The Women’s Soccer Team tied Temple 2-2 in their match against The Owls. Forward Justyce Hollenback netted two goals for the Explorers in the second half of play to initiate her scoring tally for the season and record her first brace as an Explorer. The Explorers trailed Temple by a goal shortly after the second half commenced after Temple forward Sumaya Togba scored a curving shot to the far post in a crowded 18-yard box. Shortly after, Hollenback opened the scoring for La Salle with a low shot to the left side of the far post in the 18-yard box after being assisted by midfielder Giovanna Castorina with a low cross from the right wing.
Temple took the lead late in the game after midfielder Beky Myers scored with a clinical left-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box. Hollenback would score the equalizer nine minutes later on a second-chance shot from eight yards out. The Explorers maintained possession and found a rhythm with short passes throughout the game. Each team recorded the same number of goals (2) and assists (1) and were comparable with their shots on goal as La Salle created seven chances and Temple created eight. This squad has been creative in the final third this year—creating 40 shots on goal in just eight games and scoring 10 of them. The theme for success for this year’s squad seems to be threefold: maintain possession, attack in numbers when possible, and create chances with shots from 25 yards or closer. These tactics have helped the squad score most of their goals this season and will likely continue throughout the rest of the fall. However, the Explorers must maintain defensive positioning and anticipate second-chance shots from their opponents in order to win games.
The squad’s record to date is (2-4-2), consisting of losses to Townson, Delaware, and Bucknell at home, and Princeton away. Most of the losses were tightly-contested matches where the Explorers played well throughout the match but exhibited lapses defensively. In addition to tying at Temple, the squad tied NJIT 1-1 at Lubetkin Field, where attacker Madison McCready assisted fellow attacker Emily Banashefski in scoring her first goal of the season. In the squad’s two wins against Albany and Seton Hall, Head Coach Paul Royal had the Explorers line-up in a familiar formation with four defenders in these wins. Paul Royal entered his 21st season as head coach of the Explorers this fall, and secured his 200th win as coach in the squad’s win against Albany. This year’s squad possesses viable experience with 16 upperclassmen—who will likely serve as the backbone for the Explorers. The Explorer’s were ranked 8th in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, and are currently 9th overall in the conference standings. Royal is supported by assistant coaches Courtney Tole and Matt Brooks this season as well. The Explorers will play their next game against The Saint Louis Billikens at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on Sept. 17 at 2 p.m.
La Salle’s Men’s Soccer team opened their season with an away game against Stonehill University on Aug. 24. The Explorers tied in the tightly-contested match where some familiar names initiated scoring for the 2023 season. Defender Americo Pereira scored the first brace of his collegiate career and forward Giammarco Rodio scored a penalty. The Explorers fought back from the 2-1 deficit that they faced early in the second half of play. Following their opener, the Explorers would embark on a three-game win streak—defeating both Army and Lehigh University at home on ESPN Plus, as well as Manhattan College on an away trip. The theme for the Explorers this year seems to be to attack early and often. While the team struggled to create chances against Lehigh, the Explorers have earned shots on goal in the first 25 minutes of four of their last five matches, excluding their recent loss against NJIT on Sept. 12.
More shots on goal for the Explorers will likely lead to more shots finding the back of the net and more opportunities from set pieces. Until their recent loss at NJIT in Newark, the Explorers were (3-1-1), with a .700 winning percentage according to the team’s homepage. The Explorers conceded three goals in a loss to Quinnaipiac at home which decreased their winning percentage to .583 and updated their season record to (3-2-1). Despite their recent losses, the Explorers have been able to capitalize on chances from five of the six matches they have played—as the team only went scoreless in their loss against Quinnipiac on Sept. 9. The team has also found chemistry with six of their goals being generated by assists. Defensive stability is an area the Explorers must improve in to keep their winning percentage above .500 and to make the Atlantic 10 playoff tournament. The team has conceded more than one goal in every match they have lost and conceded as many goals as they have scored so far.
Keeping clean sheets and maximizing opportunities from set pieces seems to equate to the team’s most successful matches and is likely to be on their agenda for the rest of the season. Taylor Thames entered his third season as head coach at the commencement of this season and will be supported by assistant coaches Ahmed Elgayar and Rich Kessler. The Explorers were ranked 12th in the Atlantic 10 preseason rankings after finishing (5-9-4) last season. This year’s squad has a healthy mix of Freshman (10), Sophomores (11), Juniors (3) and Seniors (6), with the underclassmen outnumbering the Juniors and Seniors. The Explorers will play conference rival Saint Joseph’s on Sept. 16 at McCarthy stadium on ESPN Plus for their next match. Kickoff time is 7 p.m.
ChatGPT, but with an explosion. (I already had a stock image of an explosion)
In the absence of the much-maligned sports editor Nicky Signoretta, the people in power at The La Salle Collegian have decided to hop on the latest fad and utilize society’s greatest new piece of technology. If Signoretta and fellow sports editor Enrique Carrasco cannot write a quality women’s lacrosse article to save their lives, why not let ChatGPT have a swing at it? The revolutionary artificial intelligence program can write essays and papers for students (or so I have heard), so what is stopping it from climbing the journalism ladder and ascending to point of writing the feature piece for Sports Illustrated? Using the search prompt shown below, ChatGPT cooked up several potential articles for its dedicated fanbase, and now it is time to dig into the fruits of our little computer friend’s labor.
The input used for this article’s exercise. (Contain your excitement)
ChatGPT: La Salle University’s women’s lacrosse team is a strong and competitive program that has a history of success on the field. The team is part of the Atlantic 10 conference and plays its home games at McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Uninspired Writer: This is not a terrible start. It reads like a Wikipedia page, but it is the foundation for a lacrosse article for dummies.
The La Salle women’s lacrosse team has a dedicated coaching staff led by Head Coach Caitlin Powers, who has been with the program since 2018. Coach Powers has an impressive lacrosse background, having played at the Division I level herself and coached at both the Division I and II levels before coming to La Salle.
And that was quick. Already making up a new head coach (she could be an upgrade).
The La Salle Women’s Lacrosse team has a history of success, with numerous conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances. They have also produced many talented players who have gone on to play professionally or coach at the collegiate level.
And we go further into the realm of fantasy. I do not know what version of La Salle ChatGPT is playing as in MyCareer in NCAA Wolax 23, but the real-life counterpart has not experienced close to this level of success.
In recent years, the team has continued to perform at a high level, consistently ranking among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference. In the 2021 season, the team finished with a record of 7-4, including a thrilling 13-12 win over conference rival George Mason.
La Salle finished 5-9 in 2021. They did not play the George Mason Patriots that year.
In the 2002-2003 NBA season, Tim Duncan was at the peak of his game and established himself as one of the most dominant players in the league. He led the San Antonio Spurs to a championship victory, earning himself the NBA Finals MVP award in the process.
Duncan’s dominance in that season can be attributed to his exceptional all-around skills as a power forward. He was an excellent scorer, averaging 23.3 points per game, and a great rebounder, averaging 12.9 rebounds per game. He also played outstanding defense, averaging 2.9 blocks per game and 0.7 steals per game.
Moreover, Duncan’s leadership, consistency, and unselfishness were instrumental to the Spurs’ success that season. He was known for his calm demeanor and ability to lead by example, setting a high standard for his teammates on both ends of the court.
Overall, Tim Duncan’s performance in the 2002-2003 NBA season was nothing short of outstanding, and his dominance was a key factor in the San Antonio Spurs’ championship run that year.
Wow! ChatGPT nailed its analysis on 2003 Tim Duncan. Not sure how this ended up in a search about La Salle women’s lacrosse, but this might be the most factual statement that this computer spat out.
2003 Tim Duncan. (Not to be confused with Katie Rhodes Duncan)
The moral of the story: ChatGPT knows little about La Salle women’s lacrosse and tons about the dominance of Tim Duncan in the 2002-2003 NBA season. This upcoming week, the La Salle Explorers (0-14, 0-8) celebrate their Senior Day during their season finale at McCarthy Field against the Davidson Wildcats (10-5, 5-3). The game will be played on Saturday, April 29th, and will begin at 12PM EST. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Just one last dance left.
From The La Salle Collegian, this is (redacted) reporting.
In 2022, Nike shocked the world by taking over Majestic as the sole distributor of Major League Baseball jerseys. A year later, they introduced a new and creative concept that has driven a rift between baseball purists and new fans: The City Connect Series. Each year, a few MLB teams slowly roll out a new uniform set that has to do with the team’s city history. Many of these designs are bold and quirky, angering the old fans, but exciting the young ones. Below I have ranked each uniform, from worst to best and have given reasons why.
16. The San Francisco Giants
Courtesy of alamy
Starting in dead last are these hideous uniforms. The Giants design team has committed the cardinal sin of sports uniform design: They used a gradient. In addition to adding a cheap looking gradient to their main logo, which makes it hard to read, they also decided to brighten up the orange color in the jersey, resembling that of a highlighter. While I do like the Golden Gate Bridge on the sleeves, it can never take mind off the horrific gradient. The Giants missed the mark on this one.
Ranking: 3.5/10
15. The San Diego Padres
Courtesy of alamy
ESPN has this jersey ranked in their top five, probably because the Padres design team had the absolute correct idea behind a story for these. They wanted to tap into the Latin culture of San Diego by providing a jersey with pops of bright color everywhere. But that is also the reason for this being ranked last. I think they missed the mark with the way the jersey is presented though. The font is great, but having a mint and pink split color scheme across the word mark makes it hard to read and reminds me of children’s cereal that has mint and berry in it.
Ranking: 4.5/10
14. The Los Angeles Dodgers
Courtesy of Gettyimages
Yet another California team resides at the bottom of the rankings with these City Connect designs. While I once again enjoy the story behind these jerseys, it’s as if no effort was made with these at all. These uniforms are quite literally their normal jerseys with “Los” slapped in front of Dodgers with the colors swapped. At least the Padres took a bit of risk. However, these aren’t hideous looking.
Ranking: 4.8/10
13. The Boston Red Sox
Courtesy of Gettyimages
Sporting News and I agree wholeheartedly on this ranking. A design revolving around the Boston Marathon is an incredibly cool idea, however, I think these fall short as a Red Sox jersey. While they have a sweet replication of the marathon’s finish line, there is no red to be found anywhere on this jersey. This has a great design, but a Red Sox jersey with no red simply cannot be a Red Sox jersey.
Ranking: 5/10
12. The Houston Astros
While I love a good cohesive jersey where the top and bottom are the same color, the Astros did not execute it well at all with navy. These jerseys remind me of my high school softball team’s jerseys and not “two-time” MLB champion jerseys. The numbers on the pants are a bad look, but I love the NASA font and “Space City” is a cool and mysterious name. Perhaps if they wore white pants with these, I’d like them a lot more.
Ranking: 5.2/10
11. The Chicago Cubs
Courtesy of the MLB
Once again, the full navy uniform is an odd look. However, they stuck with their typical branding and didn’t take a whole lot of risks. I’m always a sucker for a powder blue and navy combo, though. Solid jersey, just a bit boring.
Ranking: 5.5/10
10. The Atlanta Braves
Courtesy of Gettyimages
No risks were taken here, but that’s okay. These are replicas of their timeless jerseys from the Hank Aaron era. “The A” patch on the chest is clean and not too busy, and the number on the front is nice. Good jersey, but nothing we haven’t seen before
Ranking: 6/10
9. The Texas Rangers
The most recent City Connect release has had fans up in arms. The rangers debuted these with people almost instantaneously calling them “trash.” But I think they look cool. While I’m not entirely sure about the story behind them, I think they did something different with the two tone look. The font on the front is cool and they have a very “old-timey” feel to them.
Ranking: 6.5/10
8. The Milwaukee Brewers
Courtesy of the MLB
The Brewers design team did a fantastic job with these jerseys. Powder blue, navy and gold is going to hit the mark ten times out of ten. I only have one slight problem with them that brings the entire design down, and that’s the “Brew Crew” saying on the front. It feels cheap and like something that I’d see on an MLB The Show game. If there was any other wordmark on the front, these would have top 3 potential.
Ranking: 7.2/10
7 and 6 TIED. The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Angels
Courtesy of Gettyimages
A California team is finally featured in a good light on this list! The Diamondbacks and Angels jerseys are tied because I find them to be very similar. Both sandy colored jerseys pay homage to the sand in the state (beach and desert). Both contain numbers on the front left of the jersey. Both are overall really clean-cut and sharp jerseys. I love the different fonts they both used and I think these are absolute wins.
Ranking: 7.8/10
5. The Colorado Rockies
Courtesy of the MLB
Now that I have reached the top five, I want to put a disclaimer: Any jersey that is below another, I do not find to be “worse” than, it just so happens that I think the other is better. The Rockies did an incredible job here. Their uniforms are paying tribute to the state’s incredible license plate and they translate so well to jerseys. The deep green is a sleek color and everything about it is amazing. I would like to potentially see some purple in the mix, or white pants instead of the green, but other than that, these are perfect.
Ranking: 8.2/10
4. The Miami Marlins
Courtesy of the MLB
With that being said, I love these Marlins jerseys. Paying respects to their former minor league team “The Sugar Kings” is a great idea. The orange pops against the blue and white and it just screams “Miami Marlins.” Everything here is amazing.
Ranking: 8.5/10
3. The Kansas City Royals
Courtesy of the MLB
Not many people were excited by these uniforms when they were released, but I’ve loved them forever. The Navy with the light blue is gorgeous, the “KC” in the style of the many fountains within the city, and the large arm bands that are a nod to former Royals jerseys make these one of the best in baseball. Amazing.
Ranking: 8.9/ 10
2. The Washington Nationals
Courtesy of the MLB
After seeing the horrific attempt that their NBA counterparts made,I was terrified when I heard that the Nationals were going to be making a cherry blossom jersey. However, when I first laid my eyes on these, I was left speechless. The textured gray is perfect, the cherry blossoms on the hat and the chest don’t come across as cheap, and the large “WSH” font is amazing. These are incredible fashion forward and I can see people wearing these in public at any time. Washington, despite being an awful baseball club at the moment, at least looks good.
Ranking: 9.3/10
1. The Chicago White Sox
Courtesy of the MLB
Perfection. Absolute perfection. From the full black jersey, to the white pinstripes, to the “Southside” on the front, there isn’t a single flaw in this jersey. There will always be the classic Yankees pinstripes, and the Phillies powder blues, but these jerseys may be one of the best of ALL TIME. They’re intimidating, cool, fashion forward and look amazing on the field. These are the best City Connect jerseys we have gotten so far. It’s just a shame that this was the third jersey to be released, because Nike will never top this one.
Ranking: 11/10 Nike has a long way to go with these uniforms. I ranked half of these uniforms below a 7, meaning there’s a lot of D tier and F tier jerseys out there. They have 4 more to debut this year alone and then 10 more to go with some iconic teams. My only note for Nike is to not mess with tradition when it comes to the Yankees, Mets and Phillies because they will anger a lot of fans.
The La Salle Lacrosse (0-12) faced off against the Duquesne Dukes (1-11) at home for their Morgan’s Message game. The Explorers were coming off of a 12-game losing streak and hoped to bring this streak to a halt against the Dukes.
The Explorers were off to a hot start after Junior transfer Alana Lathan was able to get the ball past the goalkeeper to give the Explorers an early 1-0 lead. The Dukes, however, were able to strike right back against a transitioning defense, bringing the game to 1-1. Lathan, however, refused to let the Dukes gain any momentum, once again finding the back of the net with yet another free-position goal. The Dukes then won the next face-off, allowing them to go on a 4-0 run that extended into the second quarter. This run was only halted after Junior attacker Lola Quigly received a pass from Junior midfielder Mackenzie Click, which Quigly was able to easily convert into a goal, bringing the game to 5-3. Duquesne then went on another 4-0 run, bringing the game to 9-3 with only six minutes left in the half. The Explorers refused to go down without a fight, bringing the game to 9-8 heading into the half.
It seemed like the halftime break was exactly what the Dukes needed, scoring three unanswered goals to open the third quarter of play. This run was only stopped when Junior midfielder Maddie Henderson was able to score an unassisted goal to bring the game to 12-9. The Explorers continued to build on this momentum, and after a goal from Ellen Stickney coming off a pass from Katie Johnson, the Explorers were able to bring the game within two goals. Duquesne, feeling the pressure coming from the Explorers, ramped up their offense, answering right back with two goals of their own. Junior midfielder Claudia Steinmetz was then able to score her own goal, bringing the game to 14-11.
The Explorers, however, failed time after time to win a significant amount of post-goal face off, leading to Duquesne having a majority of the possession in the second half. After three unanswered goals by the Dukes, Stickney was again able to find the back of the net after a pass from Click. This was not enough to stop the Dukes, and after one final 4-0 run from the Dukes, the Explorers fell 21-12. The Explorers tallied a total of 32 shots, with 22 of them being on the net.
The Explorers will travel to St. Bonaventure next and then will face off against Davidson at home for their last regular season game.
Wrestlemania season has officially come to an end and what a success it was. From some of the best female wrestling the sport has seen to possibly the best tag-team match of all time this Wrestlemania will definitely go down as one of the best WWE has put on. Here are some thoughts and my ratings of the matches.
Night 1
Austin Theory defeats John Cena to retain United States Championship
Starting the whole weekend event we got to see one of the best wrestlers of all time, John Cena, back on the grandest stage of them all square off against Austin Theory, a guy the WWE is clearly trying to push to a main eventer. While it was awesome seeing John Cena back, this match was such a let down. The match took a while to get going and once it did it was just filled with cheap shots coming from Theory which ultimately lead to him retaining the United States Championship. Best part of this fight was Cena’s five knuckle shuffle, where he thanked the fans before pulling it off. Makes you wonder if this is our last time seeing him in the ring?
Rating: 6.1/10
Men’s Fatal Four-Way Showcase: The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. Viking Raiders vs. Ricochet & Braun Strowman. Winners: The Street Profits
This match had to be the shock of night one for how awesome this was. For no buildup going in, it ended up being one of the most powerful, high flying and energetic matches of the night. For someone who has never seen wrestling before or does not care, I would show them this match. The Street Profits end up winning this match in an awesome ending. Rumor has it that Triple H is making big changes on Monday Night Raw and if there are two sets of tag team titles I would love to see this team carry them. Rating: 8.9/10
Seth Freakin’ Rollins Defeats Logan Paul
Ah yes, Logan Paul. Internet Star-turned-Boxer turned Entrepreneur turned WWE Superstar continues to prove he can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the WWE. Even die hard fans can not deny Paul has great in-ring talent. For how great Paul looked for his fourth match in the WWE, Seth Freakin’ Rollins outshined him. Rollins is currently the biggest babyface in the company. Whenever someone tries to cut a promo against Rollins the entire crowd just chants his theme song. I think it is time for Rollins to be back in the main event picture and fight against Roman Reigns. All in all this fight was great from the KSI appearance to the chants this fight had it all. I would have liked to have seen more buildup but not much you can do with Paul’s busy schedule. Rating: 8.6/10
While it was great seeing Trish Stratus back and how she proved she definitely can still wrestle, I felt this match was a little dull. As much as I loved watching Lita back in the day, I think it may be time for her to hang up the boots. She botched a few of her moves and clearly could not move as well as the others. Other than Lita, Becky Lynch looked amazing and proved why she is one of the best Female Wrestlers in the business and Damage CTRL did a lot of fun moves and pops for the crowd. It is unfortunate this match came after two amazing matches or else I could have seen myself liking it more. Rating: 6.4/10
Rey Mysterio defeats Dominik Mysterio
Besides the bloodline storyline this had one of my favorite buildups this Wrestlemania. Dominik Mysterio, while it was not believable at first, has cut some amazing promos leading up to this event and has truly embraced being the villain. How could you not enjoy this fight? From Rey Mysterio riding in a convertible with Snoop Dogg to honor the late great Eddie Guerrero, Rey beating Dominik with a belt, to Dominik throwing water in his sister’s face, this match had it all for a great storyline ending. This match could very well be Mysterio’s last fight as well and if it is he left on a high note. Rating: 9.1/10
Rhea Ripley defeats Charlotte Flair for Smackdown Women’s Championship
To be completely honest, I was not invested in this match leading up. This was one of the worst builds for a World Championship going into Wrestlemania and it was pretty clear Ripley was going to win. After the fight was over I had to say it out loud, this was the greatest Women’s wrestling match I have ever seen in my life. It was a slow burn to start and I was nervous we would have to sit through a boring match until one of the most highly anticipated matches in recent history. Once it gained momentum the two superstars absolutely shined and showed why they are the two best in the ring. As predicted by most people, Ripley became the new Smackdown Women’s champion but was still an incredible match. Ripley hitting her finishing move, the Rhiptide, off the top rope for the win made me jump out of my seat. Ripley is going to hold this belt for a very long time and she deserves it. Rating: 9.5/10
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens defeat The Usos for the Tag-Team Championship
I will say it, this was the greatest tag-team match of all time. When was the last time anyone cared about a tag match? The bloodline storyline is the best storyline I have ever seen in WWE since the CM Punk John Cena storyline in 2011. This storyline is the reason why I started watching wrestling again. Everything about this match was perfect. I do not know what else to say besides this was done so well. Rating: 10/10
Night 2
Brock Lesnar defeats Omos
This matches’ buildup was just two big boys going at it to kickoff Wrestlemania. It was cool seeing Lesnar hit Omos with an F5 but besides that this match was just fine. Rating: 5.8/10
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya & Shotzi vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville. Winners: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler
I was really hoping this would shock me like the men’s showcase on night one. In the beginning it was certainly trending that way as all the superstars really had moments to shine. The ending however was so lackluster with former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey just walking into the ring and putting Shotzi in an armbar and winning. The ending definitely knocked a few points off of my rating for this one. Rating: 6.0/10
Gunther defeats Sheamus and Drew McIntyre in Triple Threat Match
Looking at this match on the card I asked myself, how could this be bad? Three massive men just beating the heck out of each other for over twenty minutes was awesome and there was decent buildup leading up with Sheamus vs McIntyre. I have never seen so many chest slaps in a match ever. Everyone thought Sheamus should have won to complete his career grand slam but Gunther is a young rising star and needed this win for his resume to be propelled to the top.
Rating: 8.2/10
Bianca Belair defeats Asuka for Raw Women’s Championship
While watching this, I really wanted Rhea Ripley to somehow interfere to set up Rhea becoming a universal champion like Roman Reigns. Yes it was wishful thinking but she is just such a great wrestler that I want to see more of. This fight was still good even though I felt Asuka should have won. Overall a very decent fight and a reminder of how far Women superstars have come in this industry and how great these fights have been. Rating: 7.9/10
Edge defeats Finn Balor in a Hell in a Cell
The Hell in Cell returns to Wrestlemania as well as Balor’s “The Demon” gimmick which looked awesome. This match is as close to the attitude era we could get in this PG era. Chairs, ladders, tables, and kendo sticks were all on display. What turned the vibe around however was Balor getting injured about ten minutes into the match. Edge threw a ladder at Balor and instead of his head going in between the stairs of the ladder, it hit him square on the temple resulting in a major cut on his head and blood dripping on the mat. They had to let doctors into the ring to check in on Balor delaying the match by a few minutes. When they began to wrestle again doctors had to stay in the cell to make sure he was ok which was odd but luckily Balor continued to perform at a high level, even taking a chair shot to the head to end the match. Great match but I am nervous about Balor’s health. Rating: 8.6/10 *bonus points for how sick Edge’s entrance was
Miz’s matches
Before I get to the main event I figured I would quickly talk about the Miz and the two random matches he had. The first match was against Pat McAfee and kind of George Kittle? It really just made me want to see McAfee on commentary as I dislike Corey Greaves there. Next was the awesome return of Shane McMahon but only lasted thirty seconds as he tore his quad. Snoop Dogg with the improv of the year as he hit the Miz with the peoples elbow. I think Wrestlemania could have done without either of these matches. Rating: 2.4/10
Roman Reigns defeats Cody Rhodes for Universal Championship
Wow. Just wow. You can not tell me watching both entrances you did not get goosebumps. Going into this fight I felt it was time for a new era with Rhodes as champion. When Reigns won I was upset along with the rest of the WWE Universe. I keep going back and forth on how I feel about this ending. Because a Rhodes win at Summerslam is not going to hit as hard as it would’ve last night, but then again are WWE fans ready for Reigns not to be champion anymore? He is the best wrestler on the roster, he is the best heel on the roster, everyone loves to hate him, but he is the Tribal Chief and we need to acknowledge him. Rating: 9.2/10
La Salle Women’s Water Polo v. Charleston Women’s Lacrosse. (c. 2023 colorized)
With one foot already dipping into the pool of satirical nonsense after my most recent journalism effort, this week felt like a good time to harness whatever decency I had left in the tank to conjure up an article so ripe with incomprehensible garbage and gaslighting that it could be sighted whenever I am ultimately fired from The Collegian as one of its sports editors. The following piece will feature no mention of one sport I have admitted having little to no knowledge about but will instead focus on a second sport that I cannot comprehend and have watched enough matches to still count on one finger (I did thoroughly enjoy the little bit I saw. Makes me wish we had more than one home weekend).
La Salle women’s water polo hosted the likes of Long Island University, Villanova, Virginia Military Institute, and Wagner this past weekend at La Salle’s very own Kirk Pool for some in-conference clashes. The Explorers opened their weekend with a double-header on Saturday, March 25th. The first fixture of the day featured the VMI Keydets (3-10, 0-3), a team that La Salle would end up dismantling by a scoreline of 17-6. The Explorers opened the game with 6-0 run and would stretch their lead as far as thirteen goals when they took a 14-1 advantage late in the 3rd Period. Shanna Zuanich paced La Salle’s offense with four goals while Hannah Woren clocked in three assists. Emma Gurasich and Caitlin Valentine combined for eleven saves in net.
Paige Mitchell prepares to release a rocket in La Salle’s win over VMI. (courtesy of @lasallewaterpolo)
La Salle followed up their early game with another matchup just a few hours later as they faced off against the #17 Wagner Seahawks (22-5, 5-0). The Explorers fell to the Seahawks just a week prior to the tune of 16-7, so this week’s matchup was a chance at redemption on home… water? A dominant 2nd Period from Wagner saw the Seahawks take a 7-2 lead into halftime, but the Explorers used an offensive burst in the 4th Period to cut the lead to 13-10 with some time left on the clock. Unfortunately, Wagner stymied La Salle’s remaining comeback efforts as the final score read 15-12 in favor of the Seahawks. Francesca Co’ and Madelyn Koerper each turned in four goal performances, with Co’ also contributing two assists. Gurasich stood strong in net, totaling twelve saves in the match.
Emma Gurasich extends to make a great save in La Salle’s loss to Wagner. (courtesy of @lasallewaterpolo)
La Salle wrapped up their homestand with a matchup against the Villanova Wildcats (13-13, 3-3) on Sunday, March 26th. The game was also doubling as the Explorers’ Senior Day, so hopes were high to send the squad’s veteran out on a strong ending at Kirk Pool. The matchup played out as a narrow and thrilling affair, with La Salle maintaining slim leads before Villanova would find an eventual equalizer. Tragedy struck late in the 4th Period when the Wildcats took their first lead since the opening moments of the game to seize a 9-8 lead that would stand as the contest’s final tally.
Hannah Woren has her eyes set on goal in La Salle’s narrow loss to Villanova. (courtesy of @lasallewaterpolo)
La Salle (11-12, 1-4) continues their push for the MAAC Championship next week when they travel to Lexington, Virginia. Their weekend will feature Saturday, April 1st matchups against the Siena Saints (4-16, 0-5) and the Iona Gaels (11-8, 3-2), while Sunday, April 2nd will see the girls take on the Marist Red Foxes (15-6, 5-0). The Siena matchup will take place at 11:20AM EST, the Iona game at 6PM EST, and the Marist clash at 11:20AM EST. Whether I will be reporting on these games is in question. I like to keep my writing… unpredictable these days.
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 TheCollegian 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.
Biggest disappointment since you were conceived (Cry about it).
Finding a new and inventive way to sugarcoat every week’s women’s lacrosse article is a challenge I wake up dreading every Monday morning when The Collegian begins its routine publishing ritual. How could I, someone who knows very little about the sport of lacrosse, find a way to entertain both the writer and myself amid paragraphs detailing twenty-minute Explorer scoring droughts and opposing runs that have scaled as high as twenty-one unanswered (that’s bad in football, the game where they score points in sevens)? After witnessing a scarring three-loss week that saw the Explorers (0-8, 0-2) drop matches to two previously winless teams in the George Washington Colonials (1-5, 1-0) and the George Mason Patriots (1-7, 1-1) as well as falling to a solid UMBC Retrievers side (6-2), I have decided there is only one thing I can dunk on this week in an attempt to salvage any respect that the university, the team, and Dr. John P. Lacrosse (the inventor of lacrosse) have remaining for our beloved Explorers. In a celebration of the fact that I know far more about college basketball than I do women’s lacrosse, I will be taking the low road and comparing the La Salle Explorers women’s lacrosse team to teams that have become national punching bags in the first week of this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
When looking for the ideal NCAA Tournament basketball team to pair up with the La Salle women’s lacrosse team, I had some basic requirements to put both competitors on an even playing field. First, I must start with teams that did not win a single game in this year’s bracket because that would put them level with lacrosse’s zero wins. That cuts the field of sixty-eight eligible bachelors in half, leaving us with thirty-four candidates. Next, I am throwing out all low seeds because I feel that a 16 Seed losing in their first game is not disappointment but rather an expected formality. That will shave a few more squads off my list. For my final criterion, I just looked for teams that really inspired me with overall ineptitude. Whether it was failing to live up to expectations or just playing truly horrendous basketball, I wanted to find a team so bad and soul crushing that they could rival the Explorers in ripping my heart out. In the spirit of the tournament, I narrowed my candidates down to a final four, which I present to you. We are left with the Virginia Cavaliers (a 4 Seed who lost in traumatic fashion after turning the ball over in the closing seconds which lead to a game-winning three-pointer for their opponent), the Iowa State Cyclones (a 6 Seed who shot 23.3% from the field, 9.5% from three, and 57.9% from the free-throw line in an eighteen-point loss to a team on one day’s rest), the Arizona Wildcats (a 2 Seed who lost to a 15 Seed, the second time they have done this in school history), and the Purdue Boilermakers (a 1 Seed who became the second team ever to fall at the feet of a 16 Seed). With the Cavaliers having won a national championship in the past five years, they are excused from the disappointment championship. The Cyclones’ performance was appalling, but their shooting percentage was nearly five points higher than the worst performance in tourney history. The Wildcats have nothing going for them here. They are just lucky the Boilermakers lost to a worse seed and have more national haters. As you could have guessed before reading this entire paragraph, it’s time to buckle in for this article’s main event.
La Salle Explorers Women’s Lacrosse v. Purdue Boilermakers Men’s Basketball
“Battle of the Disappointments”
As a career disappointment myself, I feel qualified to judge the competition I have created, so rest assured whatever you read from here on out is clear and undisputed fact. This contest is going to have five rounds, with the team winning the most rounds by the end of the matchup being declared “The Most Disappointing Team Until Wolax Plays Their Next Game.” Let us begin.
Round 1: The Brands
To compare Purdue men’s basketball to La Salle women’s lacrosse is like comparing Sports Illustrated to my articles in The Collegian. Everyone knows the first one. Only the parents who care about the people involved with the second one bother to keep up with it. When I search “purdue men’s basketball” in Google, I get sixteen million results. Typing in “la salle women’s lacrosse” yields only a third of that number (Over 5,000,000 hits for La Salle women’s lacrosse? I need answers). To deny that Purdue men’s basketball is the more recognizable brand would be like denying George Mason’s Shannon Tuozzo one of her nine goals against the Explorers last week. It can’t be done. Losing as the bigger brand gives Purdue the early lead.
Purdue’s roster is highlighted by the likes of their 7’4” goliath of a center, Zach Edey. The Naismith College Player of the Year frontrunner has some potential to play pro ball, and he is a monster in the paint that cleans up the glass and helps the Boilermakers run smoothly. In comparison, the Explorers’ tallest player is 5’11” attacker Katie Johnson. At least to my knowledge, Johnson has zero NBA prospects and was nowhere to be found on Naismith award watchlist articles I perused. To lose with a colossal talent like Edey is a major fail, meaning Purdue out-disappoints again.
Zach Edey and Katie Johnson (Picture is to scale).
Round 3: The Accolades
Purdue put a stamp on a successful regular season by being crowned both the Big Ten Conference’s regular season and conference tournament champions. The squad earned their sixth straight top four seed in the NCAA Tournament, showing they are consistently a force to be reckoned with. Their program even has two Final Four appearances to their name, meaning they have played on college basketball’s biggest stage. While La Salle women’s lacrosse has never sniffed this level of accomplishment on the field, the stellar gameday environments provided by their fans is something the opposition cannot handle. While the Boilermakers may have banners hanging for conference titles and lengthy tournament runs, the Explorers have the best parent provided tailgate Division I has to offer. Sad to see La Salle lose with that level of hospitality. Point for the Explorers.
This year, Purdue did not open the year ranked or projected to win the Big Ten. They shattered those expectations and earned themselves a 1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament. Yes, they lost to a 16 Seed, but you could still argue they initially exceeded expectations. Meanwhile, I personally expected La Salle to win one of their first eight games. What I fool that makes me. The Boilermakers may have underachieved on the biggest stage, but the Explorers have underachieved in every way. Looks like this will be a tie game going into the final frame.
Round 5: Losses To Teams From The State Of New Jersey (But Only When The Match Isn’t Played In Illinois)
It’s the metric that matters most in any competition, how you fared against the proverbial “Garbage State” in head-to-head competition (excluding potential wins in the Prairie State). Purdue boasts an ugly 0-2 mark against such teams, with a stunning 65-64 loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights combining with their now famous 63-58 loss to the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights this past Friday to get them to that record. La Salle on the other hand, has zero of these oddly specific yet incredibly important games played, meaning their 0-0 record is greater than that of Purdue’s. This means La Salle dodges a bullet as Purdue seizes disappointment from the jaws of… um… appointment? I don’t know.
And just like that, the women’s lacrosse team loses another hard-fought battle, but with a much more respectable scoreline of 3-2. This upcoming week, the Explorers travel to Amherst, Massachusetts, to take on the #16 UMass Minutewomen (8-1, 2-0) The game will take place on Wednesday, March 22nd, and action from Garber Field will get underway around 2PM EST. La Salle will also face off against the VCU Rams (4-5, 0-2) on Saturday, March 25th, at 1PM EST on wonderful McCarthy Field. Both matches will stream on ESPN+. I pray they win because I am really running out of ideas for alternative articles.
From The Collegian, this is Nicholas Signoretta reporting.
Welp it’s official, what was once the pride of joy of Philadelphia, turned Colt, then turned Commander has been released from the Washington Commanders. This move by the Commanders gives the team over $26 million in free cap space to make other moves. For Wentz, he will now be looking for his fourth team in four years.
Wentz came into Philadelphia as the number two overall pick in the 2016 draft. He showed potential his first year throwing close to 4,000 passing yards. It was his second year that made him infamous with football fans. He threw 33 touchdowns, a little over 3,000 passing yards, a QB rating of 101.9, and was a clear front runner for MVP. Getting an ACL injury against the Rams in week 14 of the season ultimately took him out of the MVP race and sidelined him for the rest of the year. Wentz watched backup Nick Foles lead the team to a Super Bowl and start the next season for a few games until he was fully healthy to come back.
It was clear Wentz was pushing his limits with his leg but however put up a decent stat line throughout 11 games scoring 21 touchdowns. His season came to an end as he hurt his back and yet again backup Nick Foles took the Eagles to the NFC Divisional round falling short against the Saints.
The next season there was no more Foles and all eyes were on Wentz to see if he could lead his team. He was finally able to put together a full season and especially shined in the last four weeks of the season putting the Eagles in a position to host the Seahawks at home in the Wild Card. First snap for Wentz ended in him getting hit and sidelined with a concussion.
The next season was a mystery for what could happen as the team drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round of the draft.
The turning point in Carson Wentz’s career was in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles were 3-8-1 coming into this game and Wentz did not play well. He only completed 6 of his 15 throws and was substituted out of the game for Hurts in the 2nd quarter.
Wentz after not playing another snap all season was traded to the Colts to reunite with former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Wentz had an ok season with the Colts with 27 touchdowns and throwing 3,563 yards. What sticks out however is the final game of the season versus the Jaguars where the Colts lost 26-11 and put the Colts out of making the playoffs. The Jaguars at the time only had 3 wins and it seemed like a lock for the Colts to win. Wentz struggled only throwing 1 touchdown and completing just barely over half his attempted throws.
Wentz was traded yet again in the off-season to the Washington Commanders and all the problems that were put on him through his time in the NFL were on full display. Wentz only played 8 games throwing 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He dealt with injuries and was ultimately benched for Taylor Heinicke.
Wentz, now a free agent, surfaces a lot of questions. Will he start again? Will he return to his old self? Are injuries still going to plague his career? This is only the tip of the iceberg as well. There are still tons of concerns about his personality and locker room habits. Zak Keefer, a reporter for The Athletic, reported that many felt in the Colts organization he lacked leadership qualities and resisted hard coaching. There were also reports that in 2017 an undisclosed Eagles player tried to fight Wentz because of a comment Wentz made about Nick Foles and the success of the team without him.
All in all, it seems Wentz’s course is to sign with a team where he can try and compete for a starting spot but we will have to wait and see. With many quarterback storylines this free agency, this is one to watch closely.
The La Salle Collegian 