Enrique Carrasco, Editor 

Men’s Basketball was off to a hot start in their season opener against Sacred Heart University in the Tom Gola Arena.  At the end of the first half, the Explorers led the Sacred Heart Pioneers 30 to 26. Despite this lead, the Explorers allowed 19 unanswered points in the final six minutes of the second half, allowing the Pioneers to take the lead with two minutes left in the game. Despite this turn of events, the Explorers were able to mount a comeback late in the game and put themselves three points ahead of the Pioneers. After a missed free throw shot from the Explorers that would have put the game away for the Pioneers, the Pioneers were able to hit a buzzer-beating 3-point shot, sending the game into overtime. The Explorers failed to stop the Pioneers in overtime, allowing them to score 19 total points in only five minutes. Offensively, the Explorers heavily struggled to keep up with Pioneers, putting up only 14 points in overtime, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Explorers. 

The real story behind the Explorers’ loss comes at the hands of all the missed free throws. Despite a Pioneer receiving a technical foul after slamming the ball against the floor, the Explorers failed to score a single free throw given to them from this foul. Throughout the entire game, the Explorers only scored six out of their 14 total free throws; in comparison, the Pioneers scored 11 out of their 16 free throws. These five extra scored free throws from the Pioneers managed to cement the loss for the Explorers.

Despite the at-home loss, the team put on a promising performance. The Explorers amounted to 15 out of 40 three-pointers made, and the defense managed to, at times, show that they were a real threat. The Explorers’ defense managed to come away with six steals, all of which resulted in points, as well as three shots being blocked. Junior guard Josh Nickelberry led the team in points, going 8-17 in field goals, but making zero of three free throws. Nickelberry finished the game with 22 total points and was a vital part of the Explorer’s offense. 

Next up, the Explorers face off against the Albany Great Danes at their Homecoming game on Saturday, Nov. 13, at Tom Gola Arena. Make sure to come out and form a part of La Salle’s student section: the Explorer Entourage.  

Enrique Carrasco, Editor 

The La Salle Men’s soccer team had no room for error when they met St. Joes at home during senior night. The Explorers were one loss away from not being able to qualify for the A-10’s. Sadly for the squad, they fell 1-0 to St. Joseph’s University. 

The men were off to a rough start when St. Joe’s forward Alex Hartman was able to put a ball past Graduate Goalkeeper Mitch Foster only a minute after the starting whistle had been rung. While this was a disappointing start for the squad, allowing a goal this early against the conference rivals was the last thing they had planned. Despite this, the men were not discouraged and kept themselves concentrated on the task at hand. The Explorers were able to keep pressure on St. Joe’s throughout the entire game, coming away with 5 shots, with 3 of them being on goal. On the other side of the game, St. Joes had 15 shots, with 6 of them being on goal. The pressure between the two rivals was kept at the same level throughout the entire game, with La Salle having 6 corners, and St. Joes having 10. Foster had himself a game, finishing the game with 5 saves, an all-season high for him. 

This loss comes as a heavy blow to the heavily talented squad who started off the season with several promising wins. The team suffered from a heavy mid-season slump, losing their way out of the A-10’s championships, something that comes as a blow to first-year coach Taylor Thames, as his squad was off to a promising start at the beginning of the season. With several seniors and graduate students graduating in the upcoming semester, Thames has to look at his bench and his younger players as the future for his squad. At the time of writing this article, the La Salle Explorers came away with a 4-1 win against Columbia University, with Senior Forward Nigel Buckley recording his first collegian hat trick, with his three goals coming at the 55th, 80th, and 83rd minutes of the game. 

While this win is important for the Explorers, coach Thames must develop his younger players more. The majority of the starters for the squad are upperclassmen, something that will affect the Explorers’ performance in the upcoming years, as his most developed underclassmen are Justin Brunow and Dominick Bachstein. Both players have received their fair share of playtime during this season, the first for Bechstein, who overcame a season-ending injury during the 2020-2021 season. Regardless, the Explorers and coach Thames are bound to face an uphill battle in the upcoming season, something that will be interesting to see. 

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

The La Salle Explorers Men’s Soccer team hosted the Rider Broncs at home on Saturday Sept. 11. After 90 minutes of action-packed soccer, the men came away with a 4-2 win. The first goal of the game came from Rider, who managed to get the ball past junior goalkeeper Carlos Mora at the 29th minute. This was one of the five shots coming from Rider in the first half alone, while the Explorers failed to get a single shot off in the first half of the game. At the start of the second half, the Explorers started with the ball and seemed like a completely different team. The squad came off with explosive energy on both sides of the ball. Despite this, it was not until the 59th minute that the Explorers managed to equalize the game with a perfectly placed header from senior Sam Decencio, with the assist coming from senior defender Charlie Collins. A little under four minutes after the equalizer came, the Explorers put themselves up on the scorecard with a goal from sophomore forward junior Nare, his first goal in the season. Despite this, the Broncs were able to tie the game yet again after fooling Mora with a fake and finding the back of the net at the 65th minute. Shortly after the equalizer from rider, junior defender Franc Gamiz was able to head in a perfectly placed pass from senior forward Ike Hollinger. At this point, all the momentum in the game had shifted towards the Explorers, and it seemed as if they were unbeatable. As the final minutes of the game passed by, senior midfielder Andrew Weir managed to find the back of the net, and ultimately destroyed any chance Rider had at a draw in the game. 

After the game, Franc Gamiz stated in an interview, “We performed very well. We brought a lot of energy, we competed very well and the team was very solid. We wanted to win at home, which is a big thing for us. The people were there despite the COVID regulations. I think ultimately we deserved the victory.” When asked about how he felt about the team’s first win against Rider in three years, Gamiz stated, “That feels amazing. They beat us three years ago, they’re really good, they’re a big school, but we demonstrated that at home we have a better team than them. With a new coach, young players, the way we play, we can do very big things this year. A lot of people ask us if we see ourselves as A-10 contenders this year and to that I say, ‘why not?’ We work for it, we fight for it. We go game after game, we want to win. Right now we’re just focusing on the next game. We can be A-10’s champions this year. I’m confident about it, the team has a good spirit… We’ll see what happens.” When asked how he felt about the fans at the game, Gamiz stated, “I have to appreciate the fans. They support us every day, every game. It’s a big thing for us. Everyone is welcome at our games, and hopefully we can succeed for them. The people mean a lot to us, the community means a lot to us.” Gamiz had an outstanding game, going one for one on shots on goal, and being the one to ultimately break the tie between Rider and the Explorers. With this header, Gamiz scored his first goal of the season and ultimately gave his team the energy it needed to come up on top. 

Another stand out player was junior goalkeeper Carlos Mora, who played his first game in nearly two years due to Covid and a season ending injury last season. When asked in an interview after the game about his performance, Mora stated, “Since it was my first game in a long time after ankle surgery, it was a tough game for me. As a team we performed excellent, after being able to come back from two goals, two mistakes from me. I’d say the team performance was excellent. In personal performance though, I’d say it was not my best game, but honestly I’m just happy to be back. I’m very excited to be back in the cage, obviously after all the time I spent out due to my surgery, it’s great to be back. The team was solid in defense, we conceded cheap goals, but after half time we were able to come back, and we changed the course of the game. Even after the scare we kept going and managed to come away with a win. We’re all excited about the team for the rest of the season. We’re ready to win every game we have; I think we’re capable of that. I think we’re all excited.” Mora’s performance comes at a great surprise to not only himself, but to the squad. The squad did not expect Mora back in the cage yet, but they seem excited to have him back. Mora finished the game with two saves on goal, after having to face 12 shots from Rider, two of which scored. This seems to be a slight hiccup for the junior goalkeeper, and it seems that the time away from the cage made him rusty, however if his freshman season was any indication of what’s to come, the Explorers might have their starter goalkeeper back in the cage after all this time. 

This win comes at a vital point in the season for the Explorers. After a couple of away losses, the Explorers stand at a 2-5 record in the season. Both of their wins come from home games. Whatever the case may be, the men’s soccer team has a lot of practice and sweat in front of them if they wish to reach A-10’s, and ultimately bring the trophy back home.

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

The La Salle Explorers men’s soccer team secured their first win of the season at their home opener game against St. Francis Brooklyn on Monday, Aug. 30. The first half was significantly slower than the second half, with both teams only making five shots on the goal. At the end of the first half, the score remained 0-0. After starting with the ball in the second half, the Explorers were off to a quick start, with sophomore Justin Brunow firing off three shots to the goal, all of which were stopped by the goalkeeper. The game-winning goal came at minute 74, off the foot of La Salle’s senior forward Nigel Buckley. The assist came from La Salle’s senior midfielder, Isak Sedin. After Sedin managed to sneak a pass past St. Francis Brooklyn’s defender, Buckley was able to get the ball past the goalkeeper and put La Salle up 1-0. When asked about his performance during the game, Sedin commented, “We had a rough first half. I personally wasn’t very happy with my performance. But in the second half with all the people cheering us on, I felt like nothing could stop us. Second half was all us thanks to the great support, and Nigel was just in the right place at the right time, that’s what he does. He’s dangerous.” When asked about the student section, Sedin stated, “The student section was something else, like next level. We wouldn’t have been able to gather ourselves if it were not for that student section … If we have this kind of support at every one of our games, we are going to bring the A-10 championship back home.” 

Mitch Foster, a La Salle Explorers graduate goalkeeper, also had  an excellent game, only having to make a total of two saves the entire game. Both saves were during crucial moments, helping lead the Explorers to a 1-0 victory over St. Francis. When asked about what helped lead the team to victory, Foster stated, “It was all thanks to Nigel banging that goal…I thought we were better in the second half than the first half, Nigel banged in that one goal to win us the game, it was all we needed.” When questioned about the student section, Foster stated, “[The] student section was great. They helped us out when we needed it, that’s all that matters.” Even when the score was tied, students could be seen proudly cheering on their team and giving them the motivation that they needed to accomplish this victory. It was a sight to behold after months of sporting events with little to no spectators. Other recognizable players in this game included Franc Gamiz Quer, La Salle’s senior defender, and Omari Cotterell, La Salle’s senior forward. Both players combined for a total of three shots, with one shot on goal. 

This was a much-needed victory for the Explorer’s men’s team after their defeat against Army in their season opener game where they lost 2-4. With a fifth-year starting goalkeeper and many senior starters, this squad does not lack game day experience. Many of the fans of the team (as well as some players) argue that this will be the year that the Explorers bring the A-10 championship back to North Philadelphia, the chants of which would be heard long after the game had already ended. With their season-ending loss to A-10 rival Massachusetts during the 2020-2021 season, the remaining players are hopeful that they have a lot left to show on the field, and they are ready to prove to their fans they are a serious, championship-worthy team. 

St. Francis Brooklyn ended their previous season with a 6-1-3 record. This win serves as motivation to many of the men’s soccer players, showing them that they are a talented team, all while displaying to the fans how much electricity they truly have on the field. With goalkeeper Carlos Mora coming off a season-ending injury in the last season, Coach Thames has been putting more confidence in his underclassmen, such as sophomores Justin Brunow and Cameron Hall. Many underclassmen have shown repeatedly that they have the capability to play at this level, which has made for a strong bench from top to bottom. If things continue down this path, the La Salle Men’s Soccer team is a real contender for the A-10 championship. 

Update: On the road, LaSalle suffered from a tough overtime loss to UMBC 3-2. La Salle’s lead scorer was Justin Brunow with one goal and one assist. Sophomore Dominick Bachstein scored one goal. Cameron Hall also is credited with three saves in the net for the night.

Header Image: Courtesy of Sean Cornely

Enrique Carrasco. Editor

The La Salle Explorers field hockey team faced off against Lehigh (3-2) and Wagner (0-4) on September 10 and September 12;, both games were played at home at Hank Hank DeVincent Field. In an extremely close game against Lehigh, the Explorers won 4-3 with the game winning goal coming  from Freshman forward Sophia Wasyliw at the 39th minute of the game. This goal put  the Explorers up 4-2, with a late goal coming from Lehigh at the 56th minute, making the final score 4-3.  Apart from this goal, the Explorers amounted to three separate goals, with two of them coming in less than three minutes from each other. The first goal for the Explorers came at the 24th minute from freshman forward, Cristina Dougherty, tying the game at 1-1 after a goal from Lehigh’s Drew Pecora. The second goal for the Explorers came at the 26th minute, off the stick of graduate Jessica Hewitt, bringing the score to 2-1. After allowing Lehigh to score in the 32nd minute of the game, sophomore forward Tatum Johnson found the back of the net putting the Explorers up 3-2. The goal  was later followed by Wasyliw’s game-winning shot from inside of the circle. The Explorers managed to rally against a strong start from Lehigh, their strongest opponent thus far this season. The game winning goal is the first goal accredited to freshman Sophia Wasyliw during her time thus far at La Salle. The goalkeepers on both sides of the game saw a lot of action, with a total of 29 shots, and  18 of them being on goal. With this win, the Explorers move to 3-0 at home games, and 3-2 sofar in their season. 

On September 12, 2021, the Explorers faced off against the Wagner Seahawks, and came away with a 1-0 shutdown win. The only goal in the game came from freshman defender Sofia Pla, who scored her sixth goal of the season. Pla has proven in her short time at La Salle that she was one of the most beneficial gets for the Explorers, scoring six goals as a defender. She currently leads the team in scoring, with the person who follows her being sophomore forward Tatum Johnson, who has scored  four goals in the season. With this win, the Explorers move to 4-2 in their season, and continue their undefeated streak at home (4-0). 

This winning streak that the Explorers carry with them is a change of pace from last season where they finished the season 0-11. The Explorers recorded their first win in over a year during their home opener game at Hank DeVincent field. The incoming players, such as Pla, have brought a much-needed energy and injection of life into a team that desperately needed it. If they carry this momentum with them forward into the season, the team can be a real threat towards other strong teams in the postseason.