KANSAS CITY -- The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team moved up four places to No. 10 in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division II national rankings released Tuesday by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The Rock, which was ranked No. 14 in the preseason rankings, opened their season last week with a 1-0 win on the road at Wheeling Jesuit. Slippery Rock was dominant in that match, allowing just one shot on goal and posting a 9-0 edge in corner kicks. SRU ... Read More
Fixing Defense, Not Sunseri Priority No. 1 for Panthers
For Pitt Panthers fans, it's become a habit to point the finger at quarterback Tino Sunseri after every heartbreaking Panthers defeat. Not this time. While Sunseri certainly could always be better under center for the Panthers, he shouldn't even be a concern for new head coach Paul Chryst as the Panthers have a quick turnaround, beginning Big East Conference play Thursday night at Cincinnati. All attention should be on fixing the Pitt defense and doing so quickly. With big games against ... Read More
The dark side of fandom
If you’re a sports fan, you’ve been there. Defending your territory and your team from those who want to bring it down. Team allegiances often pit friends against friends, or even complete strangers against one another. It’s simply imbued in our DNA. Without that passion, sports wouldn’t be anything more than another TV show, with a rotating cast of characters. But it’s not. It’s a living, breathing organism that can cause grown men to fall to their knees in sorrow, or spring to their feet in ... Read More
Former La Roche assistant Bob McGraw joins Slippery Rock’s staff
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Bob McGraw, a former assistant coach at La Roche College, has joined the Slippery Rock University men's basketball coaching staff in the role of a volunteer assistant, Rock head coach Kevin Reynolds announced Monday. “Bob is a tremendous addition to our staff,” Reynolds said. “His experiences as a NCAA Division III assistant basketball coach will make an immediate impact on our basketball program. His addition will allow us to continue our plan of recruiting and ... Read More
IUP ranked in top 25 for first time since 2008
WACO, TX – IUP appears at No. 23 in the latest version of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll, as it was released on Monday afternoon. The 2012 debut in the poll for the Crimson Hawks marks the first time since November of 2008 that IUP is ranked in a national poll. The bump into the top 25 comes after an impressive 33-6 season-opening victory over visiting Southern Connecticut on Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium. Senior Harvie Tuck (Akron, OH/St. ... Read More
The next six games are crucial for the Pirates
After a promising series against St. Louis, the Pirates went into Milwaukee confident, and came out without a victory. With A.J. Burnett, Jeff Karstens, and James McDonald being the three pitchers in Milwaukee this weekend, a sweep is the worst possible thing that could have happened to the Bucs. They fell one game into the wild card standings, and are now 1.5 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The wild card is looking like it's coming down to four teams. The Atlanta Braves and St. Louis ... Read More
Robert Morris loses to national champion North Dakota State 52-0
Fargo, N.D. - September 1, 2012 - The Robert Morris University football team dropped its 2012 season opener Saturday night as defending national champion and preseason No. 1/2 North Dakota State claimed a 52-0 non-conference decision at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome. Playing in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 18,769, the largest crowd that RMU has ever competed in front of, the host Bison used good field position throughout the game to launch a number of short scoring drives. ... Read More
Nathan’s D2 roundup
California 30, Hillsdale 24 The Vulcans defense came up big in the closing minutes of last Thursday's showdown with Hillsdale to pickup the win over the No. 17 ranked Chargers. Senior defensive back Rontez Miles broke up a potential touchdown as time expired to give California coach Mike Keller his first win. The squads battled to a 14-14 tie midway through the second quarter before senior quarterback Peter Lalich connected with Mike Williams on a five-yard pass to take the seven-point ... Read More
Pitt loses shocker to Youngstown State to start the Paul Chryst era
The Paul Chryst era of Pitt Panthers football got off to a memorable start Saturday evening - just not the start that Chryst and many Pitt fans envisioned when he was hired last winter to replace Todd Graham. Chryst committed a first in Panthers’ history as Pitt lost to an FCS program for the first time - 31-17 to Youngstown State at home nonetheless. The loss was the school's first in 11 all-time games against FCS opponents. It was the Panthers' third meeting all-time against the ... Read More
Pirates fall to Crew on missed opportunities
The Pirates had their chances to put runs on the board tonight, but were unable to as they fell on a walk off to the Milwaukee Brewers. A.J. Burnett was the starter for the Pirates and pitched pretty well. He did not allow a hit through five innings and after walking Carlos Gomez in the fourth, he stole second and third and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Burnett was pulled after 6.2 innings of work and struck out nine, with five of those coming in a row. He allowed his second run on an ... Read More