Aidan Tyksinski, Editor

Last season was a year to forget for La Salle’s lacrosse team. The roster was full of underclassmen playing a very tough schedule, a bad combination that led to the Explorers finishing 0-15. Not only did they not win a game, but the Explorers failed to even push a game to overtime, continuing the narrative that a lack of skill, not luck, was the main issue for the team.

While the season has just started, things are already looking up for the Explorers. They won their first game of the season 19-10 over Fairleigh Dickinson, breaking a 16-game losing streak that dated back to the 2022 season. While the Explorers have lost two straight games since the opener, the 13-12 loss to Manhattan in double overtime over the weekend is a positive sign that this season will be different from the team’s previous campaign.

A big reason for the Explorers’ early success has been their offense. Last season’s team only had 40 assists and a .345 shot percentage, second to last and last in the A10. This year the Explorers already have 18 assists, which would put them at 84 over the whole season, an amazing improvement in one year. As for their shot percentage, it is at a cool .438, good for fourth in the conference.

Another reason for La Salle’s solid start has been the players’ efforts. Junior Katie Johnson already has 10 goals this season, tying her total from last year, and Mackenzie Click’s 4 goals against FDU played a huge part in the Explorer’s win. So far, it has been the upperclassman leading La Salle, but freshman Kate Licciardi has held her own. Licciardi has started all three games, grabbing two assists against FDU and netting her first goal against Manhattan, as well as getting another assist in the same game.

The worst loss of the season was to Villanova 14-4. The home opener for the Explorers was disappointing, especially coming after the win against FDU, but La Salle did a good job controlling the pace offensively. The most glaring issue in this game was that once the Wildcats got possession, they would push the ball quickly without much resistance, leading to quick goals. This was not as much of an issue against Manhattan, giving La Salle fans hope that this was just a fluke.

The Explorers have two more non-conference games coming up, before opening conference play at Davidson on March 9. The first of the non-conference games will be against Howard on Wednesday, followed by a home game against UMBC on Saturday. Howard is currently 0-4 and UMBC is 2-2, so La Salle will look to win against both of these beatable teams before going into the harder part of their schedule. The Explorer’s 1-2 record puts them in the middle of the Atlantic 10 standings, so adding another win or two will be a huge morale boost for a team looking to leave last year in the past and improve on what could be a very exciting season.

Aidan Tyksinski, Editor

Last weekend, during the NBA All-Star weekend, the WNBA and NBA teamed up and paired New York Liberty star shooter Sabrina Ionescu versus Golden State Warrior legend Steph Curry in a 3-point challenge. Originally, Ionescu was supposed to shoot from the WNBA three-point line (three feet shorter than the NBA line). However, she decided to shoot from the NBA three-point line saying, “Personally, I shoot from that range to begin with.”

While some fans might have seen this as cocky, it was just Ionescu speaking her truth. She ended the event with 26 points which would have tied her with four NBA players in the first round of the NBA three-point contest and also tied her with the winner, Damien Lillard, in the final round. Unfortunately for this marquee event, Ionescu was paired against Curry, who won the head-to-head competition by three points.

While Ionescu might not have won, the WNBA certainly did. According to the NBA, the NBA All-Star Challenge was viewed by 10 million people, with the peak audience at 5.4 million between 10 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. The event that piqued so much interest? Ionescu versus Curry. At a time when the WNBA is forming super teams and viewership for the league is on the rise, this moment was huge for the league.

This moment was another footnote in a great couple of weeks for women’s sports. Two nights before the 3-point contest, Iowa guard Catlin Clark became the NCAA women’s all-time leading scorer, passing Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum, who achieved the record while playing at the University of Washington. After scoring 24 points while also nabbing a triple-double in Iowa’s win over Illinois on Sunday, Clark needs just 51 points to break the all-time NCAA scoring record, held by college basketball legend Pete Maravich.

Internationally, 19,285 people were in attendance for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) game between Toronto and Montreal on Feb. 16, breaking the record for highest attendance for a women’s professional hockey game, according to the Sports Business Journal. According to the Journal, it’s the third time the PWHL has broken the record this season, the league’s first. Speaking of attendance, a WSL game between Arsenal and Manchester United last weekend had over 60 thousand fans in attendance, which also broke a league record. The Big 10 conference also announced that the women’s conference tournament has sold out every day of the tournament for the first time, largely thanks to Clark and Iowa, who are hoping to make another Final Four run this year.

From the court to the ice, to the pitch, it is clear to most people that women’s sports are ascending to heights many never thought were possible. Networks have started to catch on, giving women athletes a national audience and a platform that once upon a time was only given to a select few. While there is still a lot that needs to be done in terms of equality, Ionescu’s performance last weekend was proof that when given the chance, sports fans will watch women’s sports.

Andrew Noel, Staff

Saturday night continued the trend of the Flyers not performing their best when the lights are the brightest. In front of a national audience and 70 thousand cheering fans, the Flyers stumbled to a 6-3 loss against the New Jersey Devils. Thanks to the loss, they have now only won one of the six outdoor games they have played in franchise history.  It was a disappointing output for a franchise that wants to be among the league’s most feared and respected teams. 

The game was a reality check for the Flyers, who, in all honesty, were lucky to lose by just three goals. The Devils took the lead after just 32 seconds and never looked back. It was a bad game for the Flyers, who should be winning these kinds of games easily if they want to think about making a playoff run. Unfortunately, at this point, a playoff appearance at all would be a miracle. It is hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago fans were saying that the Flyers were a Stanley Cup favorite. But anything, especially in sports, can change in just a few weeks. 

The Flyers did bounce back with a midweek win in Chicago over the Blackhawks. The game was a much improved performance from the Flyers who controlled throughout and came out as deserved 3-1 winners. As encouraging as the win was, it is worth remembering that the Blackhawks are the worst team in hockey, and pretty much everyone beats them.  

Overall, it was another week of stagnation for the Flyers: One step forward, two steps back. As discussed in recent articles, the Flyers are coming up with a decision on what they want to do with their team, not just for the short term but for the long term as well. The later in the season it gets, the more and more clear it becomes as to what kind of team the Flyers are. They have improved over the last two seasons, no doubt, but they continue to struggle against the best teams in the league. If General Manager Danny Briere were to do nothing during the upcoming trade deadline, then he would leave the Flyers in no man’s land, which in sports, is the worst place to be. They would be too good to get a top draft pick, but not good enough to make the playoffs. 

The new Flyers leadership has been very open with the fans about the direction of the team. That was great in the beginning, but words must turn into actions, and so far, no actions have been taken to make this fanbase believe that this regime will be any different from the ones in the past. Time has not run out for the Flyers, but the clock is ticking, and if the clock hits zero, then fans will be right to question this front office and wonder if this front office group will be any different from those in the past.  

Saturday’s game against the Devils was a chance for the Flyers to exorcise old demons against a division foe. Instead, they showed that lots of progress still has to be made before they can be considered one of the league’s top teams. Unless this new Flyers leadership makes big changes at the trade deadline, then fans should have no hope that these new Flyers will be anything different than the old Flyers. 

Aidan Tyksinski, Editor 

Groundhog Day is this week, which means that college basketball fans’ favorite month is fast approaching: March. It feels as though conference play has just started, but soon the regular season will end, and the La Salle men’s and women’s teams will be making their trips to Brooklyn and Virginia for their respective A10 tournaments. With that being said, here is the recap of how both teams fared in the last week. 

La Salle Women’s Basketball

The Explorers suffered a tough loss this past week against a very hot Rhode Island squad, 75-47. The Explorers started the game off slowly, making only two baskets in the first quarter, both of which were made by guard Makayla Miller. The Rams struggled to make shots as well in the opening frame but were aided by seven free throws to get a 17-5 lead at the end of the quarter. La Salle scored 42 combined in the last three quarters, but Rhode Island tore apart the Explorers defense in the third quarter, totaling 28 points and shooting 52% from the field. Nicole Malicious led La Salle with 15 points, while Miller finished the game with 13. The Explorers record fell to 6-13 overall and 3-5 in A-10 play, placing the team 10^th in the Conference. An upcoming game to look out for is a home game on Sunday against Dayton. The Flyers are currently 3-6 in A10 play and half a game behind La Salle in the standings. If the Explorers want to gain momentum this season, this will be the game to do so. To win, La Salle will have to shut down the Flyers’ three best scorers, guards Ivy Wolf and Destiney Bohanon and forward Arinna Smith. All three players are averaging over 10 points per game.

La Salle Men’s Basketball

Unfortunately for La Salle basketball fans, the men’s team is off to an even worse start than the women’s team in conference play. They were able to beat George Washington on Saturday, thanks to 20 points by Khalil Brantly and 19 points by Jhamir Brickus. Freshman Tunder Vahlberg Fasasi, who started in place of Anwar Gill while Gill works his way back into shape after an injury, also scored 19 in their 80-70 win. This came after a 66-54 loss to 16th-ranked Dayton, a game in which the Explorers fought hard but struggled to stop the Flyers best player, DaRon Holmes II. The win on Saturday was much needed and snapped La Salle’s five-game losing streak. The Explorers are still sitting with a winning record at 11-9 but are 2-5 in A10 play, placing them in 14^th place in the Conference. It’s been a disappointing January for a La Salle team that closed out non-conference play with a 9-5 record, with two of the last three games being a close loss to a ranked Miami team and a blowout win over Rosemont College. The team can hopefully keep this momentum going as they face archrival Saint Josephs on Saturday.

Andrew Noel, Staff

After a two-month-long break for the holiday season, we are back, and oh boy is there a lot of Philadelphia sports news to chat about. Everything listed here could be full articles on their own, but there is a lot to get caught up on, so let’s get the worst out of the way first, with everyone’s favorite football team.

Eagles 

What the heck happened? The last time we talked, the Eagles were 10-1 and looking like a real threat to go to the Super Bowl. Instead, they ended the season with a dismal 1-6 record and limped into the playoffs, only to be soaked by the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round for the second time in three years. There has been lots of talk about what happened, and the response from the team has been swift, with both the offensive and defensive coordinators Brain Johnson and Sean Desai being fired and replaced by Kelen Moore and Vic Fangio, respectively. Only time will tell if these changes are enough. One thing is clear, however: the Eagles are not the same team that they were in the second half of the season, and going into next year, there will be more pressure than ever to perform. This is especially true for underachieving superstars such as Jalen Hurts and James Bradberry. 

Phillies   

The Phillies have had a quiet off-season, with their major move being to resign Aaron Nola with a six-year contract extension. When the Phillies  made the headlines this winter, it wasn’t because of who they gained, but rather, who they lost. Craig Kimbrel left in free agency for Baltimore, and although he won’t be missed  by many of the Philly faithful, he still took up a roster spot that will need filling. The other notable name that departed this offseason will hurt many. Rhys Hoskins, the Phillies longtime first baseman and 2022 playoff hero signed a two-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. How sad it is that one of the longest-tenured Phillies had to have his Philadelphia career come to an end in the outfield grass in a meaningless game in March. Hoskins will be missed in Philly because of his play on the field, but more importantly, his charitable work off the field, with him and his wife becoming large advocates for children with Muscular Dystrophy in the Philadelphia area. On the field, the Phillies will have no problem replacing him, with some guy named Harper set to take over the full-time first base role next season. 

76ers  

New year, same Sixers. Despite a recent slump, the Sixers are where everybody thought they would be,  fighting with the Bucks and Celtics for the top three spots in the Eastern Conference. Joel Embiid has backed up his MVP season nicely, despite lingering injury concerns and doubts over whether he can play the same way in the playoffs. You would be forgiven for thinking that the Sixers would have taken a step back given the loss of James Harden, and the transition to a new coach. Luckily, that hasn’t happened, and so far, it has been smooth sailing for the most stable team in Philadelphia at the moment. 

Flyers   

They are no doubt the most unpredictable team in Philadelphia right now. The Flyers shocked everyone by getting off to a blazing-fast start, but have recently lost five games in a row, cooling expectations. The team is in the unfortunate spot known as purgatory, being too good for a good draft pick and too bad to make noise in the playoffs. How the new front office regime navigates these tough positions will be interesting, but given how they handled the shocking trade request of top prospect Cutter Gauthier, Flyers fans should have full faith that the Flyers front office will handle this delicate situation smartly and efficiently.

Andrew Noel, Staff

Cowboys vs Eagles is always one of the best games of the NFL season, and the latest installment of this long-time rivalry certainly lived up to their hype, with the Birds edging out their longtime foes, 28 to 23. The sides will rematch in Dallas on Dec. 10 in what is sure to be another thriller. 

Sunday’s game pretty much summed up the Eagles season so far, with them not playing a great brand of football but still finding a way to win. The two main issues plaguing the Eagles this season are turnovers (ranked 23 out of 32 in most turnovers in the NFL, going into yesterday’s game) and defensive consistency, with them being ranked 20th out of 32 in points given up per game. The turnover issue did not show its ugly head Sunday, with the Eagles ending the game with zero turnovers, but fans will want to see a few games similar to Sundays before they get comfortable. The defensive issues were a problem, once again, with the team giving up 23 points. A win is a win, but the Eagles cannot constantly rely on big offensive games if they want to keep playing deep into January. The Eagles have so far gotten away with these issues but will need to clean them up before it’s too late.  

The Eagles week nine win gives them a fantastic record of 8-1 going into the bye week. While this is a fantastic spot to be in, the Eagles cannot afford to get complacent, as their next six games are the most challenging schedule possible in the NFL. After they return from the bye, the Eagles go to Kansas City in a Monday Night Football blockbuster. Following the Super Bowl rematch, they have the perennial contending Bills at home, followed by an NFC Championship game rematch in Philadelphia against the hated 49ers. After this, they have the previously mentioned rematch with Dallas (in Dallas), then they have to make the 3,000-mile trip to Seattle and face the surprising Seahawks.  

The main criticism of the Eagles, both last year and this year, was that, while they won lots of games, they did it while facing weaker opponents. The next “easy” game on the Eagles’ schedule isn’t until Christmas, when the rival Giants come to town. Between now and then, we will find out a lot about the Eagles and if they are Super Bowl contenders or pretenders. 

The Eagles, despite the NFL’s best 8-1 record, have not played great football all season. Sure, they have won the games, but both games versus the Commanders and the week one tilt versus the Patriots could have both easily ended up in losses. When facing the NFL elite, the Eagles will not be able to get away with their mistakes and the inconsistency they had over the next six weeks, or the results will be ugly.  

The next seven weeks of football will tell us a lot about this Eagles team. It will be the most adversity they have faced since Carson Wentz tore his ACL in the Super Bowl-winning 2017-18 season. We all want to go to another parade in February. This next stretch of games will tell us if that’s a realistic possibility.  

Andrew Noel, Staff

On Tuesday night, the Phillies season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion. After having a 3-2 series lead in the National League Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phillies lost the last two games at home, which means their season ends in the most heartbreaking fashion possible.

The Diamondbacks struck first with an RBI ground ball to give them the 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Phillies responded quickly with an Alec Bohm second inning solo home run to left field tying the game at one. The Phillies began to part in the bottom of the third, as a Bryson Stott double put the home team on top. The lead quickly evaporated as the Diamondbacks scored two runs in the fifth inning to give them a 3-2 lead. The D’Backs then rode a stellar bullpen performance to a 4-2 victory.

The Phillies certainly had their opportunities to extend their lead when it was 2-1, or regain the lead when they were down 4-2. In the fourth inning, the Phillies loaded the bases but couldn’t score any more runs, with Johan Rojas striking out to end the threat. The seventh inning, however, is what will keep Phillies fans awake at night. With runs on first and second, and one out, the Phillies sent their two best and most paid hitters to the plate. With the season on the line, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper both flew out. This inning was the back breaker, with the Phillies not even getting a baserunner after this moment.

In both games six and seven, the pitching wasn’t as good as it had been, but was also terrible. These two losses fall squarely on the offense, with the team scoring just three runs in the last two games of the series. Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos had particularly disappointing final two games. The pitching only gave up five and four runs, respectively, in games six and seven, which as stated wasn’t great. For a team that has swung its way to victories all year long, this is no doubt a sad way to end the season.

Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond, the Phillies’ outlook is just okay. The team will be good next year, but not great. Key players such as Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwaber are over 30 years old, and starting pitcher Aaron Nola is a free agent. There are no game changing prospects on the way to help the cause.The Phillies will look to have to improve the roster by acquiring talent from free agency, which given their already high payroll, will not be easy. The Phillies will be good next year, and can still win a championship, but it will not be easy, and there is no doubt that their championship window just got one year shorter.

Despite the disappointing end, it was great to experience another Red October and to see the entire city embrace the team. The best thing about sports is that there is always next season, and next season will be another fun ride. Until then, the Eagles are off to a 6-1 start and the 76ers started another season last night. Another season of Phillies baseball is over, but there are still plenty of Philadelphia sports to look forward to.

Phillies Logo Via wikimedia commons