The Eagles Continue Hot Streak with Victory Over Commanders

Sports

Charlie Hug, Staff

The Eagles came into Week 3 hot after back-to-back wins against the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings. Playing in front of the thousands of Philly fans who took the trek down to Landover, Maryland, the Eagles kept their momentum going in a 24-8 rout over the Washington Commanders. In the team’s first meeting with former quarterback Carson Wentz, it was all defense in the first quarter for the Eagles. The team recorded four sacks on Wentz in the first quarter, making them the first team with four sacks in an opening quarter since 2019 and the first Eagles defense to do so since 1991. Coming into the game, the defense was perhaps the biggest question surrounding this Eagles team. After allowing 35 points to the sub-par Detroit Lions, they followed by allowing only 7 points to the reigning NFC North champion, the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 3, the Eagles defense showed that they are officially locked, ultimately ending the game with nine sacks – the most of any team this season- and three forced fumbles on Carson Wentz.

As for the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles once again showed why they are one of only three undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. Early MVP candidate, Jalen Hurts, continued his spectacular start to the season with another masterful game. He completed 22 of his 35 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns, earning him a QBR of 123.5. This came as a result of a career day from second-year wide receiver Devonta Smith. Smith could not be stopped on Sunday, securing eight catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. The highlight of the day was an incredible 44-yard leaping catch by Smith to put the Eagles at the Commanders’ 1-yard line with 25 seconds left in the first half. Smith was then able to cap off the drive with another highlight catch in the endzone to put the Eagles up 24-0 heading into the half.

The Eagles get to stay home and play in front of the Philly faithful in Week 4 against a Jacksonville Jaguars team coming off a big win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Should the Eagles pull out a win at home, they look poised to head into their Week 7 bye with an undefeated record after matchups against the inconsistent Arizona Cardinals and the banged-up Dallas Cowboys. The biggest questions still following the Eagles this season: Will Jalen Hurts be able to keep up his MVP-caliber play, and will the defense be able to stay consistent in both the front and back fields? This week’s matchup against Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars should be able to prove just that.

Men’s Soccer team grounds the Hawks in 2-1 win

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

On Sat., Sept. 24, the La Salle Explorers Men’s soccer team traveled to St. Joseph’s University for their second conference game of the season. The Explorers went into the game 1-5-2 in the season (0-1 in conference play) and were looking to better their record, as well as their standings within the conference.

The game was off to a rough start for the Explorers when Junior defender Aimar Leunda lost control of the ball in the backfield, allowing St Joe to get possession, cross the ball, and ultimately find the back of the net only 18 seconds into the game. It seemed like this goal really affected their game plan, as the Hawks maintained most of the momentum in the first half of the game. Towards the end of the first half, the Explorers gave away a crucial penalty kick after a handball call was made inside of the penalty box. Luckily, Freshman Goalkeeper Filip Sabatti was able to dive low in the perfect direction, perfectly stopping the penalty shot from the Hawks. This penalty stop gave the Explorers the momentum that they needed, and the team seemed like a completely new team. La Salle ended the half down 1-0 but carried all the momentum in the game.

At the beginning of the second half, the explorers continued their momentum and came out of the locker room in full swing. The Explorers were full of energy and continued their aggressive offense to full effect. It was not until the 73rd minute of the game that the Explorers were able to tie the game after Sophomore defender Andres Rodriguez was able to get the ball past the keeper by capitalizing on a blocked shot that rebounded to him. The Explorers used this lapse in defense to their advantage, and two minutes after their first goal, were once again able to find the back of the net after Omari Cotterell was able to send a long pass down the field to a wide-open Nigel Buckley. Buckley drove the ball down the field and managed to put the Explorers up 2-1. St Joe’s did not give up so easily, though, having several corner kicks in the final minutes of the game. Despite this, the Explorer’s defense was able to hold strong and maintained the team’s lead until the end of the game.

Despite this win for the Explorers, a dark cloud still looms over the team. The team is still 2-5-2 in the season and every game from here on out counts. The Explorers have had trouble finishing attacks, and this has translated to the various defeats the Explorers have suffered. The Explorers must ensure that they win every game from here on out if they want any possibility of making it to the playoffs. This win over the hawks was a perfect step in the right direction for the Explorers, and cannot wait to see what they do next.

Field Hockey defeats Rider at home

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

On Sunday, Sept. 11, the Explorers faced off against the Rider Broncs for their home opener game. The Explorers came into the game on a 3-game losing streak and were looking to end the streak with a win at home. The game was off to a slow start in the first quarter, where the defense stole the show on both sides of the ball. The quarter ended with only two shots, both of which came from the Explorers. The Explorers seemed to pick up the pace during the second quarter, where they not only doubled their shots but also managed to come away with their first goal of the contest at the 28th minute. The goal came after a corner pass from Junior forward Tatum Johnson to Sophomore Defender Sofia Pla, who then got the shot off, but the ball ricocheted off of the goal post. Freshman defender Malena Balduzzi then recovered the shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. Johnson was able to scoop up the rebound and get the ball past the goalkeeper, putting the Explorers up 1-0 before the end of the half.
The Explorers seemed to carry the momentum through halftime as they came out of the break full of energy and drive. The second goal of the contest came from yet another corner, where Johnson passed the ball to Pla, who was able to rip a shot and give the Explorers a two-goal advantage over the Broncs. It wasn’t until the end of the last quarter that Pla once again took a shot on goal after a pass from the corner, although the shot was saved by the Broncs’ goalkeeper, Junior Forward Paige Doyle was able to capture the rebound and put the ball past the keeper, putting the explorers up 3-0 at the end of the game.

In an interview after the game, Sophomore Sofia Pla stated, “I was excited [after the win]; I felt like we needed that win more than anything.” The Explorers went on a 3-game losing streak prior to this win, giving them a 2-3 record. Thanks to this win against the Broncs, the Explorers improved their record to 3-3. In regard to this, Pla stated, “Winning at home, having everyone staying despite the rain made it great… I feel like the team felt happy to see the hard work we had been putting into practice actually work. We came from three consecutive hard losses, so winning as we won on Sunday was a great way of ending the bad streak. The team felt good and comfortable at home, we managed to capitalize out of APC’s [Attack penalty corner], and we got our three goals out of it.”

The Explorer’s victory over the Broncs marks their first win over them since 2018. The Explorers advanced to a 5-win and 10-loss record against the Broncs, with this win being the highest margin of victory for the Explorers over the Broncs. Next up, the explorers will travel to Lock Haven for their first conference game of the season.

Men’s soccer goes 1-1-1 to start the season

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

With the new school year off to a hot start, it was only a matter of time before sports returned to 20th and Olney. Luckily, that is what we got this first week back on campus and the week before. Men’s soccer started their season at home against Stonehill, later traveling to St. Francis Brooklyn, ending their trifecta of games at McCarthy stadium, facing off against the Manhattan Jaspers.

In their season opener, the Explorers were off to a rough start, with a goal from Stonehill coming at the 4th minute of the game. Despite the early deficit faced by the Explorers, they pushed through, and after 39 minutes without a single goal, fifth-year student Omari Cottorel was able to find the back of the net after a pass from Giammarco Rodio, equalizing the game right before halftime.

The Explorers carried the momentum coming out of the break, and in the 51st minute, Junior Justin Brunow was able to score the go-ahead goal after a rebound shot came off the keeper. Shortly after Brunow’s goal, Senior Midfielder Isak Sedin was able to find the top corner, putting the Explorers up 3-1. It was then that Cottorel was once again able to put the ball past the keeper, increasing the Explorer’s lead to 4-1. Despite this astonishing lead, Stonehill refused to go down without a fight, scoring two more goals in rapid succession, tightening the game up at the 66th minute. It was not until transfer student Talla Faye scored in the final minute of the game that the game was indeed out of reach for Stonehill.

After this, the Explorers traveled to Brooklyn, where they were defeated 3-0, moving them to 1-1 in out-of-conference play.

The Explorers then traveled back to 20th and Olney and faced off against the Manhattan Jaspers. The first half was full of physical plays and an abundance of yellow cards. In the 42nd minute, one of the Jaspers received his second yellow card of the game, thus putting the Explorers at a man-up advantage for the remainder of the game. Despite this, the Jaspers were able to score in the 47th minute, putting them up 1-0. The equalizing goal came soon after, with Sophomore forward Giammarco Rodio putting the ball past the goalkeeper and scoring. The score remained the same until the end of the game, with the draw bringing the Explorers to a 1-1-1 record.

Although the trifecta of games only brought a single win to the Explorers, there was an abundance of positive notes for the young Explorer squad. Despite losing many starters this off-season, most noticeably Center back Franc Gamiz Quer, whose presence single-handedly changed the pace of the Explorer’s soccer, the team seems to have amazing chemistry. The younger players on the squad seem to be learning fast from the upperclassmen, and coach Taylor Thames is training the Men properly, bringing them up to a Division I standard. If these trends continue into the season, it’ll be interesting to see how far the squad can go.

Raptors dominate 76ers in game five

Sports

KC Medico, Staff

Cover picture courtesy of ESPN

The Toronto Raptors walked into a hostile Philadelphia crowd and defeated the 76ers 103-88. This win makes the series 3-2 still favoring the 76ers.

From the beginning, turnovers were a problem for the Sixers as in the first quarter they had six turnovers. Even with turnovers, they were able to keep the game close as the closing score of the first was 29-27 Raptors.

It wasn’t until the second quarter when the Raptors blew the game out of the water. They started the quarter with a 12-0 run and the Sixers couldn’t recover. With Raptors All-Star Fred Van Fleet out with a left hip flexor strain they looked to this year’s Rookie of the Year winner Scottie Barnes as he scored eight points in the quarter.

“We always kind of figure it out,” stated Raptors forward Pascal Siakim.

The Sixers would miss their first nine shots of the quarter and didn’t score until the six minute mark. At halftime the Raptors were up 54-41. With boos raining in from the Wells Fargo, the Sixers would have to find a way to turn it around.

With the Raptors tall lineup staying in for most of the game it was clear the Sixers were having a tough time offensively. The Sixers finished the game only making 38.8 percent of their shots from the field and only 27 percent of their three point shots. 76ers center and MVP finalist Joel Embiid stated in his post-game press conference “We all need to be better offensively. We missed a bunch of wide-open shots. At times, I just felt like we just invited, when I was getting doubled, we were not aggressive attacking the ball. We just kept moving the ball around the perimeter, and that gave them time to recover, and that’s why [we] were not able to get anything out of it.”

As it seems with most of the NBA at this point in the season, many stars are getting hurt including Embiid. Embiid has a torn ligament in his right thumb. Most players have surgery and sit out for six or more weeks, however Embiid is fighting through his injury and planning on playing until the season is over. Even with a bad hand Embiid was still the leading scorer for the Sixers putting up 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

The Raptors were able to capitalize on the Sixers mistakes and make plenty of shots. The Raptors shot 51.2 percent from the field. The Raptors would go on to win with ease. With momentum leaning towards Toronto, head coach for the Raptors Nick Nurse is not letting that distract him or his players. “Maybe there is (momentum) but it doesn’t really matter… Ball goes up on Thursday, everybody’s gotta play like heck.”With a red hot Toronto Raptors team and a lackluster 76ers squad tensions are high going into game six which is sure to be a great matchup in Toronto.

Women’s water polo wins the weekend against MAAC and Philly rivals

Sports

Mia Mattingly, Staff

In a string of home games, La Salle’s water polo team went two for three in play for the weekend, edging out teams such as Iona and Villanova, while losing to MAAC conference leader and nationally ranked Wagner. This weekend also allowed the Explorers to yet again start another winning streak this season, with their longest win streak being 12 games, a record for the program in its five year history.

The first game of the weekend was Saturday afternoon against nationally ranked number 15 Wagner, where La Salle fell 21-11, but several Explorers saw goals throughout the four quarters, such as Shanna Zuanich, Jaycee Morris, Francesca Co, Kalista Hyham, Hannah Woren, Tatum Lomax, Sarah Defusco and Sophia Boettner. Both of the team’s goalies, Emma Gurasich and Caitlin Valentine, spent time in the goal and together totaled eight saves across the game.

Later that evening, the team hopped back into Kirk pool to take on Iona, a team they had beaten twice before already that season, 14-11 and 15-14, respectively. La Salle pulled ahead at the beginning by two, but the game continued to go back and forth with both the Gaels and the Explorers, both trading leads on different occasions. It was Defusco’s goal on a man up for the Explorers in the last minute of the game that allowed the team to secure the lead for the rest of the game and Hyham’s goal in the last seconds of the game to ensure the win. The Gaels did have an impressive buzzer beater goal, but that was not enough in the end, with the final score being 17-16.

The final game of the weekend was an early afternoon game against Villanova, who are not only rivals for the water polo team, but for the school as well. A win against Villanova is always a big deal on campus and the water polo team was able to pull it off successfully. The game was most definitely an intense one, with the scores being relatively close and only within two goals for a majority of the game. However, the Explorers going 4-1 in the last quarter solidified the final win of the weekend for the team against the Wildcats. In an impressive fashion, Co’ and Hyham both scored five goals apiece, meaning that the two combined totaled for 10 of the 12 goals, with the final score of the game being 12-9.

It is also worth noting that this weekend helped Hyham reach a total of 16 points for the weekend and 13 goals, which was enough to earn her a nomination for the NovaCare student athlete of the week, while also breaking the season record for amount of goals scored by reaching 99 goals on the season.

The team is now on a two game winning streak, which they look to extend this weekend when they play Philly rivals Villanova yet again at Villanova at 5 p.m. Friday and then Virginia Military Institute at 10 a.m. for the final home and conference game of the season.

Phillies eighth inning rally wins over the Mets

Sports

KC Medico, Staff

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated their division rivals the New York Mets 5-4 in the first game of their series. Both teams are coming into this series with only one loss and are looking to get an early edge in the standings over their opponent.

Many critics of the Phillies pointed out that they have two weaknesses: pitching and defense. Both were on display during the first three innings. In the first inning, the Phillies gave up three runs. Ranger Suarez, the starting pitcher for the Phillies, didn’t get much help from his defense, especially Alec Bohm.

Alec Bohm had three errors during the game, a career high for him. His first error is what started the Mets to go on their 3-0 tear.

After throwing 63 pitches, Suarez was pulled in the third inning for Nick Nelson. Nelson shined as he came in and pitched the next three innings without allowing a hit. Phillies manager Joe Giradi stated in his post-game interview “you know the guy that probably won’t get a ton of attention is Nick Nelson. The job that he did, I mean he saved our bullpen… He did a tremendous job.”

In the top of the seventh Nelson walked James McCann who would eventually steal second base, however, Nelson was able to get lineouts on the next two hitters. Giradi figured it was time for pitcher Seranthony Dominguez to take the mound as Nelson threw 45 total pitches. With a runner on second, shortstop Francisco Lindor would pull the ball into right field which would score McCann to put the Mets up 4-0. The Phillies needed a miracle and it would eventually come in the bottom eighth inning and started by none other than Alec Bohm.

Bohm, who struggled early on defensively, would shine with the bat. Bohm was able to start the rally by getting walked to first. Bohm would finish the game with a double and two walks. Phillies subbed Johan Carmargo for Matt Vierling and would single to right to bring Bohm to third. With Schwarber bringing the top of the order to the plate he grounded to a fielder’s choice at second. The play would bring Bohm home to make the score 4-1.

Up came J.T. Realmuto, and with a man on first, blasted one into left field for a two run shot cutting the deficit to one. Bryce Harper, after swinging out, would leave the Phillies with two outs. Nick Castellanos took a walk which left Rhys Hoskins to send a line drive down the left side which would bring Castellanos home and Hoskins to second. With a tie ballgame shortstop, Didi Gregorous would send a ball into the gap making the game 5-4 Phillies. With a fist-pump at second and the fans at Citizens Bank Park roaring, all the Phillies would have to do is rely on their defense and pitching. With Segura going out swinging, Brad Hand was brought in to save the Phillies.

Brad Hand and the Phillies were able to put away the Mets with ease in the final innings of the game, winning the first game of their four game series. With such a heated rivalry, the rest of the series will be must watch TV.

Lacrosse beats St Bonnie’s, falls to Duquesne

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Header Image: GoExplorers

As the semester begins to wind down, so do the seasons of various sports, including the Lacrosse team. The Lacrosse team found themselves traveling to St. Bonaventure, New York to face the Bonnies, then to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to face off against the Duquesne Dukes, all in one weekend.

The Explorers found success against the Bonnies, coming away with a 12-11 win. Graduate student and midfielder Emily Johnston led the team in goals, accounting for a third of the team’s total goals (4), while sophomore midfielder Maddie Henderson led the team in assists with a total of two.

The Explorers were off to a hot start on offense, with Henderson, Johnston, Lola Quigley and senior Kiki Venza all scoring goals within the first quarter, with Henderson acquiring both of her assists during this quarter. On defense, the Explorers were able to hold the Bonnie’s to only a single goal in the first quarter. The Bonnie’s seemed like a completely different team in the second quarter though, outscoring the Explorers 4-1, tying the game at 5-5.

The half time break seemed to benefit the Explorers, as they seemed to come out with the energy that they were lacking in the second quarter. Venza, graduate attacker Maddie Dachowski, Henderson and Johnston all tallied a goal in this quarter, with Venza achieving an assist. he Bonnie’s came back with a lot of energy in the fourth quarter, though, outscoring the Explorers 5-0. With 4:02 left on the clock, the Explorers were able to score the last three goals of the game, and ultimately rally back for the 12-11 win. This 4-goal game for Johnston marks her fourth hat trick of the season.

The Explorers did not have as much luck in their game against the Dukes though. The Explorers fell to the Dukes 18-9, and fell to 2-4 in conference play in the season.

The Explorers were off to a slow start against the Dukes, with the Dukes scoring the first two goals of the contest. Quigley and Dachowski both answered with a goal of their own, tying the game at 2-2, with the Dukes scoring one last goal before the end of the quarter. The explorers outscored the dukes 3-2 in the second quarter, with Henderson scoring her 19th goal of the season, and Johnston scoring her 32nd goal.

It seemed like the half time break benefited the Dukes this time, though. After a 5-5 half, the Dukes went on a 8-0 run in the first minutes of the third quarter, ultimately outscoring the Explorers 9-3 in the quarter. It seemed like this quarter really got to the Explorers, as they were outshot 16-6. This momentum carried onto the fourth quarter, where the Dukes outscored the Explorers 4-1, ending the game at 18-9.

Once again, Johnston led the team in goals in this game, coming away with three goals in the game, marking her fifth hat trick of the season. Venza led the team in assists this game, coming away with two assists in the game.

The Explorers head onto their next game of the season, taking on the University of Massachusetts for their last home game of the season on April 14 at 1 p.m.

New men’s basketball head coach is announced

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

Header Image: Atlantic 10 Conference

Monday Mar. 21, 2022: After four seasons, La Salle University decided to cut ties with head coach Ashley Howard, with no inkling of a replacement announced to the community. Some students were elated, some players even, but some students and most players were rather upset with the abrupt announcement. Yet, in a somewhat unexpected move, on Tuesday Apr. 5, 2022, La Salle announced to the community that they have convinced alum Fran Dunphy, ‘70, to return to his alma mater to coach the men’s basketball team.

One question remains after all the dust has settled after this announcement: Is Dunphy the right answer for La Salle’s failing program? La Salle’s program has a history of being one of the hardest jobs in the A-10’s due to financial and facility issues. Some critics of La Salle’s athletics administration seem to be on the side of Dunphy, and here are some reasons why they may be accurate in their assessments of him as a coach.

Howard had his first ever head coach position as an Explorer, and amounted to a .388-win percentage. In his four seasons as the head coach, Howard only went above .400 once (during the 2019-2020 season). In his first year as a head coach, Dunphy went .462 (1989-1990 season), not the best, but better than most seasons Howard ever had. In his seventeen years as head coach of Penn, Dunphy reached the NCAA tournament a legendary nine times, being regular season champs in every single one those seasons. Penn is in a significantly harder conference than La Salle, the Ivy League conference, and if any of that success can be replicated at La Salle, the Explorers’ basketball program is likely to see both Atlantic 10 and NCAA tournament success in the future..

Take not only his seventeen years at Penn, but also look at his historic record at Temple. In only his second year there, Dunphy was able to win the A-10 conference tournament, booking their ticket into the NCAA March Madness tournament. In his 13 years as head coach of Temple, Dunphy was able to take the Owls to the post season tournament eight separate times.

This coaching experience is exactly what the Explorers are looking for, as the school has only reached the NCAA tournament only once since joining the A-10’s in 1995. The school has not had a winning record since the 2014-2015 season and has consistently placed along the bottom of the conference, stowing a culture of losing. The athletic department, represented by Brian Baptiste in an email to the La Salle community announced that Dunphy is the answer to these problems — the one slam dunk La Salle has been looking for in order to revive the program. While La Salle will no doubt be fighting an uphill battle,still having to play schools such as Davidson and 6’10” forward Luka Brajkovic, Dunphy may end the losing slump that La Salle has been suffering in the past several years.

Asking students around campus their opinion on this hiring, some users seemed to be excited for the new hiring. Brian ’23, stated, “A great hire. Might go .500 next year. Can only get better with Fran.” ISBT senior Raymond Kovacsics said “I think it was a great hire. Dunphy brings stability, experience, and a new mindset to the program. After a tumultuous run, La Salle needed fresh blood. Dunphy is a familiar figure who understands the culture at La Salle and wants to restore the program to its glory days. Baptiste hit a home run. Overall, I think the administration did an excellent job finding Dunphy, and I think Fran will find success.”

Even students who don’t keep up much with sports, such as our News Editor Kylie McGovern, stated “Things can only go up right? I don’t know a lot about sports, but he seems like the best option from what the university said in their email.” Noah ’25, even boldly stated, “He is the GOAT we have been looking for.”

Whether Dunphy is the right option for La Salle is something only time will be able to tell. Dunphy could very well come in and do worse than Howard, or he might have a dream season and take La Salle to the Elite Eight.
Editor’s Note: I am personally very excited for what is to come, and as editor of the sports section, am very much looking forward to writing about the men’s team next season, and look forward to seeing how “Mr. Big 5” will do as the head coach of La Salle university.

Opinion: Athletic department finally does something right

Sports

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

The day is Monday, March 21, 2022. My flight from Guadalajara, Jalisco had just landed in my hometown of Ciudad Juarez at 9 a.m. MT. After turning off airplane mode on my phone I receive a plethora of texts from friends with the most amazing news I have ever seen: the words “Howard’s gone” with the link to a tweet stating he had been fired. I was overwhelmed with joy at reading this news, and as a previous doubter of the Athletic Department, I can finally say that they made the right move.

EBK_Koff via Twitter

I have been an avid critic of Ashley Howard ever since my team got cut, have shown this hatred throughout my articles during the semester and have been a known hater of the basketball team

But at the end of the day, my hatred was not for the team, but rather the coaching staff. How is it that a man who is getting paid $750,000 a year, gets 95 percent of the athletic budget and had a record of winning championships can produce something as miserable and terrible as Ashley Howard has? How is it that this man has every single thing set in place for him to win, fails to do so, embarrassing an entire school in the process? La Salle went to the Sweet 16 only six years before, so some sort of winning culture still existed within the program, some sort of pride in the team. This man drove us from a respectable team to second to last or last within the A-10s.

For years I had been dreaming of the day that Howard was gone, and the rumors I heard earlier in the year that stated that he would be fired next year if he did not win only helped hype this dream on. I dream of a basketball program where people have to camp outside the stadium simply to get tickets for the games. I want big wins at home, I want a respectable basketball program, something that can only be done without Howard at the helm of the program.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no expectations for next year’s team to do any better, but at least not having Howard at the helm of things will make it easier to bear. Various other coaches across the nation are prime candidates for this position, and, if given the right incentives, might be making their coaching debut at 20th and Olney some time soon.