rather than give actual funding to other teams, and the results of which can be seen in the results from not only the basketball team, but also all of our other sports. No single team that remains on campus had a winning season (none even went above .500), and the teams that are currently active are failing to produce any form of momentum or winning streaks.  The men’s team has two regular season games left, one on the road against Dayton (currently ranked 3rd in the A-10s) and their senior night against Loyola Chicago (currently ranked last in the A-10s), meaning the best record the team can finish with is 15-16 in the season, a game short of being .500 . I must admit, I would not be surprised if the men’s team managed to lose both games in the season, pushing themselves even further down in the A-10 rankings. 

Water Polo starts season with 2-2 record again

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor 

Courtesy of Go Explorers

The La Salle Explorers Water Polo team started the season on the road for the second season. Last year, the Explorers faced a four-game split, three of which were at Bucknell, having to face off against Bucknell, Mercyhurst, and Saint Francis, Pa. Eventually, they faced off against nationally ranked Princeton at home. This year, the Explorers traveled up to Brown University to play in the 2023 Bruno Classic, where they faced off against host team Brown, Gannon University, Saint Francis PA, and Harvard University. 

The Explorers (NV) opened their season on the road facing off against the 25th-ranked Brown University Bears. The game was off to a hot start, with the Brown Bears winning the game-starting swim-off and quickly converting to take an early 1-0 lead over the Explorers. Sophomore attacker Francesca Co, however, refused to let the Bears take the momentum and found the back of the net for her 50th Career goal as an Explorer, an outstanding feat considering she is only in her second year at La Salle. After this, the Bears went on a 2-0 run to finish the quarter 3-1.

The Explorers came into the second quarter full of energy, with Graduate Student Center Forward Madelyn Koerper finding the back of the net after a defensive effort from the Explorers. The Explorers, however, were not able to stop the offensive might of the Bears and gave up a 5-meter penalty shot, which the Bears converted, putting the Bears in a 4-2 lead. This penalty gave the Bears the first of their goals during a 3-0 run, which was only stopped by Francesca Co right before the half, cutting the Explorer’s deficit to 6-3 heading into the half. 

The third quarter of the contest was defensively dominated, with the Explorers allowing only one goal in the quarter, while failing to convert any power plays and scoring the only goal in the quarter. The Explorer’s only goal in the quarter came from Koerper once again toward the end of the quarter. 

The Bears maintained control and momentum throughout the 4th quarter, scoring back-to-back goals, which put the Bears up 9-4. The rest of the game was predominantly defense centered, with the Explorers only allowing one more goal in the quarter. The Explorers fell 10-4 against Brown. 

The Explorers then faced off against the Gannon Golden Knights. The Explorers managed to go on a 6-0 run, only stopped by a goal from the Golden Knights toward the end of the first quarter. The second quarter only saw two total goals, both of which came from the arm of Sophomore Francesca Co, who was able to convert a five-meter penalty shot as well as finding the top corner of the cage only two minutes later. The Explorers went into the half with an 8-1 lead. 

The second half of the game was a predominantly defense-controlled game. The scoring drought ended after a goal from Junior attacker Hannah Warren, followed by Senior team Captain Shanna Zuanich who was able to find the top right corner of the goal, putting the explorers up 10-1. The Explorers won the matchup 13-3.

The Explorers then traveled to Harvard University, where they faced off against ST. Francis PA, whom they defeated 9-6. The Explorers (NV) then faced off against (T-19) Harvard University, whom they lost 18-7 to. 

Although the team went .500 in their first weekend, there were mostly positive notes from the team. In a post-game interview, Francesca Co stated, “I think the most important thing is that even though we brought home two wins, which is a good start, we have to learn how to keep a clear mind during the game. Especially in the most difficult games, as was the case against Brown and Harvard, when fatigue starts to take over, we have to stay rational and play smart.” The girls were failing to win swim-offs against faster teams, and often the lack of subs by the coach made the game more difficult for the Explorers. The first weekend of games was the first test of the new head coach James Wolff. La Salle is Wolff’s first experience being the head coach of a Division I athletic program, and the lack of knowledge was apparent against nationally ranked teams. 

The team, however, is full of motivation and energy and seems poised to make a postseason run in the MAAC championships. It’ll be interesting to see how Sophomores Francesca Co as well Tatum Lomax, the youngest starters on the team, further develop in Divisional I athletics and how the coaching style might change depending on the opponent. Regardless, if this weekend of games is any indication of what is to come, the Water Polo team will find themselves battling for top positions within their conference.

Sports Commentary: Late missed dunk costs the Explorers win over Rhode Island

Commentary, Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

On Jan. 28, 2023, the La Salle Explorers (7-12, 2-5) faced off against the Rhode Island Rams (7-13, 4-4) on the road for the second and last game against Rhode Island of the season. The two teams previously faced off on Jan. 7, 2023, where the Explorers won 77-75 in overtime. The Explorers, however, failed to repeat the same outcome and, after blowing a 40-29 halftime lead, eventually failed to close the game. 

The Explorers were off to a hot start at the beginning of the game, where they took an early 8-2 lead over the Rams, with the help of three-pointers coming from Andres Marrero and Sophomore guard Khalil Brantley. The Explorers and the Rams continued to trade blows with one another, culminating in a 15-13 lead for the Rams with 11 minutes left in the first half. The Explorers, however, had not played their strongest hand yet, and after subbing in Senior Josh Nickleberrry, went on an 8-0 run. The Explorers continued their offensive strides and pushed their lead to 35-25 with 3 minutes left in the first half. After a steal and layup from Brantley, and an offensive rebound from Daeshon Shepherd, who proceeded to kick the ball out to Brantley, the Explorers were able to take a 40-25 lead. The Explorers went into the locker room leading 40-29. 

The second half is where the game fell apart for the Explorers, as it seemed like their performance in the first half managed to overinflate their egos.  The Explorers were able to extend their lead to 14 points three separate times. This, however, was not enough to seal the game away for the Explorers. In the game’s last four minutes, the Explorers failed to score any points for three minutes straight while also failing to make any defensive stops against the Rams. At one point during this drought, Nickleberry was able to get a takeaway, running away with the ball. Nickleberry, however, failed to score the wide-open basket and gave a defensive rebound for the Rams, who were able to convert the rebound into points, bringing them to 64-64. The Rams maintained this momentum and finished the game with 72 points while only allowing 70 points. The following graph, provided by ESPN, showcases the probability of the Explorers winning the game. 

As one can see, the Explorers were heavy favorites to win at various points throughout the game. The Explorers, however, once again failed to perform. A lack of discipline both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball led to the Explorers having 13 separate turnovers throughout the game. In addition, there is no excuse for a D1 Basketball player, much less a Senior, not to be able to finish a dunk. Nickleberry’s late dunk miss would’ve given the Explorers the two points necessary to force overtime. The fact that he leads the team in points speaks volumes about the ineptness of this team on offense. This only shows the irreversible damage that Ashley Howard’s failure during his tenure as head coach has caused La Salle. His inability to properly recruit any worthwhile talent, coupled with an irresponsible and ineffective athletic department (Brian Baptiste has been detrimental to La Salle sports) has created a ripple effect that still affects the Basketball team. 

Josh BRICKelberry

The Explorers now only have ten games left in the season, all of which are in-conference, to make any form of a postseason run, something I consider impossible for this team. I do not believe La Salle has the required talent or necessary aid from the school to make any form of sound in the postseason. Once again, the basketball team helps prove the foolishness and dullness of the La Salle Athletic Department and, most importantly, its director.  

Next up, the Explorers will face off against George Washington University for National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

Women’s Basketball humiliates Loyola Chicago on the road 

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Courtesy of La Salle Women’s Basketball

On July 1, 2022, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers were officially accepted into the A-10 after years of dominating the Missouri Valley Conference. The Ramblers stated that this move was due to “Loyola’s commitment to the high-level scholastic achievement of all of its students, coupled with its excellent athletic profile, from success in [various sports] to outstanding facilities and resources,” which made the A-10 conference an excellent fit for the school. The Ramblers, however, have failed all season to showcase any form of the same dominance that they exhibited in the Missouri Valley Conference. 

On January 22, 2022, the La Salle Explorers Women’s Basketball team faced off against the Ramblers for their 6th game of the new year and first away game of the semester. The Explorers (12-7) were coming off of a 3-game win streak and were looking to continue this streak. On the other hand, the Ramblers (6-12) were coming off of a 4-game losing streak and were looking to end this streak with a win at home. 

The game started in favor of the Ramblers, who managed to take an early 7-0 lead over the Explorers. The Explorers, however, would not simply roll over for the home team. Kayla Spruill, Claire Jacobs, and Charity Shears could swish the ball from outside the 3-point line, tying the game at 9-9 with 4 minutes left to play in the first quarter. After a shooting foul from the Ramblers, Senior Claire Jacobs gave the explorers a 10-9 lead after sinking one of her free throws. After the Ramblers went up 13-10, Freshman Mia Jacobs sank her three-pointer, tying the game at 13-12. The Ramblers took an early lead during the second quarter, going 24-20 into the media timeout. The Explorers, however, went on a 10-0 run, giving them a two-point lead heading into halftime. There was a total of four different lead changes in the second quarter. 

The half-time break was beneficial for the Explorers, who came out playing as a different team. The Explorers were able to flex their defensive capabilities, holding the Ramblers scoreless for the first 4:34 of the third quarter. At the same time, the Explorers could put up 11 offensive points, further pushing their lead. However, the Explorers went on to commit various defensive fouls, allowing the Ramblers to go 3 for 4 in free throws, bringing the game to 43-31. The Explorers finished the quarter with a 52-37 lead over the Ramblers.

La Salle achieved its highest point difference early in the fourth quarter, with a 16-point lead. The Ramblers, however, refused to go down without a fight, going on their own 7-0 run heading into the media timeout. The Explorers maintained their momentum in the game, going on a 12-5 run to end the game. The Explorers overcame the Ramblers 67-51. Four separate Explorers, Kayla Spruill, Claire Jacobs, Mia Jacobs, and Molly Masciantonio, were able to score at least 10 points, which directly led to their victory over the Ramblers. 

Next up, the women’s team will host St Bonaventure for pride day.

Men’s Basketball Travels to Jamaica to go 0-2

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Courtesy of La Salle Men’s Basketball

On Nov. 15, 2022, the La Salle Explorers were able to edge out Division II Queen’s University North Carolina to punch their ticket to the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic tournament.  The La Salle Men’s basketball team then traveled to Jamaica on November 16, 2022, for a week full of practices and, if they were lucky, numerous different games. The Explorers failed once again to live up to their potential, being relegated to the consolation bracket after losing in the first round to Wake Forest. The Explorers then played Georgetown University for the loser’s bracket championship, where they managed to show why they were in the loser’s bracket, losing 69-62. 

The first overseas game the Explorers (2-1) played was against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-0). The Explorers came into the game full of energy, as was evident with their 10-2 lead six minutes into the half, a lead that they achieved thanks to three-pointers coming from Senior Guard Josh Nickleberry and Senior transfer forward Hassan Drame. However, this lead was short lived, as the Demon Deacons were able to go on a 13-5 run against the Explorers, tying the game at 15 a piece. The Deacons and Explorers continued to trade point after point with one another, with the Deacons going on a 17-11 run to give them the lead. Despite this apparent setback, the Explorers were able to go on a 7-0 run against the Demons with only 1:30 left to play in the half. The Explorers were helped out by three pointers coming from Nickleberry and Sophomore Guard Khalil Brantley. The Deacons refused to go down without a fight however, and after a layup and a freethrow, were able to take the lead back from the Explorers at 35-33 heading into half time. The Explorers came out of half time with half the energy as the first, which showed in their game play. The Explorers managed to take the lead back 3 separate times during the second half, but were ultimately outscored 40-30 to finish the game at a 75-63 defeat. The Explorers shot an absolutely horrific 21-53 (39.6%) from field goals but somehow managed to make an impressive 11-26 (42.3%) of their three-pointers. It seems like the wonderful warm weather of Jamaica affected the men’s ability to play, as they played perfectly fine in the cold weather of Philadelphia. 

The Men’s team was then relegated to the loser’s tournament bracket after their loss to Wake Forest, where they would face off against the Georgetown Hoyas for the consolation game of the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic tournament. The first half of play has to be single handedly the worst basketball I have seen from the Explorers in my short three years of being an Explorer. The Explorers were outscored 21-41 in the half, and the Hoyas carried all of the momentum. The Hoyas were running circles around the Men’s team, and looked like the vastly superior team all throughout the half. The Explorers however, refused to go down without a fight. The Explorers came out of half time full of the energy and motivation that they lacked in the first half, and were determined to bring themselves back into the game. The Explorers were able to go on an 11-4 run within the first 3:14 of the half. Junior Guard Jhamir Brickus was responsible for 9 out of 11 of those points, and was a pivotal part of the Explorer’s offense in the second half. The Hoyas tried to maintain control of the game, but the Explorers momentum was simply too much for them to handle. The Explorers went on a 28-8 run to tie the game at 62 all, with only 2:14 left in the game.  The Hoyas however, were able to stop the Explorers charge, putting themselves up 64-62. After an Explorer defensive foul, the Deacons were able to sink both free throws, putting them up 66-62. The Explorers tried to bring themselves back into the game, but the point deficit they allowed in the first half was too much to handle, ultimately causing the Explorers to lose 69-62. 

These two losses for the Explorers have to be detrimental to the team’s morale, especially after the small momentum they had gained after their back to back wins. The Explorers now sit at 2-3 in the season, with no conference games being played yet. The Explorers will face off against Binghamton at home, where the athletic department will do a trading card giveaway, an issue I will talk about in future articles. For now, the entire school is disappointed by the men’s basketball team and how much money the school is giving them, rather than literally anything else at this school. 

Men’s basketball plucks the Seahawks at Homecoming.

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Courtesy of La Salle Men’s Basketball

On Sat., Sept. 12, the (0-1) La Salle Explorers Men’s basketball team faced off against the (1-0) Wagner Seahawks in their homecoming game. The Explorers lost on the road against the nationally-ranked Villanova squad last week, and Fran Dunphy was looking to gain his first win as the Explorer’s head coach at home. Luckily for him, the Explorers were able to overcome the Seahawks and come away with the win. 

The Explorers were off to a quick start at the beginning of the game, immediately putting pressure on the Seahawks. Senior Guard Josh Nickelberry and Senior Transfer Hassan Drame put up 5 points each within the first 10 minutes of the game, allowing the Explorers to get an early 19-8 lead over the seahawks. The Explorers continued this trend during the rest of the half and were able to go into half-time with a 39-26 lead. The Explorers made a statement at the end of the half, with a dunk coming from Senior transfer Fousseyni Drame. The Explorers went 15/30 (50%) on field goals and 3/9 on three-pointers (33%) in the half. 

The Seahawks came out of the half with much more energy than in the first half. Within the first few minutes of the half, the Seahawks could lower the Explorer’s lead to only 5 points. The Explorers, however, would not allow this comeback to continue and answered with their own 3-pointer bringing the game into a media time-out. The explorers continued their momentum, bringing their lead to 51-40. The Explorer’s defense held the Seahawks for the rest of the game while the offense continued their momentum throughout. The Explorers went off to win the game 77-69. This win marked Fran Dunphy’s first-ever win as the head coach of the Explorers. 

The Explorer offense has been off to an explosive start thus far this season. The Explorers scored an impressive 68 points against a nationally ranked team and showcased this at home with their win over Wagner. Sophomore Guard Khalil Brantley scored 22 points against Wagner, an impressive show of skill. Brantley seems to have flourished more under Fran Dunphy, and it’ll be interesting to follow his progress throughout the rest of the season. If the Explorers can continue to play games like this, many more wins will be coming to 20th and Olney, and hopefully, a bid to the 2023 NCAA Championship.

Why David O’Brien Should be Impeached

Satire

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

A little over a year ago, I wrote my world-famous expose, “Why I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE David O’Brien.” This article perfectly depicted everything wrong with David O’Brien and my sincere feelings toward that 5’8” man. David was quick to respond with his own expose, quickly shutting down any ambition and opportunity to destroy him. 

Now, the worst possible case scenario has occurred: David has been named the Editor-in-Chief of The Collegian. Simply writing this article puts me and my life at risk, but I do not care. I must do this for the people of South East Indianapolis. 

David O’Brien does not have a mattress topper on his bed. What kind of man, NAY, animal, sleeps on the La Salle-provided beds without a topper??? How can you hurt a man who constantly lives in pain like this? This makes David an animal, unpredictabler, and maybe, unstoppable. I overheard David say, “I might just start sleeping on my floor again.” What kind of person says that?!?!?!?!? 

Look at this image one of my now-deceased writers was able to capture of David shortly before going missing for months before being found dead (I blame David and his thought Police). Why is David posing next to a voodoo-looking Doll? Why does he look so happy? Why is it in black and white??? I am afraid I have no answer to this, but I do fear David has been behind every major global conflict since the dawn of man. 

We must not let David accumulate too much power. We must come together as a community, as a country, to put an end to David’s tyrannical reign. It might be too late for me, I do not know what David will do once he sees this article, but I must prepare for the worst-case scenario. If this is the last article I ever post, I hope you all remember me as I lived: Extremely handsome and cooler than Dave.

Women’s soccer team dehorns Fordham

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Courtesy of La Salle Women’s Soccer

On Sun. Oct 9, the Lasalle Explorers women’s soccer team faced off against the Fordham Rams. The Explorers came into the game 6-6-1 in the season (1-4 in conference play), while the Rams came in with a record of 4-7-1 (3-1-1 in conference play). The Explorers’ early success in the season came to a halt midway through the season, grinding their momentum to a screeching halt. This is the first win over The Explorers fell into a mid-season slump, drawing and losing essential games. After a loss to Duquesne, the Explorers were put into a “do or die ” situation if they wanted any sort of shot at a postseason run. Luckily for the Explorers, that is just what they got with this win.

The game was off to a quick start, with both sides trading shots and attempts at goals. Despite this, no team was able to find the back of the net. It was not until the 34th minute that Junior midfielder Kelli McGroarty was able to get the ball past the goalkeeper from 25 yards out, putting the Explorers up 1-0. This goal sparked momentum within McGroarty, as 5 minutes after, she was able to take the ball from the Fordham defender and was able to find the back of the net in the 38th minute, putting the Explorers up 2-0. Not even 3 minutes later, McGroarty was able to complete her hat trick after a pass into the box came from Sophomore midfielder Sunni DiElmo which McGroarty was able to strike into the net, putting the Explorers up 3-0. McGroarty’s hat trick happened in a span of six minutes and 54 seconds. The Explorers outshot the Rams 11-4 in the first half. The Explorers went into halftime leading 3-0. 

The second half of the game was much slower than the first, with only a few shots being exchanged between both teams. In the 53rd minute,  Sophomore midfielder Gabby Picco drew a yellow card after a personal foul on the rams, and in the 72nd minute, a Fordham player drew the first yellow card for her team after a personal foul. The game continued like this until the 80th minute, after a Ram midfielder drew the first goal of the game for the Rams, putting them at a 3-1 disadvantage. The Explorer’s defense would continue to stop the Rams, only allowing them to get off 6 shots in the half, while the Explorers shot seven times. The Explorers outshot the Rams 18-10 in the game. 

Courtesy of Go Explorers

In a post-game interview, the player of the match, Kelli McGroarty, stated, “This win is definitely momentum. We dropped the ball halfway through the season. There were a couple of games early on that we probably should have won, but this game put us back on track. Unfortunately, we have to win out from now on, so this is definitely a helpful game to move us forward in the conference.” Regarding the fact that the team must win from here on out, McGroarty stated, “Our situation is what we call ‘do or die.’ It’s not the situation we want to be in because we’d rather have some wiggle room. We’re in an alright situation right now, we don’t have to rely on other teams [winning or losing], which is good. Also, if you look at the standings and the schedule we have left, we should win, and that should help boost us up in the ranking. This means we potentially have an excellent chance of making the playoffs.”

When asked about the playoffs and their chances of making a long playoff run, McGroarty stated, “We’ve been manifesting A-10s since last year; as soon as the season ended, we were saying it. I think that the chances of us winning are still high. I think our hardest game would be St. Louis, if we make it to the finals, it would probably be us against them, and the game would probably be away, which is good because we do better on the road. Essentially, we have very good hopes.” McGroarty’s hat trick during this game was her first-ever hat trick, and the excitement within McGroarty was palpable. When asked how this is going to influence her, McGroarty stated, “It was a pretty cool feeling. The first goal had fallen down, and when I saw it go in, I just put my head down, and I remember saying, ‘thank God. I have been in a sort of drought since the beginning of the season. I had a few early on, but then I kind of stopped, so it was a nice little pick-me-up. But also, it just proved that when we take shots, they go in, which is something we have been working on as a team [attacking overall]. So, we also did really well with that, we had 11 shots in the first half, and they only had four. That’s a big statement as to why we had so many goals this game.” When asked about the rest of the season, she stated, “the rest of the season looks good. The cards are on our table. We need to win. But you know, things can go south all the time, we had a game where we were up 1-0, and we lost 4-1 (referring to their loss against St. Louis), Everything can change in an instant, so we just have to keep rolling and keep putting balls in the back of the net and let them do it as much. We do that, and we’ll keep winning games.” McGroarty credits the team’s toughness, hard work, and determination to their success thus far and will work towards improving their standings. 

The Explorers will travel to Richmond for their next in-conference game of the season. 

Men’s Soccer Team Decanonizes St. Bonnaventures

Sports

Enrique Carrasco. Editor

Courtesy of Sean Cornely

On Sat. Oct. 1, the La Salle Explorers men’s soccer team faced off against St. Bonnaventures for what would be their third conference game of the season. The Explorers entered the game sitting at a 2-5-2 record (1-1 in conference play), while the Bonnies entered the game sitting at a 3-5-1 record (0-2 in conference play). Both teams sought to improve their standings within the conference, and the Bonnies were looking for their first conference win of the season. 

The game was off to a slow start, with the Explorers and the Bonnies maintaining the ball near the midfield, with neither of them making any actual attempts on goal. It was not until the 18th minute of the contest that the Bonnies were able to filter a perfect pass into the box, where the Bonnie’s forward was able to strike it and find the back of the net, putting the Bonnies up 0-1. Their glory was short-lived, however, when fifth-year forward Omari Cotterell drew a foul right outside of the penalty box. Cotterell was able to get the ball over the wall of St. Bonnie’s defenders and deliver a dagger into the spirit of the Bonnies, finding the top corner with ease. The Explorers continued their aggressive approach throughout the rest of the half, shooting the ball off nine more times, with none of them getting past the goalkeeper. The Explorers went into halftime with the game tied at 1-1. 

The start of the second half was similar to the start of the first half, with neither team doing much besides keeping the ball at the midfield. This pattern continued until the 56th minute of the contest, when fifth-year forward Nigel Buckley was able to get a rocket past the goalkeeper and into the bottom right corner of the net, putting the Explorers up 2-1. The Bonnies were determined not to go down without a fight and kept the pressure on the Explorers for the remainder of the match. The defense, however, showed that they came to play, with them only allowing one shot on the cage in the half, with this only shot being perfectly stopped by Freshman Goalkeeper Filip Sabatti, maintaining the score at 2-1 for the rest of the game, giving the Explorers a 2-1 win, and their third consecutive win over the Bonnies sine 2019 (No sports were played in 2020).

This is truly the only time I can say the Explorers have played at their full potential all season long, and I have no real complaints against them. The team seems to be firing on all cylinders, and the players are looking good. The momentum they have accumulated thus far only seems to grow each passing game, and the Explorers are playing some of the best soccer I have seen in my three years at La Salle. Coach Taylor Thames and co. have been doing an excellent job in preparing the boys for tough matchups like this one, and I, for one, cannot wait to see how the Explorers fare against other teams in the A-10.