Yellow Jackets Sports Weekly Recap (Sept. 26- Oct. 2)

By: Brandon Unverferth 

Photography: Hanna Young

Football: Sat. Oct. 1

Hanover College 37 (1-3), Defiance 20 (0-4) Homecoming)

The Defiance College football team hosted the Hanover Panthers (HCAC conference opponent) Saturday afternoon at Justin F. Coressel Stadium for the 2022 Homecoming game. The Yellow Jackets made their way onto the scoreboard first with 2:24 left in the opening quarter, as senior quarterback Jordan Ambrose connected with junior running back Jacob Deisler for a 9-yard touchdown strike. Hanover quickly responded to the Yellow Jackets’ score, as they answered with a touchdown of their own, with a one-yard rush by sophomore Blake Huffman to tie the game at 7 (8:51 left in 2nd quarter). Two minutes later, senior Jordan Ambrose found sophomore Tawann Rome in the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown to regain the Defiance lead 14-7 (6:38 left in 2nd quarter). With less than three minutes left until halftime, Hanover senior quarterback Matthew Weimer tied the game at 14, with a one-yard rushing touchdown (2:55 left in 2nd quarter). The Yellow Jackets suffered a major loss moments before the halftime break (2:30 left in 2nd quarter), as senior quarterback Jordan Ambrose left the game with an unknown injury, which left him on the sidelines for the rest of the contest. The second half was dominated by the Panthers, as Hanover outscored the Yellow Jackets 23-6. Senior quarterback Matthew Weimer for the Panthers was able to connect with junior Eric Roudebush (18 yards) and sophomore Jalen Peck (15 yards) for a pair of passing touchdowns, while sophomore running back Austin Oppel rushed into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown score. Sophomore kicker Yoann Kinanga added to the Hanover scoring run, with a 22-yard field goal in the third quarter. Senior backup quarterback Seth Pearson was able to find the end zone in the late stages of the game (6:20 left in the 4th quarter), as he found freshman Cooper Sloan for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Hanover had 27 first downs on the game, compared to Defiance’s 19. The Panthers were 3 of 3 on fourth down conversions, while the Yellow Jackets were 1 of 3. Senior quarterback Seth Pearson led the way in passing yards for Defiance with 123, while senior quarterback Matthew Weimer for Hanover had 257. Senior Justin Caballero led the game with 12 tackles, while senior Jaylen Redd captured 10 and senior Thomas Coltrain obtained 9.

Women’s Soccer: Wed. Sept. 28 and Sat. Oct. 1

9/28: Manchester University 7 (2-7), Defiance 0 (3-6)

The Yellow Jackets women’s soccer team traveled to Manchester, Indiana, Wednesday afternoon to kick off Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play against the Manchester Spartans. The Spartans came out “rolling” as they scored five goals in the first half alone. The first Manchester score occurred at the 14-minute mark as senior Jayden Murray knocked one through the net. Freshman Chaelinn Hutchins found her way onto the scoreboard next for the Spartans, as she scored at the 30-minute mark. Senior Jayden Murray pushed another ball through the net at the 36-minute mark, to give Manchester a 3-0 lead. Freshman Grace Papazoglou (40-minute mark) and sophomore Elaina Halferty (44-minute mark) also scored for the Spartans in the opening half. Eleven minutes into the second half (56-minute mark), Freshman Grace Papazoglou “chipped in” her second goal of the contest, to give Manchester a 6-0 lead. Another freshman, Ceah Campbell scored the final goal of the contest at the 69-minute mark, which stretched the Spartans’ lead to seven. Manchester led the way in every statistical category including a 25-4 shot advantage, 18-0 shot on goal, and 11-1 on corner kicks.

10/1: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 7 (4-2-3), Defiance 0 (3-7)

The Defiance College women’s soccer team hosted the Rose-Hulman Fightin’ Engineers Saturday afternoon at Winsper-Knobel Field as a part of homecoming weekend. Senior Lane Lawrence got the scoring started early for the Fightin’ Engineers, as she knocked one through the net in the 11th minute. Rose-Hulman continued to apply offensive pressure throughout the remainder of the first half, as they tacked on two additional goals by freshman Katie Choi (41-minute mark) and sophomore Alicia Rodriguez (45-minute mark). The Fightin’ Engineers extended their lead to seven by the end of the matchup, as they scored four additional goals in the second half by four different players including Junior Kyra Hicks (51-minute mark), senior Bri Camero-Sulak (75-minute mark), freshman Ella Johnson (83-minute mark), and junior Tracy Orgera (85-minute mark). Junior Clover Worrell recorded the only shot attempt for Defiance in the matchup, while junior goalkeeper Sarah O’Shea allowed seven goals and made 21 saves. A duo of freshman McKenna Walker and Christa Phillips, along with junior Sloane Livingston, played all 90 minutes for the Yellow Jackets. Rose-Hulman had a 44-1 shot advantage and a 10-0 advantage in corner kicks.

Men’s Soccer: Wed. Sept. 28 and Sat. Oct. 1

9/28: (Tie) Defiance 0 (1-5-5), Manchester University 0 (1-5-3)

The Defiance College men’s soccer team hosted the Manchester Spartans (HCAC conference opponent) Wednesday afternoon at Winsper-Knobel Field to begin conference play. In the first half, the Spartans were able to get four shots on goal compared to the Yellow Jackets one, but neither team was able to find the back of the net. Defiance led the way in the corner kicks category after 45 minutes, 3-2. The second half was much of the same, as both the Spartans and Yellow Jackets found themselves close to scoring at times, but neither team was able to introduce themselves to the scoreboard. Senior goalkeeper Orry Killam recorded a crucial save for Defiance in the 86th minute, as he prevented a penalty kick score from Manchester junior Noah Black.

When senior goalkeeper Orry Killam was asked by The Defender about his thoughts following a draw to open up conference play, he expressed, “I felt like we controlled the game for the most part. There were times when we had them pinned in their own half and were looking solid. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t find the back of the net.“

10/1: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 5 (6-1-2), Defiance 0 (1-6-5)

The Yellow Jackets men’s soccer team welcomed the Rose-Hulman Fightin’ Engineers to Winsper-Knobel Field Saturday afternoon for a homecoming weekend HCAC conference matchup. The Fightin’ Engineers started the game off with a quick strike, as senior Takezo Kelly scored at the 17-minute mark to give Rose-Hulman an early 1-0 lead. The next two points of the matchup would come early in the second half, as Fightin’ Engineers junior Owen Trudt knocked in a pair of goals at the 51-minute mark and 65-minute mark. Senior AJ Yilmaz added his name to the Rose-Hulman scoring column at the 75-minute mark with a goal from the left hash. Freshman Matthew Schwartz concluded the Fightin’ Engineers’ scoring “barrage” with a goal at the 80-minute mark, to give Rose-Hulman a 5-0 victory. Seniors Armando Campos-Ortiz and Chase Stiner each led Defiance with two shots on goal apiece, while sophomore Zak Klopfenstein recorded one. Junior Riley Hensley played all 90 minutes for the Yellow Jackets.

Volleyball: Sat. Oct. 1

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 3 (9-7), Defiance 0 (3-11)

The Defiance College volleyball team welcomed the Rose-And Hulman Fightin’ Engineers to the Karl H. Weaner Center Saturday morning to kick off homecoming weekend festivities. The Yellow Jackets and Fightin’ Engineers traded the lead numerous times throughout the opening set, but in the end, Rose-Hulman came out on top 25-16. Defiance controlled the second set for most of the series until Rose-Hulman ended the set with a 10-2 scoring run to take the victory 25-23. The Fightin’ Engineers showed a lot of energy and firepower in the third set of the match, as they took a 12-5 early advantage. Rose-Hulman completed the 3-0 match sweep with a third-set victory 25-9. Freshman Jaelyn Tomoletz led Defiance with 7 kills, while sophomore Kendra Kline led the Yellow Jackets in the assists category with 8.

Men’s Cross Country: Sat. Oct. 1

The Defiance College men’s cross country team traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, Saturday afternoon for a nine-team meet at Wisconsin-Parkside University. Wisconsin-Parkside University took the team victory with runners finishing in seven of the first eight spots. Carthage College also out of Kenosha, Wisconsin, finished in the runner-up spot, with Moraine Valley Community College (Palos Hills, Illinois) rounding out the podium. Freshman Alex Burney was the first finisher for the Yellow Jackets, as he secured 31st place with a time of 18:25.03. Freshman Marlan Brown finished in the 58th position, with a time of 22:55.08. Sophomore Gavin Maratea, the third and final runner for Defiance, finished in 66th with a time of 27:47.55.

Women’s Cross Country: Sat. Oct. 1

The Defiance College women’s cross country team traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, Saturday afternoon for a nine-team meet at Wisconsin-Parkside University. Wisconsin-Milwaukee University took the team victory with runners finishing in four of the first six spots. Wisconsin-Parkside University finished in the runner-up spot, with Carthage College rounding out the podium. Freshman Shyla Pemberton was the lone runner for the Yellow Jackets, and she finished in the 39th position with a time of 16:09.66.

Men’s Golf: Sat. Oct. 1 and Sun. Oct. 2 (Yellow Jacket Fall Invitational)

The Defiance College men’s golf team welcomed Heidelberg University, Bluffton University, Tiffin University, and Anderson University to Eagle Rocks Golf Course this weekend for the Yellow Jacket Fall Invitational. The Heidelberg Student Princes left Defiance with the team victory, as they obtained a total score of 617. The Bluffton Beavers finished in the runner-up spot with a total score of 633 and the Tiffin Dragons rounded out the podium with a score of 635. Defiance finished in the 6th spot with a total score of 907. Tiffin University freshman Jonas Zajicek took the individual player victory with a score of 149. Sophomore Damien Martinez led Defiance with a 32nd place finish, with a score of 202. Sophomore Payton Switzer finished in 35th with a 214, while junior Will Garlock finished in 36th with a 243. Sophomore Zach Canterbury finished 37th with a 248.

Home

Wednesday, Oct. 5

Men’s Soccer (1-6-5) vs Earlham College (2-6-1)

Location: Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field

(3:30 pm)

Saturday, Oct. 8

Women’s Golf (HCAC Fall Preview)

Location: Moose Landing Golf Course

(9:00 am)

Sunday, Oct. 9

Women’s Golf (HCAC Fall Preview)

Location: Moose Landing Golf Course

(9:00 am)

Away

Monday, Oct. 3

Women’s Golf at Wooster College (Eva Shorb Weiskopf Memorial)

(9:00 am)

Wednesday, Oct. 5

Women’s Soccer (3-7) at Earlham College (2-4-2)

(4:30 pm)

Volleyball (3-11) at Anderson University (8-7)

(7:00 pm)

Friday, Oct. 7

Volleyball (3-11) at Hanover College (10-8)

(7:00 pm)

Saturday, Oct. 8

Women’s Soccer (3-7) at Hanover College (6-2-1)

(1:00 pm)

Football (0-4) at Mount St. Joseph University (4-0)

(1:30 pm)

Volleyball (3-11) at Asbury University (4-10)

(2:00 pm)

Men’s Soccer (1-6-5) at Hanover College (3-4-3)

(3:30 pm)