Sports

Tipping off NBA season

Three games down, 2,457 regular season games to go. The National Basketball Association tipped off its regular season Tuesday, with the Boston Celtics raising their championship banner, the Milwaukee Bucks falling to the Chicago Bulls, and the Portland Trail Blazers' Greg Oden's disappointing departure from his first game after only 13 minutes of play.

Halfway there: NFC midseason review

We are halfway through the National Football League's season, and in the spirit of the fall semester, here is how your favorite NFC squads scored on their midterm exams. I'm sorry if your team plays in the AFC and aren't mentioned in my progress report, I just don't follow the AFC enough and I wouldn't want to provide any "false" insight or hurt your AFC loving feelings.

Hobbling towards halftime

Now that the first half of the NFL season is over, it is clear that this season has been just plain mediocre and has given fans little to cheer about. The blame for this mediocrity rests in the laundry list of injuries plaguing NFL stars. There is essentially a Pro-Bowl team's worth of injured players this season.

Men's soccer falls to UVA, 4-2

Freshman Jack Scott's pair of goals were not enough to prevent the AU men's soccer team from losing 4-2 to the University of Virginia Tuesday night. The loss snaps the Eagles' three-game winning streak and drops the team's record on the season to 7-6-2 overall.

Womens soccer

Junior forward Mary Reigler scored in the 67th minute to give the AU women's soccer team an eventual 1-1 tie against College of the Holy Cross Friday. The tie improves the team's record to 5-9-2 on the season and 2-1-2 in the Patriot League. After playing to a scoreless first half, Holy Cross was able to get on the scoreboard first on a goal by freshman defender Katherine Donnelly in the 57th minute to give the Crusaders as 1-0 lead.

Eagles add to streak

AU women's volleyball swept both opponents this weekend, defeating the U.S. Military Academy and College of the Holy Cross by matching 3-0 scores, to add to its season-high 12-match winning streak. The two victories improve the Eagles' record to 17-6 on the season and a perfect 9-0 in the Patriot League.

Mens and womens swimming

The AU men's and women's swimming and diving teams earned a split against Providence College this weekend, as the women defeated the Friars 192-99 while the men fell 209-109. The women's squad won 11 of the 13 events in the meet, with Sophomore Dorothy Issacs and freshman Alexandra Wessel earning two individual victories each.

Field hockey alone in first place in PL

The No. 18 AU field hockey team claimed sole possession of first place in the Patriot League this weekend by defeating Lafayette College at Reeves Field Saturday. The Eagles improve to 9-6 on the season and 4-0 in the Patriot League. The Leopards were the stronger of the two teams during the first half, taking four shots on goal against junior goalkeeper Alyssa Poorman but she saved everything that came her way to preserve the scoreless tie entering halftime.

Men's soccer soars into first in PL

Thanks to junior defender Dor Yasur's first goal of the season, the AU men's soccer team remains undefeated in Patriot League play this season, following a 1-0 victory over College of the Holy Cross at Reeves Field Saturday. The win improves the Eagles' record to 7-5-2 and 3-0-1 in the league, which was good enough for first place.

Women's soccer brief

The women's soccer extended its unbeaten streak to a season-high three games following a scoreless draw against Patriot League-leading Navy on Friday. The tie pushes the Eagles record to 5-9-2 on the season and 2-1-1 in the Patriot League. Navy took a 13-6 advantage in total shots but senior goalkeeper Kelsey Wiggins was able to make two saves to preserve shutout.

Semin's fast start helps him lead Caps

By netting six goals in the first five games, he has become one of the premier left-wingers in the National Hockey League. No, we are not talking about Alexander Ovechkin, but rather his countryman Alexander Semin. This season, Semin has stepped up as the team's leading scorer and as one of the most explosive players on the bench.

Cut through

Cross country brief

The AU men's and women's cross country teams fared well in their final tune-up before the Patriot League Championships, with the men taking home the title and the women coming in second place. Senior Carlos Jamieson finished second overall in the race with a time of 25:36.

Swimming and diving brief

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams took home 13 first place finishes this weekend as they competed in a tri-meet against George Washington University and Catholic University. Leading the way on the men's side was junior Matt Pelletier, who took three first place titles in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke as well as in the 100-yard butterfly.

Men's soccer brief

The men's soccer team rose to No. 7 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll this week, the first time that the squad has been ranked this season. The rise comes on the heels of a 1-0 tie with Lehigh on Saturday, which improved its record to 6-5-2 and 2-0-1 in the Patriot League.

Volleyball records ten wins in a row

It was another successful weekend for the AU women's volleyball team, as they defeated Patriot League rivals Bucknell University Friday and Colgate University Saturday, in straight sets on the road. AU ran their winning streak to 10 straight matches, including seven straight against Patriot League opponents.

Field hockey brief

The AU field hockey team took home two victories over the weekend, defeating Bucknell University 4-0 Saturday and Towson University 4-1 Sunday. The wins helped the Eagles improve to 8-6 overall and 3-0 in the Patriot League. Senior attacker Irene Schickhardt was instrumental in the victory over the Bison, tallying her ninth and 10th goals of the season to pace the Eagles to a 4-0 victory.